Colour Me Salah has a booth at the Eid Souk happening this weekend, Saturday April 15 & Sunday April 16 2023, inside Square One Shopping Centre.

Let’s listen as Sister Sharika shares a little bit about Colour Me Salah…

They are children sized prayer mats, with black outline designs on white.

Children then use Acrylic Paint Markers to paint or fill in the design.

What the children are doing is manifold.

They are colouring, so that’s fun.

By colouring in the design of their prayer, they become Muslim Makers, and end up with a sense of ownership in the Prayer Mat, now with vibrant colours.

Salah, Prayer, is one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

Colour Me Salah is an excellent way for Muslim Kids to exercise Self-Agency, first by making their own prayer mats, then by praying on them throughout their childhood.

It comes with a drawstring carrying bag, so taking care of their prayer mat helps introduce the concept of Responsibility too.

Two designs are available, one is a rocket, the other is a balloon theme.

So what might Colour Me Salah have to do with Masjids?

Both Prayer Mats designs choices includes a Masjid which the children would be colouring in.

For Parents who take their kids to Taraweeh Prayers,

Colour Me Salah gives the children something to keep themselves occupied with allowing their parents to focus on their Rakats.

If you can’t make it the Eid Souk at Square One during this final weekend of Ramadan 2023,

Colour Me Salah prayer mats are available online and can be found on social.

Eid Souk happening this weekend, Saturday April 15 & Sunday April 16 2023, inside Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga, Ontario.

Tilawati Canada specializes in Coloured Qur’ans.


 
Sister Zeenah providing some colour about the Colourful Qur’ans.

Side by side by side by side on the same page:

  • English Translation of the Holy Qur’an
  • Trans-literation in Latin Script
  • The Qur’an in its original form in the Arabic language

These Rainbow Qur’ans are worthwhile to see in person if you can make it to Square One this Final Weekend of Ramadan.

This a Large Print Qur’an.

It is what you might see in front of the Prayer Leader, as they read and recite verses of The Qur’an during Taraweeh Prayer.

Small pocket size Colour Qur’ans, about two inches by three inches.

Each Juz, or 30th Part of the Qur’an, has its own colour along the edge of the pages.

This makes it easier to return to the page you were reading and it’s also something appealing to Muslim Children as they learn to read Qur’an.

Also appeals to Grown-Up Muslims who already know how to read Qur’an…

Alhumdulillah, Hamza Masjid, the Parkdale Islamic Education Centre (PIEC), can still be found at 1287 Queen Street West in West End Toronto.

My brother Amir needed to be in Parkdale this morning, so I took the opportunity to join him and make a 30Masjids’ stop at Hamza Masjid.

With so much time before the midday Dhuhr Prayer, it was still too early for the masjid to be open.

Nevertheless, I tried the door, maybe someone was inside doing Itikaaf, and the Masjid might yet be open?

SubhanAllah, the storefront door of the Masjid was locked at the top of this noon hour visit.

So no visit inside The Parkdale Islamic Education Centre on this, Day 24 of Ramadan 2023.

From outside then, a brief look back and an update with a photo taken from the outside…

Hamza Masjid first appeared on 30Masjids on Day 2 of Ramadan 2011 (!).

That story was one of the very first blog entries here.

Could I have imagined in Ramadan 2011, I would still be blogging about visiting 30 Masjids in 30 Days of Ramadan 13 Ramadans later in 2023?

AllahuAlam.

During my first visit in 2011, this storefront masjid was renting the main floor plus basement.

My second 30 Masjids visit was four years later,

On Day 13 of Ramadan 2015, I broke my fast inside Hamza Masjid.

That was the end of June 2015.

During Ramadan 2015, it was still a rented storefront masjid.

The process to buy the existing property was a long one.

Decision to buy the building instead of continuing to rent was made in May of 2005.

Ten years worth of fundraising later,

Shortly after Ramadan 2015, on July 31 2015, 1287 Queen Street West was fully purchased for $1.2 Million.

Donations mostly raised from low-income Muslim families and new Immigrants to Canada who settled in Parkdale, made that million dollar purchase possible.

Hamza Masjid became debt free, now operating as a Trust, an Islamic Waqf.

