2

3

Update from the COO 4

Alphabetland 5

Raising Good Muslim Children in Modern

Societies: 6

Involved Interfaith 7

Refelctions 8

The Power of Dua 9

Letter from the Imam: Ghusl 10

What is Charity? 11

Social Media 12

Hifdh & Tajweed 13

New Years Eve: Youth Event 14

Giving back to the Community: BCW 15

What is the Youth? 16

Remeberence of God 17

Modesty & Prayer 18

Social & Community Outreach 19

Remember 2012: A Year in Pictures 20

Kids Corner 22

22

4

COO Update: Internal Affairs JMIC continues to expand and refine its services to meet the needs of its growing community. This past year brought a continuation of services such as nikaah and funeral services. It also brought a growth in educational programs through additional lecture series and programs for adults as well as the initiation of a hifdh and tajweed program. This new program teaches the students to recite the holy Quran correctly and also learn the techniques to memorize Quran. With increasing services come increased costs and a need for more funding to sustain these programs and develop new ones. Some of the service and financial highlights of the year are as follows:

Services Provided

$28,610 were disbursed from the Zakat funds for the needy in New Jersey.

Eleven nikaahs took place at JMIC during 2012.

Few couples consulted JMIC and requestd help in obtaining a divorce.

Five funeral services were held. May Allah (SWT) have mercy on the departed souls and grant them a place in

Jannah. May Allah (SWT) help the bereaved family members in handling this separation and anxiety.

Alphabetland continues to thrive.

Sunday School continues to flourish. The active engagement of volunteer teachers with creative course work to instill the values of islam to its young students is very admirable.

A new hifdh and tajweed program started in December 2012 with Qari Hashim Abbasi as the pioneer teacher. The enthusiasm of the parents and student enrollment in this program has been a phenomenal encouragement for embarking on such a program.

Changes in Collections

Alhamdulillah the donations from the JMIC community have been very encouraging this year. We thank all the donors for their philanthropy despite the economic downturn. The reward for such generosity truly comes from Allah alone. These donations have been effectively utilized to serve the community at large in various ways. Donations received in 2011 and 2012 totaled about 30% less than previous year. Changes in Expenses

The utility costs have increased 40% this year. JMIC will continue to manage these unexpected cost changes to effectively manage the needs of the community. Investment

The residence located across the street from the center was procured for $300,000. It provides housing for the custodian, Imam, Qari, and JMIC guest lecturers. We thank the JMIC community for their generosity in enabling this purchase to serve the community better. By: Imam Agha Tayyab

5

lah, this convention was indefinitly inspiring if not tempting. Being the first one organ-

ized by the youth and presented to the youth, one would have thought of it to be chaos

and immature in nature of events. It was the exact opposite, fully organized to the dot,

calmly presented, and unbelieveably INSPIRING. Every moment Icgot to myself, I was

in pure awe with tears in my eyes. I fell in love with the event itself.

Inspiring American Muslim Youth - Convention 2012

Currently 43 students are enrolled at Alphabetland . Last year, 8 students graduated from the kindergarten / first grade class.

Alphabetland continues to offer students and parents education and activities designed to meet the needs of children. This school year started off with Back to School night in September. Parents had an opportunity to meet with their child's teacher, visit the classroom, and learn about didactic curriculum.

In October, the school conducted its annual Hajj re-enactment to teach the students about the importance of Hajj and the detailed procedures towards performing Hajj. Sister Soheir Abdalla, the Arabic / Quran teacher at Alphabetland led this program.

In December, Alphabetland held its promotion and fundraising dinner. Parents and other supporters of Alphabetland attended, learning more about the services of the school and lending their support to its success.

Also in December, the students took a school field trip to the Children's Museum of New Jersey. The Children's Museum located in Paramus is a hands-on facility allowing children to explore and learn. Exhibits range from a real fire truck to a medieval castle to a dinosaur cave. A great mix of learning and fun!

The 2012-2013 current enrollments at Sunday School is 153 students. The average enrollment over the past few years has been 165.

The Sunday school year began in September and will continue through May. The calendar has been modified in order to better work with the public school calendars and exam schedules. This school year started off with Back to School night in September. Parents had an op-portunity to meet with their child's teacher, to visit the classroom, and learn about curriculum.

In January, JMIC held a seminar for Sunday school par-ents and other interested community members regard-ing investment for college education. Again, adapting to meet the needs of our community, Sunday school is fo-cusing on its curriculum as well as the overall needs of our students.

