Dhu-al-Hijjah 1438A.H. Sep 2017 Newsletter #6 Updates Management Committee of Melbourne Jamaat Australia extend Eid Mubarak to all momineen around the world, especially the Shia Muslim community of Melbourne. Eid ul Adha commemorates one of the great acts of sacrifice. The Prophet Abraham (as), his wife Bibi Hajra (sa) and son Prophet Ismail (as) were all tested by Allah (swt). Thereafter, Allah (swt) commanded our Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) to commemorate this great act by making it a part of the Hajj rituals in the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Respected Brothers and Sisters, Eid ul Adha is not only about slaughtering animals and sharing the meat to the poor and needy, our friends and family. The most important part of this holy and auspicious event is that it is a time of reflection; it is a time of rededicating our lives to the service of the Creator and Sustainer of this universe Allah (swt). One way is to sacrifice our time and energy in the service of the community in any way we can. Eid Message.....1 Vision 2050 Conference review... 2 Jafari Education Formed.3 Facebook page exceed 1k likes..3 SES Team seek volunteer 4 Annual General Meeting.4 Points of Interest Religious Dates During the Month...5 Upcoming Events...5 Expected Islamic Date.5 Quiz.5 It is a time of understanding that in order to effect any change in our community, society or the world at large we have to start first by changing ourselves. When we are going to sacrifice an animal, we must understand that we are going to sacrifice our evil inclinations and deeds at the same time. By doing the sacrifice, we are pledging to make a change for the better of ourselves, our family, our community and our country. We have to submit ourselves to the commands of Allah (swt), to submit ourselves to Imam ul Waqt (atf), study and understand the Holy Quran and follow the teachings of our 14 Masomeen (as). To love what they loved, and to stay away from what they advised us to stay away from. Let us, remind ourselves that if we are to be a part of making changes we must sacrifice our egos, our prejudices racial and ethnic and ask our Imam ul Waqt (atf) to make us the instruments of change that will deliver mankind from the degradation it is in. May Allah (swt) with the wasela of 14 Masomeen (as) accept our sacrifices, keep us all on the Straight Path, guide us and protect us and all those who are suffering around the world. Management Committee Melbourne Jamaat Australia Page 1
In order to establish a vibrant and progressive community, that is serving to cater the needs of the people, the community needs to collectively establish its vision. In order to make these visions a reality, the community needs to define clear plan with short and long term goals. This ensure leadership have clear direction and are accountable to meet the goals. VISION 2050 CONFERENCE Melbourne Jamaat Australia aims to provide services from cradle to the grave for the different ages and stages of life. With this in mind, we are held the VISION 2050 CONFERENCE. It was an opportunity for the community to participate in making a major contribution for the future generations of Melbourne. The conference was focused on 4 key areas; Islamic & Secular Education/Guidance, Fund/Asset Generation, Community Affairs (Funeral, Matrimonial, Tabligh, etc) and Capacity Building (Leadership Development, Volunteers, Sport & Health, etc). 26 people attended the conference, 11 apologised for pulling out due to last minute community engagement and 6 contacted after the conference to provide their ideas. A large number of great ideas came out of the conference and Jamaat received very positive feedback from the participants. Management committee plans to present the report of Vision 2050 in the upcoming AGM. All participants were provided with feedback form at the end of the conference; following are the feedback results: The session was better than I expected 100% The topics discussed were interesting 100% These sessions are a good way of consulting the community 100% I would participate in future sessions 98% Vice President Br. Raza Gulani with Premier Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said, Planning before action will preserve you from regret. [`Uyoun Akhbar al-ridha (AS), v. 2, p. 54, no. 204] Some of the comments from the participants: I thought it was a great way to open discussion about what everybody thinks are the issues faced by our community It was a wonderful session and apart from all the great ideas disused in the meeting, I would like to add that from time to time, Jamaat arrange fun community programs in which it could show people what it has done recently to start feeling proud of the word done and their jamaat. This will encourage people to give more to Jamaat Page 2
JAFARI EDUCATION Following are the list of Jafari Education sub-committee: We are pleased to announce a madressa project with the name of JAFARI EDUCATION has been established under Melbourne Jamaat Australia. Following the email dated 12 June 2017 with the request for expression of interest for madressa project, a subcommittee has been formed based on the expression of interests received from the community. Admin team Zahid Hussain Hani Lakhani Ali Manjee Tatheer Fatima Coordinators Sana Zahid Sabica Manjee Management committee formed the sub-committee and invited the sub-committee for a meeting on 9th of August 2017. Management committee presented the vision, aim, objectives and timeline. Vision of Jafari Education is: "Support parent s role of providing Islamic education to children from highly trained and continuously developing teachers using contemporary teaching methods in an interactive and inspiring environment in order for students to become best followers of Ahlulbayt (as) and make positive impact on the dynamic society and be