Ramadhan Kareem AC A A C D A E D M E Y

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1 Ramadhan Kareem

2 The Islamic Institute of Toronto Established in 1996, the Islamic Institute of Toronto is a premier community-based Islamic Educational Institution, offering postsecondary courses in Arabic Language, Islamic Jurisprudence, Ethics and Spirituality, Islamic History and Civilization, Comparative Religion and Civic Engagement amongst others. The IIT is committed to the Prophetic legacy of promoting Islamic education that is authentic and relevant to the times in which we live. Our education programs are complemented by a wide variety of other social and recreational programs, giving our students and wider community the opportunity to interact and develop together. Children and youth are also given the opportunity and encouraged to volunteer, so that learned concepts come to life in a tangible manner. We encourage you to join us as partners in this exciting endeavour to build a lasting legacy for generations to come!

3 Message from IIT s President & Scholars Assalaamu alaikum wa rahmatulah wa barakatuh. Ramadhan Mubarak! On behalf of the Islamic Institute of Toronto, its Board of Directors and all of our volunteers, we would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family the very best during the blessed month of Ramadhan. We hope that Allah subhanu wa ta'ala enables us to maximize the many blessings this month has to offer. Ramadhan is a time for spiritual fulfillment and social cohesion; a time when we take the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the many acts of worship that will help us to achieve these objectives. At the Islamic Institute of Toronto, we are committed to providing the environment and full spectrum of programs that will help us in fulfilling our obligations. Please take a few minutes to browse this booklet to familiarize yourself with the programs we offer at the IIT. We have also included some practical tips for deriving the optimal benefits from this blessed month. The dream of an Islamic institution offering authentic and relevant Islamic knowledge for our times is one step closer to reality. However, we need your continued support to complete some of the projects we have started: the second floor, the library and reading room, the gymnasium etc. Your support will enhance the cause of Islamic knowledge and you will undoubtedly stand to gain multiple rewards in the akhira. More importantly we need your presence here at the IIT as active participants in the educational, social and recreational programs we offer. May Allah continue to guide us to realize the full potential of this Institution an educational institution dedicated to elevating our status in the sight of Allah. Sincerely, Br. Farhad Khadim President Shaikh Ahmad Kutty Shaikh Abdool Hamid IIT Scholars

4 Salaatul Tarawih The first day of fasting will be on Wednesday, August 11, 2010, and therefore the first night of congregational Tarawih prayers will be on Tuesday, August 10, 2010 as determined by the Islamic Fiqh Council of North America. Please consult our Daily Ramadhan timetable for prayer timings for Toronto and vicinity, and for the specific timings for Adhaan at the IIT. Tarawih prayers will be led by our guests Shaikh Mustafa Esharif and Qari Walid Salem, both from Libya. Ramadan lecture and Iftaar Program Join us for our flagship program every Saturday in Ramadan. Program begins approximately one hour before Salaatul Maghrib. The objectives of the Lecture and Iftar program at IIT are to explore the basic teachings of Islam as it pertains to the blessed month, provide a deeper understanding of the objectives and inner dimensions of fasting and related acts of ibaadaat, and promote a sense of brotherhood in our community by breaking the fast together. SPEAKERS: August 14 August 21 August 28 September 4 Dr. Abdullah Hakim Quick: Shaikh Abdool Hamid Shaikh Musleh Khan Shaikh Ahmad Kutty Please arrive on time to benefit from our learned scholars.

5 In Pursuit of Virtue A SPECIAL PROGRAM FOR YOUTH IN RAMADHAN Fridays, August 13, 20 th, 27 th and September 3, 2010 from Salaatul Jumu ah to Salaatul Maghrib The Friday Youth Program is geared primarily towards high school, college and university students to engage in collective study, tafseer, Qur anic recitation, reflection, discussion & life skills. The program begins with Salaatul Jumu ah and ends with Salaatul Maghrib and Iftaar. Admission is free, but pre-registration is required (register at Speakers include Shaikh Musleh Khan, Shaikh Abdool Hamid, Br. Jeewan Chanicka, Imam Zijad Delic, Br. Dawood Zwink and others.

