Ramadan, Lent, and Shared Mercy

In this blog piece, we say a fond farewell to Mohammed, who has been a security guard for St James’s for the past two and half years, and returned to his family in India last month. In this conversation with Joanna Kelly, he reflects on his experience of working at St James’s, sharing with generosity his Muslim faith and how a shared understanding of mercy and prayer can bring Muslims and Christians and people of different faiths together, during the seasons of Lent and Ramadan and beyond.

Joanna:
To start, can you share how you came to work at St James’s?

Mohammed:
I work with Right Guard helping with events. One day I got a call from Hannah at Right Guard asking if I could work at a church. At first, I said no – I thought, in a church? But then she asked again and said, just try it once. So I came for a day of training at St James’s. As a Muslim, I had never been inside a church before, but when I came in, the environment was lovely. Costas and all the staff were so welcoming.

I then called a Muslim scholar I know and asked if it was okay to work in a church. He said there is no problem. So I took the offer! And it’s been a very lovely experience. I’ve learned a lot about Christianity. I tell my best friend back in India I know more about Christianity than him now!

Joanna: Has anything surprised you about working in a church?

Mohammed: Yes – many people don’t really know their own religion, even Christians. That’s why some lose faith. But both Christianity and Islam teach you how to become a good human being. And if you explore Christianity, it goes deeper and deeper – it’s not just one page, it’s a whole world. For example, when you see a tree or a plant, you can think about how God made it and go deeper.

Joanna: So both faiths invite you into a journey?

Mohammed: Exactly. And why wouldn’t people do that, if they knew?

Joanna: Would you be able to share a bit about how your Muslim faith helps you in your work here?

Mohammed: My faith supports everything I do. At St James’s I’m always allowed to go for prayer – nothing stops me practicing. During Ramadan last year, because I was fasting and not sleeping properly, Chris, the Head Verger at the time, gave me a mattress and suggested I go and sleep for an hour in the tower. What else could I want?

Joanna: That’s so nice!

Mohammed: Yes, he was so kind.

Joanna: This year Lent and Ramadan overlapped, and both are times of prayer, discipline, and drawing closer to God. Could you share what Ramadan means for you personally?

Mohammed: For Muslims, Ramadan is the most important month. It’s when the Qur’an was revealed. We fast the whole month and celebrate Eid at the end. When you told me Lent and Ramadan were at the same time this year, I just thought we need more peace in the world. There are so many wars. Christianity and Islam should come together and bring peace.

Joanna: I agree, we need to work together for peace. I also wanted to ask, do you personally experience God’s mercy more deeply in Ramadan?

Mohammed: Yes. As a Muslim, you should pray five times a day, but before Ramadan I wasn’t always doing that. In Ramadan, I never miss my prayers. Even if you have many problems, when you pray five times a day you feel relaxed and peaceful. That’s the specialty of Ramadan. I think it’s easier because, as one Hadith says, during Ramadan Allah restrains evil – so there are fewer distractions.

Joanna: We have something very similar in Lent, with the temptations of Jesus in the desert and resisting them through prayer and fasting – although Western Christians aren’t always very good at fasting!

I wanted to ask you more about mercy. I find it beautiful that mercy is so central in Islam – and learning about this has deepened my Christian faith. Would you share a bit more about what mercy means to you?

Mohammed: It is a very deep question. There’s a Hadith that says Allah loves you seventy times more than a mother loves her child. Another Hadith says: if you come one step toward Allah, He comes ten steps toward you.

Joanna: That last one is my favourite Hadith – I love that!

Mohammed: Also, if you’ve committed sins your whole life and sincerely ask for forgiveness, Allah will forgive you again and again. There’s the example of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. He went to share Islam with the people of the village of Ta’if which is between two mountains near Mecca. However, people attacked him brutally. He escaped and Allah sent angels to help him. The angels said to the Prophet, if you give us permission, we will crush them between the mountains. But Muhammad refused – saying he only came for peace and mercy.

Joanna: That’s a moving story. This example leads on to my next question, which is how can an understanding of mercy shape how we treat people we disagree with?

Mohammed: As you say, the Prophet’s example shows it. It also helps in everyday life – Where I live in India, Muslims and Hindus live alongside one another. Our scholars teach us: if you cook something special, share it with your non-Muslim neighbours and friends, and make food they can eat.  Another teaching is that when you give charity, you should give something you like yourself.

Joanna: So there’s an equality – treating others with the same care and generosity you would want yourself?

Mohammed: Exactly.

Joanna: Your work here at St James’s supports projects like Sunday Breakfast Club and Feast. Do you think helping people in need can bring different faiths together?

Mohammed: Firstly, we are human beings. Then we belong to religions, and whatever our faith is, we should help everyone. I love the culture here – especially Sunday Breakfast Club. We have one Muslim lady who does lots of the cooking.

Joanna: Yes, me too – I find it very precious that we have volunteers of different faiths, and of no faith. And Rosamund (the volunteer you mentioned) is an amazing cook!

Mohammed: It’s amazing being a Muslim and able to volunteer at the church. It’s lovely.

Joanna: Yes, both our faiths share this understanding of mercy, kindness and compassion – so we can come together to help others.

Mohammed: Yes, it’s really wonderful.

Joanna: Is there anything else in the Qur’an or Hadith about mercy that is particularly important to you?

Mohammed: I already told you a few things! That Hadith – if you take one step toward God, He comes ten steps toward you – that’s enough. What else could I want in life?

Joanna: Yes, it’s so encouraging. The idea that when we make even a small movement towards God, God rushes towards us with love.

Mohammed: There’s something else that is very important: if someone greets you, you must return it with equal or greater peace. So you are always spreading peace and mercy.

Joanna: So peace is something we receive and then create even more of in our response.

Mohammed: Exactly- even more. And if someone is sick, you must visit them. If they die, you attend the funeral. These are important responsibilities.

Joanna: It’s that human connection and response of care and love, which is a mirror of God’s care and love.

Mohammed: Yes. And whilst I’ve been working here, I’ve noticed many times that in the service in church, everyone greets each other and says hi, hello, and smiles at one another. I don’t know what it is, but I always notice it.

Joanna: It’s to make sure everybody feels connected and a part of the community.

Mohammed: Yeah, that’s a nice one. I like that!

Joanna:  Me too! My final question is, once Lent and Ramadan are over, after Eid and Easter, what should remain in our hearts?

Mohammed: We should try to continue living our lives the way we did during Ramadan. These months of Ramadan and Lent are for practice. In the time before Lent and Ramadan, our energy is low, so Lent and Ramadan recharge us. However, we are human, we will still make mistakes, but we return to God, and God is merciful.

Charity is also very important during Ramadan. We give Zakat – 2.5% of our savings. A Hadith says charity removes troubles. So we should always help others.

Joanna: I think the focus on that giving in Ramadan is really important.

Mohammed: Yes. Also it is helpful as we give to the people who don’t have money, so they can buy what they need to celebrate well at home.

Joanna: Yes, and we come back to the importance of hospitality and of sharing with one another – which is exemplified in breaking fast together at Iftar and in celebrating Eid.

Mohammed: Exactly.

Joanna: Thank you so much – this has been really interesting and inspiring.