VOICE OF THE UMMAH HAJJ SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM THE BOD

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1 VOICE OF THE UMMAH I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E Significance of Hajj YMTC Girls Activities Interview with Masjid Custodian I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E : YMTC Girls 2 Hajj-5th Pillar 3 Interview with 4-5 Abdullah YMTC Pictures 6 Cricket Highlights 8 Annual Youth 9 Conference Bayyinah coming to 10 TC V O L U M E 1 I S S U E 2 MESSAGE FROM THE BOD Eid Mubarak to all of you! Alhamdulillah, by the Grace and Blessings of Allah (SWT), Tawheed Center is pleased to present the second of its quarterly newsletters. This special Hajj edition brings you information on the virtues of Hajj, update regarding programs for our girls, interview with a special person of our community and much more! Inshallah, the newsletters hope to update the community regarding the various activities of the masjid. One of the major goals of this Shura is to educate our community regarding our beautiful religion. Throughout the week, there are many regularly scheduled programs. We encourage you to participate for your own benefit and more importantly for the benefit of our children. Imam Ehsan speaks on various topics throughout the week including a weekly Seerat-un-Nabi (SAW) lecture, weekly Dars-e-Quran, weekly Simple Fiqh lecture, and daily hadith talks. HAJJ SPECIAL O C T O B E R 4 T H, / D H U L H I J J A H 1 0, Hafiz Wahajjudin has done a tremendous job administering our Hifz and Maktab programs. Recently we had our 31 st graduate from the Boys Hifz program and our 2 nd graduate from the Girls Hifz program. Our enrollment in our Maktab program is up to 40 children where young Muslims are perfecting their Tajweed and Quran recitation skills. Br. Khurram Wani is doing an amazing job with our youth and YMTC. Activities include, weekly youth halaqa s and an informal no pressure hang out session with Br. Khurram where teenagers can ask questions in a no judgment environment. There are also monthly Qiyams and a monthly brother s breakfast after Fajr. The last few months have been spent organizing our annual Youth retreat in conjunction with ICNA. Our keynote speaker Mufti Hussain Kamani. Inshallah, this is scheduled for October 10th and 11th. Our Saturday Arabic School, led by Sister Mayeada, is excelling in every aspect. Currently 30 students are enrolled. Focus is on learning the Arabic language and Islamic Studies. Br. Kamel Elagamy is teaching our weekend Hifz program where 10 dedicated students spend their weekend learning how to read and memorize the Quran. Br. Azam Masood continues to spend time every week organizing our Sunday school, where about 60 children are learning about the basics of Islam. Every Friday night we have our Community Halaqa. Recently, we have been discussing the Sahaba series. Our goal is to help our youth relate and become familiar with the greatest people to walk on the face of this earth. Collectively, throughout the week about 200 students are actively learning in Tawheed Center. We pray to Allah (SWT) that he accepts all of our efforts. As always, we are looking for volunteers to help with the various programs of the Center. If you would like to volunteer or bring new programs or ideas, please send an to mail@tawheedcenter.org. Only together can we grow and benefit each other and the community. JazakAllah Khair. Arfaat Khan, General Secretary, Board of Directors, Tawheed Center

