Az-Zahra Islamic CenterArchives for the 'Newsletter' Category
Az-Zahra News: August 2012
As-Salaamu ‘Alaikum and Eid Mubarak to all,
Sunday Schools starts next week
Insha’Allah the Sunday School classes will begin on Sunday September 2nd from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Teachers will have a short meeting at 10:00 AM before the start of the student registration and classes. Please come in with ideas on how to maximize the impact of this program. Following are the names of the teachers who have been invited to please participate in the program:
Sr. Farzaneh
Sr. Kulsum
Br. Hussain
Br. Marghoob
Br. Mohammad
Br. Amjad
Br. Abu Ali
Br. Jameel
If anybody else is interested in teaching or helping out in any way in the coming semester, please come over and introduce yourself as well. Your help and participation is greatly needed. May Allah (swt) reward you immensely.
Eid Carnival
Yesterday we had a nice gathering during the community Eid Carnival. There were a few new faces who blessed us with their presence. May Allah (swt) bless all those who came and joined in the fun and helped with the fund raising efforts of our center. Thanks to all the brothers and sisters who participated in the event – bringing in food, cooking, serving, and cleaning up after the event was finished. Special thanks to Sanah for her specialty “home-made” cookies and muffins. She exceeded her goal of $25.00 and ALL the earning went for Az-Zahra Center. Go Girl! You are Number One in my books. I hope other young community members will also come up with their creations to sell in the next community picnic. Just call me or one of the members of the Board of Trustees to check on it before you bring in anything to the sale. Alhumdu lillah, we made $690.00 from the sale. This money will be used for the benefit of the center, Insha’Allah.
Insha’Allah, we will have a bigger and better picnic next time. We had to cancel the Moonwalk and balloon event due to the weather forecast. Insha’Allah, the weather will be nice and sunny next time and we will have one or both activities.
On behalf of our community, I’d like to wish Adeel and Kalsoom for their long association with Az-Zahra Center. We hope their new “home” in Chicago will be as warm and friendly as Az-Zahra. We will miss you but will not forget you, Insha’Allah. Have a save trip to Chicago. Please keep us in your du’as.
Thanks again for all the folks who made this a success. May Allah (swt) reward each and every one of us for our efforts and strengthen our community even more.
Jazakallah Khair,
Jameel
Board of Trustees
Az-Zahra News: January 2010
News of the Center
Alhumdu lillah, we had another well organized Muharram program this year. We hope your life was greatly enriched by the content of the program. To have an ‘alim and a great speaker like Maulana Dr. Dungersi was an exceptional treat once again. May Allah (swt) reward him abundantly for sharing his knowledge with us. We pray that he will visit us again next year, Insha’Allah. Please pray for his health and remember him in your prayers.
An important feature of the Maulana’s speech dealt with raising mu’mineen (God fearing) children. The efforts of parents and the willingness of our children to practice Islamic behavior are ibadat (forms of worship). Parents who do this not only please Allah (swt) and gain His blessings but also leave behind generation who will help propagate Islam in its finest image.
On February 4th and 5th, we commemorated Arbaeen (40th day) of the Martyrs of Karbala. May Allah (swt) help us model our lives by their examples. There was a video presentation on Feb. 4th and a live presentation by Sheikh Mohammad Hanif on Feb. 5th. The presentation on “Enjoining what is good and forbidding what is reprehensible” was very illuminating and educational. May Allah (swt) grant the sheikh abundant reward.
Weekend school activities are held each Sunday. We currently offer Islamic education, Qur’an reading, and Farsi language classes. We encourage families with children between the ages of 6 through 16 years old to come and join us. There is absolutely no charge for these classes.
Expenses and Donations
Our community is truly blessed to have a center where we are able to offer so many programs. With having the center come many responsibilities. These include cleaning, arranging for food, finding speakers, etc. Alhumdu lillah, due to the efforts of our community members these were accomplished with great success yet once again.
