The Christian time of Lent is 40 days. It is a time when our Christian friends pray, reflect and fast. The number 40 has a special meaning in many faiths, especially within Islam.

In Islam, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) received prophethood at the age of 40 and the Prophet Musa (Moses) spent 40 days on Mount Sinai where he received the 10 commandments. Likewise the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) spent 40 days in a fire, while the Prophet Yunus (Jonah) spent 40 days in a whale.

Likewise, Sufis often spend 40 days in solitude worshipping, praying, supplicating, fasting and purifying their selves from spiritual maladies and reining-in their carnal desires.

When the great Sufi Khawaja Muin al-Din Chishti entered India from Afghanistan in 1191 AD, he spent 40 days inkhalwat (solitude) at the shrine of another famous Afghan Sufi, Sheikh Ali Hujwiri (also famously known as Data Ganj Bakhsh) in Lahore.

With Lent underway, the Lancashire Council of Mosques would like to stress that it is keen to building relationships with diverse communities and people of different faiths and cultures.

Let us all pray, in which ever way we know, for a better world that is free from conflict and full of piety and hope.

By Salim Mulla, Lancashire Council of Mosques