July 2020

To Help you Pray this month for your Local Mosque Community.

This month Muslims in Canada and around the world celebrate the Waqf al Arafa, or The Day of Arafah, also called The Day of Repentance and Acceptance of Supplications.

The Hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca during the 12th month of the lunar calendar is the final pillar of Islam. Those making the pilgrimage wear simple white cloth, and complete a series of rituals, including walking seven times around the Kaaba, touching the Black Stone, travelling seven times between two mountains, and symbolically stoning the Devil. Those participating in the Hajj hope to gain enlightenment.

At dawn, on the second day of the Hajj, Muslims make their way to a hillside and plain called Mount Arafah and the Plain of Arafah, which is the traditional site where Muhammad delivered his last sermon to his community in the final year of his life in 632 CE. The pilgrims stay awake at night to pray on the hill of Arafat. Muslims believe that part of the Qur'anic verse announcing that the religion of Islam had been perfected was revealed on this day. The day after is the first day of the major Islamic holiday of Eid ul-Adha.

Arafat Day falls on the 9th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the twelfth and final month in the Islamic calendar. Because the exact day is based on lunar sightings, the date may vary between countries. This year it’s expected to fall on July 30 in the Arabic world, and in other parts of the world, on July 31.

We are living unprecedent times of self-isolation around the world and in Canada due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This has changed the way Muslims celebrate the Waqf al Arafa this year. Saudi Arabia recently informed the public that it will allow only a small number of pilgrims residing in the kingdom to perform the Hajj this year. No overseas visitors would be allowed. 

Because this day is known as the day of repentance, those who did not go to Hajj, or are unable to go, can spend their day fasting to repent their sins. 

With this celebration in mind, let’s:

• Pray that your Muslim neighbours would experience the intimacy of a restored relationship with God, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit;

• Pray that Muslims would experience the deep forgiveness of sin through the shedding of Jesus’s blood on the cross and that they would freely receive God’s abundant love for them;

• Pray for God to draw Muslims to Jesus, and to unveil their spiritual eyes so that they can freely accept His gift of eternal life;

• Pray that Muslims in Canada and around the world who might feel condemned for not being able to go to Hajj this year, find Jesus, as they seek Allah’s favor and forgiveness for their sins; 

• Pray that your Muslim neighbours would come to know the unending mercy of God as found in Jesus Christ our Saviour and Lord.