Imam Benjamin Perez is one of the great treasures of the American Muslim community.  He became Muslim in Oakland over 50 years ago.  Some say he was the first Hispanic convert in the San Francisco Bay Area.  He has dedicated much of his life to dawah and connecting Islam with Hispanic and Native American peoples.

He has recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer in the brain and stomach and has been told he has only a few weeks left before he returns to his Creator.  Please make du’a for him and his family, and make a contribution to help his family cover their expenses in this difficult time.

He is very, very deserving of our support. A webpage has been set up to provide more info and help raise funds for Imam Benjamin and his family.
http://imambenjamin.blogspot.com/

Please take a moment to make a donation, and circulate this to others as well.

Thanks to Zachary Twist for sharing the above information.

UPDATE:

(Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un)
Surely we belong to Allah and to Him shall we return…

Imam Benjamin Perez returned to his Creator this evening, December 8, 2009 at 8:22 PM. He was at home, surrounded with family and a brother in faith. He passed peacefully in his sleep.

May Allah bless him, reward him immensely for all his good, forgive him his mistakes, make his return easy for him, and place him in the highest abode in the afterlife.

Please pray for his family, make sincere du’a for him, recite Qur’an for him, and commit righteous acts and charity on his behalf. (It is related that the gifts of alms, prayers, and Qur’anic recitation sent by the living to the dead reach them carried by the angels on plates of light, and adorned with silk handkerchiefs, and they say to them: ‘This is a gift from so-and-so’, and in this way they find joy and delight. Source: Lives of Man.)

Imam Benjamin led a vibrant and beautiful life and touched many people along the way.  He will be very deeply missed.

The janazah (funeral services) are being organized within the next couple days.  Check the website, http://imambenjamin.blogspot.com, for details and updates.