Youth development group The Deen Team awards youngsters for attending morning prayers with congregation at local mosques in Gauteng and the North West provinces.
The campaign ‘Fajr First’ has called on Muslim teenagers to be punctual with their compulsory morning prayers over a 40 day period, with monitors at community mosques taking register for those who attended.
The mandatory morning prayer is usually a struggle for some Muslim faithfuls, especially when read in congregation before sunrise.
The campaign aims to establish prayer amongst the youth, and create an atmosphere of encouragement through incentive rather than reprimand.
About 100 youngsters between the ages of 13 and 19 signed up for the programme and have been invited to attend an awards ceremony at the Image Lifestyle Centre in Fordsburg, honouring their achievements.
As a gesture of 100% attendance of the morning prayer from 8 October 2019 to 16 November 2019, successful participants will be presented with a R750 gift voucher to use at a popular Gauteng store of their choice, including Blades and Triggers, Rashid Cassim Sports, Sedgars Vereeniging and Solly’s Anglers Corner.
Youngsters can also opt for a monetary voucher off their next youth camp, organised by ‘The Deen Team’.
Furthermore, one lucky participant is set to win a fully paid Umra trip to the holy lands.
Long-held philosophical, spiritual and even scientific research shows a period of 40 days is essential in the formation of habits, while awarding gifts and prizes for acts of righteousness was common in the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and in Islamic learning centres across the world.
Head of the The Deen Team, the non-profit youth development organisation, Hafiz Shaakir Bhyat, said: “We hope to revive the importance of praying in congregation, create lasting change for the establishment of prayer, and hope Muslim teenagers form strong bonds with their Imams for their spiritual wellness.”
“We also thank our partners including the Africa Muslims Agency, Awqaf SA and Ashraful Aid that ensured the success of this campaign,” Bhyat added.
The Deen Team was established in 2016 and aims to provide a variety of programmes to Muslim youth for schooling teenagers and university students.
The youth group encourages faith-based initiatives and programmes for Muslim youngsters to ensure they development holistically and contribute meaningfully to society.
~ Imraan Karolia
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