As you all know, it is our responsibility to pitch in whatever and whenever we can. Making regular monetary donations help pay expenses of the center and enable us to plan well. Please make a commitment in 2010 to actively participate both physically and financially for the success of the center. There is no amount too small in the sight of Allah (swt). Insha’Allah we will all be rewarded for our individual efforts.
Membership and pledges
If you are not yet a member of the center, please fill out the membership form; pay your dues, and bingo! You are a member. It is as simple as that. The membership form is available on our website, www.az-zahra.org. While you are at it, please download the pledge or donation form located on the same website. Remember your participation is vitally important for the success of our center. We must all challenge ourselves to make 2010 one of the most memorable years of the center.
We have established an ACH account recently. This will help make your monthly donations very easy. Simply fill out the downloadable form indicating how much money you want withdrawn each month. We will be doing this twice a month. So, you could choose which part of the month you want your money withdrawn from your account. Please attach a “void” check to the form to show your bank account routing number. We will do the rest. This will be the easiest way to debit your account and would help us effectively manage our budget. Please take this opportunity and get this process started as soon as possible.
Future Programs
The center is planning on having a social night every other weekend starting in February. The date and time will be posted on our website. Bring your favorite dish and plenty of energy because we guarantee you and your family a great evening of fun and fellowship. If you have ideas on how to make these activities fun, please share them with us and we will include them in our future plans. You may also send me your suggestions at mj_agha@yahoo.com.
“Those who (in charity) spend of their goods by night and by day, in secret and in public, have their reward with their Lord: on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.” Holy Qur’an 2:274
Documents:
Membership Form
Direct Deposit Authorization Form
Az-Zahra News: November 2009
Annual BOT Election
The 2009 Board of Trustees election was planned for November 7th. The contestants were Br. Mahmoud Reza Kamyab and Br. Mostafa Jafari. Since there were no other contestants, both incumbents were elected unopposed. Their new 3-year term begins in 2010.
General Body Meeting
There were only 6 members present for the November 7th general body meeting. Due to a lack of quorum the meeting was cancelled. The next meeting will Insha’ All-h be held in 2010. Notification will be emailed to regarding the date, agenda, and other important items of business.
Eid-ul-Fitr Carnival
2009 Eid Carnival was a great success, Alhumdu lillah. Due to poor weather conditions the activities were held indoors. Food was delicious and plenty and everyone had a great time. Children enjoyed Moon-Walk, face painting, balloon creations, etc. We had delicious burgers and grilled chicken, gyros, etc. The money collected from the sale of food and other activities will help pay the expenses of the center. We also received several donations. Alhumdu lillah, we raised approximately $1,000.
We also signed up new members and donors who pledged monthly contributions to the center. Most folks gave permission for auto withdrawal from their bank account. If you would like to help, please download the forms and email them to us. Remember, no pledge is too small for a good cause.
Interior Construction
The ladies’ room downstairs is beginning to look real nice. Thanks to the generous contributions, the room will have new ceramic tiled floor very soon, Insha’All-h. If you would like to donate money for a future projects please contact us. We will post the project list on the bulletin board as it comes up.
Eid-al Adha
Eid prayer was held in the center on Saturday, November 28th. Many people attended this joyous event. We are truly very fortunate to have a place which is used for Eid prayers and other activities.
Alavi Related Information
Last week we attended a conference call organized by Muslim Advocates, a non-profit entity supporting Muslim causes. Ms. Sharron Levin, Asst. prosecutor representing the US government, was the key presenter. She stated that the government will not interfere with the activities of mosques and Islamic schools. She assured us that Islamic centers are not being targeted by the government in any way. Later, there was a panel discussion by mostly Muslim attorneys followed by a Q&A from representatives of various centers. The panel advised Islamic centers promised financial support by Alavi to go through their attorney to file for the future funds. BOT will keep you posted of the steps we will take in the future.
The BOT requests EACH and EVERY member of Az-Zahra to continue your support and commitment to the center. With lots of du’a and your generous contributions, we will successfully meet our obligations.
Articles, news items, announcements, etc should be received by no later than 15th of each month to be included in the monthly newsletter. Please email them to Br. Jameel at mj_agha@yahoo.com.