By The blessed month of Ramadan is almost coming to an end. For 1.6 Billion Muslims, Ramadan is the beautiful guest that comes to our doors every year for what seems like the shortest month, only to leave again until the next year. This time around, social media platforms gave Muslims some Ramadan love with the crescent Ramadan hashtag on Twitter and a special filter on Snapchat at the start of the holy month.
On July 8th, several Muslims asked Snapchat to post a Mecca story on July 13th, as it would be one of the most important nights of Ramadan: Laytal-ul Qadr.
And our social media buddy, Snapchat, responded with this on July 13th:
Snapchat gave us a beautiful, and emotional, look into the holy city, a place that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) loved. When Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was migrating from Makkah and going to Madinah, he turned his face towards Makkah and said,
“Makkah I love you and I know you love me but your people have forced me to leave you.”
It’s a city that lives in the hearts of all Muslims.
Residents have been posting Snaps of the largest mosque in the world, Masjid al-Haram, the practices of Umrah and breaking of the fast, as well as another side of Saudi Arabia and Muslims that mainstream media doesn’t show: it’s people. These people are showing their love for Islam, the prophet’s city, and even their sense of humor.
In case you didnt get a look, here’s a recap of the wonderful snapchat story that had us feeling all types of ways.
This guy who clearly has his priorities straight:
A recap of the rituals of Umrah:
The amazing Kabbah:
This sense of humor:
The beautiful call to prayer:
Posted with a picture showing the Mecca Royal Clock tower that was recently built by the Saudi government, as well as cranes in the back, highlighting what many see as the government’s initiative towards “modernization” and expansion of the mosque at the expense of heritage and tradition.
Everyone gathering at the mosque, regardless of race and status, sitting together waiting for sunset:
And this beautiful lady telling us she’ll be praying all night:
And the response from Muslims was overwhelming love for the city:
Even from non-Muslims:
Social Media is a powerful tool for the young Millennial Muslims who are trying to change the negative image of Islam and show that it is a religion of peace. Powerful tech platforms like Twitter and Snapchat are winning Muslim fans by giving them the platform to shape their own narrative about their religion through filters, videos, and hashtags. Who would have thought snapchat and twitter would give us the platform that CNN and Fox News never did!
To all the Muslims out there, have a happy and spiritual Laylat-ul Qadr. And may this year be full of forgiveness and answered prayers inshallah!