2 P A G E 2 YMTC Girls Events Sister Maha teaching at the Annual Hajj Workshop "We want to build and maintain a strong sisterhood by creating a space that allows every girl to express herself, seek guidance from one another, and grow together to become better Muslims. Sisters Brunch and Ice-Skating The Prophet (SAW) with activities such as canoeing, kayaking, zip-lining, stated: A person is on the religion of ropes course, and flag football. his companions. Therefore let every Brunch at Scramblers + Ice one of you carefully consider the Skating All of the sisters started off with a wonderful company he keeps. [Tirmidhi] brunch. We then went ice The Young Muslims of Tawheed skating at the scenic Campus Center (YMTC) youth group was Martius ice rink in Detroit. established to help accomplish Mother-Daughter Ice Cream the goal of bringing the Muslim Social - This was a big hit! youth together, and to help This event allowed mothers keep the proper company. The and daughter to learn more group has been sincerely dedicated towards catering events about each other and their due rights in Islam towards for the youth, with both combined events such as confer- one another. All the mothers and daughters enjoyed ences, and separate events for this event filled with halakah, Q&A, fun games and the young sisters in our community. ice cream. We want to build and maintain Volunteering So far, we a strong sisterhood by creating have volunteered at Gleaners, Forgotten Harvest, and a space that allows every girl to express herself, seek guidance Zaman International, with from one another, and grow hopes to continue volunteering at these places and together to become better Muslims. The events hosted by others! YMTC provide several opportunities for all the young sisters to Ramadan Qiyams Alhamdulillah, these have been create everlasting friendships via a strong sisterhood circle. In extremely successful for the many communities, girls are not past FOUR years! An average of 40 girls attend our as blessed to have this sort of opportunity. Below is a brief list weekly qiyams during Ramadan each year. They start off of our past events: with snacks and ice breakers Camp Jameelah A one day which lead into a halaqah, retreat at Camp Tamarack filled then group discussion, zikr, quiet ibadah time, group duaa, and finish off by eating suhoor together! The following events were planned specifically for girls 12 years old and under: Roller Skating - We all went roller skating at Bonaventure and ate lunch together afterwards! Hajj Workshop - After sharing the story of Prophet Ibrahim (A.S), the girls performed a mock Hajj together. Center Piece Decoration The girls were given plain glass centerpieces. This event helped them exercise their artistic skills of designing and decorating. Afterwards, the works of art were used as centerpieces for the monthly dinner later that evening. We hope to continue our efforts and organizing more events in the future. Some of the events on our bucket list are: A trip to the Franklin Cider Mill 3rd Annual Hajj Workshop 2nd Annual Mother-Daughter Ice Cream Social Archery, Horse-Back Riding Volleyball Tournament Volunteering at soup kitchens & nursing homes! Kubra Siddiqui

3 Hajj-The 5th Pillar P A G E 3 Millions of Hujjaj at Mina this year Among the five pillars of Islam, the fifth is the pilgrimage to Makkah (Hajj). What the Hajj demonstrates, briefly, is that the believers present themselves on a fixed day before Allah (SWT), to express their attachment to the legacy of (as) Prophetخليل Ibrahim هللا and love for the almighty Lord, by emulating his every example, gesture and act to the best of their ability. One very important point to remember is that Allah (SWT) being the all powerful, the absolute king of all kings, we as the areمخلوق to demonstrate that we are his obedient servants. The other important belief that we must have is that all the attributes of beauty, elegance, and love are all found and assembled simultaneously in their most perfect form in Allah (SWT). Thus it should be Allah (SWT) alone who we glorify, praise, and exalt. The most important duty of any Muslim after acceptance of the declaration of faith is Salah. The manner which a servant of Allah (SWT) humbles him/herself in Salah is a direct implementation of this very principal of adoring and accepting that Allah (SWT) alone is the one to be worshipped. As for the pillar of Zakat, fulfillment of this obligation also demonstrates that we as servants of Allah (SWT) acknowledge that even our wealth is under the authority of Allah The third pillar of Islam, fasting, we also find this expression of love and peculiar behavior as well. To forgoe food and drink and to abstain from carnal desires demonstrates that we as Muslims are subservient and are willing to obey whatever is commanded of us by our Lord. But the Hajj is a combination of all these pillars of Islam and much more. To wear an unsewn shroud cloth, remain bare headed, refuse to cut hair or trim nails, abstain from applying perfume, or taking a bath and to utter this loud cry of Labbayk, Labbayk (I am here) repeatedly, to walk around the house of Allah (SWT), to go around the hills of Safa-Marwa, then go out of the town of Makkah and stay in the wilderness of Mina, sometimes in the uninhabited area of Arafat, stay the night in the wasteland of Muzdalifa, and after that throw stones at jamarat. All these acts and type of behavior belongs to someone who has been seized with a great deal of madness and love. These were the actions of Sayyidina Ibrahim (as) which were so liked by Allah (SWT), that these rites were made as specific rituals to be performed during the hajj. The commandment of Hajj was made obligatory in the 9th year after Hijrah and the next year RasullAllah (saw) performed the hajj with a very large group of his companions, just three months before his death. This Hajj is now known as the farewell Hajj. If a bondsman of the Almighty is blessed with a correct and sincere Hajj which is known as Hajj mabroor, it will mean that he has attained the highest degree of felicity and achieved a great gift for this world and the hereafter. We pray that Allah (SWT) grant us all the ability to visit the sacred sites of Makkah and Madinah repeatedly as well as grant us the opportunity to perform Hajj mabroor and an accepted Umrah many, many times in our lifetime. Ameen Imam Ehsan Quayoum Imam, Tawheed Center If a bondsman of the Almighty is blessed with a correct and sincere Hajj which is known as Hajj mabroor, it will mean that he has attained the highest degree of felicity and achieved a great gift for this world and the hereafter

