With Hugh Jackman, David Oyelowo, Jeff Lynne and Stereophonics

From Abdul-Rehman Malik, Journalist and Broadcaster:

Yesterday, Chris, my family and I joined millions of people across Britain who in turn joined over a billion more around the world to mark the festival of Eid. Coinciding with the great gathering of pilgrims near Mecca, Eid celebrates the life and sacrifice of the Prophet Abraham. Pilgrims symbolically follow in the patriarch’s footsteps, praying for mercy, guidance and peace, just as he did.

Now, we usually head to the mosque on Eid morning for congregational prayers. It’s tradition to wear your best clothes and my son has no shortage of these. His wardrobe is replete with examples of sartorial elegance thanks to doting grandparents who want to make sure he doesn’t follow his father’s jeans and t-shirt aesthetic.

“Abba, I’m going to wear my Batman costume to the mosque,” he announced.

Why would you want to do that, I asked.

“Look Abba,” he replied, “there’s gonna be a lot people there. If someone’s in trouble or needs help, they’ll need a hero. I need to be ready, OK?”

The sentiment was hard to argue with.

As we arrived at the mosque for prayers we heard about the tragic stampede outside of Mecca, which took the lives of several hundred worshippers. We prayed for the fallen and their families. We also prayed for the thousands of ordinary pilgrims who risked their own lives and came to the aid of the injured.

“What actions are most excellent?” asked the Prophet Muhammad. “To gladden the heart, feed the hungry, help the afflicted, to lighten the sorrow of the troubled, and to remove the wrongs of the broken.”

I’d like to think of these as acts of heroism. Looking over at David, I can’t help but feel that the spirit of a great hero – Dr Martin Luther King Jr – is in the studio with us this morning. Dr King, no doubt, would have understood what the words of the Prophet truly meant.

Like Jeff’s evergreen protagonist, Horace Wimp, sometimes we all need a voice from above to get the girl or find a way out of our malaise. Sometimes that voice comes from people next to us. People like Dr King certainly, but more than often, from ordinary folks offering a hand up, when life is giving us a smack down. Either way, I’d like to think of its as God’s work.

So here’s to the heroes. The Batman costume, however, is optional.