This Eid, a focus on nearby needs
Step out of your comfort zone.
That’s become a motto for Memorial resident Farhat Shamsi when it comes to outreach.
And sometimes, she explained, moving in a new direction can be as simple as crossing the street.
“Walk up, ring the bell, and you could go in and find a completely different world,” Shamsi said.
She had a transformative experience stepping through a stranger’s door — one that helped her learn some of the greatest needs can be found in her own backyard.
Shamsi was volunteering at Masjid At-Tawhid and took a meal to a nearby woman who called in to say she was hungry.
“The house looked OK from outside,” Shamsi recalled. “But when I went inside, I was just stunned. In a country so wealthy, I had never imagined people lived like this.”
The woman was emaciated, Shamsi said, and there was no air conditioning.
“Everything was falling apart,” she said. “I still remember that. It stays with me all the time.”
The woman’s gratitude to receive a hot meal also made a lasting impression. Shamsi’s main takeaway was that charity doesn’t need to be focused on faraway countries; local giving can have an immediate impact.
“There are pockets in our own city where there is such a great need,” Shamsi said. “And it is such a basic way to help — to feed people. That made me want to give more here and to recognize there is a need here as well.”
During COVID-19, she said, hunger has only grown. And as the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha approaches, beginning July 19, she has been brainstorming how best to help.
Eid al-Adha, also known as the Festival of Sacrifice, honors Abraham or Ibrahim — a religious leader central to the Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths — focusing on the story of when he was called by God to sacrifice his son.
In Islam, Ishmael was the son involved in the ritual; Isaac is in the Judeo-Christian tradition.
When Ibrahim carries out God’s commandment, he finds Ishmael replaced with a ram. During Eid al-Adha, Muslims celebrate this act by sacrificing a goat or lamb.
For the holiday, Muslims keep a third of the meat for themselves, give a third as a gift, and another third must go to charity. In the U.S., Muslim families often place an order at the local slaughterhouse or send funding overseas to give all of the meat directly to those in need.
Shamsi spent a long time debating how to best help others this year and decided on two sacrifices — one to help in the crisis in Yemen and one for those in need in Houston. “I didn’t feel right about just helping one or the other,” she said.
Shamsi is the founder of Quran and Soul, an educational organization that offers courses on the Quran. The holy text asks followers not only to help others but to look for those in need who are close by.
She explained that in the Quran, charity is essential, as is loving neighbors. And the extent to which neighbors can be in need can sometimes be forgotten, Shamsi said.
“Most people don’t realize it,” she said. “It’s not something people see all the time.”
But taking the time to open your eyes is worth the effort, Shamsi explained.
“When you do outreach, it feels so good,” she said. “You realize how immediately you can make a difference in someone’s life.”
Ibrahim Oladejo, a chaplain at Houston Methodist West Hospital, said that the meat from Eid is meant to be shared.
“Don’t eat it alone,” he said. “It’s a religious obligation.”
He is a member of Masjid-ul Mumineen in Brays Oaks, which is distributing meat locally. From Nigeria, Oladejo said having masjids, or mosques, guide the way to giving locally is important.
“We are new in this country,” he said. “You want to make sure the good gets in the hands of the needy.”
Masjid At-Tawhid, in Fifth Ward, is dedicated to serving the community throughout the year and provides a variety of services to its neighbors, Imam Qasim ibn Ali Khan explained.
“It just takes on a different energy during Eid,” he said.
During the holiday, Masjid At-Tawhid receives extra donations of fresh meat, from the qurbani, a ritual sacrifice. The center is ready,
Khan said, with five deep freezers and two large coolers.
“We have accelerated our efforts,” Khan said. “We’re anticipating thousands of pounds of meat.”
The masjid has a fleet of vehicles ready to bring food to neighbors, as well as volunteers at the ready, just as with all donations during the year.
It’s simply part of the center’s DNA, Khan explained. The imam said Masjid At-Tawhid was founded in 2012 and celebrated its grand opening the next year.
During the first Ramadan at the center, iftars, or meals to break the fast, were left behind. Instead of letting the food go to waste, members packed it up and delivered it to the community.
The first stop, Khan said, was emergency rooms, where individuals were waiting hours for care, many without a meal.
“That’s how we started, in the trunks of cars, taking food to the people,” he said.
When Ramadan ended, the outreach effort continued. As time passed, more and more people learned that Masjid At-Tawhid accepted donated food and also was the place to go for the hungry.
“As our reputation began to grow, so did our responsibility,” Khan said.
Khan said that neighbors often have a home but no food inside. “It’s not uncommon that the food we take them is the only meal they have,” he added. When the pandemic hit, the masjid started offering regular drive-thru grocery-pickup events.
“Things are getting a little better, but we aren’t out of the woods yet,” he said. “We still have to work at it every day.”
On July 25, Masjid At-Tawhid is hosting the “Distinguished Community Leadership Tribute” with proceeds benefiting the center’s community service.
Mayor Sylvester Turner, Police Chief Troy Finner, Councilwoman Letitia Plummer, Councilwoman Tarsha Jackson,
Texas state Rep. Harold Dutton and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee are the honorees.
Khan said the event is meant to strengthen the relationship with community leaders, encourage local action and make a positive impact in Fifth Ward.
“They can use their powers to improve the quality of life for people in the neighborhood,” he said. “With the vote we gave them comes the responsibility to improve the neighborhood.”
Khan emphasized the importance of local giving in Islam.
“In our religion, we’re taught that it’s not fair or right to step over someone close to you to serve someone far away,” he said.
Still, individuals often pay more attention to pain and suffering in faraway locales. Sometimes, that help never reaches those for whom it was intended.
Instead, Khan advocates being a “pebble in a pond” — starting a ripple that moves outward.
The Brand Lane Islamic Center in Stafford is following a similar approach.
Moulay Bachir, chairman of the Zakat Committee, said the masjid supports about 100 families on a regular basis.
“We help them with rent, utility bills and food,” Bachir said.
He has participated for the past 15 years. In the beginning, he said, the community was small. Through the years, members’ outreach has grown.
“Now we collect a lot,” he said. During Eid al-Adha, volunteers from Brand Lane collect and refrigerate meat before distributing it to those in need.
The masjid also hosts a barbecue for neighbors, usually the week after the holiday. “Everyone is invited,” Bachir said. “Neighbors — Muslims and nonMuslims alike — come to celebrate.”
Last year, COVID caused the cancellation of the meal. “This year, a lot of people are looking forward to it,” Bachir said.
Since the pandemic, he has noticed increasing economic woe and food insecurity. “A lot of people lost their jobs. A lot lost their businesses and their savings,” Bachir said.
He also saw an influx of refugees. “We try to focus on those who are impacted the most,” he said. “According to Islam, you want to prioritize your community first and focus on those who have not.”
It’s always a priority for Brand Lane. “It’s all about helping others, it’s all about sharing and bringing joy to other people, easing their pain and suffering,” Bachir said. “This is part of our faith. It’s all about caring for others — and bringing a smile to their faces.”