Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Muslimah Next Door

Home
Muslim
A Muslim #PrayerforEveryone – Prayer Backed with Action to Achieve Global Goals

A Muslim #PrayerforEveryone – Prayer Backed with Action to Achieve Global Goals

Last updated on: September 28, 2015 at 9:06 pm by Dilshad Ali

A Muslim #PrayerforEveryone – Prayer Backed with Action to Achieve Global Goals 2015-09-28T21:06:52-04:00 Dilshad Ali

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Courtesy of #PrayerforEveryone

There is this:

“It is He who produces gardens with trellises and without, and dates and tilth with produce of all kinds, and olives and pomegranates similar and different. Eat of their fruit in their season, but render the dues that are proper on the day that the harvest is gathered. And waste not by excess: for Allah loves not the wasters. (Quran, 6:141)”

I have a friend in California who is extremely worried about the ongoing drought, what affect it will have on the environment for years to come, how global warming is wreaking havoc on the climate of her beloved home and what kind of future there will be for her young son.

I have a friend in Washington, D.C. who traveled to Greece to help out, for however long possible, with the refugee crisis there. He sent back pictures and stories to myself and others, showing just how close we all are to this collective crisis. Two, maybe three degrees of separation max.

I have several friends and loads of family in India who tell me about the abject poverty they see and live with in their daily lives. Things my children and I have witnessed ourselves on numerous trips to the Motherland — children coming up to the cars to beg, others sitting on the side of the road in tatters and sunken faces, just passing the time in hopelessness.

I have a friend who recently traveled to Turkey with her family on vacation. Before she left, having read about the Syrian refugee crisis, she told all of us that she would be collecting money to donate/hand out while there. After they got to Istanbul, they met a local who took them to a non-touristy part of town and introduced them to another local who was helping multiple refugee families from Syria.

They spent a few days among the families, talking, hugging and simply being with them. They distributed money. They sent pictures to us back at home, bringing the refugee crisis to our doorsteps. One photo she sent showed a young teenage Syrian refugee with autism.

And that did me in.

“And it is He who spread out the earth, and set thereon mountains standing firm and flowing rivers; and fruit of every kind He made in pairs, two and two; He draweth the night as a veil over the Day. Behold, verily in these things there are signs for those who consider. (Quran, 13:3)”

If it hasn’t become achingly crystal clear to all of us that we need to pull together as a global community to address some of the most imminent and pressing of the world’s problems, then by all means we can just hang out in caves until the world crumbles around us. In a halaqa (Islamic study circle) I’ve been attending for several years. we’ve spent some time studying some of the major hadiths (verified sayings and practices of the Prophet Muhammad saw). One hadith advises Muslims and all of humanity to, when they see something wrong, act to change it.

If a person is not able to do something to physically affect change, then one step below that is to condemn the wrong with our tongues. And one step below that — we are advised to, at the very least, condemn the wrong and suffering in our hearts and pray for good to come about.

People often wonder what good is prayer. Indeed, I’ve tried to live by the motto of pray to God and beseech Him for what you need, to fix what is wrong, to restore good and forbid evil. And then back that prayer up with action. If you are a believer, then start with prayer and build from there.

Courtesy of #PrayerforEveryone

To that end, I join fellow Patheos bloggers across faith and non-faith traditions in supporting and promoting #PrayerforEveryone Global Goals for Sustainable Development, an initiative of the ONE Campaign. This campaign is building upon an extraordinary effort by world leaders, who are right now at the United Nations pledging their commitment to achieve three very important goals:

This September, world leaders [are committing] to the Global Goals for Sustainable Development to achieve three extraordinary things by 2030. End extreme poverty. Fight inequality and injustice. Combat climate change. The Global Goals for sustainable development [can] get these things done. In all countries. For all people.

But to achieve these Goals, everyone needs to know about them.

From September 24 to October 1, everyone from every faith, every walk of life, everywhere, can take part in Prayer for Everyone by sharing the Goals with their faith community and their friends.

ONE, Project Everyone, and Global Goals invite you to join us and champion the Goals through the teachings and practices of your faith.

Offer your #PrayerforEveryone and tell everyone about the world you hope to see in 2030.

Share the goals. Get involved with projects to the attainment of these goals. Pray for the success of these goals. As Muslims, as Christians, as Jews, as Buddhists, as Hindus, as whatever is your faith group. Click here for an Islam social media toolkit to help support this campaign. Send up loads of #PrayerforEveryone. God knows we all need it.

“Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. (Quran, 13:11)”

Previous Post

September 24, 2015

Eid Mubarak and the Blessings of Family

Next Post

October 8, 2015 We are Better than the Hate

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Global Voice for Autism Autism Awareness Month 2016 Autism Awareness Month 2017 Autism Interlude Hajj and Eid ul Adha Jenin Autism Project Ramadan Three Questions Uncategorized WISE Global Conference

Select a Month November 2018 October 2018 August 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What did Nehemiah do upon reading that Moabites and Ammonites were forbidden in God's assembly?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Expelled them Closed the gates Rebuilt the altar Started a fast