It will inshallah be held in the Von Canon Room in the basement of the Bryan Center on the campus of Duke University. The event is free, but donations to Project Downtown are welcomed.

The board of directors at Jamaat Ibad Arrahman, Inc. has approved starting an Arabic class for adult males, ages 18 and older, free of charge.

The course is designed to teach Muslim brothers how to read, and understand recited Qur’an and Hadeeth. The course will be taught by Mohammed Elmergawi, in collaboration with the education committee.

The classes will be held every Tuesday and Saturday, either between Maghrib and Isha prayers, or after the Isha prayers.

Please send an email to: Elmergawi.JIAR@gmail.com so you could be contacted. The first day of class is Tuesday, November 4th after Salatul Ishaa.

Eid Mubarak! May Allah accept our deeds and forgive our sins.

Fiqh Questions & Answers

The Imam’s Corner section will contain articles written by the Imam as well as a list of fiqh questions and answers which the Imam receives from the community.

As-salamu alaikum, dear brothers and sisters.

It’s always a great honor to write welcoming the blessed month of Ramadan. May Allah accept our fasting and reward us fully and immensely for it.

I take this opportunity to share with you the process through which the beginning of the month is verified. Based on the genuine understanding of the Shari’ah, the Qur’an and the Sunnah as well as the rulings of Fiqh, I’m approving this method with the hope that it will unite Muslims in regards to the beginning of Ramadan.

This method takes into consideration the approach taken by the scholars of Islam who had a very sound understanding of the Islamic Law, following the Qur’anic injunction repeated several times in the Qur’an—to think and reflect—and to utilize the modern findings and scientific inventions to serve the Shari’ah, without compromising or contradicting the basic and well-established rules of Islam. Far from stubbornness, these scholars were very creative in their approach, and—therefore—won the recognition and approval of the Muslim ummah.

With this in mind, I have come to the conclusion that the strongest proposition regarding the beginning of Ramadan can be summarized as follows:

1. Once the new crescent is born and is reported to have been seen anywhere in the Muslim world by reliable Muslim witness(s), it becomes incumbent upon all Muslims—no matter where they might be—to observe the fast. This is the chosen opinion of the majority of renowned schools of Fiqh, such as that of imam Abu-Hanifah (as well as the majority of Hanafi scholars), imam Ahmad, imam Malik, and some of the scholars of Shafi’yah.

2. Based on the authentic hadith of the Prophet (PBUH) that was reported by several companions: “Observe the fast when you see the new moon (of Ramadan) and end the fast when you see the new moon (of Shawwal),” the basis for verifying the beginning of the month is the “sighting” of the moon—as long as there is no natural factor hindering the sighting (such as clouds) or in circumstance where the birth and sighting of the new moon is deemed “impossible” by modern technologies. We read in the Qur’an over and over again that the sun, and the moon, and other space bodies follow precise measurements in the course of running in their orbits. The calculations, determining the beginnings and endings of months, are based on the close observations of the movement of these planets. Calculations should, therefore, be utilized to assist in confirming “sighting” of the moon. Not to be solely depended upon, just because we are ordered clearly to start and end the month based on the sighting. The scientific facts will help confirming or disaffirming any claim of eye-sighting.

Following this method, JIAR, Durham, NC, considers the first basis for verifying the beginning and end of Ramadan is the “sighting” of the moon in any place in any Muslim country—that shares with us a part of the night—as long as there is no scientific evidence that it is impossible to see the moon anywhere in the world. Therefore, if the new crescent cannot or is not reported to be sighted on the night of the 29th of Sha’ban anywhere in the Muslim world, the next day will be the 30th of Sha’ban, and Ramadan will obviously start the day, according to the guidance of the Prophet (PBUH).

We ask the Almighty to unite the Muslim ummah, to accept our fasting and acts of worship and Ramadan, and help us follow the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger. Ameen!

Click here to read the policy and decision regarding moon sightings for Ramadan.

Since we are a fast growing Muslim community, our Masjid will not be enough to accommodate us and to meet our future needs to have an Islamic school and a recreation center for the youth in the coming years. We have been exploring various ideas. One of them was to buy the adjacent church; but after thoroughly discussing the issue and touring the building, we decided to drop the idea completely for several reasons. First, buying the church will not meet our expectations and will require tremendous funds to renovate it and make it suitable for our use. Second, the terms set by the owners make it impossible to do such deal. Finally, it is located in a flood zone.

We approved a seven to ten year plan to buy new land no less than 10 acres and build a new Masjid, Islamic school and youth recreation center. This land has to have easy access to main highways and all parts of the city of Durham. Additionally, city zoning laws must allow building a Mosque. We are currently in the process of searching for suitable land. If you know of a land for sale that meets the above criteria please contact us.

Insha’Allah we will have a fundraiser on the first and last Friday in Ramadan after Salatul Jumu’ah for that purpose. Please donate generously, as contributing to building a Masjid is a sign of belief in Allah and the Hereafter.

We will continue to improve our current Masjid. The sisters’ bathroom will be renovated after Eid al-Fitr. Insha’Allah a canopy will be built before the end of 2008 to accommodate the increasing number of worshipers on Fridays and on special events. Finally, we are planning to make a Muslim cemetery in Durham. We ask Allah SWT to help us and to make our deeds exclusively for his sake.

Jazakom Allah Khairan,

Hisham Heda
Chairman of Board of Directors
Email: head777@yahoo.com

Iqbal Ahmad
Vice Chairman
fahad3284@hotmail.com