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Sadaqa Doesn’t Decrease Wealth
What happens when a Muslims gives By Yusuf Azmi Power How powerful is charity? What does sadaqah achieve? These are all relevant questions when considering your giving. It’s the fuel that drives us to utilize our wealth to help others. Often when considering giving sadaqah, we can forget that there are in fact two sides to giving charity in Islam. Of course your donations will go towards helping others, alleviating pain and hardship for thousands across the world in need and making the world a better place. Providing crucial support such as food, clean water and disaster relief. Allah’s promise “Whoever relieves a believer’s distress of the distressful aspects of…
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The Night We Seek that Seeks us
Laylatul Qadr and all it Brings By Yusuf Azmi Openings Ramadan brings incredible opportunities for us all to seek. Opportunities for spiritual growth, togetherness and seeking Allah’s (swt) blessings. As we grow closer to the end of this sacred month and enter the final 10 nights of Ramadan, the days become more and more important, none more so than the night of Laylatul Qadr. The night of power is the night that we truly seek, a night where all of Ramadan’s opportunities are open to us. The night of revelation, when Allah (swt) revealed the Qur’an to the Prophet Muhamad (pbuh), is more than a night of historical symbolism to…
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National Volunteer Week with The Blue Shirts
April 17th through April 23th marks the celebration of volunteers Yusuf Azmi This National Volunteer Week, our volunteers will continue raising funds and awareness for our brothers and sisters in need across the globe through our IRaise Ramadan campaign. They will be assisting with hot meals distributions, meal pack events, hygiene kit assemblies, packaging food boxes, and supporting our fundraising events. National Volunteer week is taking place during the blessed month of Ramadan, one of the busiest times of the year at IRUSA. With the help of our volunteers this Ramadan, our aim is to assemble around 500k meals inshAllah! IRUSA carries out vital work around the world and here at home, responding…
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Fueling Foodboxes for Ramadan
Why IRUSA puts feeding people first in the holy month Yusuf Azmi When Ramadan arrives, it puts something into focus that we can take for granted on a daily basis. Food. All of a sudden, a month in the year falls upon us and we have to go without something that we are so used to the rest of the time. Being able to eat whenever we want. Restricted to only being able to eat during the hours of sunset to sunrise. We’re reminded of how fortunate we are to be afforded the blessing of not worrying when we can and can’t eat. Ramadan’s arrival also brings something else into focus.…
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5 Step Remedy for Ramadan Prep
A few select methods to win the month of mercy Yusuf Azmi Ramadan is only a few weeks away. Aside from preparing the iftar menu, it’s crucial that we prepare ourselves mentally and physically as well. To make the most of this month and do things the right way, here are some Ramadan preparation tips you ought to consider. 1. Work on Fasting The initial two or three days of Ramadan are the most challenging, both on our bodies and willpower. It takes time for our bodies to become acclimated to the long fasting hours, along with the appetite and exhaustion that accompanies them. So, an ideal way to beat…
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The Power of Water
A dispatch for World Water Day By Nabeeha Shah Water makes the world go round World Water Day focuses on the importance of clean water for all. According to the United Nations, 2.2 billion people around the world are living without access to safe water. This year, the focus is on groundwater – water we use for drinking, sanitation, food production, and industrial processes. Some areas in the world rely entirely on groundwater for their livelihoods. Safe water allows a mother to feed her child. To quench their thirst. It could mean the difference between life and death. To quench their thirst. It could mean the difference between life and…
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Cyclone Batsirai Carves Through Madagascar and Zambia
Sudden natural disaster claims lives and cues immediate response By Iqra Abid Hasan “We saw only desolation: uprooted trees, fallen electric poles, roofs torn off by the wind, the city completely under water.” – Survivor An island rocked Cyclone Batsirai has devastated Madagascar after barreling into the Eastern coastline of the island, bringing winds of up to 100 mph. So far, 20 people have been confirmed dead and 48,000 people have been displaced. However, the UN World Food Program estimates as many as 150,000 people may have lost their homes. The city of Mananjary, just north of where the cyclone hit land, has been left in ruins with electricity unavailable…
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Yemen in the Crosshairs
Airstrikes blanket communities and leave fatalities By Syrah Rahman The civil war that continues to devastate the people of Yemen has once more hit the headlines. Air raids in the cities of Hodaida and Sa’ada have killed over 70 people and left hundreds more wounded. This attack, the deadliest in the region in over two years, has left aid agencies horrified at the disregard for civilian lives and infrastructure in a crisis that has been dubbed the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. An escalation in the crisis A recent escalation in the conflict that has been going on for more than six years resulted in the strike on January 21. Amongst…
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MLK Now
Four passages that power IRUSA for a day “On” In cities across America, IRUSA Blueshirts have joined hands with neighbors, advocates, community servants, and partners who hold the timeless legacy of civil rights activist, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a part of the lifeblood of their mission. His commitment to championing the forgotten, honoring the oppressed is a reminder to those in power, that they spend every day entrusted to help others become self-determined. As the people we serve gather resources, food parcels, and many other essential items, we are reminded that Dr. King was constantly pushing every one of us to connect to a higher ideal, a higher…
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We’re #GivingTuesday to Refugees.
This #GivingTuesday we want refugees to have a safe winter Many of us saw the tears roll down the faces of Ethiopian mothers, sisters, aunts, and daughters while they exited their homes to escape certain persecution. The droves of people that left on foot with whatever they could grab deserve a fighting chance to survive and rebuild. Over 1.5 million Ethiopians We also saw in Afghanistan, a regime change so concerning to thousands of communities that men were willing to stand in front of planes that were evacuating refugees. For those who are still displaced within Afghanistan, they now face a winter notorious for its brutality. We think of these…
