Seven months ago to the day, in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria with horrific loss of life, property and infrastructure, we are plunged again into another great and tragic natural disaster this time in The Maghreb where the epicentre of destruction has been in the historic city of Marrakesh and rural regions of the Atlas mountains, where over 2000 lives have been lost.
We are heartbroken by the loss of life. As Muslims, our overriding thought when any tragedy strikes is, “Ya Allah”, in whose hands is absolute dominion and control, to whom we belong and to whom we must inevitably return. It is a stark and sobering reminder of the fragility of life, our sheer vulnerability and utter powerlessness to a world in flux.
We mourn every life lost in this tragedy. As ever, Allah’s mercy encompasses all things and we forever cling on to that, and to the firm belief that Muslims who pass away in such disasters are shuhadaa (martyrs) attaining the highest level of Paradise.
We grieve with the families of the deceased and sympathise with the injured and pray that all their loss suffered will be certain means of expiation of sins with Allah Azzawajal.
We are your brothers and sisters in Islam; we rally to your cause because your loss is our loss and your pain is our pain. In this desperately testing time, we ask Allah Azzawajal for beautiful patience for you to bear this heavy loss.
The Lewisham Islamic Centre will be hosting a fundraiser in conjunction with Islamic Relief UK on 16 September for relief work in Morocco. Please get involved and donate generously
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