Greenville

0000000000l0 Muslims
Issue 1 - October 2008/ Shawwal 1429

Hadith Corner
Anas (ra), a companion of
prophet Muhammad s
reported that when the Prophet
Muhammad s migrated from
Makkah to Madinah, the people
of Madinah used to have two
festivals. On those two days
they had carnivals and festivity.
Prophet Muhammad s asked Saying Farewell to Our Guest with
the Ansaar about it. They
replied that before Islam they the Celebration of a Joyous Eid
used to have carnivals on those Today we woke up early, put on our nicest clothes, woke our families and
two joyous days. The Prophet got out early to bid farewell to our beloved guest. All year, we have waited
Muhammad s told them: for this beloved guest to come, and we were so happy and honored to
“Instead of those two days, Allah greet our guest. We shared delicious sweets and filling meals. We spent
has appointed two other days our days and nights together, and we developed a love and a close emo-
which are better, the days of Eid- tional relationship with our guest.
al-Fitr and Eid-al-Adha”.
Today, however, our guest has decided to leave us. Perhaps we will see
“The most beloved deeds to him next year, or perhaps we will not be here when he comes back. Our
Allah, are the continuous ones guest, our dearly beloved Ramadan, deserves the best farewell. But how
even if they were little.” best do we say goodbye?

“Whoever fasts Ramadan and
then followed it with six days of
Shawwal, it would be counted
for him as if he had fasted the
whole year.” (Muslim)
l We also say goodbye with another act of worship--the Eid prayer. We
If you are interested in writing
for or advertising in the
Greenville Muslims newsletter,
please email us at:
newsletter@
GreenvilleMuslims.com
First, as soon as we realize how soon our dear guest is leaving, we try
to make sure he is happy with us. We concern ourselves with how our
hospitality was accepted. When it comes to Ramadan, we must always
say goodbye to it with plenty of istighfar to Allah. We ask Allah to accept
from us the little, regardless of how much it was, of what we offered from
acts of worship during this blessed month of Ramadan.
prepare ourselves with takbeer, dhikr, and dua, and celebrate Eid in a halal
way, pleasing to Allah. We also try to do our best to stay in touch with the
memories of Ramadan, staying inspired until our guest returns.
May Allah forgive all our mistakes and sins, and make our guest happy
with us. If we lacked in hospitality, please forgive us. And may you all have
a blessed Eid-- an Eid Mubarak. l
 The New ISG Community Center: In Search of a
Serving the Needs of Our Growing Community
Graveyard
Last year the Islamic Society of Greenville purchased approximately seven This past year, the graveyard
acres of land on Clements road, about 10 min drive from our current committee began constructing a
Islamic center. Currently the land has been developed for use as a picnic room in the current ISG masjid to
area with approximately 2,000 square feet picnic shelter, barbeque grill, wash the bodies of the deceased.
water fountain, and children’s playground. Please make the intention of The body washing room is now under
visiting and using the current facility for your family’s enjoyment. construction and insha’Allah will be
completed by mid-November.
Ultimately, the goal of the expansion project is to serve the Greenville
Muslim community with a community center that will provide them with An arrangement has been made
a sense of pride in their community as well as offer the following: with Watkins, Garrett, & Word
Mortuary, Inc., for transporting the
• A Banquet Hall with full kitchen deceased from the hospital to the
• Library and conference room washing facility at the masjid, and
• Outdoor activity areas then to the graveyard.
• Fitness Center
• Prayer Hall Five acres of land were initially
• Classrooms for a full-time Islamic private school donated last year by a brother
in Spartanburg. Unfortunately,
however, during the process of
survey and topography it was found
that most of the land is a kind of
wetland and a very small portion of
the land is useable as a graveyard.

Therefore, the graveyard committee

has decided to continue its search
for a different site to convert into a
The Islamic Society of Greenville is calling upon you to support the graveyard. Three sites are currently
new Community Center Fund. We owe it to the present and the future under consideration and study.
generations of Muslim youth to preserve the rich legacy of Islam.
If anyone of you has any knowledge
Your contributions, sacrifices, and support for our work have been
of any available land, approximately
immeasurable and we all seek to be rewarded by Allah (SWT). We
five or more acres, please contact
extend our deepest gratitude for your generosity and support, and we
brother Mohammed Akbar Makba
look forward to continued support so that we may realize our goals. l
(292-9098 or 593-8381) or brother
Abdul Rahim Patel (292-1326).
-- Dr Imtiaz Khan
The committee has enough funds
available for this project and
insha’Allah, with the permission of
Allah and your support, will be able
to complete this project in the near
future. l

--Mohammad Akbar Makba

 Upstate Muslim Youth Association
UMYA (Upstate Muslim Youth Association) was formed two years ago
to unite young Muslims in the Greenville area to meet for religious,
social, and sporting events. We have been hosting events for the past
two years, and Alhumdulillah we have been reaching out to the youth
ranging from middle school, high school, and college students. Our
group serves as a great program to connect the youth with good role
models.

