NASIMCO Post

A Fortnightly Newsletter
March 1st, 2011 
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In This Issue
Samarra Shrine Appeal
WF Conference 2011
WF Madressah Retreat Update
Leadership Opportunities
Inter-Faith Event - Minnesota
Community Development - Buffalo
Community Event - Toronto
Demise of Ayatullah Al-Hakeem
ALI - New Courses

Featured Charities

 

Donate towards  

 

Samarra Shrine Reconstruction 

 

Donate towards the

Haiti Relief Fund


Donate towards the

Pakistan Flood Relief Appeal

Muslim Personalities

 
Ayatullah Sayed Muhammad Ali Hakeem
  
"Ayatullah Sayed Muhammad Ali Hakeem was born in the year 1329 AH in the city of najaf. He was a man of great piety and learning. He studied under the great scholars Ayatullah Sayed Mirza Hassan Bujnoordie, Ayatullah Abdul Hussain, and Ayatullah Muhammad Hussain Isfahani.

Ayatullah Muhammad Ali Hakeem was one of the representatives of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhsin Al Hakeem and used to travel abroad on his behalf to resolve issues among various communities, including representing and resolving issues on behalf of Sayyid Muhsin in Pakistan. Aside from Religious sciences Sayyid Muhammad Ali Hakeem was also learned in Engineering and Mathematics. He taught Usul classes in Najaf and authored more than 40 books on the principles of jurisprudence and various commentaries including one on famous one on Al Kifyaa."

Discovering Islam

 
Goal of Life
  
"One of the fundamental problems to investigate is the goal of life. Man always asks questions like what he lives for and what his objective in life should be. From the viewpoint of Islam, one would as well ask: 'What is the objective and purpose of prophetic missions?'

 

...This point requires an exact analysis. It may pertain to 'the goal of the Creator in Creation, the manifestation of His Will and Purpose. We cannot t assume a goal for God, and believe that He wishes to attain something by His acts. Such a supposition implies a shortcoming in the doer of an action, which may be true of creatures with a potential power, but not of the Creator; since it would mean that He intends to move towards perfection and secure something which He does not have. But sometimes by the goal of creation is meant the goal of the created action, not of the Creator. This would involve the movement of the created towards perfection, not the perfection of the Creator Himself. In this sense, if we think that the nature of creation has always been movement towards perfection, then there is a motive in creation."

 

To read more, click here.

Islam in the News

 

For One Young Muslim the Path to Faith is Rocky
  
"'Mooz-Lum,' a drama by Qasim Basir about wrestling with faith - here it's Islam - manages to avoid many pitfalls common to similar movies. What could have been a morality tale told through rigid contrasts proposes instead a series of diffuse challenges to its young black hero, not all of them from outside his religion.
  
Tariq Mahdi is attending a secular college in the Midwest after years at a strict Islamic boarding school to which he was sent by his father, Hasan. Hasan, a former follower of Malcolm X, is separated from Tariq's observant mother, Safiyah, because of his unyielding conservatism.

 

Tariq's Arab roommate, Hamza, and Hamza's forthright sister, Iman, reach out to him, as do Tariq's estranged sister, Taqua, and his world religions instructor, the hip Professor Jamal, a Muslim. Jamal embraces tolerance for other faiths, and at a mosque an imam extols forgiveness."

 

To read more, click here.

 

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As part of its vision and mission, the NASIMCO Post serves as a tool by which to bind our community together and promote a unified and caring environment for all. If you have anything you would like to include in this newsletter, contact us at [email protected].  

 

 

 

Samarra Shrine Appeal

SamarraOn the five year anniversary of the bombings of the holy shrine of Imam Ali an-Naqi and Imam Hassan al-Askari (AS) in Samarra, Iraq, NASIMCO, in conjunction with the World Federation of KSIMC, is launching the Samarra Shrine Reconstruction Appeal in partnership with the office of Grand Ayatollah al-Uzma Seyyid Ali al-Sistani in Najaf. 

This initiative aims to:  

  • Raise funds to help in the reconstruction of this sacred Haram;
  • Raise awareness of the attack on this shrine;
  • Symbolize the support and involvement of the Khoja Shia Ithna Asheri Muslim community worldwide in keeping the message of the Ahlul Bayt alive.

To read more or to make a donation, click here.

