Project Update

As salaamu alaikum!!

Currently we have $1,850.00 in donations alhamdulillah!

The chipin event has ended, but we'll continue to take donations as we look for suppliers to purchase the dates from. If anyone knows of a date supplier or someone who could offer dates at a discount rate please email us at barakahdatesproject@gmail.com

Babul Islam Masjid in Peru

Alhamdulillah, in 1 week our donation total jumped from $110 to $675 - Allahu Akbar!

Here is some interesting information about a masjid in Peru:

"Assalam o alikum

About our community and masjid, originally we are Pakistani. Majority of business here is in used cars from Japan. The community is 350 people, in our city (Tacna). Alhamdolillah we have built a full masjid. It is the 1st one in Tacna, Peru. Our masjid's name is Bab ul Islam, completed in 2008."

-Kalam"

In 1995 about 25 Pakistani Muslim businessmen arrived in Tacna. They built this masjid and helped this community to flourish through their da'wah mashaAllah.

A Call For Dates From Jamaica

As salaamu alaikum all! Right now our donation total is at $110. Sadly, this isn't even enough to send dates to even 1 country! I hope inshaAllah we can get the ball rolling faster with bringing in donations. We're actually starting to get emails from masaajid asking for dates and it'll break my heart to have to turn them away =/ Please remember to donate and urge your friends to donate as well. Our deadline is within a month so it's not a good idea to delay or put it off.

I thought it would be nice to get some more insight on some of the communities who are inshaAllah eligible to receive dates based on how many donations we collect.

Today's profile is on a masjid in Jamaica. The information and pictures are provided by the masjid's Amir.

"Assalaamualaikum sis

Thanks for your concern. I am the Amir and responsible person for the mosque in Three Miles River, Jamaica. The mosque was the first mosque built in Jamaica by my great grand father .. who came from India. The community is about 75 Muslims, mostly converts but only about 30 are active. In Ramadan attendance are between 15-40 for Taraweeh Salaat. I usually get a Hafiz from abroad to lead the Salaat because there are no Hafiz on the island.

We basically, don't have any direct supply of dates. If I travel close to Ramadan I would buy a few packets for the Jamaat.. otherwise we don't have dates. There are none available locally.

I will try to send a picture of the mosque for you. There is also another mosque of which I am the founder and Amir also. This one is AlHikmah located in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

Wasalaam

Br. Ahmad"

What Inspired This Project?

2 years ago I came across a video on YouTube of a brother in Colombia who was Muslim - he told the story of how he came to accept Islam and offered some insight on Islam in his small community in Colombia mashaAllah.

On a whim I tried contacting him and was successful alhamdulillah. After seeing in the video that the Masjid was in need of books for their library, a few friends and myself were able to raise around $600 with which we purchased books for the masjid's library, some hijabs, kufis, miswaak, and 2 boxes of dates.

The boxes contained probably only 2 or 3 dozen dates, but subhanAllah, it meant SO much to them. Upon receiving the parcel Brother Dawud emailed me saying:

"Alhamdulillah I just received the package yesterday, its very nice alhamdulillah. I havent seen dates for long long time I cried when I saw the two boxes of dates."

SubhanAllah, imagine how such a simple gift could mean so much! Our brothers and sisters only know of dates from reading ahadeeth and haven't had the pleasure of implementing any of those ahadeeth into their lives because they do not get dates… they haven't tasted dates… or even seen or felt them.

Dates are such an essential part of Ramadan. No one can deny the beautiful feeling we get while sitting down with a group of brothers/sisters to break fast with, while a plate of plump, soft dates are being passed around as everyone is pouring cups of water/milk/chai/rooh afza =D.


This project is so simple to contribute to and it'll show our brothers and sisters in newly developing communities that we care enough to reach out to them.These communities are made up of almost all reverts, mashaAllah. They are truly the ghurabaa' of their countries and we can only imagine how difficult it is for them to accept Islam and change their lifestyle over there. where in some cases more the 90% of the population is Catholic and Islamic is still even unheard of. On top of that, they live in the hottest area of the world and are now expected to fast and abstain from food all day - this is all such new stuff to them. Reaching out in this simple manner will surely bring a smile to their face and hopefully with that they will remember to make du'a for us as well!

A beautiful hadith I would like to quote is:

The Prophet (SAW) said: "Whoever gives someone something to break the fast with, he would have the same blessings as the fasting person and this would not reduce the blessings of the fasting person in any way" [Ahmad and Tirmidhi]

Just $20 - $40 is enough to buy 1 huge box of dates inshaAllah… this isn't much for even 1 person to contribute. But we need several boxes, our goal is to at least ship to 1 masjid in each country, bi idhnillah… but hopefully we can go beyond that =) What is straining in this project is the shipping fee for the dates because they are so heavy and need to be shipped in a timely manner to avoid spoilage, this is what really holds back these communities from even attempting to get the dates themselves.

Note that you can donate via the ChipIn feature on the site using a PayPal account or using your credit/debit card. If you'd like to mail a check or money order please contact us at barakahdatesproject@gmail.com for the mailing address

And don't forget to share the blog link with your friends, invite your friends to the group on facebook and email the info as well!

BaarakAllahu feekum!
-Umm Yusuf

What is 'Barakah Dates Project'?

Barakah Dates Project is a non-profit organization collecting donations to purchase and ship dates to South American and Caribbean countries for Ramadan 2010!

Why is this so important? These countries do not import dates, and on top of that, the majority of these communities are too poor to even afford dates. Imagine never tasting dates before?! Dates are an essential part of Ramadan, let's share them with our beloved brothers and sisters, inshaAllah! Don't wait for the blessed month to arrive to start your sadaqah!

The Prophet (SAW) said: "Whoever gives someone something to break the fast with, he would have the same blessings as the fasting person and this would not reduce the blessings of the fasting person in any way" [Ahmad and Tirmidhi]