. My Identity, My Tomorrow. I know that alot of

thought went into the name of the convetion and the main theme. Mashallah I wouldnt have had it any better. Alhumdulli-

AlphabetLand

6

"Your children are not your chil-dren; they are the children of life's long-ing for itself,” wrote Khalil Jibran, the famous poet of Lebanon. Taking it at face value, what should we conclude? Is it that parents are simply trustees for chil-dren who are truly the valuable assets of all humanity? Is it that parents are to raise them to meet the needs of the fu-ture and not according to the wishes of the parents themselves?

Surah Al Anfal (ayah 28) from the Holy Quran states, "And know that your prop-erties and your children are but a trial and that Allah has with Him a great re-ward." This ayah of the Holy Quran al-ludes to a simple fact of life. These two things – material possessions and chil-dren - are not only the dearest things to human beings but also a trial for which we could undergo pain and even compro-mise our own comforts and principles. However, overcoming these trials and taking care of children in a righteous manner will result in great reward from Allah.

The reality of a generation gap between parents and children and changing social norms over the years make the task more challenging for parents attempting to pass on a set of values to the next gen-eration. Muslim parents living in western

societies today are no exception. Like all im-migrant societies, we are facing this di-lemma. The question is how to teach our children to stick to their 'roots' and yet have 'wings' or freedom to live in an ever-changing society and to explore new hori-zons.

I have had the privilege of raising nearly half a dozen children in the United States of America over a period of two decades and more. As a veteran parent, I have a few prac-tical suggestions to offer – lessons learned and tested in this long pleasant ordeal of parenting.

Spend as much time with your children as possible. Give them lots of love and under-standing. Let them feel comfortable with you and trust you such that they confide all their fears and concerns in you rather than with their peer group. A consistent pattern of gentle yet firm parental guidance, mod-eled through the parent's own practical be-havior will help establish a relationship of trust and comfort. Eventually, this will facili-tate the willing adoption of traditional values in a healthy, open cooperative family envi-ronment without resistance or resentment.

Do not emphasize just on the outward mani-festations of faith but rather on its under-standing and implementation in daily life. Focus on the understanding of the meaning of the Holy Quran not just its rote memoriza-tion. Focus on the understanding of and per-sonal commitment to salah not just its rote observance. Focus on reflection and on prac-tical attempts to apply Quranic teachings in daily decisions.

Foster open discussion and guidance on all the five pillars of Islam and other important injunctions. Study as to where they are stated in the Quran and how they guide us toward righteous living. Make a conscious effort to study the role model provided by our Prophet Muhammad (saw) as the ideal of per-fection as well as the lives of other Prophets and sa-habas and see how their examples help consolidate our belief system and gives us a blueprint for life.

Remember, our children are the trust of Allah given to us for a brief period of time. Let us do our best in the brief time that they are under our guidance to give them our very best. For, if we fail as a parent in rais-ing our children into good Muslim adults, it will mat-ter little what else we have achieved in life.

By:

Sister Hamida Amanat

Raising Good Muslim Children in Modern Societies:

Challenges & Prospects

7

JMIC constantly seeks to engage with other faith based organization in an effort to better understand each other’s faith and increase tolerance. During 2012, JMIC hosted three major events to support this goal – a seminar on Judaism, an interfaith iftar, and a visit from the College of Saint Elizabeth. These cordial relationship building and mutual education about different faiths helps in the common understanding of humanity, mutual respect, and co-existence. The diversity of such interactions en-

riches our understanding of faith and also provides a forum to share our faith with others.

Seminar on Judaism

In April, JMIC hosted Rabbi Rossoff from Temple B'nai Or, a reform Jewish congregation in Morris-town. Rabbi Rossoff presented an open seminar for the parents and students of the JMIC Sunday School. The seminar covered “Judaism 101” and included topics such as Judaic beliefs and practices, personal and community rituals, holidays, ethics and morals, prayers, and charity (“tzedaka” or right-eous giving).

The seminar was followed by a question and answer session. Thank you, Rabbi Rossoff!

Interfaith Iftar

During Ramadan, the Interfaith Committee, the Youth Group, and the Community Relations Committee co-hosted a Com-munity Iftar Dinner. This is an annual event where we invite neighbors, churches, synagogues, other institutions, friends and families.

This event allows the JMIC community to share with others our sacred month of Ramadan and our cultural traditions while getting to know our neighbors. A lovely tradition that JMIC hopes to continue every year.

College Visit

JMIC hosted a visit from 24 staff and students of the College of Saint Elizabeth (CSE), a women-only school in Madison. Sis-ter Hamida Amanat, a JMIC founding member and a current member of the Shu'ra Council and Board of Trustees, has a long-standing relationship with CSE. She has been a CSE guest lecturer on the topic of Islam for over a decade.

