Prime Minister’s Ramadan Message 2021

To the Muslim community of Trinidad and Tobago, I bring you greetings of peace, Assalamu Alaikum and take this opportunity to wish you Ramadan Mubarak!

The glorious and blessed month of Ramadan is upon us once again as a favour from the Lord, Most High. With it, comes a time for pause, reflection, personal growth and spiritual revolution and rejuvenation.

Fortunate are those who would grab the opportunity to squeeze every drop of extra reward out of this holy season. Ramadan is a time like no other, and so as a nation, we join with our Muslim brothers and sisters in their quest for increased piety and God-consciousness.

Indeed, this is the ultimate goal of fasting, not merely to stay away from food and drink, but to increase our awareness of the Supreme Being.

Almighty God himself says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 verse 183 “O ye who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may develop taqwa (God consciousness)”.

We therefore collectively pray that as a nation, Ramadan will help us to develop this quality of God-consciousness and to achieve spiritual enlightenment.

It has been one year already since last Ramadan when the country was in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, our Muslim brothers and sisters were then not allowed to engage in the customary nightly congregational prayers.

We pray that this time around that Almighty God will allow us to be able to avoid any mass spread of this awful virus so that the Muslim community may once again be able to experience that sense of fellowship and community. Let us therefore be reminded to do our part and to follow the health protocols and take all necessary precautions.

I therefore pray that the Muslim community will have a safe, happy and holy Ramadan.