Today in 2023, you can’t even buy a small house in most areas of Toronto for $1.2 Million, let alone in now desirable Parkdale.

An adjacent store front would allow for more prayer space, proper prayer hall for sisters, and services found and expected for a growing congregation.

Because of the important and urgent need for more space,

Fundraising continues:

Hamza Masjid, Parkdale Islamic Education Centre, is an important institution in the History of Muslims in Toronto.

1287 Queen Street West was rented in 1999 by Sheikh Issa, who converted the retail store front into a Musallah, becoming Parkdale’s first dedicated Muslim Prayer Space.

Sheikh Issa was a quiet humble man, originally from Uganda.

An immigrant who found roundtrip walks to Jami Mosque, Parkdale’s then nearest masjid, too far to make for all five daily prayers, and did something about it.

That storefront Sheikh Issa had rented is now owned by the Parkdale’s Muslim Community.

It remains a Sadiqah Jariyah for Sheikh Issa.

Not unlike Sheikh Issa in the 1990s, many Immigrant Muslims make Parkdale their home neighbourhood today.

There are now about 1,000 Muslim Families who make Hamza Masjid their home Masjid.

As in Ramadan 2011, Hamza Masjid continues to provide free daily Iftar during the Holy Month in Ramadan 2023.

I was here last year here on Day 20 of Ramadan 2022 to pray my Dhuhr.

InshAllah, I hope to pray or Iftar here again.

​Links mentioned during today’s Resilient Hour :

“Annual reminder that Zakat is not “charity” but a Wealth-Tax that must be paid (even by children) Lunar-Annually if a certain threshhold is met (Nisab).

It is a “Return of Wealth” to the Community.

Other conditions apply.

There are many simple online Zakat calculators.

As is the case with any act of worship,

intention in paying Zakat matters,

but that does not mean we can neglect the rules.

Of course,

there are different, valid interpretations of the rules,

so don’t get bogged down in debates,

but commit to continued learning over time.

Remember you can give directly to individual Muslims who don’t have enough for rent or groceries,

or to pay debts,

including tuition payments.

You can make a big impact with a relatively small transfer of wealth to an individual.

Ask a scholar if you are unsure who is eligible 🌙

Zakat does not have to be paid in Ramadan,

but it has become customary for many because it is an easy way to ensure you pay in a timely manner (Lunar Annually) and because Ramadan is a time of added blessings 🌙

While Zakat is obligatory and its collection & distribution is regulated by the Sacred Law,

charity is mostly unrestricted as long as what you are giving is good & for a good reason.

Giving charity is liberating as it loosens the grip of a scarcity-minset on the giver 🌙

Giving charity has many, many unseen blessings.

And in Ramadan even more.

Give generously to one or more of the many wonderful charitable organizations helping to uplift our communities 🌙”

— By Dr. Ingrid Mattson





CTV News Kitchener, Wednesday April 12 2023

“We were driving down and then suddenly you hear,

just a honking at us,

and there’s a car speeding right towards us,

“So we stop the car and I’m thinking okay maybe the trunk is open,

or the gas cap is loose,

“We roll down the window,

he rolls down his,

then we just see him pull out his phone and point it at us and we’re like,

okay that’s weird.

“And then suddenly,

in the other hand,

he pulls up a gun and points it at us.

“He had his gun prepared it wasn’t in a glove compartment or anything like that.

“He was videotaping us – so he seemed prepared to be doing something.”

“Be wary of everybody and please be careful of people pulling you over or anything like that.”

Muslim Sister in Kitchener, Ontario

MAC Kitchener Masjid, on Victoria Street North.

After Sunrise on the morning of the 21st Day of Ramadan 2023,

I went outside to look at Sun and Sky in search of conditions confirming last night was Laylatul Qadr.

Photograph, video clips, and audio recording of what I found.

Ibn Abbas reported:

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him,

said regarding the Night of Decree,

“It is a calm night,

neither hot nor cold,

and the sun rises upon its day red and faint.”

Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Khuzaymah 2192

Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Al-Albani

عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ لَيْلَةٌ طَلْقَةٌ لا حَارَّةٌ وَلا بَارِدَةٌ تُصْبِحُ الشَّمْسُ يَوْمَهَا حَمْرَاءَ ضَعِيفَةً

2192 صحيح ابن خزيمة كتاب الصيام

5475 المحدث الألباني خلاصة حكم المحدث صحيح في صحيح الجامع





This audio recording began as a Video.