4 P A G E 4 A Hidden Gem-Interview with Abdo Abdullah Caption describing picture or graphic. Abdo Abdullah - Tawheed Center Masjid Custodian Abdullah is To be honest, I have been guilty of judging people before I get to know them better. I always had a poor perception of our masjid custodian, Abdullah, due to the constant number of times he had stopped us from playing basketball on late summer nights. I had seen him around, working tirelessly to keep the house of Allah clean. I didn t understand what was his motive to stay behind so late, but eventually it all made sense to me; it was for our own safety. Prior to my interview with Abdullah, I was stuck on how I would go about conducting the interview itself. A man whose first language wasn t English or the fact that he had a poor perception of the older youth didn t help. At last, with the help of fellow friend, Ayzad Awan, I was able to finally do the task. him asking the first question. Who put you up to this? in a calm yet sharp tone. I replied Arfaat Uncle ; he immediately broke out into a loud chuckle. That man Arafat, always putting these kids up to something. I couldn t help but grin. I learned that Abdullah is an immigrant from the country of Bosnia and even after spending 28 years in America; he remains a patriotic Bosnian at heart. He was calm as I questioned him regarding this matter, He smiled and simply stated, America is America, but I will always consider Bosnia my home. Although Abdullah is here with his family the United States, His son lives with his family in Bosnia with his family, he hopes his son can come soon. Abdullah is a grandfather to two, a granddaughter, 16 and a grandson, 7. He constantly mentioned seeing all of the young kids of Tawheed Center grow up reminded him of I began to realize that he was a very down to earth person and overall had a genuine personality; I wondered why I had a bad perception of him in the first place. honestly one of the most openhearted people I have ever met, and it is a blessing that we have a gem like him in our community. Our interview began a little raising his children not too long differently than a usual with ago. As the interview progressed,

