Eid al-Fitr and Ramadan Highlights from Sacramento California 

By Ras H. Siddiqui

From reports received, Eid al-Fitr (marking the end of Ramadan) was observed by all Sacramento area Mosques on Friday, March 20, 2026  It has been an amazing journey for our places of worship in the past 30 years or so, because it started off with just one or two mosques in California’s Capital City region. That number has now reached a figure of between twenty or thirty, which has certainly increased the choices for Eid congregation attendance to the point that now convenience of access on that day had become more of a priority than anything else.

There was a well-attended Chand Raat the night before at the Hilton Arden West arranged by Catering & Events. Hosted by Br Farrukh Hashmi, it was a remarkably busy and colorful evening of shopping for new clothes and jewelry, henna designs, and, of course, food. Our regrets for not being able to make it there this time but one can add that Chand Raats give Eid celebrations a distinctly South Asian flavor and we hope that this tradition will continue here in Sacramento.

It was difficult to choose just one congregation to report from on Eid day but this year it had to be the Faizan-e-Madinah Mosque in the Natomas area just north of Sacramento. It is located at 4110 North Freeway Blvd Sacramento, CA 95834. This Islamic Center was established in the year 2010, moved to this location in 2014, and on speaking with a representative, we found out that this was the third year of Eid prayers being held here. Due to the substantial number of people attending (this is not a small place) and for the convenience of working people, three shifts of Eid prayers were held. I joined the last one at 9:30 AM and was also able to catch the fine Khutba (Sermon) delivered by prayer leader Hafiz Naseer Ahmad which stressed the importance of hospitality in Islamic teachings.

The importance of making guests feel welcome, especially during Eid days, was vividly in evidence here. And the organization practiced this as well as donuts and other desserts were available free, for all attendees. The gathering had the feel of any Eid event held in Pakistan or Northern India (minus the donuts) especially the attire worn by the men, women, and children. The Faizan-e-Madinah Mosques are a part of the Dawat-e-Islami USA organization which is associated with its namesake in Karachi, Pakistan. As it states on their website “Guided by the principles of love, peace, and unity, it conducts educational programs, religious events, and social welfare initiatives to serve and uplift the Muslim community across the United States.”

The month of Ramadan was a hectic one for the Muslim community in Sacramento. This writer made it a point to visit a different mosque for each Jummah (Friday) prayer during the month.

On the first Friday of Ramadan, I attended prayers at the Sacramento Downtown V Street Mosque the oldest Muslim continuous place of worship in the western United States. Established in 1946 or 1947 it is also the “Mother Mosque” of Islam in the region. Imam Qasmi led the prayers here. This is the place where our history began and those Muslim pioneers who built this mosque and have passed away could not have known how large the Islamic community in California would become by the next century.

On the second Friday of the holy month, I was able to join the prayers at the beautiful Woodland Mosque which is amongst the newest Islamic places of worship in the region which also celebrated the first anniversary of its opening during the month. It is located at 1225 East Oak Ave, Woodland, CA 95776. Imam Riaz Ahmed Qadri led the prayers here. It is a very traditionally beautiful mosque which is paying down its loans. Please assist them if you can. They can be contacted by phone at (530) 666-4706.

I attended the third Jummah prayers of Ramadan at SALAM Islamic Center located at 4545 College Oak Dr Sacramento, CA 95841 across the street from American River College. Guest Imam Dr Khalid Sayedi led the prayers here. Academics (Dr Metwalli Amer), business professionals, and tech people founded SALAM. It is well known throughout the region in the mainstream community because it has done an excellent job reaching out to non-Muslims too. It has recently opened a second large location near California State University, Sacramento.

The last Friday of this Ramadan was a somber occasion because this time it was to be three mosques and the Sacramento Muslim Cemetery (unfortunately) for Jummah prayers. These prayers were followed by a Janaza (funeral) held for prominent community elder Muhammad Aslam Adenwala. It was quite a large gathering reflecting the popularity of Aslam Uncle. Again, our deepest condolences to his family. I had originally planned to attend the prayers at Tarbiya Institute led by Imam Azeez on this Friday. But since the Adenwala family has been active in numerous mosques in the Sacramento region, it was nice to see Imam Azeez (who arrived here later at the cemetery) leading a Dua for the deceased too.

In closing one cannot wrap up the month of Ramadan without mentioning the Iftars held at a few locations in the Sacramento area which I also attended. We really enjoyed the community Iftars held at the Islamic Society of Placer County (ISPC) in Roseville this year and the one held at Al-Mumtaz Institute in Fair Oaks led by Mufti Aamir Nazir. Plus the Iftar for Community Seniors held at the Muslim Community of Folsom. We need to appreciate them for making the month memorable for all the community with their efforts.