Emergency Appeal of Mountain of Mercy – UK - 2006

Message from Ash-Shaikh H. Abdul Nazar,
General Secretary of All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama

Man cannot live alone. He needs the help and support of his fellow members in the society. This is not an ideology, but Allah’s destiny. That was why the Almighty ordered the people in an imperative manner to help each other. This fact is well established by the following verse of the Holy Qur’an:

“Co-operate with each other in virtue and piety.” (5 : 2)

Al-Qur’an is pregnant with verses emphasizing the urgency and importance of assisting each other. To regulate this kind of help, Allah has introduced Zakat and Sadaqah. The beneficiaries of Zakat are very clearly defined, and whoever is in need is entitled to benefit from Sadaqah.

The society, as predestined by the Creator, is composed of rich and poor, healthy and sick, strong and weak, young and aged and so forth which set-up makes everyone bound by each other.

The needy and the destitute should be looked after and protected and their tears should be wiped thus preventing them from begging on the streets. Similarly at times of disasters the affected have to be rescued and rehabilitated and their immediate and other needs have to be addressed.

As the number of poor, needy, orphans, affected, widows, destitute, etc. is on the increase day by day, it is imperative to accelerate the assistance, relief and rehabilitation activities on a large scale. ‘Al-hamdu lillah’. Helping hands both individual and institutional are extended towards such underprivileged. Philanthropists all over the globe play a central role in fulfilling their needs. Organizations have come up to organize the role-play of the philanthropists. Ultimately the society has accepted with open arms such social service organizations.

It is in this background that the Mountain of Mercy was born in 2005 in the wake of the tsunami which sent shock waves to the entire world on 26.12.2004 by taking thousands of lives, damaging thousands of properties and causing trauma to thousands of people. This budding social service institution has showered mercy on the afflicted by the tidal wave in Sri Lanka by its rehabilitation programmes that include inter alia assistance to the women in Iddah, Madrasas, marriages, self-employment and permanent housing. Though very young in age, it has rendered a considerable volume of services to the tsunami-stricken people.

Now the Mountain of Mercy, in line with its broader objectives, has decided to address the needs of non-tsunami affected people. To begin with, it is planning to establish an Islamic centre in Puttalam, an ancient Muslim city in Sri Lanka.

As a responsible person in my capacity as the General Secretary of All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama and one who closely works with the Mountain of Mercy in aid of the society, I wish to appreciate the honesty, integrity and commitment of the management of the Mountain of Mercy particularly Brothers Mohamed Ziyad Hafiz and Mohamed Farook Patel whose brainchild is the Mountain of Mercy. I would like to grab this opportunity to register the profound and profuse gratitude to the Mountain of Mercy on my behalf and on behalf of all Sri Lankan brothers and earnestly solicit its continued help and support to Sri Lanka.

While warmly congratulating the management of the Mountain of Mercy on their great success in implementation of relief and rehabilitation programmes, I would like to call upon all individuals and institutions involved in social service to co-operate and work together with the Mountain of Mercy.


Ash-Shaikh H. Abdul Nazar
General Secretary, All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama

2006.09.04