I had to turn the PC off today and stay away from it. I actually did some housework this afternoon and then made a conscious decision to watch TV all evening (Law and Order back-to-back marathon on TNT). I've been obsessing over the store too much, endlessly tweaking the web site (yes, still) and the information sheet and trying to design the newsletter (any graphic-minded people out there willing to help out?), and then I start worrying worrying worrying about money and fundraising and then I get depressed because after the IRS cashes our check for the 1023 fee we'll have $180 in the bank, and then I start wondering why only one (yes, one) of my friends has made a donation, and then I feel obnoxious for continuously blogging about raising funds, but then I realize that there is no way for LOI to function without donations. I still haven't lost faith in the project's worth. Just obsessing over money - $180 to raise $125K...ain't gonna happen. Insha Allah we'll find a way. I'm meeting with Melissa on Sunday and we're going to devise a fundraising plan. I'm going prepared this time.
OK, folks, while Melissa and I are planning and plotting and figuring things out, I'd still be grateful if you could donate $50, or $25, or $20. The minutes on the LOI phone are going to run out soon, I need to get a PO box, hire an accountant, and as we start some more serious fundraising we'll need more money for that. You can make a donation through Paypal on the LOI website at http://www.light-of-islam.org/ (bear in mind you don't need a Paypal account to do so).
Anyways...ironically enough this post was supposed to be about me getting burned out thinking about LOI, and as soon as I start writing about it I start worrying again. I have to find a way to chill out, focus my energy and structure my time. OK, no posts till after Melissa and I meet on Sunday.
*****
Light of Islam is a nonprofit bookstore whose mission is to provide the Houston-area community with accurate and accessible information about Islam and Muslims. Find out more at http://www.light-of-islam.org/.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Glass half full
I've been amazed at how much negativity I've gotten from a variety of people about creating the bookstore. You can't do this, that won't work, this is too difficult, etc., etc.
I've blogged before about how this project is different from anything I've done before, and how my attitude is different. By nature I'm pessimistic, but with LOI I really feel that with God's help it's impossible not to succeed. I hope I can get people to share my vision, especially my board and community members. Yes, there are obstacles to raising funds with something that seems to be a retail project, and yes there are obstacles to raising funds without tax exempt status, but obstacles can be overcome. I didn't realize until Melissa and I sat down exactly how much start-up money I was going to need and therefore how far back we would have to push the opening, but I'm willing to forge ahead because this is, after all, a dream. I've swallowed my disappointment. Alhamdulillah it's not all bad. It's all good. I want to meet with my board in a few weeks and do some real brainstorming - throwing ideas out there, no matter how outlandish, and then working from there to form a plan. I hope they will see the glass half full, too.
*****
Light of Islam is a nonprofit bookstore whose mission is to provide the Houston-area community with accurate and accessible information about Islam and Muslims. Find out more at www.light-of-islam.org.
I've blogged before about how this project is different from anything I've done before, and how my attitude is different. By nature I'm pessimistic, but with LOI I really feel that with God's help it's impossible not to succeed. I hope I can get people to share my vision, especially my board and community members. Yes, there are obstacles to raising funds with something that seems to be a retail project, and yes there are obstacles to raising funds without tax exempt status, but obstacles can be overcome. I didn't realize until Melissa and I sat down exactly how much start-up money I was going to need and therefore how far back we would have to push the opening, but I'm willing to forge ahead because this is, after all, a dream. I've swallowed my disappointment. Alhamdulillah it's not all bad. It's all good. I want to meet with my board in a few weeks and do some real brainstorming - throwing ideas out there, no matter how outlandish, and then working from there to form a plan. I hope they will see the glass half full, too.
*****
Light of Islam is a nonprofit bookstore whose mission is to provide the Houston-area community with accurate and accessible information about Islam and Muslims. Find out more at www.light-of-islam.org.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Turning on that light!
BTW, I am still urging readers to "Turn on the Light of Islam!" Of the four things I planned to do when I brainstormed Turn on the Light, I've done one - I determined the status of pre-501c3 donations as far as tax deductions - and learned that they will be tax deductible retroactively when I get my tax exempt status.
UPDATE 3/26/07: I was advised by a reader that he spent five minutes searching the site to see how he could donate - so there is now a donation button on every page. If you went to the site and gave up, please go back and try again - thanks!
