Muslim Hands host mass community Iftar in Langa Township
Muhammad (PBUH) is reported to have said, “Whoever feeds a fasting person will earn the same reward as him without diminishing in any way the reward of the fasting person.” This hadith encourages Muslims to feed those who are hungry, especially during Ramadan.
Langa township is one of the many areas in South Africa that were designated for Black Africans before the apartheid era. It is the oldest of such suburbs in Cape Town and was the location of much resistance to apartheid.
During the early 1950s renowned Islamic Scholar and political activist Imam Abdullah Haron took the message of Islam to the indigenous Black people in Langa.
Even though, Islam has been in the Black townships for over 70 years, it is still an area that is neglected and many of our Black African Muslim brothers and sisters feel isolated and not part of the greater Cape Town Muslim Community.
On Thursday 13 April, Muslim Hands hosted a mass street Iftar for the community of Langa. Both Muslims and Non-Muslims were welcome to attend. This was a beautiful Dawah opportunity to also introduce the beauty of Islam to the non-Muslims many of whom still see Islam as a foreign religion.
Before sunset, the large crowd who gathered were treated to beautiful Nasheeds performed by local Madrassa children as well as a few Muslim Hands volunteers.
Jabavu Avenue, where the Masjid is located were closed for the early part of the evening and it was beautifully laid out by MHSA staff and volunteers for the residents. Everything was perfectly set up for the residents to come enjoy a delicious hot meal. After Maghrib solaah was completed, the street filled up and many of the residents joined in the festivities.
The Iftar meal, which was served, consisted of dates, water, akhni (requested by the community), soft drinks and various fruits.
It was sad to hear that a sizeable percentage of the brothers who were in attendance have not had a warm cooked meal before that, during Ramadan.
This Iftar for the community of Langa township in Cape Town, was only due to the generous donations of our donors who donate to our Open Kitchen programme. In Sha Allah with more regular giving, MHSA can have more of these feeding events at other masjids where the needs are also great.