This visit started with a request from Marie Noel, the Director of the CSE Campus Ministry. The theme of the visit was to present Islam in the context of the Abrahamic faiths and to show how all three faiths are connected. The evening began with dinner. The visitors then watched the performance of Isha prayer and a short explanation by our guest Imam Sheikh Abdul Aziz from Newark Masjid Ah Lul Quran Wa Sunnah.

JMIC presented a presentation on Islam including topics as Islamic beliefs, the five pillars of Islam, the Holy Quran, the Prophet Muhammed (saw), sunnah, hadith, and the relationship of Islamic to Judaism and Christianity.

Interfaith Committee

8

Once, in a crowded high school Classroom

I saw a Muslim name

On closer observation

The faces looked the same

Neither posture nor attire

Gave out any clue

Christ, Moses or Muhammad

Whose follower are you?

There was no way of telling

One from the other

Lost in the 'Melting Pot'

Was the muslim sister, brother

Is America the Beautiful

Becoming a cultural wasteland

Why folks flock to its shore

It is hard to understand

Where the sacred Institutions

Church, Family & the School

Have succumbed to the Youth

Simply 'freedom' is the rule!

Why produce and raise children

Why to go through all the pain?

Ask any parent here

What's the ratio of loss or gain?

This is how I had felt

More than twenty some years ago

After learning some hard lessons

This is what I now know!

Do not just go on judging others

Based on what you see,

Instead of seeing the surface Seek the inner reality!

Reflections of a Parent & Teacher in a Public School Twenty Years Ago

Sr. Hamida Amanat

9

Dua’ means to ask Allah directly for something. There is nothing that Allah cannot do. Allah is capable of doing anything and everything imaginable and all things that are beyond belief for the human mind. If you ask Allah for what you need or desire, he will give it to you.

However, sometimes when we are troubled, and we try to make Dua’, we get caught in the clear trap of Shaitan. We start to think, “Why isn't Allah doing as we want him to do?” We feel that we are making Dua’ but nothing is happening. The reason behind this attitude is that as humans, we always want to do things in a hurry. We want things to be done overnight, but from the lives of prophets we learn that patience is a necessary virtue.

If we look at the lives of the Prophets (Alayhis Salaam), we will find that even though they were free from sin, their Duas’ were not granted right away. For example, Hazrat Musa prayed for approximately forty years, and only then did Allah answer his Dua's.

We need to notice the fact that they never lost hope and become disheartened. They remained committed. We should follow their examples and always be patient and calmly wait because Allah (SWT), the most merciful, will always grant our Dua’, big or small.

Dua's will protect you from the evil. We should always ask even more from Allah and the result will be us be-coming closer to Allah. He is always listening. He is the one that we must, and wholeheartedly can, put our trust in. He is the only one who can always help us through any situation if we make Dua’ to him.

Dua’ is The Weapon of a Believer Charity through JMIC children’s effort

10

Did you know that there are Super heroes among us? They are ones that are

smaller and younger than us. They have big hearts and contagious laughs.

They run around us in circles leaving us influenced and motivated to be young

again. The JMIC Relief Rangers and Eid Avengers are a group of kids that

are so amazing that there aren’t enough words that can describe them.

This past Ramadan a local charity in Karachi, Pakistan reached out to our

community members to help raise funds for their school, Nishan – E – Rah,

where there is a family that provides a basic education for those that are less

fortunate. These kids are bright wide eyes students that have to fight for what

we can have every day.

Mr. Matin Ghani and his wife Dr. Parveen Matin as well as their children and family are a big part of NER. They provide a

safe and fun learning environment for children and adults, making sure that they have the benefit of providing for them-

selves. They have teachers assigned to teach children how to read and

write, read the Quran, and to do basic math. They have teachers as-

signed to the Adults to teach basic computer skills like typing and how to

stitch clothes for their families or to create a business.

Matin Ghani is a retired Flight Engineer for PIA and Dr. Parveen Matin

owns a clinic in Karachi foe Holistic and Herbal Medicine. They have de-

voted most of their time to their families and to Nishan – E – Rah. They fly

in and out of the US multiple times a year to spend time with their family

and to find financial support for NER.

After reaching out to the JMIC community, the task was given to the Sun-

day school students to col-

lect funds during the month of Ramadan. The group’s goal was to raise

$4100 within 30 days. Alhumdulillah with their strong will and continuous

effort they raised a total of $7000 for the Welfare.

They then held a video conference on Au-

gust 12th, 2012, with the school and saw

where their efforts were reached. Their

funds provided for new Eid clothes for the

children, sewing machines for the women,

among other gifts. The Relief Rangers &

Eid Avengers gave the community of Nis-

han –E – Rah a heart filled and joyous Eid.

