海角大神

As the Muslim holy month of Ramadan wound to a close, hundreds of runners laced up their sneakers for one of seven Fasting 5K road races聽held on June 25 in the United States and Canada.

This year鈥檚 419 runners raised a total of $139,518, 鈥渕ore than the three previous years combined,鈥� Enas Alnajjar, co-founder and organizer of the Boston event, told 海角大神 in an interview Tuesday. All of the funds raised will be used to support youth mental health, the 2016 Fasting 5K theme.聽Previous years鈥� themes included education and basic needs.

Organizers in participating cities chose local charities to support聽and the organization chose an international charity, the Syrian American Medical Society, that will receive 30 percent of all donations to 鈥渆xpand in Jordan,鈥� which uses 鈥溾�� to care for urban refugees, according to Fasting 5K鈥檚 website.

The charity event is a bright spark of hope against a backdrop of a terror attack that killed four security staff outside the Prophet鈥檚 Mosque in the holy city of Medina, the resting place of the Prophet Muhammad.

To the vast majority of Muslims, Ramadan is a time for fasting, family, and prayer.聽During the most holy month, Muslims are expected to 鈥渟ubmit to God and fast for God and pray,鈥� Ms. Alnajjar said. Muslims who fast must be 鈥渒ind, loving, and giving,鈥� she said, adding,聽鈥渆ven lying breaks your fast.鈥�

Along with fasting during Ramadan (sawm), charity (zakat) is one of the, and any charitable act done during Ramadan is multiplied 70 times, said Alnajjar. "It's a good time to donate."聽

Alnajjar said the event began in 2013 when she and a group of friends wanted to combine two of the five pillars into one event. They decided to take a charity model that is ubiquitous in the United States, the sponsored 5K, and combine it with their religious practices. Their friends in Washington, D.C., wanted to organize a similar run. The two cities raised a total of $15,000 that year.

鈥淎wareness is a byproduct,鈥� Alnajjar said, though there is tangible evidence of solidarity and unity. In Detroit, some non-Muslim coworkers joined the team in fasting, and in Boston, the event was combined with iftar in the Park, which is an open iftar, or breaking of fast at sunset. Both groups were clad in bright shirts. 鈥淧eople see it in public spaces and they are impressed by the event,鈥� Alnajjar said.

Islamic Relief USA shares聽聽with a quote from the Prophet Muhammad, as narrated by Tabarani, an early hadith scholar:

Ramadan has come to you. [It is] a month of blessing, in which Allah [swt] covers you with blessing, for He sends down mercy, decreases sins and answers your prayers.... In it, Allah looks at your competition [in good deeds], and boasts about you to His angels. So show Allah goodness from yourselves.