As-Salāmu ‘Alaykum! Peace be upon you!
Crescent Moon for the Month of Rajab 1446 AH
There were no verified sightings of the crescent moon by the naked eye at sunset on Tuesday, December 31st, 2024, from locations in the USA that would be applicable to us here in the Greater Seattle area.
Therefore, Thursday, January 2nd, 2025, will be the first day of the month of Rajab, 1446 A.H.
The month of Rajab is a symbol of the love of God for His creatures, where He invites and encourages them to seek forgiveness, fast, and worship more intensely. In this lies their success through His pleasure.
Imam Zaynul ‘Ābidīn (a) says:
So they remember You for Your kindness
they thank You for Your Blessings
they pray to You by Your command
and they donate for You in order to seek Your increase
In all this lies their deliverance from Your wrath
and their triumph through Your good pleasure
(Al-Sahīfa al-Sajjādiyyah, Du ‘ā 45, Passage 16)
وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ
When My servants question you about Me, tell them that I am near.
I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he calls to Me; therefore, let them answer My call and put their trust in Me, that they may be rightly guided.
Qur'an 2:186
We ask God, the Most High, for success in performing good deeds and to hasten the Return of Our Master, Imam Mahdi (p).
Important Islamic Events this Month:
1 Rajab Jan 2 Wiladat Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (p), 57 A.H.
3 Rajab Jan 4 Wafat Imam Ali al-Hadi (p), 254 A.H.
10 Rajab Jan 11 Wiladat Imam Muhammad al-Jawad (p), 195 A.H.
13 Rajab Jan 14 Wiladat Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (p), 23 B.H.
15 Rajab Jan 16 Wafat Sayyida Zaynab bint Ali (p), 62 A.H.
25 Rajab Jan 26 Wafat Imam Musa al-Kadhim (p), 183 A.H.
26 Rajab Jan 27 Wafat Hadhrat Abu Talib (p)
27 Rajab Jan 28 Me'raj and Day of Mab’ath, Meraj 13 B.H.
Daily Dhurain and Maghrebain and Friday congregational prayers are being held in person at the IMAN Center. Congregational Prayer Timings are published on the IMAN home page.
Weekly Youth Qur'an circle is scheduled for every Thursday at 7:00 PM.
Weekly Dua Kumail program starts at 8:00 PM each Thursday.
Unless otherwise noted, wiladats and wafats are observed on the Thursday closest to the actual date.
Shaykh Dr. Usama Al-Atar will be our guest speaker on January 11th and 12th as we seek to be inspired through birthday celebration of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (p).
Shaykh Dr. Usama Al-Atar will shed some light on Letter 31 in Nahj al-Balaghah: Imam Ali's (p) letter to his son Imam Hasan ibn Ali (p)
Shaykh Dr. Usama Al-Atar holds a Masters degree in Education from Niagara University in the U.S., achieved a Ph.D. in chemistry from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada, and completed a second Ph.D. in Islamic theology at the University of Exeter, in the U.K. He received several certificates and awards including the Ambassador for Peace Award from the United Peace Federation, a certificate of appreciation from the Office of the Premier of the Province of Alberta for his contribution towards knowledge, and was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal for his services to the community. He studied religion under the guidance of his eminence Ayatullah Sayyid Murtadha Al-Qazwini as well as his eminence Ayatullah Sayyid Fadhil Al-Milani. Dr. Al-Atar is currently the Principal of AlBaqir Academy, which is a full-time K-12 school located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Additional program deatils will be posted under ADDITIONAL UPCOMING EVENTS on the IMAN home page in due course.
Please refer to http://iman-wa.org for all program schedule details.
IMAN Center Daily Congregational Salaat
Participation during prayer times has been low, and we are seeking effective strategies to encourage our community members to attend congregational prayers.
Fostering greater participation in prayer times is a meaningful effort to build a stronger sense of unity and spiritual connection within our community. In response to our call for solutions, Br. Mohamed Reza Khalili Shoja has developed an innovative application to help us organize Salaat-ul-Jamaat more efficiently.
