Mangalore: Yenepoya University, US Consulate, Host Iftar Party in City
Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, Aug 26: An Iftar party was hosted jointly by Yenepoya University and the US Consulate in the city on Wednesday August 25 evening. The venue of the party was Hotel Gateway.
After a prayer was rendered, Yenepoya University chancellor, Yenepoya Abdulla Kunhi, extended a warm welcome to all those present. He noted that for the Muslims, the month of Ramadan happens to be holy. He also observed that the bond of universal brotherhood gets reinforced during this month, which also is characterized by observing fast, feast, worship and prayer, through which spirituality within oneself gets enriched.
“Ramadan is a month, the root of which is kindness, whose stem is made of forgiving others, and the final stretch is getting relieved of sins and the need to undergo hellish punishment,” he explained.
In his address, M Hamilton, political and economic officer in the US Consulate, Chennai, noted that the salient feature of Ramadan is the large-hearted excuse one extends to everyone and every sin. “Let us drive away enmity and hatred towards others out of our hearts and bathe in a sense of boundless elation, he said.
Hamilton explained that a believer is never daunted by the travails and challenges that he faces in his voyage towards earning the mercy of the God. Only a person who steadfastly sticks to his ideals and unflinchingly abides by the principles advised in the scripture, gets spiritual enlightenment. It is common for the faithful to encounter difficulties, suffer from the troubles heaped on them by others and undergo injustice. We should always keep remembering that the worldly problems are a passing phase, and our only aim is to attain the permanent,” he said.
Giving the gathering the reasoning and purpose behind the ritual of fasting, Dr Mohammed Raihan Saeed, noted that remaining firmly embedded in our beliefs (Shahada), offering of prayers (Salat), giving donations and alms (Zakat), fasting (Siyam) and undertaking Haj pilgrimage, are the five pillars on which the concept of Ramadan rests. He noted that fasting, besides imbibing in oneself true character and moral values, also helps him to exercise control over his senses, purify his soul, awakens him to the existence of God, reinforces the spirit of empathy, grows in him the character of loving other humans, besides cementing his faith in the God.
He also felt that Ramadan is a godsent opportunity for the mankind to allow them to reflect on themselves and forget their problems and tribulations. He said that Ramadan is the month during which the people should help the poor, the sick and the others who are in need of their sympathy and support.
A documentary on Muslim civilization was presented on the occasion, by Dr P Hameed. Farhad Yenepoya proposed the vote of thanks. Emad presented the programme.