Wake Up and Clean Up!

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When I first heard of the Potomac Watershed cleaning event on Saturday 4/5/2008, I was very optimistic about the opportunity. This was an event that I missed out on last year and I promised myself that I would make it this year. As the date approached closer and closer, I found myself looking for excuses to not go. The main issue that I had was that the event was scheduled to start at 9 am. Saturday is the only day that I can sleep in, so getting up early on that day requires a lot of will power. Something inside my heart told me that I have to go though. It was the night before the event, I was spending the night at my sisters house so that I can bring along my brother in law. It was raining hard that Friday night and my brother in law and I were worried about the weather for Saturday morning. We looked up the weather on-line and it told us that there is an 80% chance of showers that morning. We both looked at each other and told each other that there’s no way we are going if it raining. We both slept that night thinking that we are going to be able to sleep in.

I wake up the next day at 8:30 am and find nothing but pure sunshine in my eyes! Not a single cloud in the sky! I then realized that this is a sign from God to get up get over to the creek. I woke up my brother in law and he was more shocked than I was. Anyways, we finally get there and then all of a sudden some clouds came to cover up the sun. This made it much easier for us to get our work done because it gave us the perfect climate and there was no intense sunshine in our eyes. I then realized that this was also a direct sign from God, almost as if he smiling down upon us (inshallah).

The motivation of the event is to serve the creator by serving and taking care of his creation. Theres also a hadith out there that says for every twig or branch removed from a path, it will be considered a sadaqa (charity). Everyone that showed up at that event was in a mood to get as much sadaqa and rewards as possible. Allah is the ever grateful and ever giving, so one needs to always remember that even though you might be performing a simple good deed, he is the one that knows what is in your heart and he is the one that can tremendously reward you. If people just got a thought about how generous our lord is then I believe there will be a more urgency in pleasing our lord.

The event was great and ran very smoothly. Gloves and trash bags were handed out and we split up in order to clean up the creek. To our surprise, by the end of the day, everyone had a full trash bag. We can truly say that we made a difference out there. It was truly a great event to attend. I can only ask and pray for our lord to accept our good deeds and reward us tremendously inshallah. I thank God for waking me up that Saturday morning and not letting this opportunity slip by.

Mohammed Dajani

On a Sunday Morning, Bright and Early

Throughout my college experience, I had to participate in over 100 hours of community service for various courses. Whether the cause was fighting homelessness or child abuse, I ended up learning something after each and every service that I performed. However, I felt that, for some reason, it was a burden because I had to do it. Therefore, I did not feel the experience. However, volunteering at the DC Central Kitchen with MAS Youth of DC was a completely different experience. For the first time, I felt a tremendous power that I never felt before. The power that I felt was working with over 20 Muslim brothers, sisters, and some non-Muslims completing service in the community. Usually, during my service hours, I worked alone or with four other people. In addition, what amazed me was that we, the youth, did something positive for the community.

Most of the volunteers got up early in the morning, drank some coffee, and arrived at the DC Central Kitchen at 8:30 am for the MAS Youth Give event. At about 9 am, we were given instructions on what to expect and what to wear. Then, the workers divided us into stations (i.e. chopping onions, cutting meat, broccoli, celery, etc). For the next several hours, various youth were chopping onions (such as myself), cutting meat, or preparing Chicken-Pot-Pies. What amazed me was that mostly everyone was working non-stop to the point where there were some people who refused to take breaks. By noon, we cleaned up and wrapped up. The workers at the Kitchen were very thankful for our service to the point where one of the workers, Mason, thanked us because he had a hard time preparing the food the day before Sunday because of the heavy demand the Kitchen deals with on a daily basis. In all of my volunteer experience, I have never seen so much dedication by a group of volunteers. Not a lot of youth would take time on a Sunday morning to volunteer.

In conclusion, I wanted to remind everyone that whenever you do a service to the community it should be for the sake of Allah (SWT) and not for any other reason. I say that based on my experience with community service in which I did the service mainly to get the credit for the course. I ended not returning to my service learning, therefore, I did not benefit the community at large or feel a sense of urgency to help. But, alhamduillah, I felt that with this experience, I came up with happiness and joy that I did not feel with the other services that I performed in the past. The happiness and joy came through working with right-minded brothers and sisters, enjoining in good and forbidding the evil (this was a common practice by the Prophet pbuh and his Companions), and providing a much needed service to our community.