Like the Sky it was recording, file size of the HD Video was big.

Too big to upload properly.

I extracted the audio and that’s what you can listen to above.

Couple of screencaptures to accompany the audio…

I’m an official member of the Worldwide Moonsighting Committee, at Moonsighting.com, representing Canada.

If anyone else, because it’s not going to be me, puts in the effort to create an official “Laylatul Qadr Confirmation” Committee, you now have your first member.

After looking up at Sun and Sky early this 21st Morning of Ramadan 2023,

I still don’t know for sure if last night, the first of the five possibilities for Laylatul Qadr, was Laylatul Qadr.

I feel it was.

Conditions this morning still leave me guessing.

Four more chances to go…

Night 21 of Ramadan 1444/2023 ended with Adhan Al Fajr, The Call to Prayer at Dawn, signalling the start of Day 21.

We usually dial through the local Toronto Area Muslim IPTV Channels during Sahoor/Sehri, the pre-dawn meal time, before the start time of each day’s fast.

This morning Dawn/Fajr in and around the Toronto Metropolitan Area was early as 5:16 a.m. or as late as 5:19 a.m., depending how east or west you were.

Each day’s fast has begun by cycling through those local Muslim IPTV Sahoor shows until settling on a random channel with a pre-recorded Adhan Al Fajr being Broadcast/Livestreamed.

We then pray Fajr at home.

Also randomly, I might still watch IPTV for a little while after Fajr, allowing time for my Sahoor to digest.

Back on Day 12, I was watching CBC Metro Morning.

Like on Day 12, this morning, Day 21, I photographed my Television Screen rather than scramble in a rush to screencapture the Livestreams from Makkah & Madinah on my Raspberry Pi 400.

CanadaONE ReStreams the Fajr Prayer recorded from Makkah at Makkah Local Time, to coincide with Fajr Time according to Toronto Local Time.

In the VHS Days, we’d call this Live Tape Delay.

Akin to U.S. Network TV Late Night variety shows recording their weekday show live in the afternoon/evenings for broadcast after the late local news.

In the bottom right Corner you can see 5:07 [a.m.].

But Fajr in Toronto didn’t begin until after 5:07 a.m. this morning.

What gives!?

Via IslamicFinder.org

Here in my Daylight Saving Time observant home Province of Ontario, CanadaONE’s Fajr in Makkah Live Tape Delay is not exactly livestreamed 7 hours later, because Dawn/Fajr in Makkah was at 4:46 a.m. earlier this morning, Day 21 of Ramadan 1444/ Wednesday April 12 2023.

Also, the scheduled Congregational Fajr Prayer Time in Makkah isn’t exactly 4:46:01 a.m. to the second, as per common sense.

People in The Sacred Masjid are still eating their final bites of Sahoor at 4:45:59 a.m., you get the idea.

CanadaONE ends their ReStream from Makkah once Fajr is completed, sometimes followed by Toronto area Ethnic/Muslim-ish TV Commercials.

Switching to one of the numerous duplicate IPTV Channels ReStreaming the actual Live Livestream from Makkah, we find Salat Al Dhuhr, the Midday Prayer, has already been performed in The Sacred Masjid.

Sometimes the Official Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Makkah Livestream show scenes from the City of Makkah or the Mountains and Valleys around it.

Dialling up the Official KSA Madinah IPTV Livestreaming channel(s) and found Salat Al Dhuhr was still being prayed…

“Allahu Akbar . . .

. . . Allahu Akbar . . .

. . . Allahu Akbar.”

Menu screen, listing Muslim-ish IPTV Channels in the order they were favo(u)rited.

Earlier,

Having returned home after praying Isha + 8 Rakats of Taraweeh at Noon Academy’s Masjid,

I often dial up eAWAZ IPTV.

To borrow a useful word from legacy Broadcast Television lingo,

eAWAZ, or simply AWAZ, Simulcasts Shaykh Faisal’s nightly reminders being Livestreamed between Rakats 6 and 7 at the Islamic Forum of Canada.

