New organization of Islamic groups working together for the greater good. First event: raising awareness of the deadly malaria disease that afflicts many countries especially AFRICA. Working together: Al-Madina Institute, AlMaghrib Institute, Islamic Relief, ISNA, MANA, MAS, MSA National, SeekersGuidance, Zaytuna College.

Speakers for the first event include:

Dr. Fatimah Jackson

Website for UFC coming soon… insha Allah.

UPDATE July 1, 2009: Website launched – http://www.muslimsunitedforchange.com

Dear brothers and sisters, As Salamu ‘alaikum, wa rahmatuLlahi, wa barakatuH.

- 3 million refugees displaced
- 80% are women & children
- They’re hungry, cold, sick, and needy.
- DO Something!

Due to the overwhelming positive response that we’ve received online, from Australia, to California, to the UK, and the UAE, we’ve consulted with our team, and have decided to call off the upcoming relief event at Pearl Banquet Hall in Toronto on Saturday, June 27th. We’re going to aim a little higher.

We want to raise no less than $1 Million for our displaced and desperate brothers and sisters in Swat. We obviously can’t do this without your active support, promotion, involvement, and help.

The process is very simple.

I want 1,000 people to make a simple commitment:
1. Donate at least $20
2. Find 20 others to do the same.
3. Have them find only 2 others to donate the same amount. (keep track of your lists!)

Think family, coworkers, annoying siblings, cousins, classmates, teachers, Imams, friends, rich uncles, rich aunties, your local MSA, Jum’ah collections, halaqas, book clubs, zikr gatherings,.. everyone.

When we do this, and do it right, we’ll be at $800K by the end of the process. I will solicit the donations of some major donors to cover the remaining balance, insha’Allah. But we need to demonstrate some serious grassroots willingness towards this end, to encourage big donors to follow through.

(Our partner in getting these funds to the needy in Swat, is Edhi Foundation’s Canadian chapter. Their long-standing track record of non-sectarian, non-partisan, and transparent relief work across Pakistan, along with their integrity and credibility makes them an obvious choice.)

The deadline for this, is the 1st of Ramadan – Saturday August 22nd, 2009. Imagine entering Ramadan by giving $1 Million in sadaqah!

I invite you to step up to the challenge. When you do, all such challenges are easily surmountable, insha’Allah.

We will be migrating our online fund collection mechanism from Eventbrite to a service provider that is not event-based. I will update you all on that shortly. For now, your donations can still be received at http://swatrelief.eventbrite.com. (We encourage you to keep the donations online, as this will help us keep transparent records of all transfers and transactions.)

Thank you all for your support, and I look forward to more of it.

was Salam

Nader Khan
Programs Director
ReliefWorks

+1.416.294.0640
nader@relief-works.com

Messages of Support:
- Imam Tahir Anwar: http://tiny.cc/XyXRT
- Imam Afroz Ali: http://tiny.cc/kXpHG
- Imam Zaid Shakir: http://tiny.cc/iyRa9

Suggested readings on Edhi Foundation:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edhi_Foundation
- http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200406/humanitarian.to.a.nation.htm

So, my dear friend, put forth a great effort in the month of Rajab, may Allah have mercy on you. It is the season of great profits, so take advantage of your time! Whoever is spiritually sick due to their sins – know that the medicine has come.

* Know that Rajab is a virtuous month in which worship is gloriously rewarded – especially fasting and seeking repentance (istighfar).

* Also, making du’a during the eve of the first of Rajab is highly recommended. The Prophet, peace and mercy be upon him, said, “There are five nights in which du’a (supplication) is not rejected: the eve of Rajab, the 15th night of Sha’aban, the eve of Friday, on the eve of Eid Al-Fitr, and on the eve of Eid Al-Adha.” [Al-Suyuti in his Al-Jami'].

* On the 27th night of Rajab, the Prophet, peace and mercy be upon him, was taken on the Isra wa Mi’raj (The Night Journey and Ascension to the Heavens). This was a great and glorious night, as is known to most Muslims, in which the Prophet, peace and mercy be upon him, met his Lord and was given the commandment to perform the 5 daily prayers.

* Rajab is one of the four sacred months mentioned in the Quran (the four months are : Rajab, Dhul Qi’da, Dhul Hijjah, and Muharram):

{The number of months is twelve according to God, in the decree of God, on the day God created the heavens and the earth; and four of them are sacred} (9:36)

* Rajab is Allah’s month in which He pours His Mercy upon the penitent and He accepts the actions that people have done for His sake. The Prophet, peace and mercy be upon him, said, “Rajab is the month of Allah, and Sha’aban is my month, and Ramadan is the month of my Ummah.” (Imam Al-Suyuti in Al-Jami).

* Scholars say: Rajab is the month of repentance (istighfar), and Sha’aban is the month of sending peace and mercy (salawat/durood shareef) upon the Prophet, and Ramadan is the month of Qur’an.

* One highly recommended act to do is say 70 times after the Fajr and ‘Isha prayers every morning and night of Rajab:

Transliteration: “Allahuma ighfir li wa Arhamni wa tub ‘alayya.”
Translation: Oh Allah forgive me, have mercy upon me, and grant me repentance.

* Sayyidna ‘Ali, may Allah be well pleased with him, used to allocate extra amounts of time for worship on four nights – the first night of Rajab, the nights before the two Eids, and the 15th night of Sha’aban.

* It is also highly recommended to say the following Prophetic prayer (known as Sayyid Al-Istighfar or the Master of Repentance) 3 times every morning and every evening in Rajab:

Transliteration: Allahuma anta rabi la ilaha illa ant, khalaqtani wa ana ‘abduk, wa ana ‘ala ‘ahdika wa wa’adika ma astata’at, ‘authu bika min shar ma san’at, abu’u laka bi ni’matika ‘allaya wa abu’u bi dhanbi, faqhfir li fa’innahu la yaghfir al-dhunub ila anta.

Translation: O Allah, you are my Lord, and there is no god but you. You created me and I am your servant, and I am upon the convenant to the best of my ability. I seek refuge in you from the evil I have brought upon myself. I admit all the blessings you have given me and I admit my sins, so forgive me, for no one can forgive sins save You.

And success is from Allah

Posted via email from IslamCrunch

Our gratitude to Sidi Amjad Tarsin for compiling this post and all the other posts about the Islamic months.

On June 17, 2009, the Mayor’s office of San Francisco, the Indonesian Consulate, the California College of the Arts welcomed the batik collection of Ann Dunham, the late beloved mother of President Barack Hussein Obama.

Much thanks to the Alhadi / Usman family, we were given invites to attend this exclusive event. The photo gallery slideshow above is also on our Flickr page: Ann Dunham Batik Collection

A Lady Found a Culture in Its Cloth: Barack Obama’s Mother and Indonesian Batiks

This exhibition features 20 large fabrics and two scarves from the batik collection of Ann Dunham, President Barack Obama’s late mother. The collection has been in storage for many years and this is a valuable opportunity for the public to see it. The presentation is part of a national tour that is also passing through New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, and Washington DC this summer.

Indonesia is home to the ancient tradition of batik, in which fabric is decorated using a wax-resist dyeing process. Batiks are often intricately patterned and vividly colored, and they come in a wide variety of styles, from classic to contemporary.

The San Francisco presentation of the exhibition will also feature selected works by students in the Textiles and Fashion Design programs at California College of the Arts. These works will complement Dunham’s collection and indicate some of the contemporary directions this centuries-old art has taken. (Source: California College of the Arts)

Press release link.