~Nabil Idris

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Get Wrapped Up In Giving This Eid

I have never participated in an MAS Youth event before so when they requested volunteers to wrap and distribute presents, I felt excited about taking part to give to children that deserved it. I chose to meet up on a Friday evening at the MAS Youth community center in Alexandria. I brought along my nieces Zainab and Fatima, ages 13 and 8. I wasn’t sure if this would be a kid-friendly event, but I felt children should learn about all aspects of our wonderful holiday, not just receiving gifts but giving something back that is even more rewarding. I wish I had taken the time and done more of this at a younger age, but with my nieces along with me maybe they will get the chance that I didn’t…to give the gift that I would have.

I was very happy to see some familiar faces as well as meet many new people. It was a diverse group of volunteers from different backgrounds and ages, however, everyone seemed to have one common goal: we all wanted to do our part to help. It took only a couple hours to finish wrapping the gifts with everyone working so well together. The gifts were wrapped among conversations covering all kinds of topics, laughter, and best of all, a great group of people.

It’s nice to have fun doing something productive and meaningful. Some people see volunteer work as actual work instead of fun but this was just a reminder that it’s never a chore. It may be easy to get caught up in the holiday season, regardless of your religious or cultural background, but for me, it was especially great to get “wrapped” up in something rewarding. I’m grateful to MAS Youth for organizing a successful event which allowed us to wrap Eid presents for children who are patients at Fairfax Hospital. Just the thought of making one child happy for even a moment was the best reward, and the bonus was that we had a blast doing it. I know this may sound cliché, but this was my first interaction with the MAS Youth and I will make it a point to not make it my last!

~Aishah Niazi

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Editor’s note: Read about our 1st Eid Gifting event here

Students United Against Hate

To: All of Humanity

I am against any form of hate speech on our campuses and in our communities.

I am in support for equality between all human beings, including all genders, races, and ethnic and religious groups.

I am in support of justice, freedom and peace for all people.

I am in support of the “Students United Against Hate” Campaign.

Please sign the petition by clicking here.

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What is “Students United Against Hate”?
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MAS Youth is proud to launch “MY Bridge,” a campaign that will be implemented on the college, high school, and community level in an effort to bridge the gap in information about Islam.

“MY-Bridge” is a long term campaign that seeks to educate our fellow students, colleagues and neighbors about our faith in an interactive and comprehensive manner. An integral part of this effort will be the building of coalitions with the many organizations and individuals who seek to learn more about Islam, promote healthy coexistence among all Americans of various backgrounds and discredit those who seek to mislead others.

The coalition will work under the banner of “Students United Against Hate” to counter any form of hate speech on our campuses and in our communities.

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As the division of the Muslim American Society (MAS) that deals with young people, we identify ourselves as a movement of American Muslim youth and young adults who responded to Allah’s (God’s) call, echoed in the message of the prophet Mohammed, peace and blessings be upon him:

There should always be among you some people who invite to what is good, enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong; they are the ones to attain felicity. Quran [3:104]

http://www.masyouth.net/mybridge

Planting a Seedling

I’m excited to share with you an upcoming MAS Youth Give Project that will be offered in November in cooperation with Fairfax Releaf. Fairfax Releaf is a non-profit organization with a mission to plant and preserve trees in and around Fairfax County and educate the public about their benefits to us.

A couple weekends ago I attended a training session and learned about the importance of trees in every aspect of our lives. Trees help clean our air, our water, they provide sustenance, they serve as habitats, and they shape our environment. As our community continues to become more urban, the less trees we find in our neighborhoods. It is critical for us, as youth, to take care of the environment we live in and will continue to grow in.

The Prophet SAW said:

“If any Muslim plants any plant and a human being or an animal eats of it, he will be rewarded as if he had given that much in charity.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari, 8:41)

Imagine the number of trees we can plant, with your help, within a couple hours, and how much reward we will receive as the trees begin to grow and sustain the environment around them. This is why I’m excited to share this tree planting opportunity with you. I hope to see you in November when we’ll be planting tree seedlings in a neighborhood park as well as cleaning the area around our planting site. See you then insha’Allah!

~Dua’a Elbarasse
MYG Coordinator

Are YOU Making the Most of Ramadan?