My brother Amir & I heard Shaykh Faisal’s reminder in person last Ramadan 2022 on Night 12.

Tonight, AWAZ has a red bar with text announcing this is the 10th Night of Ramadan…

However, I confirmed what I was watching on TV was indeed Shaykh Faisal speaking live and being Simulcast correctly tonight, Night 21 of Ramadan 2023.

Typo. Not a big deal.

What IS a Big Deal is the technical set up inside Islamic Forum of Canada.

Here’s my photograph from Night 12 last year :

I only caught Shaykh Faisal’s mid-Taraweeh-break speech as he was wrapping it up for tonight.

So I selected MeemTV.

While Shaykh Faisal is set up to supply programming for IPTV Channels,

MeemTV IS an IPTV Channel AND a Masjid in one.

Masjid-E-Aqsa in Brampton broadcasts, sorry, Livestreams original programming for their original IPTV Channel.

They pray 20 Rakats of Taraweeh, and they are still praying as I watch at 10:38 p.m. on Night 21, a possible Laylatul Qadr.

Other than Taraweeh Prayers, what else does MeemTV air?

Lectures.

Adhans being called more or less according to Brampton Local Time, a minute or two later than Toronto.

It’s an example of what Brother Taha Ghayyur described during his talk at the 9th Annual Fiqh Conference on Day 10.

Muslims don’t want a Muslim TV Channel only rerunning Lectures from youtube playlists ( my words and my understanding of the case brother Taha was making ).

They want Halal Entertainment options.

During Sahoor and before Iftar, many IPTV shows have Ramadan related programming, with most importantly a countdown timer of how much time you have left for eating or when you can break fast.

Sometimes you simply want to turn on the TV, without thinking too much about it, because you want to watch something Islamic or Muslim-ish.

Both Islamic Forum of Canada and Masjid-E-Aqsa/MeemTV on this Night 21 were exactly that.

Both Islamic Forum of Canada and MeemTV are based in Brampton, Ontario.

Perhaps the Search for Halal Entertainment Options begins in Brampton?

Umm… until I switched to watching IIT’s Live Taraweeh Livestream and heard Night 21’s reminder from IIT Resident Imam, Shaikh Musleh Khan.

The Islamic Institute of Toronto is in Scarborough.

Perhaps the Search for Halal Television Options begins in Brampton and continues in Scarborough…?

The Islamic Foundation of Toronto is in Scarborough.

IFT is on AWAZ TV everyday between 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Tahajjud at Sayeda Khadija Centre in Mississauga on Night 21 of Ramadan 1444.


A 13 minute reminder was delivered after the first hour, after the first half of this morning’s Tahajjud Prayers on Night 21 of Ramadan 2023.

This morning’s Tahajjud Reminder began with the following being said a few seconds into it,

“…And, as The Race comes to An End…”

For the second time tonight during this Night 21 Laylatul Qadr possibility,

I hear mention of “The Race” and its end being The Last Ten Nights of Ramadan.

First mentioned earlier by Shaykh Waleed Almakee at Noon Academy Masjid after Isha and before my Eight Rakats of Taraweeh,

And now again from home,

while watching Sayeda Khadija Centre’s Livestream of their Tahajjud Prayer.

SubhanAllah.

Ramadan’s Race for 1444/2023 has eight/nine more nights to go,

With four more chances to search for, and to find Laylatul Qadr…

InshAllah,

Ameen.

Reflection from the Qur’an (21 Taraweeh) by Imam Omar Subedar.

Livestream after Taraweeh Prayer on Night 21 of Ramadan 2023,

At Bramalea Islamic Cultural Centre (BICC), 25 Kings Cross Road, Brampton.

Important reminder by IIT Resident Scholar Shaikh Musleh Khan during Taraweeh Prayers at Islamic Institute of Toronto on Night 21 of Ramadan 2023


Shaikh Musleh Khan reminds us that searching for Laylatul Qadr, The Night of Destiny, during the Last Ten Nights of Ramadan, begins right away after the time of Maghrib.

Don’t fall into the habit of beginning your search after Iftar or later during Isha or Taraweeh.

Maghrib and Iftar time, it’s not only a time to break fast.

It’s the time to begin your search!

Short Duas are short in words yet Grand in The Scales in The Sight of Allah (SWT).