We invite everyone to join the IMAN Center Daily Salaat initiative by connecting through the provided WhatsApp bot link. Together, let us support this effort to establish regular daily congregational prayers for Dhuhr and Maghrib at IMAN.
IMAN AGM 2023/2024
Annual General Meeting of IMAN Members for the fiscal year 2023/2024 was held on Saturday December 7th, 2024.
During the meeting, the Annual Report of Activities for 2023/2024, financial statements for 2023/2024, and the proposed budget for 2024/2025 were reviewed and approved.
The following were nominated to serve on the Executive Committee for the new term:
Mohammad Jawad Khaki: President and Treasurer
Kareem Al Haddad: Vice President
Rahmatullah Faizi (Hamid): Secretary
Nuri Mansoori: Committee Member
Rizwan Nazarali: Committee Member
These nominations were subsequently presented to the IMAN Board of Directors and approved on Sunday, December 15, 2024.
Please refer to the link GOVERNANCE for information on IMAN governance.
IMAN Board of Directors Update
At the IMAN Board of Directors meeting held on Sunday, December 15, 2024, the Board approved the nomination of Br. Rizwan Nazarali to fill the position vacated by Br. Nurullah Mansoori, whose five-year term concluded at the end of 2024. This nomination was the only one received following the "Call for Nominations: IMAN Board of Directors" email sent on December 5, 2024.
Additionally, the Board requested Br. Nurullah Mansoori to continue serving as a Board member to complete the remaining term of Br. Syed Ali Haider, who has relocated to Canada.
Engagement and Active Participation
IMAN members have an opportunity to build a strong spiritually vibrant caring sharing community in the beautiful Pacific Northwest – a community that draws its inspiration from our beloved Prophet Muhammad and his blessed Progeny (peace be upon them all).
Our ability to succeed in establishing such a vibrant community depends on the active involvement of more people than the current level of participation.
As was the case at the dawn of Islam in Medina, or when Ibrahim A.S. and his family migrated to Mecca, it all starts with building spiritual strength through the establishment of regular prayer and a communal strength through pursuance of common goals in the development of our families and neighborhoods.
We live in a dynamic USA that is undergoing transformation due to a variety of factors.
We are in a community that values diversity, inclusion and invites us to play a more prominent role in the shaping of our shared future in this beautiful part of the world.
ادْعُ إِلَىٰ سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ ۖ وَجَادِلْهُم بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِ ۖ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ
Qur'an 16:125 Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction and argue with them in a way that is best. Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who has strayed from His way, and He is most knowing of who is [rightly] guided.
We are blessed with an educated and informed base that is resourceful and well positioned to make significant contribution not only in the development of our families but also the broader Muslim and non-Muslim communities and neighborhoods.
There are many opportunities to step up and to:
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
Our activities, for adults and youth, need increased participation and volunteer capacity. IMAN is a 100% volunteer run organization. All sub-committees can benefit from fresh ideas and new talent. Those interested to volunteer to serve in any of the committees are requested to e-mail iman@iman-wa.org.
Let us come together and realize our potential – knowing full well that we will be held to account!
ثُمَّ لَتُسْأَلُنَّ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَنِ النَّعِيمِ
Qur'an 102:8 Then you will surely be asked that Day about pleasure
Social Services
Monthly community dinners IMAN hosts with St. John’s is a great opportunity to serve. Those interested to help, please contact Br. Abbas Kazmi or send mail to socialservices@iman-wa.org.
As we approach the end of the year 2024, we would like to thank all the volunteers who have made this year’s food donation possible. Sr. Sidra Naqvi with the help of our generous volunteers ended up delivering 1830 meals to various homeless shelters across Puget sound. This included 445 meals to Kirkland united Methodist Church for their safe parking program. 785 meals to new Bethlehem place and 600 meals to tent city 3. We express our deepest gratitude to all the volunteers for their constant support and generosity in making this possible.
Sr. Sidra Naqvi has reserved spots to provide meals to the needy at homeless shelters. If you are interested in helping, please contact Sister Sidra Naqvi (425) 273 1463 or e-mail socialservices@iman-wa.org.
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