Islamic Relief Australia (IRAUS) launches the 2019/1441 Ramadan Campaign 

We are excited to announce the launch of our Ramadan 2019 Campaign ‘Change begins with you’. With the holy month of Ramadan about to visit us in the next few weeks in sha Allah, We take this opportunity to thank all our ongoing supporters and welcome our new supporters to the Islamic Relief Family. 

Ramadan 2019

We know that Ramadan is a divine and holy period in which Muslims are instructed to fast from dawn to sunset. Fasting Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. During this month all Muslims, regardless of age, gender, race and ethnicity are invited to ‘Change’.  

Yes, we want to change this month. We want to be the better versions of ourselves in spirituality, emotionally and physically. 

The wisdom, power, and impact of Ramadan is beyond our understanding. We are blessed with a time to reflect, renew and improve ourselves. We are blessed with a time to be self-disciplined, caring, compassionate and visionary. 

 “Change, It Begins With You”  

You’re in control of the words you say, the people you meet, the things that you do. You don’t realize the impact your words and actions have on those around you, and most importantly, yourself. 

Change begins with you. Run directly at change. 

Change begins with Bismillah. It Begins with a simple intention.  

Change begins with Ramadan.  Ramadan is your opportunity to create positive change in your life, and the lives of the world’s most vulnerable. 

The Islamic Relief Family this Ramadan  

Your Zakat 

Zakat means ‘growth’ and ‘purification’. We purify our wealth by giving a proportion of it to those that need it. As with the pruning of plants, when we cut back we create balance and encourage new growth. 

Many people choose to pay their zakat during Ramadan, a blessed month in which the reward for good deeds is multiplied. 

Find out more on Zakat here. 

Learn More About How Our Zakat Projects Creates Long Term Positive Change Here

We’re distributing food packs to 100,000 more people this Ramadan 

IRAUS in partnership with Islamic Relief Worldwide aims to distribute 311,000 food packs in 34 countries to benefit over 1.7 million people this Ramadan. This is an additional 100,000 people we are reaching in comparison to last year.  

When is Ramadan 2019?  

Ramadan 2019 is due to begin on either Sunday the 5th of May or Monday the 6th of May. 

 Ramadan 2019 will be officially determined by the sighting of the new moon. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic year and encompasses significant religious reverence. 

During the month of Ramadan, Muslims are obligated to fast from pre-dawn to sunset every single day for 29 or 30 days. The fasting of Ramadan makes up the fourth pillar of Islam. 

A Background to Ramadan 

The word ‘Ramadan’, comes from the Arabic word ‘Ramad’. This word means being burnt by the sun. Scholars have said this word is used because during this month, the sins of the believers are being burnt. 

The Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said,  

Whoever draws nearer to Allah by performing any of the (optional) good deeds  shall receive the same reward as performing an obligatory deed at any other time, and whoever discharges an obligatory deed in (this month) shall receive the reward of performing seventy obligations at any other time.

Following the sunnah 

The Prophet (pbuh), embodied the spirit of the Qur’an. Muslims try to follow his example – or sunnah – in drawing closer to God. In Ramadan, these include eating suhur, a pre-dawn meal – even if it is just water – and breaking the fast on time. Muslims usually break their fast with dates, choosing an odd number as the Prophet (pbuh) did, or water. 

What We Are Doing in Ramadan 2019 

Across the world, many families will struggle to put food on the table at iftar time. We work with people and communities to ensure that families have enough food for the month of Ramadan. Across the globe, we distribute family food packs with essentials such as flour, rice, and lentils to last the whole month. The food packs are dynamic and contents change according to the country and the preferred nutritious intake.  

In Kosovo, Hafize, 55 years of age, runs a female headed household. Hafize has six children and her youngest child is disabled.

The annual Udhiya/Qurbani Project provides an opportunity for people who cannot afford to receive meat products gaining the nutritional benefit of an Islamic Relief Meat Packet.

The project involves the distribution of fresh packets to the most vulnerable people – women, children, the elderly and refugees.

Life in a Female-Headed Household

Hafize does not have access to a steady flow of income. Purchasing meat is rare, she mentions,

My children, one of whom is disabled, associate meat with special holidays like Qurbani as those are the times we have meat in our diets.

As a female head of household, having children with a disability, life has challenged me a lot. Most of the time we cook with flour as it is cheap. So our main meals are usually pastry. Alhamdulillah my children do not complain and enjoy it.

