By Hasnae May

One of our writers, Hamid Mahmood, invited members of his local church to his house for iftar (the breaking of the fast). Hamid is good friends with Father Steven Saxby and when asked why he invited Father Steven Saxby for an iftar, he replied,

Actually I should be asking myself why it took so long?

The Qur’an clearly states,

وَلَتَجِدَنَّ أَقْرَبَهُمْ مَّوَدَّةً لِّلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ ٱلَّذِينَ قَالُوۤاْ إِنَّا نَصَارَىٰ ذٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ مِنْهُمْ قِسِّيسِينَ وَرُهْبَاناً وَأَنَّهُمْ لاَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ

…thou shalt find that the nearest in affection to believing Muslims are those who say: “Verily we are Christians.” That is because they have amongst them priests and monks, and because they are not proud.[1]

It saddens me to think about how far we have come from the teachings of the Prophet (PBUH). The simple notion that a Jewish boy would carry the Prophet’s sandals in the Mosque and when…