Imagine a family holiday with no one to share the festivities. Imagine not being able to eat the traditional delicious food, tasty treats and sugary sweets that accompany the holidays. Over 2.3 million people in the prison system face this every year. The incarcerated do not have loved ones to gather with, they do not even have halal food to enjoy. The Tayba Foundation, based in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area of California, are striving to help Muslim inmates.

Read how you can help and listen to Sidi Rami Nsour’s audio clip: Tayba Foundation’s Eid sponsorhip program for the prison system

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I’m delighted to report to you of our recent successful endeavor involving lobbying for health reform in Washington, DC last week. As you may know, AMHP has been involved in health policy work for the last one year. And even though, we’re only a four year old organization, our output in the policy arena, specifically vis a vis health reform has become the cornerstone of our grassroots efforts.

We prepared extensively for the trip and with a eight member delegation visiting over 15 congressional offices, meeting key health policy advisors and our partner organizations, I believe we were able to effectively represent the voice of Muslims on this critical domestic issue. In that spirit, I’m now working with various national, mostly non-Muslim organizations to mobilize a wide scale grassroots effort on health reform this August when congress is in recess and reps are at home.

I have also personally undertaken the effort to highlight our Free Clinics movement. About six months ago, I organized the Muslim Free Clinics Council, an umbrella group of 27 loosely connected free clinics across the country. I spoke extensively to Congressman Keith Ellison and other representatives to work with us and advance the role of these valuable institutions. To that effect, I’m working on analysis that may lead to increased funding within the reform legislation for these free clinics.

I write to seek your support and help to make these goals possible. I believe our community has a stake in it and this is an opportune time to put our mark on the issue of health reform, a viable domestic agenda.

AMHP has now established a credible role in this field by developing expertise, issuing policy briefs, and legislative updates. Over the last one year we have published numerous blogs/Op Eds, provided training, organized seminars and now have effectively represented the voice of Muslim American community in the policy arena.

Thanks for your consideration and I hope to speak to all of you soon to lay out details of the plans for upcoming efforts. Your duas and active support as well as encouragement is essential inshallah.

wasalam,

Faisal Qazi, DO
Neurologist
Chino Hills/Upland, CA
Assistant Professor of Neurology, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA
President, American Muslim Health Professionals – AMHP (A national public health focused initiative. www.amhp.us)

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

Photo taken from www.HelpImamSiraj.com

IslamCrunch fully supports the call by Shaykh Suhaib Webb and Shaykh Faraz Rabbani to dedicate this Friday (and/or the next Friday) as America’s Imam Day. A day for mosques, Muslim Student Associations and Islamic centers to dedicate their sermons, events and activities to raise funds for our beloved teacher and guide, Imam Siraj Wahhaj.

From Shaykh Suhaib:

Asalamu alaykum, Last week the Muslim youth in America pulled off an amazing fundraiser for Imam Siraj Wahaj. While 26 K. was donated we are still well short of our goal of $125.000.

The Idea: Muslim organizations could call for “America’s Imam Day” designating a Friday where funds could be raised for the Imam across the country! It would be awesome if others such as our brothers in the U.K got on board as well. Let us all write, call and encourage our organizations like ISNA, ICNA, MAS, MSA,MAP, RIC, MYNA, al-Maghrib, Seekers Guidance and Zaytuna to make this call together.

From Shaykh Faraz:

My dear friend, Shaykh Suhaib Webb had the following Call for an America’s Imam Day, to designate this upcoming Friday (and/or the next one) across different communities (and, I’d add, campuses) to raise funds for Imam Siraj Wahhaj, who has been diagnosed with prostrate cancer and has very high medical bills not covered by insurance.

You can view a video of Imam Siraj discussing the history of Masjid Al-Taqwa and the evolution of the Muslim Alliance of North America here: http://islamcrunch.com/archives/imam-siraj-wahhaj-from-masjid-taqwa-and-beyond-mana/

Join the Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=82234309096

Help support Imam Siraj’s medical bills: http://www.helpimamsiraj.com/

Anas reported that the Messenger of God, peace and mercy be upon him, said:“None of you will believe until I am more beloved to him than his children, his father, and all people.”
{Muslim, Al-Bukhari and an-Nasa’i}

These are some excerpts from the book Kanz Al-Najah wa As-Suroor, a book highlighting the special qualities of each month. We are now in the month of Rabi Al-Awwal. We ask Allah that He blesses us in this month with a sincere connection to and love for the beloved Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. Ameen.