Meat is not part of our regular diet, we rarely consume it. My children, one of whom is disabled, associate meat with special holidays like Qurbani as those are the times we have meat in our diets.

The Expense of Meat

Buying meat is very challenging and expensive for us. Some local families try to help us out every now and then. We live in a village and I try to plant vegetables in order to avoid buying things. We are a large family and things are hard, my youngest children are going to school and my eldest had to stop because we cannot afford it.

Eid-al-Adha, for me and family, means solidarity and bliss. On that day people come and visit us and we feel united and close to each other. The meat pack from Islamic Relief gives us an opportunity to access foods with higher nutritional value. The Qurbani meat lasts a while for us. We divide the meat into small pieces and put it in the freezer so we can have it with other meals.

I am thankful for the Islamic Relief staff for Qurbani, and also helping my children with schoolbags, stationary, and all  our difficulties.

For More Information about our Qurbani Guidelines you can click here or here for our Qurban Projects.

Dhul Hijjah 2018 is due to begin on either Sunday the 12th August or Monday the 13th of August.

Dhul Hijjah 2018 will be officially determined by the sighting of the new moon. The Islamic month encompasses significant religious reverence. During the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah, Muslims are advised to increase their acts of goodness and spirituality to reap the rewards of this exalted period.

A Background to Dhul Hijjah

The word “Dhul Hijjah” can be translated to “Month of Pilgrimage”. During the month of Dhul Hijjah, Muslims perform the Hajj.

In  Surat Al-Fajr, Allah says:

“By the dawn; And [by] the ten nights.” (Qur’an 89:1-2)

According to many scholars of the Qur’an, the days mentioned as significant enough for Allah to swear by them are the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah.

During this month, Muslims around the world are excited and happy. Millions of Muslims will be travel to Makkah to pursue Hajj. 

The Ten Days serve a reminder to worship and reflect upon the value of life. Islam has emphasised upon the virtue of these days. They are special because they contain significant Islamic events. Such as the history of the prophet Ibrahim, the pilgrimage to Makkah  and the celebratory days of Eid.

Whoever is not able to go to Hajj during Dhul Hijjah should use this blessed time to complete even more righteous deeds. These can include anything. Such as giving charity, honouring one’s parents and enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil. It is also important to enhance our obligatory acts of worship.

For those of us who have not yet completed the pilgrimage of Hajj, this is an ideal time to make duaa that Allah grants us the opportunity to do so.

The Virtue of Istighfaar During The 10 Days

Our Prophet  said: “There are no days that are greater before Allah or in which good deeds are more beloved to Him than these ten days. So recite a great deal of tahleel,  takbeer  and tahmeed during them.” (Ahmad)

• Tahmeed: Al-hamdu Lillah (All praises be to God)

• Tahleel: Laa ilaha ill-Allah (There is no god but Allah)

• Tasbeeh: Subhaan-Allah (Glory be to God).

Do not forget to send your Qurban this year.  Islamic Relief aims to distribute Qurban in 34 countries to over 3 million people in the month of Dhul Hijjah 2018.

On the behalf of the Islamic Relief Team, we pray your 10 days of Dhul Hijjah will be full of prayers, prosperity and blessings.

The Cadre Harmonise, the current regional framework that assesses food insecurity situations in affected populations, announced in 2018 that “4.1 million people in Mali will be food insecure this year”.

Islamic Relief began working in Mali in 1997, helping people affected by the civil war in the northern regions.

Mali continues to be affected by food insecurity coercing families into vulnerable situations. The Qurban/Udhiya meat distribution targets the most vulnerable people in the countries Islamic Relief is implementing the Qurban within. The key groups are usually women, children, the elderly and refugees.

In Mali, Fanta, a 38 year old widow with eight children works in the market. She sells traditional medicines, a low-paying occupation and struggles to receive enough money to purchase rice and vegetables.

SOURCE Islamic Relief Mali

“We don’t eat meat every day in our meals, it is not affordable! Some days I don’t even have enough money for rice let alone meat. Some days, when I earn a little more money, I like buy some meat because I know that the children enjoy eating it.

 

Meat is full of vitamins. It is good for the development of the body. Children crave it and it makes them happy when they get to eat it. The day I cook meat they say: “Mum, we’re so happy we cooked meat today!”

 

I don’t earn much and I have to cope with what I get. I swear by Allah, I don’t even have a grain of rice in my house right now. Eid is meant to be a happy day, a day to enjoy nice food with your children and be happy. To eat meat along with rice to your heart’s content.

