I stopped by Fatih Mosque at 182 Rhodes Avenue in East End Toronto to pray my Dhuhr Prayers.

The time for the Asr Prayer was not that long after, so I stayed and would also pray Asr.

This is new… and a first as far as I can immediately recall.

Shoe Cabinets with closing doors and not simply the expected shoe shelves.

It sure does improve the welcomingness of the visual space in the Foyer of the Masjid.

Also improving the welcomingness will be freshly repainted bright white walls.

I found the Masjid and its prayer hall filled with a familiar smell of fresh paint.

Two Turkish brothers had been carefully repainting the walls with fresh coats of white.

So careful, that neither of them used a drop sheet on the carpeted floor of the Masjid.

I saw zero drops of paint anywhere where it shouldn’t be.

MashAllah.

This water faucet…

It feels like a stream of flowing water or fountain rather than a vertical tiny firehose of water as I did my wudu.

Can’t recall seeing this at any wudu station during my travels.

Maybe I did? I got to think back now….

Islamic Artwork and framed Qur’an passages which adorned the walls of the main prayer hall had been temporarily removed.

The walls looked bare in its dull eggshell colour.

Only with the contrast of the newly painted areas with the old, could I see the difference.

Luminescence is the word I am looking for.

These one-a-day tear-away Hijri calendars can be expected to be found in Turkish Masjids and Islamic Centres affiliated with the United Canadian Muslim Association.

Another UCMA Masjid is Metro Vancouver’s Eyüp Sultan Camii in Burnaby, British Columbia which I visited on Day 18 of Ramadan 2018.

I’ve seen these freely available at the start of new years in the past, yet I can’t immediately find any photographs of them appearing earlier on 30 Masjids.

Adhan Al Asr – Call to Afternoon Prayer

 

The Imam called the Adhan.

He asked me to call the Iqamah.

Iman then lead the four rakats (units) of Salat Al Asr / The Afternoon Prayer.

Taped on the back of the front door were posters with fundraising/donation information for recent earthquakes in Turkey and Northern Syria.

Fatih Mosque photographed two years ago on Sunday March 14 2021 :

Fatih Mosque first appeared on 30 Masjids in 30 Days of Ramadan during the first year of this blog,

Fatih Mosque – Day 7 of Ramadan 2011.

Alhumdulillah, that entry remains worthwhile reading.

182 Rhodes Avenue when it was Toronto’s Orange Lodge the 1960s…

Here’s what the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario (ACO) says about 182 Rhodes Avenue :

“This building was one of the first mosque opened by Muslims back in 1965’s.

It has a significant place in the lives of Muslim first comers to Canada.

This building is where Muslim community grew out and represents the history of Muslim organizations in Ontario.

The building at 182 Rhodes Avenue itself is protected historic building by the City of Toronto.

This building was originally used as the local lodge of the Orange Order, a Protestant, fraternal organization with a long history of opposition to Roman Catholicism in Toronto until Muslims bought the property in late 1965’s.

Orange Hall was officially converted into a Mosque for Muslims of all ethnic backgrounds.

And became one of the two first mosque opened in Toronto.

In 1993 after it was put out for sale, United Canadian Muslim Association bought this property with Mosque street number 182 Rhodes Avenue and Imam’s Residence 184 Rhodes Avenue.

Extensive rennovations were done on both buildings.”

I had only intended to stop here to complete my prayers and continue with my day,

Yet finding Fatih Mosque being Freshly Repainted ahead of Ramadan 2023 / Ramadan 1444,

I’m considering this then to be the beginning of my 30 Masjids in 30 Days of Ramadan 2023.

Bismillah . . .

 

Imam Abu Noman Tarek, of the Brantford Mosque and Muslim Association of Brantford, was visiting Khateeb today for one of the two scheduled Jumah Khutbahs at Sayeda Khadija Centre in Mississauga.

Imam Abu Noman Tarek provided useful and important reminders about Mental Health and how Islam has provided tools and guidance in maintaining our overall Mental Health.

I attended the Khutbah in person and found it so important that I wanted to remind myself of it every so often, InshAllah, so I’m blogging the livestream here.

InshAllah, you may find it useful too…

Adhan / Call to Prayer

Salat Al Jumah / Friday Congregational Prayer

inside Sayeda Khadija Centre

Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

Less than 90 Days until Ramadan.

1st Day of Fasting of Ramadan 1444 is expected on Thursday March 23 2023.

Islamic “Days” begin after sunset the night before,

So Ramadan would begin after Sunset on Wednesday March 22 2023

“This year’s theme

“Inclusive Leadership”

Is focused on the importance of having persons with disabilities at the forefront of policy and decision-making.