6 PRACTICAL TIPS FOR OPTIMIZING THE BENEFITS IN THE BLESSED MONTH OF RAMADAN BY SHAIKH AHMAD KUTTY Ramadan is the most blessed month in the Islamic calendar. It is primarily a spiritual training course intended to help us cultivate essential virtues and skills in order to lead a meaningful life. Most often we live at a very superficial level of our existence, forgetting our true essence and identity as human beings. In other words, we become totally preoccupied with the physical and material dimensions, forgetting the spiritual core of our personalities. Ramadan, therefore, comes to remind us of who we truly are and how we can discipline ourselves in such a way that we are fully awake to our full spiritual potential. In order to benefit from the blessed month of Ramadan and its spiritual regimen, I suggest that we focus on the following: 1.Welcome Ramadan with great fervor and spirit and expect to come out of it fully transformed in body, mind, and soul. 2.Perform all of the acts of worship while being fully awake to their inner dimensions and meanings. Most often we allow ourselves to go through these rituals as mere mechanical chores with the result that we gain virtually no benefit from them either spiritually or morally. 3.Let your fasting be a fasting of body, mind, and soul. As Imam Ghazali said, the vast majority of people fast only for namesake. For while staying away from food, drink, and sexual gratifications, their minds, eyes, ears, tongue, and other faculties feast on haram (unlawful matters). Therefore, in order to gain any true benefit from our fasts, we need to impose a total self-restraint upon all our faculties and stay away from all sinful and idle thoughts, words, and actions, and nurture the thought and remembrance of Allah.

7 PRACTICAL TIPS FOR OPTIMIZING THE BENEFITS IN THE BLESSED MONTH OF RAMADAN (Cont d) 4. Ramadan is not merely a month of fasting. It is rather a season to cultivate all sorts of virtues and good habits. It is the perfect opportunity to break free of all negative habits that have been holding us back from achieving the true happiness and perfection that is ours as a birthright. So seize the opportunity and focus on achieving real goals to make it a true life-changing and lifeenhancing experience. 5. Ramadan is the month of empathy and generosity. In fact, one of the main purposes of fasting is to instill in us empathy for the poor and the less deprived. By exposing us to compulsory hunger, we are given a practical lesson in hunger and thirst and thus we become better motivated to empathize with the poor. Hence we are ordered to practice the optimum level of charity in the month of Ramadan. 6. Ramadan is the time to familiarize ourselves with the Qur an, the true source of guidance, illumination, healing, and mercy Allah s perfect gift to humanity. We can only do justice to the Book when we go beyond merely chanting and memorizing it to reflecting and meditating upon the Revealed Word and respond to it in true spirit by acting upon its teachings. 7. One of the main purposes of all of the acts of worship in Islam is to cultivate in us a true sense of community and spirit of fellow humanity. Therefore, it is imperative that our compassionate words and acts be extended not only towards ourselves but also towards all of Allah s creation.

8 Obligation of Zakaat Ramadhan is the ideal time to calculate and give out zakah. By doing so we stand to gain immense rewards as every deed done in Ramadhan merits manifold blessings. The importance of zakah in Islam can never be exaggerated. After the testimony of Oneness, it is the foremost pillar of Islam-- second only to salah (Prayer). Thanks to its importance, zakah has been conjoined with salah in twenty six verses in the Qur'an. It is reckoned as Allah's share in one's wealth, which must be taken out in order for it to be pure and lawful for our use. The word zakah in Arabic means growth, purification, and blessing. By using this word for the compulsory charity, we are reminded that zakah purifies our wealth, blesses it, and helps it to grow. The main purpose of zakah is to help the poor and needy. When zakah is applied effectively, it goes a long way in eradicating poverty from the society--as it was demonstrated in the history of Islam. Although the primary recipients of zakah are the poor and needy, part of zakah can also be given to causes that are beneficial for the cause of Islam. In our time and age, this includes supporting institutions that provide essential services for the community in places where funds for such projects are not readily available. This is the ruling of a number of eminent scholars in the contemporary world, including Shaikh Qaradawi, Abd al-karim Zaydan and others. Based on such rulings, it is valid to give out part of your zakah (but never more than one-third) to institutions such as the Islamic Institute of Toronto.

