One Wedding and A Funeral

It’s been a week since my wedding – I got married just a couple of days before Ramadan. It was a really lovely day alhamdulillah (thanks to God); a simple Islamic marriage ceremony and a proper ‘Bangalish’ party (that’s Bengali/ English!) – with biryani and wedding cake, a white wedding dress and a whole rainbow of shalwar kameez.

That diversity is to me one of the most beautiful things about our Ummah. That’s why we chose for our invitation card a couple of verses from the Qur’an:

"And among His signs is that He has created mates for you from amongst yourselves that you may find peace in them and He has put between you love and mercy. Surely there are signs in this for those who reflect.

And among His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your languages and your colours. Indeed there are signs in this for the wise." (Qur’an: Surah 30, verses 21-22 )

The same day I got married my sister was murdered while attending a funeral in Afghanistan. Not my ‘real’ sister (she was at the wedding of course, and looking lovely in a sari). But that woman who was bombed to death was my sister in Islam – we all know that God has given us family not only through blood and through marriage, but also our extended family: the Ummah.

It goes without saying that I’m determined not to let the blessing of marriage distract me from the jihad to defend the Ummah, God willing. (It’s a running joke within MPACUK that whenever an MPACer gets married they drop off the radar, never to be seen or heard from again!)

I took a whole 5 days out from MPACUK for the wedding and honeymoon which was lovely, but it’s great to be back at work (my hubby is only half-joking when he says he had to sign a ‘pre-nup’ to say that marrying Catherine = marrying MPACUK!). Too often I’ve seen other MPACers facing pressure to stop giving time to the jihad and spend it only with their families. But the example for us to look to has to be our Prophet (pbuh) and his companions – when husbands and wives, and parents and children supported each other in their efforts for the jihad.

Of course it’s important to also spend time with our families, and it’s been really nice to spend the beginning of Ramadan with my new husband and my in-laws. For most Muslims Ramadan is a family time, sharing the suhoor and iftar meals together and all the blessings of this month. But shortly before Ramadan I attended a Viva Palestina event where the names of those martyred in the Flotilla Massacre were read out, and I actually nearly started to cry when I heard the details of the widows and children they had left behind. We shouldn’t need reminding that while we’re enjoying Ramadan with our families we can’t forget all those who are missing their fathers or their mothers when they sit down for iftar.

We all know that it’s not enough just to fast and forget about the rest of Islam – Allah asks in the Qur’an, “Do you believe in some parts of the Scripture and not in others?” (2:85). And Allah also asks us,

“And how could you refuse to fight in the cause of Allah and of the utterly helpless men, women and children who are crying, "Oh our Lord! Rescue us from this land whose people are oppressors, and give us from thee a protector, and give us from thee one who will help us!" (Qur’an 4:75)

This Ramadan please respond to our Action Alert, please get involved in the Boycott Blood Dates campaign, and please fund our work through your zakat and your sadaqah.

May Allah reward you,
Wa salaams.