On Saturday, 14 October, the Daughters of the Ummah (DOU) – an all-female youth initiative of the Darul Ihsan Humanitarian Centre – hosted a luncheon in honour of the elders of our community.
The event; titled “Al-Muhtaramat”; took place at Crescent Hall in Parlock, Durban, and saw an attendance of over 200 guests between the ages 15-100. A diverse mix of attendees from across faiths were also hosted from homes around the Durban area, including Kenilworth Respite Centre, Riyadhul Hayat, Team Care and The Garden in Asherville, Baitul Faatima, and Ima Baytul Nur.
The programme opened with a short Qirat and Nasheed, followed by an introduction about the DOU’s mission and appreciation for those present. An elaboration of the Al-Muhtaramat project was shared, which is an initiative aimed at encouraging the youth to visit and spend time with the elderly.
Guests were thereafter graced by an engaging interview between an esteemed doctor and Aalimah and her granddaughter, which touched on challenges such as education, giving back to the community, and the importance of raising one’s children above all other pursuits.
Next was a cooking demo by a talented member of Cosmo Chefs. The featured ingredient in the demonstration was Makhana; also called Fox nut; and was used in a variety of mouthwatering dishes for the guests to try at home.
After a short prize-giving segment, attendees were addressed by Mufti Zubair Bayat – Amir of the Darul Ihsan Humanitarian Centre – who spoke at length about the importance of respect and compassion for elderly members of our community. He stressed that this must not only remain discourse, but that the younger attendees present must also act on their intentions to help.
Lunch was served thereafter, followed by tea, biscuits, and ice cream. Guests left the event with generously-filled gift bags, and were also given the opportunity to browse and purchase items from the Al-Ihsan bookstore that was present.
These events are free to attend and can be accessed by prior arrangement via the Darul Ihsan Centre. Contact the Darul Ihsan offices on 031 577 7868 for further information.
Darul Ihsan Media Desk