Ustadz Muhammad Najeeb Razul. (PNA file photo by John Rey Saavedra)
CEBU CITY – A Cebu-based Islamic scholar on Monday urged Cebuano Muslims to offer special prayers and fast for peace in Gaza as they celebrate the Holy Month of Ramadan.
Ustadz Muhammad Najeeb Razul, also an Imam, said 57 congregations would offer congregational prayers every Friday in different Masjids in Cebu province until the celebration of the Eid'l Fitr on April 9 or 10.
Ramadan will end around April 9, with the celebratory days of Eid'l Fitr estimated to start around April 10.
Islamic calendar follows a lunar cycle that could differ from place to place based on moon sightings or lack thereof, despite calculation in expected dates for the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
“It’s a prayer for peace and at the same time, it's a prayer calling for the believers to unite because of the societal problem all over the world,” Razul told the Philippine News Agency.
Razul urged the Cebuanos, Muslims and non-Muslims, “to remember in our prayers the women and children affected by the ongoing fighting in Gaza.”
He also encouraged the public to pray for sobriety as tension continued to grip the West Philippine Sea and “so that justice and peace will reign."
The mosques in Mambaling, Islamic Center near the University of the Philippines-Cebu, Sanciangko, Tagonol would also offer communal prayers, apart from the three masjids in Bogo City.
The Islamic teacher said he would also deliver special sermons in his house of prayer in Minglanilla, which could be accessed through Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and other social media platforms. (PNA)