This past summer, alhamdulillah, we held a successful event called

Thank You, Sheikh Omer “Identity Theft: Protect Your Deen” at Paris Mountain State Park.
All-Praise is to Allah, may His Peace Imam Mustafa Khattab from the Clemson Masjid gave a lecture about
and Blessings be upon Mohammed, the importance of keeping your Muslim identity throughout all aspects
His servant and messenger and of life. We also had many games for the youth at the park such as relay
upon his companions and family. races, tug-of-war, and quiz games. This was an event many families in
Greenville were happy to enjoy.
Since seeking Islamic knowledge for
a Muslim is a must, we the Islamic
Society of Greenville were blessed to
have Sheikh Omer A. Ahmed spend
Ramadan with us in Greenville, SC,
to enlighten, educate, and teach us
about our religious matters. We
ask Allah to elevate our status in
this life and the next as He Says:
“Allah will raise those who believe
from among you, and those whom
knowledge is given to degrees of
rank”. And the Prophet s said,
“Whomsoever Allah wishes him
Recently, we held our first ever UMYA basketball tournament at the
good, He gives him understanding
new land, and alhumdulillah we had a great turnout. Brothers from the
of the religion”.
Greenville and Spartanburg competed in the tournament while many
others from the community came out to support the teams. Lunch was
We thank Allah for His mercy and
provided by Caesar’s Restaurant.
favors which He bestowed upon us,
and we thank Him for providing us
We also hold regular meetings that we would like everyone to be a
with Sheikh Omer.
part of. We hold halaqa sessions every other Sunday. Our last halaqa
series was called SOS (Sunday of Seerah), where we studied the Seerah
We thank you Sheikh Omer. May
(Biography) of the Prophet s. Please note flyers or postings around
Allah accept from you and us our
the masjid for details on upcoming events. You can also receive
fasting, qiyam (nightly prayer), and
information and event updates by joining our email list. Feel free to
all our good deeds.
email us at umya.sc@gmail.com.
Thank you Sheik Omer may Allah
bless you and your family. Please sign up and become a member today!
Ameen.l Membership cost is your support.

--Bassem Falous Go UMYA!! l --Ali Syed

 As-Sabeel Academy
of Greenville
As-Sabeel Academy is the first Islamic school of the
Upstate. Alhamdulillah, we first opened our doors
and began offering classes this past September 2nd
to Preschool, Kindergarten, and First Graders. The
school is a current member of the South Carolina
Independent School Association (SCISA) and is working
on gaining accreditation status within the next 2-3
years, insha’Allah.

Classes are currently being held at the Islamic Society

of Greenville masjid, with the hopes of expanding
into the future community center in the near future.
Each year we intend to add an extra grade level, and
with the permission of Allah we plan to be able to offer
all classes from K4 through 12th Grade in the future.
Most importantly, As-Sabeel Academy offers all of this
education in an Islamic environment that encourages
our children to be good Muslims and gives them hope
for a better future in this life and the next.

Although it is too late to register your child for this
academic year, it is never too late to support the school
financially. Registration for the next academic year will
begin in May, and it is a very important opportunity to
enroll your child.
Alhamdulillah, last week with the support of the
community and help from Allah, we successfully
raised approximately $27,000 in donations and
pledges. This will help us pay just a little over half of
our expenses this year.

As-Sabeel Academy offers to teach your child all the
subjects such as Math, Science, and Reading in a small
class setting where they will get much more attention
than in public schools. In addition, students in all
grades are taught Arabic and Islamic Studies as well as
Quran memorization.
If you are interested in finding out more
information about As-Sabeel Academy, or would
like to contribute, please visit our website at:
www.SabeelAcademy.com. l
-- Mohammad Fatayerji

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Ramadan Competition
This past month, the Ramadan Trivia and Memorization
competitions were organized to encourage everyone
in the Greenville community to gain knowledge.
Alhamdulillah around 50 participants competed in
different age levels in both of these sections.
It was very difficult for the judges to decide the winners,
who will be given a token prize after the Eid prayer. The
highest reward comes from Allah, therefore all who
participated are winners, since He rewards without
limits. May Allah reward all those who helped organize
this competition as well as those who participated in
it, Ameen.
Remember, we learn from cradle to grave, so learning
does not end with the end of Ramadan. Try to increase
your family’s knowledge of Islam throughout the year
by attending halaqas and enrolling your children in
the weekend school or full-time Islamic school. May
Allah bless all of us with knowledge that benefit us,
Ameen.
Ramadan will be coming back next year, so prepare
yourself throughout the year and make sure you
participate in the next Ramadan Competition. l
-- Javaid Qazi