These kids are the true Superheroes, so when you see them around JMIC be sure to tell

them that they are doing a great job!

Dr. Ayaz Matin Son of

Mr. & Mrs. Matins

Superheroes Among our Midst

11

12

Muslims are encouraged to per-

form ghusl before they gather for

the Friday prayer. In fact, Islamic

law even goes to the extent of or-

dering one to perform ghusl at

this time as part of the overall

cleanliness and hygiene of the

Muslim society. Abu Sa'eed re-

ported that the Prophet

said,"Ghusl on Friday is obliga-

tory (wajib) on every adult, as is

using a toothbrush and applying

some perfume." (Related by al-

Bukhari and Muslim.)The mean-

ing of "obligatory" here is that it

is greatly recommended. This un-

derstanding of the Prophet's say-

ing is derived from what al-

Bukhari recorded about an inci-

dent from Ibn 'Umar about his

father. One day, 'Umar ibn al-

Khattab was standing and deliver-

ing the khutbah when 'Uthman,

one of the people from among the

emigrants and helpers, entered.

'Umar said to him, "What time is

it now?" He said, "I was busy and

could not return home. When I

heard the call to prayer, I did not

make more than the regular ablu-

tion." 'Umar said, "And the ablu-

tion only, when you know that the

Messenger of Allah ordered us to

perform ghusl ?" Commenting on

the incident, says ash-Shaf'i, "

'Uthman did not leave the prayer

to perform ghusl, nor did 'Umar

order him to do so. This illustrates

that the companions knew that

this order was one of choice. It

also shows that it is pre-

ferred."Muslim recorded that Abu

Hurairah reported the Prophet

saying, "Whoever makes the ablu-

tion and perfects it and then goes to

the Friday prayer and listens atten-

tively, will have forgiveness during

(the period) between the Friday and

the next (Friday), and an additional

three days." Says al-Qurtubi, "This

hadith shows that ghusl is preferred.

The mention of ablution, the reward

and acceptability points to the fact

that ablution alone is sufficient.''

Ibn Hajr states in at-Talkhis, "It is

one of the strongest proofs that

ghusl for the Friday prayer is not

obligatory. The statement that it is

preferred is built upon the fact that

if one does not perform ghusl, it

will not harm (his prayer). But, if

others are harmed by his perspira-

tion or bad smell from his clothes

and body, ghusl becomes obliga-

tory, and not performing it detracts

from the rewards of salah. Some

scholars say that the Friday ghusl is

a duty even if its non-performance

causes no harm (to others). Their

basis for this opinion is the hadith

related by Abu Hurairah in which

the Prophet, upon whom be peace,

said, "It is a duty upon every Mus-

lim to perform ghusl once every

seven days, by washing his head

and body." Al-Bukhari and Muslim

accept the hadith mentioned on the

subject in their apparent meanings,

and refute the ones contrary to the

last hadith (of Abu Hurairah).The

time for the Friday ghusl is between

dawn and the time of the Friday

prayer. It is preferable to do it at the

time of departure (to the mosque).

If one loses his ablution after that, it

is sufficient for him just to make a

new ablution (he does not have to

repeat the ghusl).Says al-Athram, "I

heard Ahmad being asked if a per-

son performed ghusl, and then lost

it, would the regular ablution be

sufficient for him. He said, 'Yes,

and I have not heard anything about

that preferable to the hadith of Ibn

'Abzi," Ahmad is referring to the

hadith related by Ibn 'Abzi Shaibah

(with a sahih chain from

'Abdurahman ibn 'Abzi on the au-

thority of his father, who was a

companion.)He performed ghusl for

the Friday prayer, and afterwards

nullified his ablution. After that, he

performed just the regular ablution,

and did not repeat his ghusl. The

time for the ghusl ends with the

time of the prayer. If one performs

ghusl after the prayer, it would not

be the ghusl of the Friday prayer,

and one who does so is not follow-

ing the Prophet's order. Ibn 'Umar

reported that the Prophet said,

"Before you come to the Friday

prayer, you should perform ghusl.

(Related by "the group.") Muslim

says, "When one of you wants to

come to the Friday prayer, he

should perform ghusl." Ibn 'Abdul-

Barr related that there is a consen-

sus on this point.

A Letter from the Imam: Ghusl

13

Look around you and tell me what you see? If you are on

the same page as me then you have a laptop, mobile de-

vice, computer, TV, etc. from which you are able to view

this. If you are on the same page as me, you have a roof

over your head and food in your stomach. If you are able

to view this you have more than what he has. Clean water

flowing from your tap. Ten different, exotic foods in your

refrigerator. You have clothes on your back.

