Generous alumni donate prayer mats to Jo Cox Centre
The recently-opened Jo Cox More In Common Centre at the University of Huddersfield has been given a donation of prayer mats thanks to the generosity of two of the institution’s alumni.
Brother and sister team Zohaib Ali and Nadia Ali, who respectively are law and business graduates from Huddersfield, sourced and donated 150 prayer mats through their fabric and textile company Inloom Fabrics.
Zohaib and Nadia were inundated with pledges after they discovered that the new centre on campus required a supply of mats needed for Friday prayers and at other times, having asked family and friends if they would like to contribute to this voluntary act of Sadaqah.
"The Muslim faith believes that acts of Sadaqah are rewarded in both this life and the afterlife,” says Zohaib, who graduated in 2010. “In this case, each time a person uses the prayer mat, the person who donated the prayer mat will receive a reward and blessing.”
The mats feature an eye-catching design that takes inspiration from that found on the fabric covering the Kaaba in Mecca, which dates back to prophet Abraham and is the direction in which Muslims all around the world face to perform their five daily prayers. The carpet in the prayer room at the Jo Cox Centre, which opened in late 2022, also features a pattern that guides people in the direction of Mecca.
“We work closely with Gresham’s, another local company who supply furniture to the University, and we became aware of the need for prayer mats,” adds Zohaib. “We know of a shop in Huddersfield who supply mats from a manufacturer in Turkey, so we put the wheels in the motion to secure 150 prayer mats, which is a larger than usual request.
“It is an act of what is known as Sadaqah Jariyah, an ongoing good deed. People will continue to benefit from these prayer mats long after those of us who contributed to them are gone. And as Huddersfield alumni, Nadia and I are delighted that we are able to contribute to this wonderful new facility on the campus.”