Emdad Rahman
On Easter Sunday Imam Siraj Wahhaj was the guest of honour at the Impressions events venue in Newham organised by UK based charity iQra International. The proceedings focussed on valuing time and encouraging participants young and old to raise their productivity levels.
The evening commenced with recitation from the Quran by Mohammed Hafiz kamran Hussain followed by an address by Ustadh Khidir Hussain on the subject of valuing time. He said, “A human being lives 86400 seconds in a 24 hour period. Are we living our lives accordingly and appropriately? If we look at our lives how much of our time do we value and make productive and how much do we simply waste? For our predecessors every moment of their lives was previous and valuable.”
Maswood Ahmed, Treasurer at iQra International and founder of Inspire a Million, added, “iQra is carrying out fantastic work to support those living with disabilities. The ability to walk, talk and communicate is a blessing but can be a hindrance if not used to make this world a better place.”
Abdul Hoque Habib, Chair of iQra International, thanked attendees and addressed guests, saying, “This charity has served humanity for 21 years. We are dedicated to supporting disabled people. We have completed the second phase of our hospital project in Sylhet, Bangladesh. Since 2014 the hospital has served over 13,000 people in Bangladesh. Over 100 people have experienced positive physical changes thanks to the interventions of iQra International. With your support we also hope to continue our Rohingya project.”
Imam Siraj Wahhaj is a globally recognised Islamic Leader with over 40 years experience of sharing riveting messages that have sparked the minds and inspired the soul. His message is rooted in hope, faith and the power of redemption. He is the Imam of Masjid Taqwa in Brooklyn, New York and is well known among Muslims in North America and Europe as a dynamic speaker and tireless supporter of Islamic causes.
After being introduced by the host Ziaur Rahman, Imam Siraj Wahhaj said in his keynote speech, “Life is short and temporary – how productive do we make it? All your life you get to know somebody and all of a sudden they’re gone. What kind of life is that? How do we make our lives fulfilling and full of service?”
Quoting Frank Sinatra Imam Siraj added, “I’ve been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king; I’ve been up and down and over and out. And I know one thing: each time I find myself flat on my face I pick myself up and get back in the race
“Life expectancy in Japan is the highest. The United Kingdom is 20th on the list. The United States is 30th. I knew you’d like that – you finally beat us at something. You can have the best house in the world but one day it won’t be yours. There’s no limit to how much you can earn but two questions will be asked, ‘how did you earn it? How did you spend it?’ Inheritance? You can’t take it with you.”
“Time is precious – you live long enough and something is going to happen to you. The constant dropping of water on a stone will tear a hole in a stone – not a tornado or a storm. Be constant with your productivity. Take advantage of your life, hurry up, hurry up!”
Imam Siraj was the first to donate £20 to iQra International and the disability project. Calling out for volunteers to emulate his gesture the Imam counted out 107 attendees who matched the donation. The programme concluded with a fundraising show, entertainment and dinner. Special thanks were reserved for the event sponsors Channel S and also Impressions events venue.
iQra International was founded by dedicated young British people with the aim of helping orphans, the disabled, disadvantaged women and some of the poorest people in the world. iQra International is a UK registered non-profit humanitarian charity organisation with a mission to help restore dignity to the millions of disabled people in developing countries.
For the past 21 years the charity has not only provided essential medical support and aid to thousands of disabled children and adults around the world who are unable to afford it for themseves, but has also raised much needed awareness of the plight of disabled people in developing countries where citizens face daily neglect and discrimination. In countries such as Bangladesh, iQra International has pushed to change public perception of disabilities and has highlighted the rights of disabled people for decades.
•For more information, go to: www.iqrainternational.org
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