"Abraham first fathered Ishmael with Hagar when his wife, Sarah, was unable to carry a child. Sarah was furious and ordered Hagar and Ishmael exiled. Abraham moved them from Palestine to Mecca. Thirteen years later, Sarah gave birth to Isaac."
Source/Credit: Bucks County Courier Times
By James Boyle | September 20, 2015
As president of the Philadelphia regional chapter of the Ahmadiyya sect of Islam, Mujeeb Choudhary is well aware that many in America have distrusting sentiments about followers of Islam, a sentiment that he finds unfair.
"The ones carrying out violent acts are such a small percentage of a religion that has millions of peace-loving people," said Choudhary. "The problem is that when an attack occurs, they are described as Muslim terrorists or Islamic jihadists.
"When Tim McVeigh killed hundreds, including children, he was not referred to as a Christian terrorist," he said.
Choudhary finds the best way to educate the public about his religion and its beliefs is to be as open about them as possible. Those efforts continue this week with the annual celebration of the end of the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca, or Hajj, which every Muslim is expected to make once in their lifetime.
All are invited to join a prayer service and feast at 10 a.m. Thursday at the County Downe Banquet Hall on Wisteria Lane in Bensalem. The celebration also marks Eid ul-Adha (EED-al-ODD-ha), or "festival of the sacrifice."
Eid ul-Adha commemorates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son at God's command. The holiday is typically celebrated with prayers, small gifts for children, the distribution of meat to the needy, and social gatherings like the one in Bensalem.
"The celebration will start with a five-minute prayer, followed by a sermon from our imam," said Choudhary. "That will be followed by a feast that is open to everyone."
Eid ul-Adha is one of the most sacred days on the Muslim calendar, recognizing the magnitude of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son. Choudhary says the account is described in the Quran, the Torah and the Bible, but discrepancies have led to differing beliefs on what happened thousands of years ago.
"Abraham first fathered Ishmael with Hagar when his wife, Sarah, was unable to carry a child," said Choudhary. "Sarah was furious and ordered Hagar and Ishmael exiled. Abraham moved them from Palestine to Mecca. Thirteen years later, Sarah gave birth to Isaac."
The Bible tells of an angel appearing to Abraham, telling him that God needs Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Choudhary says. Christians and Jews believe that the angel referred to Isaac, while Muslims hold that Ishmael was meant to be sacrificed.
"Abraham left home to travel to Mecca to carry out God's command," said Choudhary. "During his travel, Satan appeared to Abraham three times to convince him not to sacrifice his son and, each time, Abraham refused to listen."
When he reached Mecca and prepared to make the sacrifice, Abraham asked his son what he thought, Choudhary said. According to the texts, either Ishmael or Isaac said. "Oh my father, do what you have been commanded." Before Abraham was able to kill his son, God revealed himself from heaven and stopped the sacrifice.
"The message there is very simple," said Choudhary. "Abraham was willing to make the highest level of sacrifice. It should be nothing for us to sacrifice our egos, or sacrifice money or clothing for poor people."
A pharmacist in Philadelphia, Choudhary has also spent the past several years shepherding the growing number of followers in his chapter. There are 132,000 members throughout the region, stretching as far as Harrisburg, he said. Work is nearly complete on a multi-million dollar mosque, which is located near Temple University, the city's first mosque built from the ground up. The other 50 places of worship are found in refurbished buildings throughout Philadelphia.
The Ahmadiyya chapter also participates in the religion's national campaign to provide service to the needy and improve public opinion about Islam. The initiatives are split into three separate movements, Muslims for Life, Muslims for Loyalty and Muslims for Peace. The Muslims for Life campaign provides disaster relief assistance and has collected more than 35,000 pints of blood, he said.
The Muslims for Peace aims to spread Islam's message as a religion of peace, while Muslims for Loyalty seeks to ensure Americans that followers are loyal to the country.
"It is very clearly written in the Quran that we are to follow the laws of the land," said Choudhary. "The prophet of Islam says that love of one's country is part of our faith, and we must be obedient."
Read original post here: USA: Region's Muslims prepare to mark sacred holiday in Bensalem on Thursday
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