London railway station removes Ramadan 'sinners' hadith following backlash

A UK railway station removed a hadith, a saying of the Prophet Muhammad, displayed on one of its departure boards earlier this week, in an ongoing daily campaign to mark the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.

The hadiths, a different one shown at London’s Kings Cross station every day, received a mix of praise and criticism on social media.

On the ninth day of the month, there was a backlash over one particular hadith shown on the noticeboard on Tuesday.

"The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: All the sons of Adam are sinners but the best of the sinners are those who repent often," the message read.

Network Rail, which owns and operates the station, told the BBC on Thursday that "the message should have never been displayed".

It said it was investigating why a "general celebratory Ramadan message wasn’t used instead".

"We celebrate all the big religious festivals from Christmas to Ramadan at King's Cross to reflect our diverse passenger and employee base," Network Rail stated.

"Our main departure board should be reserved for train information and our general Ramadan celebratory messages weren't used for some reason, which we're looking into. All has now been corrected."

The displaying of the hadith prompted a backlash from commentators and social media users, who called the move "outrageous".

The UK-based Islam Channel praised the gesture, saying it showcased "the beauty of Ramadan in unexpected places".

The board also displayed Fajr and Maghrib prayer times—the period between which Muslims fast throughout the holy month, from sunrise to sunset.

A hadith usually designates sayings, words, or actions said or approved by the Prophet Muhammad and transmitted through other narrators.

Muslims abstain from food, water, and other human needs during the month of Ramadan, and increase prayer, worship and giving alms to those in need.

Ramadan this year is particularly challenging for the Muslim community worldwide, as Israel continues to wage its military onslaught in the Gaza Strip.