The program titled "Ramadan and Infaq" was held at MÜSİAD Head Office with the participation of President of Religious Affairs Prof. Dr. Ali Erbaş. At the program, at which the subjects of Ramadan and infaq were addressed, the work directed towards the disaster region was also assessed.
The "Ramadan and Infaq" program, organized by the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MÜSİAD) and the International Technological, Economic and Social Research Foundation (UTESAV), was held with the participation of MÜSİAD President Mahmut Asmalı, President of Religious Affairs Prof. Dr. Ali Erbaş, Director General of Religious Services at the Presidency of Religious Affairs Dr. Şaban Kondi, Türkiye Diyanet Foundation Director General İzani Turan, Provincial Mufti of İstanbul Prof. Dr. Safi Arpaguş and MÜSİAD members.
MÜSİAD will be in the disaster region during Ramadan
While the subjects of Ramadan and infaq were addressed at the event organized at MÜSİAD Head Office, the work directed towards our 11 provinces affected by the disaster following the severe earthquakes centred on Kahramanmaraş that took place on 6 February was assessed. Stating that MÜSİAD has declared a full state of mobilization with its domestic and international organizations, President Asmalı said, "With the understanding of one and together, each of our members puts a shoulder to the wheel and supports a brother in difficulty." President Asmalı also said that they will be alongside the citizens affected by the earthquake with iftar and sahur programs throughout Ramadan.
President Asmalı made the following statements in his assessment:
"As MÜSİAD, with our 13,000 members and our domestic and international branches, we rushed to the aid of our brothers from the first moment of the earthquake, acting virtually in a spirit of mobilization. We are continuing our campaigns and our disaster management work without interruption. In order to re-establish commercial life in our provinces affected by the earthquake, we are expanding our activities in the region, and within this scope we are making a matching arrangement that will keep production going by ensuring the transfer of the products in the hands of our members who suffered damage to the facilities of our members in other provinces. With the understanding of one and together, each of our members puts a shoulder to the wheel and supports a brother in difficulty. Reducing the risks that may be faced by our members whose domestic and foreign commercial life is suspended because of the earthquake, or who cannot dispatch their products, is our priority objective. While meeting urgent humanitarian needs on the one hand, on the other we will continue our work without pause so that business and commercial life in the region returns to normal. During the holy month of Ramadan too, we will come together with our brothers affected by the disaster at iftar and sahur programs, both in the earthquake region and in other provinces, God willing. We are supporting our members in the earthquake region with the understanding of the Goodly Loan, a practice our civilization developed drawing inspiration from our holy Book, the Qur'an. By providing interest-free grant capital support to our fellow business people affected by the earthquake, we are contributing to the revival of the region's economy. On this occasion I invite our business world, especially in the month of Ramadan, to put this ancient and beautiful tradition of ours into practice and to help our aggrieved entrepreneurs in the region with the goodly loan. Another beautiful and exemplary practice we carry out as members of MÜSİAD, mostly in the month of Ramadan, is the Zimem Ledgers work. Through the Zimem Ledgers work, our benevolent members purchase the credit ledgers of our brothers who are in need and aggrieved, dealing only with the sellers, thereby displaying a beautiful and commendable example of infaq. I call upon our benevolent business people to give infaq with this beautiful practice in the month of Ramadan and to bring joy to our brothers in need. Let us not forget that one of the most commendable deeds is to scatter joy over sorrowful hearts."
"Our nation became virtually a single body to overcome the difficulties"
President of Religious Affairs Prof. Dr. Ali Erbaş, speaking at the program, said that a person's trial is not only through difficulties but that they are also tested through blessings, and said, "For believers there are two fundamental lines of life. The first is to struggle with patience in the face of difficulties, to strive to overcome hardships; the second is to respond with gratitude in the face of abundance, that is, to share one's means with those in need."
President Erbaş also pointed to the extraordinary struggle our nation has waged in the face of the great earthquake catastrophe and used the following expressions:
"We were in that region in the first days. We saw with our own eyes how our nation rushed to help. With faith and determination our noble nation has overcome many difficulties throughout history. it became virtually a single body to bind its wounds and to overcome the difficulties. In every home, neighbourhood, street and city of our country there is great effort to be able to help the earthquake region. This effort continues to increase. Our state, our nation and our civil society organizations have been mobilized. Aid is flowing in virtually from everywhere. Our nation, experiencing one of the greatest trials of history, is displaying one of the greatest acts of self-sacrifice of history. At the same time, aid coming from all over the world, sometimes bringing tears to our eyes, delegations from some countries we have constantly supported and to which we have constantly sent aid come to us, and entrust to us the aid they have brought to be delivered to the earthquake region, even if symbolic. This is a return for our nation's generosity. The disaster and catastrophe experienced is very great, but our nation's hearts laden with compassion and mercy, its feelings of brotherhood and solidarity, its faith and determination to overcome difficulties are without doubt far greater. Of course Türkiye will soothe its pain, bind its wounds and continue to walk towards the future with hope"
"The holy month of Ramadan is a very important opportunity to give infaq"
UTESAV President Dr. İsrafil Kuralay, who shared his assessments at the event, while touching upon the situation in the earthquake region, stated that the catastrophe experienced is great and deep enough to be named the "Disaster of the Century". In his speech, in which he drew attention to the concepts of the Goodly Loan and infaq, President Kuralay said, "We also know that the holy month of Ramadan is a very important opportunity to give infaq".
President Kuralay continued his statement with the following expressions:
"The catastrophe we have experienced is great and deep enough to be named the 'Disaster of the Century'. Of course it is not possible for all needs to be met at once. Of course there is a great aid operation. But it may not be possible to reach every point with the same effect. Behaving patiently and understandingly here will make every task far easier. Care must be taken that the criticisms to be made on this matter are expressed within certain limits. They must not harm the enthusiasm of the devoted people working there with great self-sacrifice. Effort must be made to provide the support that will start turning the wheels of the economy standing still in that region as soon as possible. For this, I believe we need to recall a concept we have brought to the agenda from time to time under this roof in past periods and which MÜSİAD has now put into practice. That is the 'Goodly Loan.' In order to make good the losses of our people whose machinery and equipment have been damaged, it is essential to bring goodly loan practices to the agenda and put them into practice. And now, with the member matching system in the earthquake region, they are helping our business world that has suffered damage in the region. By transferring the products in hand to the facilities of members in different provinces, they are trying to ensure both the continuity of production and that suspended commercial activities become sustainable. In this sense the goodly loan, as a path of infaq, is at the service of our nation. We know that infaq is the spending and disbursement of wealth obtained through lawful means on necessary and approved places according to need. At the same time it must also carry the feeling of being done without expecting any return, solely to seek the good pleasure of Almighty God. We see that in the hadiths of our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, "infaq" in all its kinds is importantly recommended. He gives the glad tidings that it should be done even with half a date, that sustenance will thereby multiply, that it will increase one's life and wealth, that it will quell wrath if there is any, and that it will be a cause of victories. We also know that the holy month of Ramadan, which we will reach in a week's time with God's permission, is a very important opportunity to give infaq."
On the other hand, within the scope of the program, Türkiye Diyanet Foundation Deputy Director General Abdurrahman Çetin gave a presentation on the activities of the Türkiye Diyanet Foundation. The Ramadan and Infaq program came to an end with a question-and-answer session and a family photograph.