This boy drinks from what seems like a flowing river with

muddy water. If you were in his place, if you had every-

thing you have now and were in his place what would you

do? How would you ask for clean water? How would you

fix this situation? This boy and thousands, millions of oth-

ers in this world are waiting. They are waiting for you to

help make a difference.

The world we live in is the polar opposite of theirs. The

scorching sun makes you want to rip your skin apart. The

cold nights makes you want to roll up under ten blankets.

He has no air conditioned room to run into to feel relief.

He doesn’t have anything but the scrap of cloth that cov-

ers the important parts of his body. At the moment he

may not even have a roof over his head, not even one

made out of straw.

This photograph is one of many. This picture depicts a

simple need for humans to have sustenance. This image is

not nearly as heart wrenching as it could be. However,

this is one boy, and this should be enough for you to start

making a difference.

Alhumdulillah if you are able to read this then you have every blessing from Allah SWT. If you are able to look at this

picture and not feel as if your heart is going to stop then you are ungrateful for what life has given you. Remember to

thank Allah SWT for what you have, and pray that he gives all of us the aid we need to help those who are less fortu-

nate. Ameen. If you would like to help provide for those in need please find a charity that whole heartedly donates to the world with-out taking a penny from your donations. Yes, they are hard to find but they exist. Find a cause to donate your time to, because that will make you fully understand what it like for those that don’t meet the needs you hold. Organizations such as Habitat for Humanity are great for hands on experience in building homes for those who can’t afford one. If you would like to help feed, provide for, or help fund clothing for the world contact your local clothing and food drives. If you would like to donate for education, please inbox me or email me at Tooba@me.com. Also, please donate to your local Masjids, whether it’s a penny, a dollar, or $1000, it goes a long way!

Reality: The Mirror within

14

Social Outreach & Awareness: Message from the Publications Committee

A key goal of the JMIC Publica-tion Committee is to increase the level of community outreach and engage-ment. The Committee seeks to utilize different communication methods to reach out to the community and dis-

seminate information about JMIC ser-vices and achievements.

Perhaps the most critical tool in the distribution of information is the JMIC website (www.jmic.org). Over the last year, the Publication Committee has redesigned the website and reposi-tioned the website to make it more accessible and more user friendly. The website now has varied information about JMIC and Islam. Some examples include prayer timings, forms for JMIC services, education program offered ,

a

calendar of events, videos on JMIC events and lectures, articles on Islamic tops, ability to make secure online do-nations, and links to outside re-sources. A big thank you to our spon-sors for supporting the website! This redesign has led to a significant in-crease in the frequency and volume of online visitors. If you have not visited the website recently, stop by and check it out.

In addition to the public face of the

website, the Committee also created private collaborative environments for the various JMIC committees. These work spaces provide a forum for indi-vidual committees to communicate and work remotely without the need for meetings. This enables more effec-tive collaboration on projects and dis-cussions.

The Sunday School component of the JMIC website has been redesigned to engage the students, teachers, and parents about Sunday School curricu-lum and individual progress of stu-dents. This redesigning team effort has been systematic introspection about the program with intent to make up-grades to the program quality and overall learning environment. We now have our JMIC account for Google Hangout to engage with teachers and

scholars remotely. Try becoming a part of it and continue to learn. With com-munity participation, we hope to make a bigger difference for mutual benefit.

The integration of JMIC website with Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/JMIC.org) and Twitter has brought about a phenome-

nal change in our depth of engage-ment on various topics of mutual in-terest. Don’t wait too long to start your own chain of thoughts and con-tributions. You will like these discus-sions and perhaps add your wisdom into it. The feedback is quite rapid.

JMIC’s calendar was completely con-ceptualized and designed by the Publi-cation Team this year anchoring on the Islamic education theme. The cal-endar itself is a journey of Islamic edu-cation from its inception from Allah (SWT) to its evolution through ages.

The Publication Committee is actively looking for more volunteers to help with its efforts with creative writing, designing, programming, and dissemi-nating information to the community. Together we can create an absolute value.

15

Imam Bukari (R.A.) narrates, “The best among you is who learns Qur’an and teaches it to others.” This past year brought a wonderful new addition to the JMIC educa-tion offering – the implementation of a Hifdh and Tajweed program.

The idea for such a program has long existed. Its translation into reality began during the month of Ramadhan with the arrival of Sheikh Hashim at JMIC. He came as a guest, but quickly became known for his beautiful recitation and his friendly, approachable

ways. So began the discussions of him returning to JMIC to lead a Hifdh and Tajweed program.