 

When children see this Qurbani meat they become so excited. We can spend a few days enjoying it by cooking it bit by bit.

 

When my husband passed away, my neighbour told me about Islamic Relief and how they can help sponsor my children and thanks to that I was able to send them to school.

 

We would like to thank all the people who donate from the bottom of our hearts. May Allah reward them all.”

In 2018, Islamic Relief aims to distribute meat to over 3 million people in over 34 countries. Each meat packet distributed contains a sufficient amount of meat (4 kg on average), for a family of four for one week. Each meat packet is designed to consist of fresh meat that is appropriate and acceptable for the dietary culture of the region.

You can learn More about our Qurban campaign here.

Iraq is one of the most volatile countries in the world. Millions of people have been forced to flee their homes as a result of the gruelling armed conflict.

Ninety nine per cent of our staff come from the communities in which we work. They, therefore, have an in-depth understanding of the people we work with. 

Nahla From Iraq

Nahla is a 70 year old elderly woman from Iraq. She currently lives with her husband. The couple struggle with their current status as Internally Displaced Persons (IDP’s). IDP’s no longer live in their homes. Due to their age they are not able to work. One of the priority groups in the Qurban meat distribution are the elderly.

“It made me very happy to be able to cook a nice meal for my family on Eid. Meat is very expensive here and that makes it very difficult for us to buy. We mostly buy chicken instead because it’s less expensive.”

“To be honest meat became a dream for every poor IDP in here. We can only eat it on special occasions like Eid. The Islamic Relief meat pack help will last for one week or more and that is very helpful.  I will not worry about what to cook this week.”

Food insecurity is a growing concern among IDPs. The limitations of cost and food availability prevent families from purchasing and consuming meat.

Although food insecurity has decreased in the last few decades, a large number of the world’s population are food insecure. The problem of food insecurity isn’t a result of humans not being able to produce enough food for the world increasing population. The problem is rather, the unequal distribution of food.

” … It made a lot of people happy”

I would describe our standards of living as basic, we have a roof over our head and we don’t sleep hungry. We are thankful for what we have but at the same time we can’t afford health care or medicine.

My husband and I are too old to work so we mainly depend on our son. He uses his brother’s car to work as a driver for students around our neighbourhood.

I would like to thank Islamic Relief Iraq for their generosity and I hope they continue with their great work. This project was very helpful for us and I’m sure it made a lot of people happy.

The annual Qurbani Project provides an opportunity for those who cannot afford to purchase meat products. They receive the nutritional benefit of an Islamic Relief Meat Packet. The project involves the distribution of fresh packets to the most vulnerable people – women, children, the elderly and refugees.

Each meat packet distributed contains a sufficient amount of meat (4 kg on average), for a family of four for one week. Each meat packet is designed to consist of fresh meat that is appropriate and acceptable for the dietary culture of the region. In 2018, Islamic Relief aims to distribute meat to over 3 million people in over 34 countries during their annual Qurban campaign.

In the mountainous region of the Gansu province in Central China, a land is drought-stricken and severely challenges the lives of all workers. Zhang Aisa is a 45-year old farmer living in one of the villages. Meat is not rare, but his family is not able to afford it.

His income is primarily sourced from his grazing career and his son’s salary as a waiter.

“If we have a good harvest, we will have sufficient food, but we are dependent on the rain and it does not always come. My family thinks meat is the most delicious food on Earth, but in the poor and mountainous area where our village is, we do not have much food to eat, let alone meat.

Last year Islamic Relief delivered Qurbani over 1,100 families in China. The Zhang family was one of the many that were able to receive meat.

Due to the support of the local government, Zhang was able to build a home, he is grateful he has now lives in place that protects him from the wind and rain. Zhang, however is not able

“Now we have a place to resist the wind and the rain,” he said. “But life is hard because my son is studying at high school and I also have to pay for his tuition fee. I have back problems and I cannot do any hard physical labour. All the field work must be done by my wife.”

Last year, Islamic Relief donors helped us distribute Qurbani food packs to 1,100 families in China, and the Zhang family was one of those who received 5kg of meat.

“The meat parcel from Islamic Relief will last us for several months as we only have a bit at a time. We do not have a refrigerator so my wife boils it and salts it, so it can be stored.

The Zhang family is working hard to create a better life for themselves. Stand alongside them this Qurbani by reaching out to them with Islamic Relief.