Ramadan at Merchant Taylors’

writes Mustafa S. L6th

The month of Ramadan just gone saw a pleasing increase in numbers for the Muslim community at Taylors’. The prayer room was lively at times for congregational prayers, as well as the Friday prayers. Boys took full advantage of the useful opportunity to present sermons to the group on Fridays, refining their public speaking skills as well as venturing into a new aspect of their faith. In light of the growing community, improvements were made to the prayer room and prayer mats, which was a rewarding material representation of the newfound spirit amongst the community.

Since joining the school in September. Mr Sa'id has worked towards building a cohesive environment, balancing both faith and the school; something that I hadn’t thought would be possible. Throughout the year, the focus has been to encourage the younger boys to recite the call to prayer or the prayer itself, as well as delivering the sermons, helping them to develop the school values of courage and confidence. This early experience will aid in teaching the generations after them, ensuring that these skills are preserved. Encounters with others during lunch upheld my strength to fast and the commitments inside of school have provided me with a more connected, meaningful experience with Islam.

The Eid celebration at the end of the month marked a celebratory end to a blessed month, with our community pulling together to celebrate in ethnic attire. Seeing our community preserve its spirit outside of Ramadan gives me hope that numbers will continue to rise and, as a community, we will continue to balance school life with the commitments of faith. Balancing the pursuits of worldly life alongside the Hereafter is a central principle of Islam, and seeing its implementation in a school setting over the last month has certainly been impressive. This progress is by the virtue of the willingness of my peers and the dedication of my teachers, and I extend my thanks to all involved.

Ultimately, I feel extremely grateful for the compatibility of life at Taylors’ with an important month for our community, and hope that the values on display by my peers personify what it means to be a Taylors’ boy.

On 21st April, the MTS Muslim community organised a gathering for students, parents and staff to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr, to celebrate both how happy the boys are at MTS, and how faith acts as a motivator for the boys to contribute positively to the school's aims.

The parents wanted to pass on their thanks to MTS staff and did so in the form of a generous Fortnam & Mason hamper.