After Ramadhan, the Shu'ra Council set upon a feasibility study for the program. In September, a commu-nity meeting was held to investi-gate community interest in the pro-gram. Based on the research, the Shu'ra Council approved the pro-gram. The Hifdh and Tajweed Com-mittee quickly organized in October and began the program in Decem-ber. Three months from feasibility to realization.

Currently, in only the second month of the program, twenty-three children are registered in the Hifdh program, and fifteen in the Tajweed program. In addition, seven adults registered for the adult Tajweed program, bringing the total registration to 45.

In this program, a student will learn some or all of the following depending on their skill level:

Provide the basic knowledge and understanding to read the Quran properly

Identify the Arabic letters and combine them to pro-nounce the letters and words correctly in Arabic language

Memorize the different ayahs in the Quran

Learn the established rules of Tajweed

For registration information, please check the JMIC website or contact the hifdh and Tajweed Committee at hifdh@jmic.org.

Hifdh and Tajweed Program

16

The JMIC Youth Group has had many events this past year. Alham-dulillah we try to tackle the main parts of being a

child, teen, and young adult. Within the past couple years we have taken pagan and other religious holi-days and turned into events that the youth here in Morris County and the surrounding areas can come to. Every Year we like to end it with a New Years Eve Game night. All of gather at JMIC and have board games, video games and a lot of other activities lined up. This year’s game night went really well and we would like to also take this time and thank those of you that helped make it happen. Whether you were a five year old little girl, or a parent that dropped their kids off, you help create a warm atmosphere away from yet another pagan tradition. Surrounding this issue we had heard a lot of feed-back. From the kids we heard that they wanted to do this because without it they would be sitting at home bored and they wanted to hang out with their friends instead. From the parents we heard that this was good way to get the kids out and away from the TV. There were also negative comments which arose. Fear not, we didn’t let them bring us down. Deep down as volunteers we know that we are giv-ing our time and energy for the greater good. As the youth group we know that we are here to serve Al-lah and to make sure that Islam is portrayed to the youth the way it should. There may be rifts between religion and society when the child is at school. Be-cause of the corruption that rules our media and pollutes our minds there is always a pull that leads away from religion. We know that investing our time to clear that theory away from the Childs mind and social standing provides a clean outlook. We are here to show that we love our religion and there are ways to live in this country and society without having to hide from things that are a “no-

no” in Islam. We had about 20+ kids and their parents come by. Most of them stayed the whole night and enjoyed playing games and having fun in a safe envi-ronment. While talking to some of them, they had said they had invitations to parties from friends at school and chose to come to the masjid instead. The main reason for the kids to come to the masjid was to increase their interest in the masjid by just the presence of a social outing rather than a Islamic one, inshallah as the pro-grams increase into he coming year and with the in-volvement of the lineup of great sheikhs their influ-ence of the masjid will grow to one of being around Islam and understanding their faith more. This was for the sole purpose of doing something without having everyday tasks such as schoolwork to catch up on the next morning or sports events to wake up early for. Taking advantage of pagan and so-cial American holidays can make a big impact with the way we spend it. If we choose to participate in hold-ing such events then it takes the label that my genera-tion and every other after, has acquired as being "lazy". If we don't plan such events and take part in attending then all we are left to do is surf the web, watch television, or attending a classmate’s party where there may be unhealthy influences. For the youth to grow up with a structure it is impor-

tant to create that structure. Those of us that have

lived through it, now realizing the difference that be-

ing in such an environment would have made, is a big

revelation. No one can force you or therefore influ-

ence you to be someone other than yourself, unless

you yourself want to become that person. Many

members of the community have asked me as well as

other Youth members, “what is the youth group?”,

when we advertise for an event. We are teens and

young adults that want to make a difference. We

want to take the youth in this community and raise

them to be better than us, by none other than show-

ing them exactly how.

New Years Eve Game Night: Youth Event

17

On behalf of the JMIC

Youth Group, I wanted

to express my thanks for

your cooperation and

support for our first

team Breast Cancer walk

and Seminar.

Alhamdulillah we were

amongst almost 2000

attendees from Morris

County! The event went

great and we had a lot

of fun. It was an amazing

experience as friends

and family from JMIC

came together and sup-

ported a cause that is so

important. It felt great

giving back to the com-

munity and we only

hope the next one is big-

ger and better!

Mashallah, upon arriving

back from the walk Dr.

Samina and Dr. Fiza did

a great job with the

seminar. Dr. Samina's

lecture was informative

and really important to

the sisters that at-

tended. We learned key

information that will aid

us in determining and

understand-

ing breast cancer. Dr.

Fiza's involvement at

Montclair Radiology

gave an easy and ap-

proachable outlet for

testing. We are so

blessed to have both of

them as a part of our

community!