There’s no doubt that Ramadan almost crept up on us this year with the start of the new school year. Some of us may have had time to prepare for it, while others may have been busy traveling or working during the summer. Now that we’re well into the first couple of days of Ramadan, it’s a good time to step back and ask ourselves some questions:

- Have I put a plan for Ramadan this year?

- Did I list my goals for this blessed month? Are my goals measurable? Do I have friends/family who can help me achieve these goals?

- Am I only fasting from food and drink?

- Have I prayed taraweeh so far? Qiyam ul-layl?

- Am I able to manage my school work, social commitments, etc in order to take advantage of my days in Ramadan?

- How much Quran do I plan on reading during Ramadan?

These are just a few questions that can get you thinking before Ramadan passes by in front of our eyes. They’re only 30 days, and boy do they pass by quickly!  May Allah bless us with the strength to make the most of out of these special days and nights.

Share with us your thoughts, goals, and feelings about Ramadan in the comments section.  

Why We’re Walking for Autism

To many people the word Autism may mean nothing, it might not even exist in their dictionary, but to others Autism has become everything. If you have a child, sibling or family member with Autism, then you will realize that you relate everything in life to it. Even though research says that Autism was first identified in 1943 and today 1 out of 150 is diagnosed with autism, it still seems to be very confusing and vague. I have a 7 year old brother with Autism and as much as I’m confused about it, as much as I know so much about it. When people see my brother and me together they say, “Aww he’s blessed to have you,” I think about it and reply back saying, “Actually, I’m blessed to have him in my life.”

If you don’t have a child with Autism or any disability, then I think you take a lot of things for granted. I’m sure that every person that has a member of the family with Autism will say the same thing. Personally, my brother has brought meaning to my life and I wouldn’t replace a single second with him for anything in the world. As much as I think he’s a blessing and we’re grateful for having him, as much as I know that having a child with Autism can be one of the hardest things parents can go through.

That’s why I will walk for Autism! I will walk to find a cure or treatment. I will walk to support families. Last but not least, I will walk for my brother to let him know that he is not alone in this world just because he is a little different and that I will do anything to make him happy.

- Rasha

What is Autism?

MAS Youth Give Autism Walk Event Page on Facebook

To Join MYG & WALK NOW
1. visit www.walknow.org
2. select “Washington, D.C. - October 20″
3. click “Register” at the top of the page
4. select “Join a Team”
5. select “MAS Youth of DC” from the drop down menu
6. fill in your info!

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MAS Youth GIVE joins WALK NOW to unite the community in support of those affected by autism with a noncompetitive 5K walk and community resource fair, raising necessary funds for autism research, awareness and outreach. Experience the power of tens of thousands united by a single cause at WALK NOW. Rally your families, friends and coworkers to put on their walking shoes! Join the fast-growing, family-friendly community dedicated to raising money to find a cure for autism at WALK NOW.

In DC on a Saturday Morning– MYDC & Project Downtown

It’s Saturday morning, I’m very sleepy, and I’m waking up to the sound of my 2nd alarm (after fajr alarm). Saturday is the only day that I could sleep in because I work 6 days a week. So to find a reason to wake up early on my only day off must be a very good reason. I’ve been invited before to a couple of MAS Youth events but this is the only one that I took seriously. It is true that this event really caught my eyes because it had a start time of 11:00 am, but it still means I have to wake up by 9:00 am because I would have to meet my friend at the metro station by 10:00 am. 

 I have learned a couple lessons which helped me change my perspective on life and charity work. One of the lessons that I learned from a Friday prayer khutbah (speech) is that, Allah will offer you opportunities in life that might not arise ever again. Who knows how long you might live and might happen with your life. Everything in life happens for a reason, there is no such thing as a coincidence, and it’s up to you to take advantage of the opportunities that Allah throws at you. 

Another great lesson that I learned came when I was learning more about one of Allah’s attributes, al shakoor (the Grateful). Allah “is the one who repays a good deed with a much greater reward. Thankfulness is to return good with good”. He is the only one that knows what is inside your heart and what are your intensions in life. For example, if you walk by a stranger and give him a smile, even though that deed seems so small and insignificant, that one good deed might be as heavy as a mountain on the Day of Judgment. That one smile might have made that persons day. It could have made them forget about their hardship and could have made them think positively of Islam.