confident in Islamic principles and practices." The sub-committee concluded that the priority is to hold Islamic education short courses during kid s school holidays. Short courses will allow parents to engage and provide activities for kids in Islamic education during their school holidays. It will also allow subcommittee opportunity to establish resources before opening Madressa in 2018. It was therefore decided to begin a Summer School Holiday short madressa program for 8 weeks every Saturday from 9 December 2017 to 27 January 2018. Enrolment of the Summer Madressa will open in 2nd week of September for kids at the age of 4 to 13. Enrolment will be limited to 12 kids per group with first come first basis. Enrolment will be open for all Shia kids with discount provided to kids of Melbourne Jamaat Australia members. The students will be divided into 3 groups. Group A: Kids aged 4 to 6 Group course theme: I love Allah Group B: Kids aged 7 to 9 Group course theme: I am a proud Muslim Group C: Kids aged 10 to 13 Group course theme: Ma rifat of Imam e Zamanah (atf) Learning will be through activities, multimedia, plays and storytelling, kids will get opportunity to learn in a fun, interactive and inspiring environment. More details will be provided soon. Jafari Education sub-committee is looking for volunteers who wish to teach at the Summer Madressa course. Volunteers preferably have prior teaching experience and are willing to undergo training. Please email the team at jafarieducation@ksijmelbourne.org.au MELBOURNE JAMAAT FACEBOOK PAGE EXCEEDS 1000 LIKES Recent posts related to Settlement project and Jafari Education projects have been extremely well received on facebook. Jamaat received a large number of enquires on facebook. Page 3
Settlement Services volunteers required Settlement and Employment Services Sub-Committee has been working very hard to establish the foundation to provide services to new migrants with much needed settlement support during the initial stages of settlement. We are creating checklists that will allow new migrants with some guidance pre-arrival and post arrival. We are also working on establishing services to provide transportation from airport, temporary accommodation, lunch and dinner for first 2 weeks, ration pack with basic necessities, local guide of halal food/grocery and networking with field professionals to provide migrants with employment guidance of their field. The services provided by Melbourne Jamaat Australia will be available for all momineen arriving to Melbourne. Settlement and Employment Services Sub-Committee seek volunteers who can provide short term support to new migrants. Please complete the form CLICK HERE if you are able to assist in one or more areas listed below. We wish to establish a list of volunteers which our team will contact in advance and confirm availability when needed. > Transportation from airport > Temporary Accommodation > Lunch and Dinner > General Volunteering For any queries and comments, you can contact with our team at settlement@ksijmelbourne.org.au Prophet Muhammad [s] said, "The best of you are those with the most beautiful manners, who are hospitable and open to association, and ease the journeys of others." (al-kafi) Annual General Meeting Notice Notice is hereby given for an Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Melbourne Jamaat Australia (Khoja Shia Ithna-Ashari Jamaat Melbourne Inc.) to be held on Sunday 17 September 2017 at 4:15pm at KemizO Entertainment Centre - Caroline Springs, 10 Eucumbene Dr, Ravenhall Agenda: 1. Recitation of the Holy Quran 2. Opening of the Meeting 3. Confirmation of the Minutes of the AGM held on 13th August 2016 4. Matters arising there from 5. Receive and Adopt the Annual Accounts Report 6. Receive Secretary Annual Report 7. Construction Plan 8. Vision 2050 Paper 9. AOB - Any Other Business Invitation: Open invitation to ALL Shia Muslims, Melbourne Jamaat Australia's member or non-members. Melbourne Jamaat Australia has an open door policy with complete transparency of progress. Page 4
Religious date during the month of Dhu-al-Hijjah 1 Dhu Al Hijjah: Wedding: Imam Ali (AS) and Bibi Fatima Zehra (SA) 7 Dhu Al Hijjah: Martyrdom: Imam Mohammad Baqir (AS) 8 Dhu Al Hijjah: Imam Hussain (AS) left Makkah towards Karbala 9 Dhu Al Hijjah: Martyrdom: Hazrat Muslim Ibne Aqeel (AS) / Yaum-e-Arafat 10 Dhu Al Hijjah: Eid Ul Adha 15 Dhu Al Hijjah: Wiladat: Imam Ali-an-Naqi (AS) 18 Dhu Al Hijjah: Eid Al Ghadir 24 Dhul Al Hijjah: Eid al-mubahila Upcoming Events: Events Planned date of event Annual General meeting 17 September 2017 Expected Islamic Date (subject to moonsighting) Date Day 1st Muharram 1439 Friday 22nd September 2017 10th Muharram 1439 Sunday 1st October 2017 Imam Ja far as-sadiq (a.s.) One who considers other people inferior and shows his superiority over them is arrogant. Al-Kafi Rattle your brain Choose the correct answer to test your knowledge. Answers will be publish in the next month s edition. Q 1: Who is the first Imam (as)? A. Imam Ali (A.S.) B. Imam Mehdi (A.T.F.) C. Imam Hasan Mujtaba (A.S.) D. Imam Ali Naqi (A.S.) Q 3: The first masjid built by RasoolAllah (saw)? A. Masjid ul Nabwi B. Masjid ul Haram C. Masjid ul Aqsa D. Masjid ul Quba Newsletter 5 Answers Q 2: Which angel will blow the horn on Day of Judgement? A. Angel Gabriel (A.S.) B. Angel Ghizr (A.S.) C. Angel Israfeel (A.S.) D. Angel Izrael (A.S.) Q 4: How many ayahs does the longest Surah in Quran have? A. 315 B. 267 C. 286 D. 102 Question 1: What is the another name of Surah Dahar? Answer: A) Surah Insaan Question 2: What Prophet (as) had many similarities to Imam Hussain (as)? Answer: C) Prophet Yahya (as) Question 3: Which Prophet s (as) decedents were known as Children of Israel? Answe: C) Prophet Yaqub (as) Question 4: Which Prophet (as) introduced the system of Weighing? Answer: B) Prophet Idrees (as) Page 5