Today marks عيد الفطر ‘Īdu l-Fiṭr or ‘the festival to break fast.’ For the last month Muslims have been fasting during the day to celebrate Ramadan. On this first day of breaking fast, they are to constantly recite Allāhu Akbar (God is great).

From our home in Malakal we occasionally hear a faint call to prayer occasionally. Sometimes, usually in the morning, it is very loud. This morning was one of those exceptional days. So far I think I’ve heard Allāhu Akbar recited a few hundred times. We’ll have church in a few hours and it will be interesting to see if they continue this through the day and we listen to it during the entire church service.

The call to prayer we often hear is a constant reminder to pray for those in our community who are in bondage to Islam. Will you pray today for the Muslims in your community.

God truly is great!