 

WF Conference 2011 Notice and Agenda

Notice is hereby given that the Thirteenth Ordinary Conference of the World Federation will take place in Dar-es-Salaam from May 27th to May 29th, 2011. Please click here for the official notice and agenda.

 

WF Madressah Retreat Update

A Madressah Retreat was organised and hosted by the World Federation's Islamic Education department from February 3rd to 6th in Dubai. The Retreat addressed core issues in the area of Madressah and produced an Action Plan for the World Federation to take forward. The Action Plan comprises five strategic priorities:

  • Continuous Assessment and Evaluation
  • Teacher Training
  • Curriculum Development
  • Organizational Structures
  • Learning Resources

Retreat Theme: Shaping the institution of Madressah to deliver Islamic knowledge, spirituality, and morality to our future generations.

Retreat Aim: To achieve consensus and agree on the direction of travel to enhance the institution of Madressah across the world.

Retreat Objectives: 

  • To co-create a vision for the institution of Madressah;
  • To co-create an action plan for the realization of our vision;  
  • To share ideas, experiences and learn from participants from across the world;
  • To network with practitioners, experts and enthusiasts in the field.

To read the full report, click here

Leadership Development Opportunities

NASIMCO, in partnership with the ISIJ of Toronto, is holding a Leadership Development Program (LDP) and a first-of-its-kind Mentorship Program in North America this March. The courses are designed to develop leadership across Muslim communities and unlock the potential of our people to contribute fully for the common good of both the Muslim community and society at large.

Spaces are limited and filling up quickly. The deadline to apply is March 8th. Click on the links below for more information about each program respectively.


LDP Toronto
LDP 2011
Mentorship
Mentorship 2011

Inter-Faith Event - Minnesota

Members of the Jaafari Islamic Center partnered up with a local Methodist Church to participate in a food packing event for the people of Haiti. The event was hosted by Kids Against Hunger and held at their own Multi Purpose Center (MPC). The event was also covered by Jason Davis as part of his mini-series titled On the Road with Jason Davis hosted on Channel 5 and was aired on February 13th. To view the video, click here. 

Community Development - Buffalo

Buffalo JaBuffalo Mosquemaat will be holding an opening ceremony for its new building, the Jaffarya Center on May 15th. This new Center features a prayer hall, five classrooms, a ghusl room and a gym/multi-purpose hall. The Buffalo Jamaat has invited all members of the greater NASIMCO community to attend this celebration. Please click the flyer for more details.

 

 

Community Event - Toronto 

Muslim Scouting groups across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), including the 392nd troop, are holding a fundraiser to help raise money to help establish more Muslim Scouting groups on March 19th at 7:00PM. The event's theme is "A Conversation with Peacemakers of the Earth" and will feature representatives from Scouts Canada, local politicians, and keynote speaker Dr. David Suzuki. The event is open to the general public. Tickets are available for purchase for $75. For more information or to buy tickets, click here 

 

Demise of Ayatollah Al-Hakeem

Ayatolla HakeemIt is with sadness that we share the news of the demise of Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Ali al-Hakeem on Friday, February 25th, 2011. He was the nephew of Grand Ayatollah Muhsin al-Hakeem, one of the greatest scholars of the 20th Century. Ayatollah passed away in Najaf from natural causes and was over 100 year of age at the time of his death. Please remember Marhoom with Sura Fateha and Namaaz Hadya-e-Mayyit.

 

Academy for Learning Islam (ALI) Update 

The Academy for Learning Islam (ALI) is hosting the following online courses for the months of March and April. The first three webinars have been specifically designed to learn more about the Prophet of Islam around the time his birth is being celebrated. The instructors will be covering various aspects of the life of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) during the first three weekends of March.

 ALI 182 : Three webinars on the Holy Prophet

 Weekend I: The Impact of Prophetic Teachings on the Cultural and Scientific Revolution of Arabia
Weekend II: The Messenger of God: The Meccan Chapter 
Weekend III: Common Hadith from the Holy Prophet  
 
ALI 187: Parenting Challenges facing Muslims today
 
ALI 190: Taking Advice from Nahjul Balagha, Part II

For more information and for course details, click here. To register, please email [email protected] and you will receive a link to enter the webroom. If you have any technical difficulties, please call 1 905 764-0363.