9 Obligation of Zakaat (Cont d) I give below a few important points to facilitate our understanding and practice of zakah*: 1. Zakah applies to our net income over a year--if it reaches the nisab**, which is roughly four hundred dollars-- after taking out the basic expenses for oneself and his dependents, including rent (or mortgage/car payments for the year), food, clothes, medical, transportation, etc. All of these expenses can be either deemed as modest or extravagant. 2. Zakah applies to the net income after deducting the debts that are payable; in the case of mortgages and car payments, business payments, etc. one is allowed only to deduct the outstanding payments for the zakat year. 3. Zakah does not apply to one's dwelling place, unless it is an extravagant one, nor does it apply to the basic car one uses. In regards to rental house or property, it applies to the net income after deducting taxes, other payments, as well as the maintenance costs for the year. 4. Zakah also applies to one's savings and investments. *As for the detailed rules of zakah, we are advised to consult resources such as the Calculation of Zakat for Muslims in North America by Monzer Kahf. ** We have used the nisab of silver as the basis for calculation, as this is closer to the spirit of the legislation and will facilitate the poor and needy more than the higher nisab of gold, which has fluctuated wildly over the past few years.

10 Simple Zakat Calculator (Example) Cash & minimum balance in the bank which stayed with you throughout the year Total Value of shares, stocks, bonds, etc Total value of gold/silver certificates Total value of gold in jewelry (except what is used by women regularly--as long as it does not exceed more than two and a half ounces) Total value of silver in jewelry 500 Total value of all the above 7500 Zakat to be paid: $7,500 x 2.5% = $ $ Notes: % is $25.00 in every $1, For the current value of gold or silver, please check with your local bank or online

11 Education Programs at IIT Post-Secondary Education Every semester the IIT offers a wide variety of courses at a post-secondary level. Courses are offered for various levels of Arabic Language both in Grammar and Arabic Conversation, Qur an Recitation, Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh and Usul-al-Fiqh), Sirah (Biography of the Prophet-pbuh), Islamic History & Biographies of Eminent Companions and Followers of the Prophet (pbuh), Hadith Sciences, Islamic Ethics and Spirituality, Comparative Religion, Civic Engagement and others. Our teachers include some of the most respected scholars in the country: Shaikh Ahmad Kutty, Shaikh Abdool Hamid, Imam Dr. Hamid Slimi, Dr. Iqbal Nadvi, Imam Dr. Zijad Delic and other respected brothers and sisters such as Sr. Laila Maarouf, Br. Mohamed Edris, Br. Nasrdeen Benaicha, Br. Mohamed Omar Abdur-Raheem, Br. Khalid Raheem, and others. A detailed Fall 2010 Course Calendar will be available at

