By the grace of Allah, this December, I have been blessed with the opportunity to go for pilgrimage to Iraq to commemorate the death anniversary of the grandson of the last messenger of God, Hussain ibn Ali (a.s.). His refusal to bow to tyranny resulted in his martyrdom along with 72 members of his family in a desert land, having been deprived of water for three days. Since then, a walk from Najaf to Karbala (the land where he was slain) is customarily undertaken by millions of people annually (40 days after the day of his death) to remember his great sacrifice. For more information on the stand Hussain (a.s.) took, please visit www.WhoIsHussain.org.

 

InshAllah, I will be taking part in this sponsored walk over a distance of 80km over three days, from the holy city of Najaf to the holy city of Karbala. I will be walking across the desert, along with millions of other pilgrims, during the day and resting in makeshift tents at night.

 

The money I raise will be going towards the Solar Lighting Project by The Lady Fatemah (a.s.) Charitable Trust, a UK based charity (Registered Charity No.: 1072270) who have a 0% commission policy. This project aims to bring light into 4000 homes in villages around Karbala who currently have no access to electricity. The lighting of their homes will enable the family to be safer in the dark, avoid inhalation of diesel fumes indoors, prevent burns due to naked flames and allow children to study after dark.

 

For more information on this project, please visit http://www.ladyfatemahtrust.org/appeals-by-country/iraq/462-solar-lighting-project.