Know that during this month it is recommended for one to increase in his or her sending of blessings and mercy upon the Prophet (salawat or durood shareef), the Master of Humankind, peace and mercy be upon him. The reason is because it was in this month that the greatest blessing was revealed to the world. In this month the cause of the greatest happiness emerged. In this month the Sun of Guidance rose over mankind and jinn. In this month the Prophet peace and mercy be upon him was born.

Recommended Things to do this Month:

• Increase in the sending of mercy, peace, and blessings upon the Messenger of God. Allah commands this in the verse {Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe! Ask blessings on him and salute him with a worthy salutation!} (33:56).
• Read and reflect upon the Biography (Sirah) of the Prophet, peace and mercy be upon him. Many scholars strongly encourage people to take advantage of this month by reading his life and inculcating his Prophetic character into one’s own. Two great books that are in English are “Muhammad – His Life Based on the Earliest Sources” by Martin Lings, and “Al-Shifa” by Qadi.
• For a good audio version of the Prophetic Biography there is “The Life of the Prophet Muhammad ” by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf
• Give out charity (sadaqah) in its many forms as often as possible.
• Increase in reading the Quran.
• Fast as often as possible this month.
• Express one’s love for the Prophet, peace and mercy be upon him, inwardly and outwardly.
• Renew one’s oath to follow Allah’s Messenger, peace and mercy be upon him, in his or her inward and outward actions.
• Attend gatherings of remembrance of Allah and His Messenger, such as Mawlids, Hadith readings, or any other praiseworthy gathering to remember the Most High and His Beloved, peace and mercy be upon him.

We ask Allah that He blesses us, our families, and the entire Ummah during this month by allowing us to reconnect with the Prophet, peace and mercy be upon him. We should try to embody him, peace and mercy be upon him, in all that we do, say, and think. If we attempt to actualize our love for the Prophet, peace and mercy be upon him, during this month and during our entire lives it may be that Allah will grant us the Prophet’s intercession on the Day of Judgment and He grants us a place in the highest levels of Paradise in the company of the Prophets, the Siddiqeen, and the Elite Angels. Ameen!

Much thanks to Sidi Amjad Tarsin who has graciously supplied this article and many more regarding the Islamic months.

Ta’leef Collective is a new organization that we are involved with. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Ta’leef Collective provides the space, content, and companionship necessary for a healthy understanding, embrace and realization of Islam. Ta’leef Collective is an expansion of the program formerly known as Zaytuna Outreach.

Ta’leef Collective hopes to serve:

• Seekers of knowledge
• Converts
• Muslim Youth
• Other under served populations

If you are in the Bay Area, we would like to invite you to join us and your community at our new location.

Date: Sunday, March 15, 2009

Time: 7:30pm

Address: 43170 Osgood Rd., Fremont, CA 94539

Program:

• Recitation of the Burda poetry (Classical poem about the characteristics of the Prophet Muhammad, may the blessings of Allah be upon him)
• Spiritual and practical pearls of wisdom from our teachers
• For those who would like to stay, we will be continuing our weekly Mawlid gathering later in the evening

Tea and sweets will be available.

For more information, please email: admin {at} islamcrunch . com

Website: http://taleefcollective.org/2009/03/grand-opening-march-15-2009/

Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Taleef-Collective/133124145555

MISSION STATEMENT
The Rahmah Foundation is an independent, educational organization that is committed to continuously designing retreats and educational programs that will address topics unique to Muslim women. Through the centuries, Muslims have preserved and protected the Quran and Sunnah through the rigorous Ijaza system of scholarly licensure and certification. The Rahmah Foundation realizes the critical need to safeguard Islam from extremism and deviation and thus commits itself to selecting thoroughly qualified teachers—women who have studied and trained to meet exact criteria in both their knowledge and practice–to disseminate sacred knowledge to the rest of our sisters.

Teachers dedicated to the Rahmah Foundation include: Ustadha Rania Awaad, Ustadha Shamira Chothia Ahmed and Ustadha Eiman Sidky . Ustadha Shamira blogs here: http://questforthedivine.blogspot.com/

We are honored that Rahmah Foundation asked MQube to design and develop the site. We hope that it will be a benefit to others.