As the informational

session led on we real-

ized that there are

members in our commu-

nity that have been

through the ins and outs

of breast cancer. It

helped a lot of the older

girls realize that this is

an important condition

that needs attention

regularly. Because we

were brought up in a

culture that is not open

on most topics involving

a woman’s medical con-

dition, it is hard to find

someone to talk to

about it.

Sessions that revolve

around such issues bring

them to light and then

help us understand and

question aspects we

don’t understand. Hope-

fully all of the women

and young girls that at-

tended left with a full if

not better understand of

how to perform self-

Giving Back: Making Strides Against Breast Cancer tests and when to seek

medical attention.

Inshallah we plan on hav-

ing a full cancer clinic this

coming year. I hope that

all of you can attend and

provide insight into the

world that most of us are

either beginning to under-

stand or want to under-

stand. There are many

people in our community

that you may be sitting

next to, brushing up

against while rushing to

salat or just standing next

to that may be going

through one of the tough-

est tests Allah has given

them, whether it may be

a medical condition or not

every step we take is a

test.

Tooba Aamir

18

“What is JMIC Youth?

For those who aren’t familiar with JMIC Youth, we are the youth group of the Jam-e-Masjid Islamic Center located in Boonton. Since we’ve only

been around for a few years, we don’t have a bucket list of credentials to include in our profile, but what we can offer is our story, which we

think best represents our spirit.

It all began with the Saturday Nights two years ago. We’d get together every Saturday at the Eagle Martial Arts studio, go through a set work-

out, share some comfort food, watch a movie, and listen to a khatira (short sermon) that one of the older attendees had prepared. At one point

we reached seventy attendees, but for one reason or

another, by Allah SWT’s Will the Saturday Nights eventually came to an end.

After some time, we realized our Saturdays were only the beginning of the friendship that would support our future goals. And Alhamdulillah,

when Allah SWT reunited our group after Ramadan, the bonds we’d created were ready to reach out even further to our community—not just to

the youth, but specifically to our families and elders. Our numbers were much less than before, but because the few who were shared a collec-

tive niyya, Allah SWT instilled barakah in our efforts.

We made it clear to restate our intention at every meeting, that whatever we would put together for the community would be solely for the

sake of Allah SWT, and so we sincerely dedicated all our efforts in presenting our best to Him.

Before our monthly meetings, we’d meet in any way when we could temporarily escape from work, school, and other obligations. Enormous

email chains and last minute midnight meetings lead to our first official events—a New Years’ Eve Itikaf and a Super Bowl Party. By attending

different conventions like RIS Toronto and ICNA and volunteering at community gatherings like the Masjid Al Taqwa Fundraiser, we came into

contact with many prestigious scholars. We were the underdog fanclub for these amazing role models—serving tea and walking beside our ce-

lebrities Imams Zaid Shakir, Siraj Wahhaj, and Suhaib Webb, making sure they remembered our name.

Walhamdulillah our persistence paid off when Allah SWT blessed us

with Imam Zia Sheikh’s visit, who came all the way from Dallas to give a three-day seminar on the Purification of the Heart. Mashallah the com-

munity loved it.

Seeing how much our families, elders, and children appreciated coming together in our beautiful masjid, we were inspired to compose a year’s

worth of events that would include everyone in our community. We’re still in the planning stage for most of our upcoming events, but Alham-

dulillah the process has been a tremendous gift to all of us. Cooperating as a small team and playing off each other’s talents has strengthened

our skills in organization, communication, and marketing. In working with the other JMIC committees, we have also pushed our elders towards

discovering the Deen through a different lens.

Alhamdulillah our small steps are progressively yielding success. Our goals include drawing our youth into masajid where they will build lasting

friendships with fellow Muslims. We want the youth to embrace the House of Allah as a place of social, spiritual, and intellectual growth. We are

proud of being Muslim Americans, and we try to extend this appreciation for our dual identity to our community. We find that when the youth

are supported in their contemporary pastimes (like a Super Bowl party), they are better motivated to attend the more traditional halaqas and

duroos. Ultimately, we want JMIC to become a place where American Muslims

can find advice from fellow brothers and sisters who share the same morals,

point their struggling peers towards those who can help them, and through

learning about Islam become proud of the beautiful way of life Allah has given

us.

