Eid Mubarak!

Dear MSA Member,

On behalf of the Muslim Students’ Association, Eid Mubarak! We wish you a wonderful and joyful Eid. And although it’s getting chilly out, we hope that this blessed time of the year is warm and filled with good food, great company, and lots of happiness!

But don’t end your Ramadan without a promise to make a difference in someone else’s life. In the midst of your celebrations, we ask that you consider those who are less fortunate than yourselves.

Sincerely,

The MSA Executive
msa.exec@utoronto.ca

Saving the world, one orphan at a time

by Farhan Asrar 

UNICEF estimates that by the end of 2003, there were 143 million orphans aged 0-17 in 93 developing countries. More than 16 million were orphaned in 2003 alone. Due to recent events such as wars, tsunamis, earthquakes, and other natural disasters, these numbers have increased exponentially.

Islam emphasizes the obligation and responsibility upon us to take care of orphans. There are many sayings of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and verses in the Qur’an that mention the importance of taking care of orphans and of Allah’s (Glory be to Him) dislike for those who do not treat orphans and the needy fairly.

Narrated Sahl bin Saa’d (may Allah be pleased with him):

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “I and the person who looks after an orphan and provides for him, will be in Paradise like this,” putting his index and middle fingers together (Bukhari).

Another Ramadan is about to pass us by and then we’ll be left with bittersweet memories of all the good deeds we did and what we neglected to do that could have earned us the Mercy and Forgiveness of Allah (Glory be to Him). But don’t let this Ramadan pass you by without making a difference!

The MSA’s Orphan Sponsorship Program is currently sponsoring 100 orphans from 17 countries, Alhamdulillah! It only costs $360, $396 or $720 to sponsor an orphan for a year depending on the country the orphan is living in (the disparity is due to the differences in the cost of living in different countries). That’s only one or two dollars a day! But from donations that have been collected thus far, barely half the amount required to re-sponsor these orphans has come in and we’re in dire need of your help to continue providing basic necessities to these orphaned children.

Donate any amount that you can. Get together with your friends and family and sponsor an orphan or two collectively. Donations can be in the form of cash, checks or credit card (online). Donations will be collected at the Jumu’ah prayers at Hart House. Every dollar makes a difference. And remember that Allah, Glory be to Him, never forgets an atom’s weight of good that a person does. And when it comes down to weighing our good deeds against our bad deeds on the Last Day, an atom’s weight of good might be just what we needed to tip our scales…

Please make your checks payable & addressed to:

Orphan Sponsorship Program
c/o MSA, University of Toronto, St. George campus
21 Sussex Avenue, Suite 405
Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1J6

NB: Tax receipts will be issued upon request

For further information please visit the MSA website, or contact: osp.uoft@yahoo.ca

Some orphans currently being sponsored

Invite your friends to fast with us

RAMADAN FAST-A-THON: INVITE YOUR FRIENDS TO FAST WITH US!

When: Tuesday, October 17th, 2006 (dinner at 6:25 pm)
Where: 89 Chestnut Residence
Why: Non-Muslims have the chance to experience the fast that Muslims undertake during Ramadan, while raising money for the Daily Bread Food Bank!

How to spread the word:

- Forward this message to a few of your friends and tell them to sign up at
http://uoftmsa.wordpress.com/upcoming-events/ramadan-fast-a-thon/

- Tell your friends on campus where to sign up: 12-2 pm at Sid Smith on Friday, 12-2 pm at Med Sci on Monday, or any time at the SAC Office.

- If you use Facebook, invite your friends to the FAST-A-THON event on Facebook.

Never heard of the Fast-a-Thon?:

Our annual Ramadan Fast-a-Thon is on Tuesday, October 17th, 2006! Participants are invited to fast with us on that day from dawn to dusk, and local businesses will donate at least $1 for every person who fasts. Proceeds will go to Toronto’s Daily Bread Food Bank.

Participants are invited to break their fast with us for free at 6:25 pm at the 89 Chestnut Residence. We will have a presentation on fasting from an Islamic perspective, as well as a presentation by Daily Bread on the issue of hunger and food bank use in Toronto. We present the funds raised to Daily Bread at the event.

This event is part of Xpression Against Oppression Week. It is brought to you by the MSA, SAC, and Dialogue on Diversity, a Student Affairs Initiative.

We’re off on a new adventure!

Have you read this week’s MSA-L yet?  If not, check it out, and let us know what you think of it.

Marhaba dinner minus the visuals

by Asmaa Hussein 

After the smoke cleared, the rubble was settled, and the MSA president was finally back in his seat following his painful speech*, we realized that the event was going quite well!

Although it started late, which is inexcusable, the MSA made up for it by inviting Dr. Yahya Fadlalla to give a wonderful and motivational speech on the love of Jannah. The speaker was the highlight of the evening with his warm stories of the Sahaba (companions of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him) and his passionate message to the attendees.

Despite the fact that students were slowly filing in throughout the evening, we eventually had a full house of about 210 people and had to turn people away at the door! Just a note to those who would like to attend future events, show up on time or there may not be enough seats left!

After dinner, the recepients of the MSA’s ICNA-Relief scholarships were announced and given their cheques for $1500 each, which undoubtably made them quite happy.

The evening ended with a live nasheed performance and MSA jeopardy, brothers vs. sisters. In an unforseen turn of events, the brothers actually won. So kudos to them for not getting whipped by the sisters.

When it comes down to it, Alhamdulillah and thank you to everyone who made this evening memorable! And the food was good, too! (Although this writer would have been more satisfied if there was some chocolate cake after dinner, but baqlava will do.)

* Please note that Shuaib Ally’s speech was not painful. It was tolerable, I suppose.

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If you have any pictures that you would like to submit to make this post more visually appealing and aesthetically pleasing, please email them to msa.exec @ utoronto.ca and we’ll be sure to put them up here.