Technorati Tags: muslim, women, sisters, blog, website, islam

Blog Action Day is an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, to post about the same issue on the same day. Their aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion.

Their aim (and our aim) is to raise awareness of poverty. We would like to focus on poverty on a macroscale and on a microscale. Here are some examples of how YOU can contribute to reduce poverty.

Poverty on a macroscale

We previously posted about the Global Food Crisis. Read that post and help to feed the poor. Also, the Washington Post has a good platform discussing the food crisis.

Consider joining the Muslim team on Kiva: http://www.kiva.org/community/viewTeam/?team_id=890.

Kiva Muslims (Updated as of Oct 15, 2008 11:02 am)

Number of Team Members : 34

Number of Loans : 67

Number of Loans per Member : 1.97

Total Amount Loaned : $2,375.00

“Kiva’s mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty.

Kiva is the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs in the developing world.

The people you see on Kiva’s site are real individuals in need of funding – not marketing material.”

For more info about the poverty on a worldwide scale, please visit: http://site.blogactionday.org/resources/

Poverty on a microscale

This is where YOU can really make a difference. Seek local organizations that provide relief to the impoverished in your region. Have some extra wealth? Donate with a good intention. Other ways to help besides finances? Volunteer! Work for the sake of our Creator, make the right intention and reap the rewards.

For Muslims, we know (or can easily find) the teachings of the benefits of charity. An eternal reward? Indeed.

For us in the San Francisco Bay Area, we are blessed with the Rahima Foundation, who handle the following:

• Monthly Food Distribution (basic non-perishable foods)
• Zakat and Fitra Distribution
• Meat Distribution (from Eid-ul-Adha / Festival of the Sacrifice & other occasions)
• Used Car Distribution
• Scholarship Assistance (limited)
• Referrals for family counseling & employment (limited)

How you can make a difference

Global Food Crisis

As the global food crisis persists, children are forced to drop out of school to work and help support their families. The United Nation’s World Food Program estimates that as many as 130 million people are being pushed deeper into poverty – children and women in the world’s poorest communities are the most vulnerable.

* More than 850 million people in the world are hungry.
* Every five seconds a child dies from malnutrition and hunger-related
causes.
* Poor nutrition and calorie deficiencies cause nearly one in three
people to die prematurely or have disabilities.

Global food prices have risen by 75% since the year 2000, while the price of
wheat has risen 200%. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO), the world’s poorest countries can expect the cost of
their imported foods to rise 56%.

Out of the 37 countries currently facing a food crisis, 21 are in Africa,
where 2.9 million people already die each year because of hunger-related
deaths.

Read more here: http://www.irw.org/campaigns/globalfoodcrisis

Please donate now to help the millions of victims who are in desperate need.

Islamic Relief USA
6131 Orangethorpe Ave Ste 450, Buena Park, CA 90620
(888) 479-4968 * http://www.irw.org/ * info@irw.org
Tax ID#: 95-4453134

What Allah (swt) has said about paying fidya:

" . . . And as for those who can fast with difficulty, they have (a choice either to fast or) to feed a Miskîn (poor person) (for every day). But whoever does good of his own accord, it is better for him. And that you fast, it is better for you if only you know." (Al-Baqarah 2:184)

How does Hidaya distribute fidya?
Hidaya Foundation (www.hidaya.org) distributes Fidya on behalf of those who can’t fast in the form of meals for poor and deserving people..

What is the cost of fidya?
Fidya for each missed day of fasting is US$3.50 according to Hanafi school of thought or US$7.00 according to other major schools of thought.

To donate online via electronic check or credit card for Fidya, please visit:
https://donation.hidaya.org/donation.aspx?projectId=83

You can mail checks payable to "Hidaya Foundation" to:

Hidaya Foundation, P.O. Box 5481, Santa Clara, CA 95056

Sincerely,
Waseem Baloch*
Toll free: (866) 244-3292
E-mail: mail@hidaya.org

Hidaya Foundation is a US based non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization, with Tax ID # 77-0502583.  Its mission is to implement educational, health care and social welfare projects in economically depressed areas of the world.

*Sidi Waseem is a true hero. He is one of the hardest working super men we know. We were blessed to have worked side-by-side with him in the past.