Given that perfection belongs to Allah SWT alone, we are constantly checking

ourselves first, making sure we live in accordance to the Islamic lifestyle we try

to promote to others. We have our own halaqas and critiques where we try to

implement better adab (etiquette) and akhlaq (character) in our actions in ac-

cordance to the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) sunnah. May Allah

SWT continue to bless us and other youth groups with wonderful people, and

join us with those who share the passion for reviving Islam in the ummah.. We

are always thrilled to take in new members, so if you’re interested in joining

JMIC Youth don’t hesitate to contact us! May Allah guide us and protect us in

Who is the Youth? - Inside the JMIC Youth Group

By: Amira Bakir—Youth Secretary

19

Remembrance of God

My sleepless nights of restlessness…

Have been turned into calmness

I believe this is a Divine Blessing in that God has

opened the channel of communication with me

The medium of communication is the holy Qur'an

On such nights I have found a solution

Instead of seeking remedy by watching television

Or reading books authored by man

I turn to the Book authored by God which is the Holy Qur'an

From it I learned the magical benefits of Tahajjud prayers

My body moves ease

And recitation of the Qur'anic verses sound like music to my ears

It is nothing but a miracle

This is the best thing that has happened in my life For which I am grateful to Allah

Remembrance of God

Poem by Shahid Mahmood

20

Manners for Praying By: Malika Abbas

We want Allah (SWT) to accept our prayer so it is important that we remember these few tips...

Stand still

Do not look left and right

Fully concentrate on your Salah and what you are saying

Do not laugh or pay attention to anything BUT Allah (SWT)

Understand that Salah is your personal time with Allah (SWT)

Try to pray in a quiet spot

Do not just go through the motions, but un-derstand what you are saying

Do not think of anything but Allah, because “Allah Akbar” means Allah is greater so nothing you are thinking about can be better than Allah.

Dress For Success By: Manar Bakir

We want to be covered properly when we stand in front of Allah (SWT) for Salah. It is important to remember that we should dress in a way that will please Allah (SWT). I have seen so many women praying with their hair, necks, wrists, ankles, and ears exposed. Please remember to wear loose clothing that will not show your body. Just covering from head to toe does not mean that it is correct. Wearing tight clothing is not proper and dis-tracts individuals. It also makes it difficult for a person and those around the person to pray properly. Please wear clothing you can eas-ily move around in.

Wearing tight clothing is not the only issue. Women and men need to

ensure that their clothing and bodies are clean. Please take these few

tips and remember you are presenting yourself to Allah so dress

Rush to Prayer By: Maheebah Syed

Get ready to Pray

it's that time of Day

better than sitting and play

So don't be lazy

this is your chance

it might be your last

No moving, No goofing

Show respect when you Pray

Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar

Allah is Greater, Allah is Greater

so boys and girls

Rush to your Success

21

IamY – Inspiring the American Muslim Youth is a convention along the lines of ICNA and ISNA that has left NJ stunned. It was formed by the youth groups in NJ and was based for the youth. Most of our Youth Group members and volunteers were a part of this amazing conference where influential khateebs and Imams took the floor and left us speechless. This was solely organized by the ICPC Youth group and they chose to involve any youth that wanted to take part. I took part of marketing for the event and involve other brothers and sisters with me. We can-vassed Boonton, our universities, and areas that had not been reached. Alhamdulillah, this conven-tion was indefinitely inspiring if not tempting. Being the first one organized by the youth and presented to the youth, one would have thought of it to be chaos and immature in nature of events. It was the exact opposite, fully organized to the dot, calmly presented, and unbelievably INSPIRING. Every moment I had to myself, I was in pure awe with tears in my eyes. I fell in love with the event itself. I only hope to have the same pleasure again this year as they aim to triple the headcount. Com-ing to NJ again in September of 2013, visit www.iamyconvention.com for more info!

The Social and Public Outreach Committee has been working diligently throughout the year on various events at JMIC. This committee organizes many com-munity events such as Ameen services, community dinners, weekend breakfast, Iftaar and Suhur during Ramadan as well as organizing private parties for ni-kah services and after funeral services. It is through these relentless efforts and quality of services that the community has gained significant momentum in terms of their participation at these events. These events have the added benefit of providing the com-munity with islamic learning on the go.

The experience of this past Ramadan was full of enlightenment from all aspects. The community learned so much through conversations on under-standing the tafseer of a surah to in-depth lectures on various aspects of islam from different islamic schol-ars and our beloved Imam Ibrahim. The passion of JMIC community has never before been kindled that much. It was one good way to learn, to network with other community members and also to find that so-cial spot to hangout on many days.

Keep an eye on the JMIC calendar and participate in the next set of activities lined up by the Social and Public Outreach committee at JMIC. For all your social needs, please contact our committee members and they will be glad to assist you. This committee is also looking forward to new volunteers who would like to share their social and inter-personal skills with this growing community.

Social and Public Outreach Committee Inspiring the American Muslim

22

A Year in Pictures

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A Year in Pictures

24

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