So when I heard of the MAS Youth event of going to downtown DC and feeding the needy, something told me in my heart to not miss out on this opportunity. This beautiful verse in the Quran reassured me: “(The righteous are those) who feed the poor, the orphan and the captive for the love of God, saying: ‘We feed you for the sake of God Alone; we seek from you neither reward nor thanks.’” - The Holy Quran, 76:8-9 

 Anyways, we finally got there, and after gathering everyone and the food, I was very happy to see the great turn out! The leader of Project Downtown, Rami, gave a very good speech and hit some key notes. He told us that some other charity organizations come by to these parks all the time, throw food out the van, never say one word and leave as soon as possible. We don’t want to do that, he said.  Be yourself, talk to them, and leave a good impression with them about yourself and our religion. This is also a very strong dawah event, where you don’t have to ask them to convert and interrogate them about their life decisions, but you can just show brotherhood, care, manners, and that can go a long way.  

When we broke up into teams and started to spread the food and water around, I didn’t know what to expect. To my surprise, it was a very pleasant experience. To see the smile of a thirsty individual receiving a free water bottle can just light up the park. To talk to them and check on their day and have them open up to us was also great. After talking to these individuals, I realized that 99% of them are very intelligent and know a lot about life. They might have made some wrong decisions in life, but who doesn’t? And to tell them that we are all brothers and we are all equal in God’s eyes was something special.  

The evening came to an end when we finally ran out of food and water to give away. We hit two parks and talked to a lot of great individuals. The event was very well organized, and all the people that showed up really helped make the event special. At the end of the day, I can only thank Allah from the bottom of my heart for giving me this opportunity and beg him to accept these deeds. I look forward to hearing more about more events to come from MYDC and look forward to giving back to the community some more. 

Mohammed Dajani (http://blog.myspace.com/lovepbuh)

(click on photos to enlarge)

      

Photographs courtesy of Dua’a Elbarasse & Abdul Hadi Abo-Issa

MYG Masjid Clean Up…What an Experience!

Where do I begin when it comes to cleaning a mosque?
The first question that came to my mind on Saturday June 16th 2007 at the MAS Youth Give Masjid Clean up:
Do you start from the top and work your way down, like I was taught by my mom and she by hers?
Where is the top of the mosque?

“Khadeejah, here, can you hold the Pledge can and this roll of paper towels?”
That snapped me out of my chain of thought!
“Dua’a, where do we begin?” I ask.
“The ladies prayer area.”

So that must be the top! I think to myself…cool.
So I walk among a group of youthful, young, energetic, enthusiastic ladies…hoping that I might catch some of their vigor and be able to work for the prescribed 3 hours…
I don’t even clean my house for 3 hours straight!

But the mosque is worth it…and how often do I clean the mosque, our mosque, the community’s mosque, my kids’ mosque, anyway???

I loved every moment of this experience…
I’ll skip the details of how I got bleach all over my very old and raggedy-Ann clothing, how dirty the doors were, how dusty the shelves were, and how wonderful the sisterhood and brotherhood that day was. I’ll get to my favorite part…the end.

So we were all dead tired after 3 hours of non stop work. [I lay down for about 15 minutes from sheer exhaustion]- but the rest of the crew chugged on. They made me so proud

We were all like zombies that hadn’t seen food for a week. We were ready to pounce on the next person who came in the door with a bag, in hopes that it contained food. And at that moment, the food arrived. We waited patiently for our turns, in the civil manner we were taught by our beloved MAS usra leaders, in line and allowing the older ones to eat first. Boy, was I ever so glad I was older than 99% of them at that moment!!!

Once everyone had their sandwich and their drink, we sat on a carpet and said bismlillah…

Then silence…
chewing…
more silence…

The feeling of contentment, happiness, a job well done..
May Allah accept.
May Allah gather us all in Paradise eating together off of endless platters of unimaginable assortments of the most delicious flavors… Ameen.

Khadeejah Akyurt
MYDC Counselor 

(check out the rest of the photos from the MYG clean up, click photos to enlarge)

Tragedy at Virginia Tech

MAS Youth Memo

Tragedy at Virginia Tech

MAS Youth extends its deepest sympathies to the students, faculty, and community of Virginia Tech, where recent shootings have grieved us all. This tragedy on one of our college campuses strikes home for all MAS youth workers. Our hearts and prayers are with the families, teachers, and students.May God ease the suffering of everyone in the Virginia Tech community. May He give them strength and be near them in this difficult time.

 

Sincerely,
MAS Youth of DC

Please feel free to share with us your thoughts and feelings on the Virginia Tech tragedy.