Building from last year’s theme,

“Nothing about us, without us”,

It is important that people with disabilities believe in their potential as leaders,

And as a society,

We need to ensure that leadership opportunities exist for them too.”

[gview file=”http://30Masjids.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/3rd-Annual-Global-Conference-on-Disability-and-Islam-Saturday-August-20-2022.pdf” title=”3nd Annual Global Conference of Disability and Islam – August 20 2022 – Program Booklet”]

 

 

 

 

Alhumdulillah,

Just in time for Hijri 1444 Islamic New Year…

Sayeda Khadija Centre in Mississauga gets a J̶u̶m̶b̶o̶ JumahTron™ !

That’s what I’m naming it.

And why not?

It’s self-explanatory,

Alhumdulillah.

Also today,

The Kaaba in Makkah was adorned with its new Kiswah.

That changing of the Kiswah usually happens on the Day of Arafat,

However, on this last day of Islamic Hijri Year 1443, it happened today.

Earlier,

Dr. Hamid Slimi, Imam at Sayeda Khadija Centre, who is currently travelling,

Shared his Islamic Hijri 1444 New Year greeting . . .

 

Lastly,

Happy Islamic Hijri New Year Greetings from me too!

Your Brother in Islam,

HïMY SYeD.

 

Bismillah . . .

Twitter Thread for now,

With maybe an exdanded-ish blog story version to come, InshAllah.

Eid Al Adha Mubarak Everyone !

HïMY SYeD / 30 Masjids

“On June 6th, 2021,

A Muslim family was killed in the deadliest mass murder in London history.

Embers in The Forest sheds light on the realities of Islamophobia,

the path to healing and resiliency.

Produced by https://www.instagram.com/virtuetwentyfive/

Special thanks to

  • Al-Ghazali Center,
  • London Muslim Mosque,
  • Naseeha Mental Health,
  • Huda Sallaam,
  • Eaman Fahmy and
  • London School of Racialized Leaders.”

[gview file=”http://30Masjids.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/COMMUNIQUE-DE-PRESSE-2022-05-27-VF.pdf” title=”COMMUNIQUÉ DE PRESSE – Décision de la Cour suprême du Canada – Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec”]

COMMUNIQUÉ DE PRESSE

Québec, le 27 mai 2022 – Le Centre culturel islamique de Québec (CCIQ) prend acte de la décision rendue ce jour par la Cour suprême du Canada (CSC) concernant la peine du tueur de la Grande Mosquée de Québec.

Le 29 janvier 2017, ce dernier a froidement tué six (6) membres de notre communauté, a blessé cinq (5) personnes – dont l’une est paraplégique depuis – et a tenté de tuer trente-cinq (35) autres personnes, incluant quatre (4) enfants.

La CSC conclut que l’article 745.51 du Code criminel est invalide et inopérant et ordonne à l’accusé une période d’inadmissibilité à la libération conditionnelle de 25 années.

À notre avis, cette décision ne prend pas en considération, à leur juste valeur, l’atrocité et le fléau des meurtres multiples, ainsi que l’aspect haineux, islamophobe et raciste du crime.

Bien que nous accueillions avec déception cette décision de la plus haute instance judiciaire du pays, celle-ci nous permet de clore ce chapitre judiciaire et nous souhaitons désormais nous concentrer sur l’avenir.

Par ailleurs, nous tenons à remercier les procureurs du Directeur des poursuites criminelles et pénales, ainsi que tous les organismes et avocats de la pratique privée qui nous ont accompagnés de façon pro bono durant les cinq dernières années.

Votre travail, vos explications et votre support ont été fortement appréciés.

Nous remercions également nos concitoyens et concitoyennes pour leur aimable compréhension et compassion.

-30-

Pour plus d’informations : Boufeldja Benabdallah

Porte-parole du CCIQ

Courriel : info@cciq.org

Day 2 of Halal Expo Canada 2022 is also a Friday.

Friday Jumah Prayers being held on-site at any Muslim related event is something expected and today at the Halal Expo it was something delivered.

The prayer area itself has been available and open since the beginning of the Halal Expo on Thursday morning.

It was a simple designated prayer space using trade show booth curtaining as makeshift walls of a Musallah.

The prayer space inside the curtains had broadloom carpet.

A table at the front had a number of Qur’ans which I understood were free to take.

The translations of those were The Clear Qur’an translated by Dr. Mustafa Khattab, who happened to be the Khateeb and Imam for today’s Short Qhutbah.

A regular show room chair seen throughout the Halal Expo floor was used as today’s Mimbar.

Adhan Al Jumah, The Call to Friday Prayer.

