Traditions that Unite Us: Inshallah- Gratitude and Giving

Ali Sekou at the Islamic Society of Greater Concord. Photos Courtesy of Ali Sekou

In Islam, when people gather together in numbers of four or more, it is customary to hold physical space with each other. The resilient Muslim community of Concord, comprising new Americans and natural-born citizens, had held spaces in liminal sites until 2017 when, with donations, the Islamic Society of Greater Concord gathered from the Muslim community members’ own pockets, they were able to secure a permanent site. 

They purchased a hall from the former First Congregational Church and renovated it into a space for their services. This was a great joy for all who engage with the community. 

When Ali Sekou moved to the region in 2012 from Niger, the founders of the society were already present and active, using rented space for services. Holidays like Eid remind Muslims of their core values. 

“This special day brings peace, unity and countless blessings to all,” Sekou shared on Eid Al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan. “As we celebrate, let’s remember the values of gratitude, generosity and compassion that define this holiday.”

Sekou knows that the building that houses the vibrant activities of the Islamic Society is not the heart of the community. The heart of the community is its people: dedicated kinfolk who fund their own activities and needs and have never accessed any grants or outside funding. However, a space to call home helped extend their abilities to answer calls for aid. 

The Islamic Society of Greater Concord, a member of the Greater Concord Interfaith Council, meets varying, vast needs: meal-prepping and serving, mutual aid, clothing drives, school supplies, education resources, prayer, speaking engagements, child care, even hosting traveling Muslims who pass through the region. 

When the Afghani refugees were rehoused and needed to access halal food or clothes for the winter, the society answered their call. When individuals needed transportation, community members helped. 

Even when there was local or global turmoil and hardship, the Islamic Society came together to pull funds and resources to send to those who were at risk or vulnerable. The society even comes together to provide for funeral costs for families who cannot afford to shepherd their loved ones into the next life. It also provides religious education classes to children.

The space is not one that takes and needs, but one that yields life and joy to those who use it. 

After earning degrees from NHTI, Plymouth State University, and a master’s degree at the UNH Carsey School, Sekou was elected and served as president of the society from 2020 to November 2024. During his tenure, he guided the center for renovation projects, occupancy permits and meeting its parking needs.  

In 2023, Sekou was elected as Concord’s first African immigrant and Muslim city councilor. In 2024, he also ended his two terms as president of the Islamic Society of Greater Concord. He was succeeded by Shafiq Chaudhry. 

“We are all fervent leaders of the Society,” Sekou says.

he Islamic Society invites the community in to break the fast with them during Ramadan. Among the guests of one such evening were WMUR Political Director Adam Sexton, Concord Mayor Byron Champlin, and Northeast Delta Dental CEO Tom Raffio. Photos courtesy of Ali Sekou

Sekou says he prays five times a day: Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha. Other traditions of Muslims pray three times daily.

Muslims celebrate two major holidays (Eids) as a community, each with a unique soul and meaning: Eid al-Fitr, which happens at the end of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha. Both Eids change dates yearly because it follows the Islamic calendar year.

Eid al-Fitr is a moment of celebration, because people fasted every day from sunrise to sunset. Fasting the month of Ramadan is to be grateful for all the bounty enjoyed during the other 11 months in the year. It also celebrates when the Quran was revealed to Muhammad from the Angel Jibril. 

“During this feast, it is important to recall the reflections encompassing ideas of gratitude an individual can perceive in recounting the generosities experienced through their lives,” Sekou says. “In this time of charity, each act of giving is received and multiplied by the cosmos.”

Sekou with members of his congregation on Eid.

The society hosts Concord and New Hampshire elected officials, industry professionals and community leaders for a dinner during Ramadan to share its traditions and build relationships.

Eid al-Adha encompasses the story of Ibrahim and the generosity of Allah, who forewent a direct sacrifice and allowed the father to submit a lamb in the stead of his son, Ismail. For the Islamic Society of Greater Concord, this sacrifice is personal to each member. 

Sekou says that he and his family (wife Fatimat “Fanta” Sekou and two young children) secure a lamb for themselves and use a portion, then divide the rest among the community. 

Additionally, the society sends funds to other regions, because the living standards of Muslims in Concord is higher than in other areas. The community acknowledges this fact and endeavors to remedy some of the burdens other Muslims may feel by forwarding fiduciary resources.

“You must be disciplined to be Muslim,” Sekou says. “You have to pray five times a day wherever you are. Prayer is not only an individual standing before God, but this individual must be clean in mind and body. Therefore, we must take care of our people, we must provide them with clean clothing, running water, a space to cleanse their thoughts and quiet their mind and a quiet place to pray.”

Those efforts go back to the core of what the society feels it’s called to do in the community. 

“The work of generosity and charity must be one without greed or ego,” Sekou says. “Your own left hand should not know the work of the right hand! You cannot look for a reward. If I buy rice and place this resource in the mosque, I can never ask where it goes, but I am assured that it will be received by those who need this rice.” 603