The Central Islamic Organization of Guyana (CIOG) has extended Ramadan greetings to Muslims across the country, calling on believers to use the holy month as a time of spiritual transformation rooted in taqwa (God-consciousness), patience, and compassion.
In a press release dated December 24, 2025, CIOG President Al-Hajj Shahabudeen Ahmad conveyed warm wishes on behalf of the executives and staff of the organisation.
“Ramadan Mubarak. Ramadan Mubarak. Ramadan Mubarak,” the statement read.
The organisation described Ramadan as more than a change in daily routine, calling it a “divine invitation” to purify intentions, refine character, and realign one’s life with the pleasure of Allah.
Citing Surah Al-Baqarah (2:183), the release reminded believers that fasting has been prescribed “so that you may attain taqwa.”
According to CIOG, taqwa — a constant awareness of Allah — is the foremost quality of the fasting person. It shapes behaviour both publicly and privately and requires Muslims to abstain not only from food and drink, but also from dishonesty, injustice, arrogance, and heedlessness.
The organisation also highlighted sabr (patience) as a defining characteristic cultivated during Ramadan.
Fasting, the statement noted, teaches emotional discipline — encouraging believers to remain composed during hunger, fatigue, and frustration, and to respond with wisdom rather than impulse.
“Indeed, Allah is with those who are patient,” the release quoted from Surah Al-Baqarah (2:153).
CIOG described patience not as weakness, but as strength anchored in faith.
The third core value emphasised was rahmah (mercy and compassion).
The organisation said fasting softens the heart and heightens awareness of those who face hunger and hardship daily. It urged Muslims to give charity generously, forgive sincerely, serve selflessly, and uplift the vulnerable.
“A fasting person is not harsh, indifferent, or self-centered,” the statement noted, but rather “gentle, giving, and deeply conscious of the pain of others.”
CIOG acknowledged that Ramadan arrives at a time when many Muslim communities around the world continue to face conflict, displacement, and hardship.
The organisation urged local Muslims to remember their global brothers and sisters in prayer and action, referencing the prophetic teaching that believers are like one body — when one part suffers, the entire body responds.
The statement also quoted Surah Al-Imran (3:173): “Hasbunallahu wa ni‘mal wakeel” — “Allah alone is sufficient for us, and He is the best Disposer of affairs.”
CIOG stressed that Ramadan should not pass as a ritual without transformation. Worship during the month, it said, must translate into integrity at home, compassion in communities, and service to humanity.
The organisation encouraged Muslims to guard their prayers, increase recitation of the Qur’an, give charity, mend broken relationships, and promote unity, tolerance, and mutual respect.
The release concluded with prayers for Allah to accept the fasting, prayers, and charity of believers, forgive shortcomings, ease suffering around the world, and bless Guyana.
“May Allah SWT accept our fasting, our prayers, our charity, and our intentions,” the statement said.
The message was signed by Al-Hajj Shahabudeen Ahmad, President of the Central Islamic Organization of Guyana.
