Source: pennlive.com | NADIA AHMAD, Harrisburg

Thanksgiving is celebrated in many parts of the world. The dates and rituals may vary from country to country but the basic idea of giving thanks to the Creator prevails in all these variant cultures.

In the U.S. its roots were planted long before it was proclaimed a nationwide celebration by President George Washington on November 26, 1789, “as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God.”

As a Muslim belonging to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, a heavily persecuted sect in my native country, Pakistan, I share the same feelings as the first Pilgrims and Puritans who left their homeland and migrated to a new place where they could freely practice their faith.

God says in the Qur’an, “If you are grateful, I will, surely, bestow more favors on you.”(14:8).

In Islam there is not a specific day set aside to give thanks to Almighty God. A Muslim, in fact, gives thanks to God not just once a year but several times a day while performing the ritual prayers. A Muslim shows gratitude by practicing what God enjoins and avoiding what He forbids… continue reading at pennlive.com