As-salaamu Alaikum,
Hadith of the Month: Whenever a believer privately prays for his believing brother (or sister), Allah (SWT) will appoint an angel to pray for him and say: “You will also get whatever you asked for your believing brother (or sister).” Imam Sadiq (as). So, we need to pray for our needy brothers and sisters, especially when so many of them have been abandoned by the world and are living in constant fear, pain, and suffering.
Ayah of the Month: And think not that Allah is unaware of what the oppressors do. He only grants them respite until the day the eyes will stare in horror. (The Holy Quran 14:42)
A believer must remember that every action that is committed in this world is being seen by the Almighty. And it is only a matter of time before Allah (SWT) deals with the oppressors accordingly. It is important to remain patient and steadfast despite the challenges. By doing so we are not only relying on Him, but we are certainly increasing our Iman as well. When we do our best to fight injustice and oppression, we are adhering to the call of Allah and performing an act of worship and devotion. A simple act of remembering the grieving families who have lost all hope in the world is to support them through prayers (du’a) and finance, pleading Allah (SWT) to improve their conditions. Please pray for peace and an end to conflict, SOON! Ameen!
Annual General Body Meeting 12/2/23: Unfortunately, due to lack of quorum the scheduled GB meeting was postponed from 12/2 to 12/16. This is a very important meeting held once a year. Your voice matters and we pay attention to your concerns. We reviewed several topics including the center’s finances; workshops and programs; security concerns and plans to address these through grants we have applied for and finally the status of a resident alim. The board informed the attendees that we are exploring finding an alim by inviting one such scholar to visit our center on weekend basis to gauge the interests and determine if this would be a good match. Hopefully we will be able to reach out to one alim, who frequented our center as a speaker in past programs, to check his availability. More to follow as and when we get more information.
NSGP: There has been no significant change in the grant award since the November newsletter. Will update as and when we hear back from the Homeland Security/FEMA regarding the paperwork submitted to them.
Annual Membership Drive: As of the publishing of this newsletter, there are only 36 members. These are members of our community who filled out membership form and paid their dues. Although we have over 200 people who attend various programs and activities, the number of members is certainly not reflective of where we would like it to be. Unlike other centers where the membership due is significantly higher, Az-Zahra has kept its due the same for the last 17 years. The Az-Zahra Constitution provides some of the benefits of being a member and we ask you all to read that section. We encourage everyone to complete the membership form electronically or download the form and mail it to us. It is that easy! For those who need help or need the form mailed out to you, please request it by texting or emailing me: 913-901-7616; mj_agha@yahoo.com. Let us target 100% membership in 2024, Insha’Allah!
Announcements: As reported last month, an “Electronic Suggestion Box” was created for the community to comment, suggest, and provide feedback on topics and situations that are important to them.
Next Monthly Newsletter: The December Newsletter will come out by the end of the month, Insha’Allah. Please contact at: mj_agha@yahoo.com for feedback. I will try to address your concerns. Please only use my email for comments.