12 Friday Night Program Resuming on September 24, 2010 Quran & Arabic language for children, youths & adults 6:00 pm - 8:00pm The Friday Family Night provides instruction to children in basic Qur anic and Islamic Studies. The youth class with Shaikh Abdool Hamid provides a forum for Muslim youth to learn about Islam and discuss issues that affect them. The Adult forum with Shaikh Ahmad Kutty explores topics such as Spiritual Empowerment in Islam: Lessons for Contemporary living - based on Ihya Ulum ad-din by Imam Ghazali. For more details and registration please visit Weekday Qur an and Islamic Studies Program for Children This is a special children's evening class (Monday-Thursday, 5:30 7:00 p.m.) in Qur'anic recitation and Islamic studies. This class is currently full and registration is closed. You can place your name on a waiting list, and when space becomes available we will contact you inshaallah. Home Maker s Program (Sisters) The Home-Makers' Program for Sisters provides a forum for sisters to engage in discussion about issues that affect them, including awareness about cancer, diabetes, and other related health issues; Islamic adab and requirements; enhancing social relationships; life skills and other interesting subjects. 163rd IIT Scouts The 163rd IIT Scouts is one of the first successful Muslim Scouts initiative under Scouts Canada. The Scouts Canada program is in harmony with the values that we cherish as Muslims, and is flexible in accommodating the religious practices of Muslims and other faith communities.

13 Hajj 2010 Education: Hajj Course All persons traveling with the IIT are required to complete the Hajj course. Objectives: This course will provide an understanding of hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam and the once-in-a-lifetime obligation on Muslims. At the end of the course, participants will have a greater appreciation of the importance, excellence and prerequisites of the pilgrimage and will gain practical knowledge of how to perform the rituals (manasik) of hajj Duration: 3 sessions Requirements: Open to brothers and sisters 15 years and older Date: Sundays, October 3, 2010 October 17, 2010 Time: 10:30 am - 12:30 pm Location: Islamic Institute of Toronto Fees: None for registered hajj group members, otherwise $30/person Instructor: To be announced All members of the hajj group (living in the GTA) are required to attend this course. All others are welcome to attend as well, for a fee of $30 per person. Hajj Seminars: For Hajj Seminars, please see

14 IIT ACADEMY A FULL TIME ISLAMIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL "Quality Education at an Affordable Cost" OPEN FOR REGISTRATION FOR JUNIOR/SENIOR KINDERGARTEN & GRADES 1 4 The IIT Academy is an Elementary Islamic School established by the Islamic Institute of Toronto in 2009 to provide quality Islamic and academic education to our children. VISION Our vision is to produce students who are fully conscious of their accountability to God, confident in their identity as Muslims, and ready to fulfill their obligations as citizens of Canada. MISSION We will strive to nurture the intellectual, social, spiritual, moral and physical well-being of our students, fostering integrity, excellence of character and a deep sense of responsibility as they grow to become exemplary Muslims and productive citizens of the world. ETHOS The ultimate objective of any worldly endeavour is the achievement of felicity in the next world. The IIT ACADEMY will create harmony between the intellectual, physical and spiritual dimensions of each child. Our school is a safe and respectful place, a place where students and teachers work harmoniously to achieve academic excellence and to grow in knowledge, faith and practice; where there is recognition and understanding of the rights of fellow students and teachers, fellow human beings and love for the country in which we live. CURRICULUM IIT ACADEMY offers the full Ontario Curriculum in addition to Arabic & French, Islamic Studies & Islamic Character Development FEES For detailed information on application procedures, fees and other requirements, please visit

15 SUPPORT IIT TODAY! IIT needs your financial support today! With several projects underway, and everyday operational costs, IIT is seeking your help to ensure its financial sustainability. Here are ways in which you can help us: Consider a monthly pledge of $25, $50, $75, $100 or any other amount. This is the surest way to ensure a regular stream of revenue for IIT. One-Time Donation: Ramadhan is the best month in which to give your donations to IIT. You can also spread your donations over a specified period of time by issuing post-dated cheques. All donations are tax-deductible as IIT is a registered, charitable organization. Encourage your children, parents, family and friends to donate to IIT. You can also donate ONLINE through our website Sponsor specific projects, events, activities etc. to take the financial burden off the IIT. You can sponsor the outfitting of a classroom for the IIT Academy, entertainment for children at the IIT Carnival, maintenance for the building, printing costs for specific events, remuneration for our teaching staff etc. Your donations will go a far way in assisting us to meet our capital and operating expenditures. May Allah reward you and accept your fasting and prayers.