5 P A G E 5 A Hidden Gem cont d He repeated how great of a place Tawheed center was with everyone being so genuinely great to him in character, stating the overall organization of the masjid was very well organized and refused to say anything that he would like to see The second half of our interview consisted of his experiences at Tawheed center, where he has been working since March of Although he only works 28 hours a week at the Tawheed center, he keeps his fair share of the game by keeping the masjid looking clean at any point in the day. From Saturday night events to just a daily routine, the masjid is always sparkling. He repeated how great of a place Tawheed center was with everyone being so genuinely great to him in character, stating the overall organization of the masjid was very well organized and refused to say anything that he would like to see changed. He also stated that Tawheed Center in every aspect was the greatest place an individual could be as an employee where the people were so genuinely friendly. He elaborated on his love for the maktab and hifz programs and specifically stated that Inaam and Yusuf were his favorite youth kids to talk to. Several times, he admired the process of Hifz and prayed that Hifz would come from his generation. His favorite time of year, like many others, is the month of Ramadan, where iftars are constantly being shared in the social halls and the overall religious vibe, which exists during the blessed month. As our interview came to an end, I couldn t have thought about a better experience overall where I had gotten to know someone that I couldn t have thought of knowing. Although it was tough, between trying to understand his response and trying to continue the interview at quiet points, it was by far one the most rewarding experiences ever. Abdullah is honestly one of the most openhearted people I have ever met, and it is a blessing that we have a gem like him in our community. Danish Khan changed Sunday School Sunday School is a program that is geared towards elementary, middle, and even high school students. Currently, there are about 60 students. Subjects that are covered include: Basic Tajweed, Beliefs (Aqaaid), Fiqh (Jurispudence), History, Hadith, Manners and Etiquette. The program is held from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, followed by Salatul-Dhuhr. Lunch is included. For further information, please contact Br. Azam Masood at (312) or him at amasood@hotmail.com.

6 P A G E 6 Weekly Imam Lectures at the TC Dars e Hadith: Monday-Thursday, after Maghrib (Summer) and Isha (Winter). S e e r a h : Saturday after Fajr. Simple Fiqh: Sunday s after Fajr. T a f s e e r : Saturday after Dhur (2:00 year round Imam s Weekly Lecture Series Throughout the week, Imam Ehsan has several lecture series/ classes. It is of utmost importance that we attend these lectures because, they are in fact gatherings of the remembrance of Allah. Rasulullah (sa) stated that No people gather for the remembrance of Allah Almighty except the angels surround them, mercy covers them, and Allah mentions them in His presence. When they desire to get up and leave, a caller calls them saying: Rise forgiven, your evil deeds have been changed into good deeds!" The lecture schedule is as follows: Dars e Hadith: Monday-Thursday, after Maghrib (Summer) and Isha (Winter). Seerah: Saturday after Fajr. Simple Fiqh: Sundays after Fajr. Tafseer: Saturday after Dhur (2:00 year round).

7 YMTC s THE HAJJ EXPERIENCE FOR YOUNG GIRLS P A G E 7 Each year, YMTC girls organize the Hajj Experience for younger girls so they can learn about the virtues and steps in Hajj. Allhamdullilah, there were many participants! Sisters Maha and Kubra teaching the young girls V O L U M E 1 I S S U E 2 Maktab In these times, our biggest concern must be passing on our deen to our children. The best way to do this is by instilling love for Allah, Rasulullah (sa), and the Quran in our children s heart. Maktab is a program that tries to do just that. It aims to teach elementary and middle school children the rules of tajweed so Saturday School The main purpose of Saturday School is to teach Arabic as a second language. We also teach Quran which includes reading, Tajweed, and memorization of some surah's. We also teach Islamic studies : Aqidah (beliefs), Ibadah (worship), and Seerah/Qasasul that they can recited the Quran properly. We also teach students Islamic studies along with lessons from the Seerah and the lives of the Sahaba. Alhamdulillah, we have over forty students in our program. Several of our maktab students have gone on to our hifz program, and Alhamdulillah, have become or are in the process of insha Allah becoming Hafizul Quran. For more information about Maktab please call Hafiz Wahaaj at (770) or him at mohammed.wahaaj@gmail.com. Ambiya (Lives of Prophet Muhammad (sa) and the other Prophets (as). We currently have almost 30 students from ages 4 to 12 years old. The school hours are from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Lunch is included. Maktab students reciting and practicing their tajweed For more information about this program, please call Br. Hassan Shah at (248) or him at mail@tawheedcenter.org Seeking knowledge is obligatory on every Muslim man and woman - Hadith (Tirmidhi) Students working hard on their assignments

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