As-salaamu Alaikum,

Hadith of the Month: Generosity imparts love and adorns one’s character – Imam Ali (AS). There are two main points emphasized here: generosity and love and they go hand in hand. A believer must show compassion to others’ difficulties by being generous with their wealth as well as concerns for the needs of the disadvantaged. Generosity helps strengthens our communities and pleases Allah (SWT) greatly.

Ayah of the Month:

وَلَمۡ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَءَاتَى ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَأَقَامَ ٱلۡأٓخِرِ وَٱلۡيَوۡمِ بِٱللَّهِ ءَامَنَ مَنۡ ٱللَّهِ مَسَٰجِدَ يَعۡمُرُ إِنَّمَا
ٱلۡمُهۡتَدِينَ مِنَ يَكُونُواْ أَن أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ فَعَسَىٰٓ ٱللَّهَۖ إِلَّا يَخشَ

Only those shall maintain Allah’s mosques who believe in Allah and the Last Day and maintain the prayer and give the Zakat and fear no one except Allah
– Surah Al-Tawbah Ayat 18

Annual General Body Meeting 12/2/23: This is an opportunity for members to know what our center has accomplished and the plans for coming years. Please share ideas that make communities vibrant and fun to be part of. those interested to contest for a position must complete relevant forms located on our website.

NSGP: Last month I explained what NSGP was and how it may impact AZC in the future. We are now reaching out to contractors for quotes on: perimeter fence, gate, interior/exterior doors, and lighting. The team is exploring best options including pricing, materials, past references, etc to finalize whom to select. If anyone is interested in quoting the above projects, please reach out to me and provide your specialty. Please note: So far, we have only qualified for the grant money. We have Not received any money or funds.

Financial Workshop: A workshop was organized with the help of two independent financial planners and Br. Ali Lotia. Posters were sent out via KC Community, Sisters’, and the AZ WhatsApp groups to publicize the date, topics, and the importance of such a workshop. Only a handful of members took advantage of the event. Thanks to all the speakers and participants. Hope you enjoyed the topics and gained from the presentation.

Community Feedback: We are happy that people are reading the newsletter. Some people have reached out to me with comments and questions to my WhatsApp. As I had stated last month, it is neither wise nor practical for me to respond to an individual’s comments in this newsletter. Community’s suggestions are reviewed during the monthly board meeting and the responses will be provided in a timely manner. Responses will be posted on our website unless it is critically important to notify via WhatsApp. We thank you for your patience and understanding.

Electronic Suggestion Box: During our last BOT meeting we decided to establish an “Electronic Suggestion Box” for the community to comment, suggest, and provide feedback on topics and situations that are important to them. The email is: suggest@az-zahra.org. I will publicize the site for a few more months in our monthly newsletter as well as have it posted on the Az-Zahra.org website. Br. Mostafa Jafari will monitor the suggestion box and will share its content during our BOT meetings. Responses will be posted based on the decision of the board. We appreciate your feedback and patience while we streamline this process.

Next Monthly Newsletter: The December Newsletter will come out by the end of the month, Insha’Allah. Editor: Please contact at: mj_agha@yahoo.com for feedback. I will try to address your concerns feedback, with the assistance of the board, to mitigate your concerns. Please only use my email for comments.