Curiously, this Adhan was the first Adhan of the day.

I expected the first Call to Friday Prayer to be made from the main stage while being loudspeakered throughout the Expo Hall, and was privately surprised when it was not.

Whenever I attend large convention size Muslim events, the Call to Prayer is something heard using the Public Address system, echoing through the cavernous halls.

I am thinking of ISNA Conventions, or MAC National events, even smaller conferences.

Reflecting on this small detail occupied the back of my mind for the rest of Friday.

It’s not a big deal.

This was a Halal Industry Business-to-Business trade show with many non-Muslims in attendance and participating in their booths.

And whoever was an observant Muslim present at the time of Jumah would find their own way to the Prayer Space.

No one needed a Call to Prayer over the public address system.

As 30 Masjids is a blog primarily about visiting Masjids during Ramadan, this observation about today’s Adhan belongs here and is being noted.

But again, it’s not a big deal.

As advertised, today’s Jumah Qhutbah at Halal Expo Canada was Short.

However the lessons of today’s Qbutbah will stay with us for a long time.

Dr. Khattab is an Imam who promotes the advantages of using stories to explain Islamic lessons and concepts, and today he did so using a number of very short stories.

The first story was about a person who hung around the masjid all the time, but wasn’t materially producing anything.

The Imam of that masjid sees the brother and tells him to go outside and look at a bird’s nest, observe the helplessness of the baby bird and how its mother would go out and bring back food to feed it baby.

The brother returns to the masjid and returns to hanging around doing nothing.

The Imam asks him why he came back ?

The brother answers that he saw the baby bird being fed by its mother, so he figured he’d return to the masjid and other people would take care of him, take care of feeding him, etc., inside the masjid.

The Imam says, “You idiot!”

The lesson was not to remain the dependant baby bird, but to learn from the example of the mother bird going out and seeking its Rizq, its Divinely guaranteed sustenance, and then bring it back to the nest.

What belongs to us cannot miss us, but we have to make the effort, to work towards getting it, before it reaches us.

Dr. Khattab also reminded us of the names of well-known Companions of The Prophet ( pbuh ), who by today’s measure would be considered millionaire businesspeople.

He nullified this widely popular yet incorrect assumption that in Islam somehow poverty is associated with Piety. It is not.

The concluding story was about a thief who stole a sadle and was selling it for the same amount of money that he could have earned by simply acting as a security guard around the horses by the owner of the horses.

Takeaway lesson and reminder for today was that whatever is written for us, our Rizq, is going to reach us, so why not ensure it reaches us in a Halal or lawful way?

Why take short cuts by cheating or stealing our way to what is destined for us anyway ? What’s the point ?

 

Did I mention the Qhutbah was going to be short ?

Before we knew it, it was time to stand up and pray.

Jumah being our Weekly Congregational Prayer on Friday, the number of worshippers in attendance at Halal Expo Canada needed some overflow prayer space using carpet beyond the designated curtained prayer area.

No surprise there.

The Imam wasn’t using a public address mic, so the Muezzin loudly repeated each Allahu Akbar for all to hear and to follow each step of the Prayer.

Been a while since I experienced Prayer in a large gathering without the Imam using a mic. Maybe since before the pandemic?

I didn’t get a look at the Women’s side of the prayer area, but earlier, from a distance when it was empty, I believe I recognized Large Rugs with traditional Muslim designs, Persian or Afghan Rugs, being used to define the Sisters’ prayer area.

 

One of those rugs apparently was used to expand the brother’s prayer area, but it wasn’t enough.

Earlier, on the morning of Day 1,

As I was walking to the entrance of Hall 4 at The International Centre,

I could easily see the dome and twin minarets of the Malton Islamic Centre which I recently visited on Night 20 of Ramadan 2022, just on the other side of the GO Transit / Metrolinx train tracks.

The Qhutbah at the Malton Islamic Centre was no doubt longer than today’s Qhutbah at Halal Expo Canada 2022.

 

What will also be longer, is all the time I need to properly blog my thoughts and experience of this second Halal Expo Canada.

InshAllah, I will do that after Day 3.

The Expo is still open to the public on Saturday May 14 2022, I think the admission is $10.00 per adult person, but maybe this Promo Code :

  • HEC100

still works when you click “Register to Attend” on the front page, and you can still get a complimentary, Free, admission to the Halal Expo.

 

If you do attend and spot me in person on Day 3, do introduce yourself and say Salam.

It’s nice being able to meet followers of 30 Masjids in 30 Days of Ramadan in person again after these past years of the pandemic.

I’m attending the Second Halal Expo Canada being held at The International Centre by Pearson Airport in Mississauga, Ontario.

It’s the first and only, and thereby largest, Business-to-Business Trade Exposition focused solely on all aspects of Halal and what Halal means in North America.

 

CONFERENCE SESSIONS

  • 10:40 am – 11:15 am | Session 1. State of the Halal Industry
    KEYNOTE: Sh. Omar Subedar – HMA Canada

    • 10:55 am – 11:15 am | Panel Discussion with Sh. Omar Subedar – HMA Canada and Siti Sofia Ramli – Medic Pets (M) SDN BHD.
  • 11:15 am – 11:30 am | Session 2. Official Launch of CHART (Centre for Halal Accreditation Research and Training)
    Keynote Speakers: Dr. Hamid Slimi and Rehan Saeed.
  • 11:30 am – 12:00 pm  Session 3. Islamic Finance            KEYNOTE: Rehan Saeed
    • 11:45 pm – 12:00 pm | Panel Discussion
      Panelists: Riad Rahamut – Zero Mortgage, Sh Habeeb Alli – Zero Mortgage
      Moderator: Rehan Saeed – CHART
  • 1:00 pm – 1:15 pm | Session 4. The Potential of the Halal Industry in the Canadian Economy
    KEYNOTE: Maruf Yusuf – Halal.Ad
  • 1:30 pm – 2:15 pm | Session 5ATourism and Culture in the Halal Industry
    KEYNOTE: Dyah Lestari Asmarani – Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in Toronto

    • Session 5B. Halal Tourism in Turkey (10 minutes)
      KEYNOTE: Dr. Selçuk Erincik – Turkey Culture and Tourism Office
    • 1:45 pm – 2:15 pm | Panel Discussion
      Panelists: Dyah Lestari Asmarani – Consul General of the Republic of Toronto, Dr. Selçuk Erincik – Turkey Culture and Tourism Office,
      Moderator: Jim Tarlton – MCBC.
  • 5:00 pm – 5:20 pm | Opening Ceremony

Took this photo during the day’s final panel discussion.

Panelists:

Dyah Lestari Asmarani – Consul General of the Republic of Toronto,

Dr. Selçuk Erincik – Turkey Culture and Tourism Office,

Moderator: Jim Tarlton – MCBC.

Fascinating to learn the different approaches to Halal Tourism each country is taking post-pandemic.

If there was a moment where I felt the same as I did in 1992, standing in the middle of the second Computers and Information Technology in the Service of Islamic Conference, inside the hotel in San Jose, Northern California, it was this sitting in the audience listening to this panel.

In 1992, at that conference in Silicon Valley, surrounded by Muslim Start-ups, Muslim Nerds, Muslim Software & Hardware Engineers, my business life changed as I asked for the Canadian rights to sell The Alim from ISL Software.

I imagine other attendees had their own moments where new ideas and new opportunities suddenly dawned on them during Day 1.

InshAllah, I will write more once Day 2 wraps up.

Here are a few tweets and images from Day 1 of Halal Expo Canada 2022 :

 

It is time for the Asr Prayer on the day of Eid Al-Fitr 1443, Monday May 2 2022.

I am standing in front of The IMO.

The International Muslims Organization of Toronto at 65 Rexdale Blvd in Etobicoke North.

I am standing inches from the spot where Brother Mohamed Aslin-Zafis was sitting on the evening on September 12 2020.

[ I am finding it hard to finish typing this blog post, so I will stop, step away, do something else today, and return to finish it… May Allah SWT forgive me for not finishing this blog post in a timely manner. ]

 

Eid Mubarak !

We decided to attend the 2nd Eid Al Fitr Prayer at Sayeda Khadija Centre this morning.

I have a good number of photographs to edit and post, and videos too!

But I want to enjoy my Eid day first,

So I’m embedding the following tweets and instagrams for now.

InshAllah I tweet a thread with my videos from the 2nd Eid al Fitr Salat at Sayeda Khadija Centre,

and then either embed those tweets or include those videos directly into this post.

Again from me,

HïMY,

Eid Mubarak Everybody !

After praying Maghrib,

I quickly headed out to the Queen Street overpass above Highway 410 in Brampton.

This vantage point offers unobstructed views of the horizon where the new moon may be expected.

But not tonight.

We have clouds above the entire Toronto Metropolitan Area

On this 31st Night of 30 Masjids in 30 Days of Ramadan 2022.

So this is a Negative Moonsighting Report from Brampton, Ontario on Sunday May 1 2022.

We are completing a full 30 Days of Ramadan 2022,

And by “We” I mean pretty much everybody ahead of tomorrow morning’s Eid Al Fitr !

Eid Mubarak Everyone !!

HïMY SYeD