As for the other tasks I assigned myself, I'm still doing this planning, planning, planning that the more rational people working with me (Melissa and my husband) keep insisting I do, and the bigger fundraising plans will come out of that. I should have the newsletter done soon, too.
And thanks to my sister for urging readers to turn that light on!
UPDATE 3/26/07: I was advised by a reader that he spent five minutes searching the site to see how he could donate - so there is now a donation button on every page. If you went to the site and gave up, please go back and try again - thanks!
As for the other tasks I assigned myself, I'm still doing this planning, planning, planning that the more rational people working with me (Melissa and my husband) keep insisting I do, and the bigger fundraising plans will come out of that. I should have the newsletter done soon, too.
And thanks to my sister for urging readers to turn that light on!
Islam 101 has another success
At yesterday's Islam 101 class we had three students, all of whom became Muslim within the last year. One of them has worked really hard to memorize the components of formal prayer as well as some surahs. The other two, a brother and a sister, didn't know the fatiha. One knew Bismillah ir-rahman ir-raheem but nothing more.
Yesterday they memorized the fatiha and its English meaning. Alhamdulillah!
These are the people we risk failing. I don't disregard the Muslims who are working hard to educate, and may they be rewarded, but it's simply not easy to find a place to learn these fundamentals. I'm not blowing my own horn - Light of Islam is responding to a great need in this city. These Islam 101 students have gone for months after their reversion without learning how to pray, even though prayer is the foundation of Islamic practice. I want to open this bookstore because Houston needs a place that's visible, well-known, well-publicized, easy to find on the net and accessible. I finished an info sheet for LOI this morning. The copy is:
Although there are learning opportunities at mosques around the city, they aren’t consistently publicized or made accessible to a range of people. If you’re not Muslim or just became Muslim, you may not know about them or feel comfortable going to a mosque.
The small number of Islamic bookstores in Houston are primarily targeted to Muslims and focus mostly on religious issues.
You can go online to buy books and CDs about Islam, but a web site doesn’t offer the opportunity to browse, ask questions of a staff person, or attend classes.
And that is exactly what it's about. I'm so proud of these students. May Allah guide them to learn more all their lives and never stop learning.
Yesterday they memorized the fatiha and its English meaning. Alhamdulillah!
These are the people we risk failing. I don't disregard the Muslims who are working hard to educate, and may they be rewarded, but it's simply not easy to find a place to learn these fundamentals. I'm not blowing my own horn - Light of Islam is responding to a great need in this city. These Islam 101 students have gone for months after their reversion without learning how to pray, even though prayer is the foundation of Islamic practice. I want to open this bookstore because Houston needs a place that's visible, well-known, well-publicized, easy to find on the net and accessible. I finished an info sheet for LOI this morning. The copy is:
Although there are learning opportunities at mosques around the city, they aren’t consistently publicized or made accessible to a range of people. If you’re not Muslim or just became Muslim, you may not know about them or feel comfortable going to a mosque.
The small number of Islamic bookstores in Houston are primarily targeted to Muslims and focus mostly on religious issues.
You can go online to buy books and CDs about Islam, but a web site doesn’t offer the opportunity to browse, ask questions of a staff person, or attend classes.
And that is exactly what it's about. I'm so proud of these students. May Allah guide them to learn more all their lives and never stop learning.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Retroactivity
Friday, March 23, 2007
Application for recognition of exemption under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, AKA form 1023
IS OUTTA HERE!!!! ON ITS WAY TO COVINGTON, KENTUCKY VIA CERTIFIED, RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED PRIORITY MAIL!!!
Now the wait.
I've been told processing the application for charitable tax-exempt status takes anywhere from two to six months.
And so I wait.
Please pray for my application to be expedited, and LOI granted 501(c)(3) status. The sooner we get it, the sooner we can start fundraising in earnest. Hard core fundraising, not please-click-on-my-Paypal-button-if-you-have-a-chance fundraising. (Although everyone who reads this should be donating something through that button! Come on, could $25 or $50 really hurt that much? That's a couple weeks of lattes, for God's sake!)
I did finally have a revelation today about raising money during this sorrowful time pre-501(c)(3). It's the "Turn on the Light" campaign. I'm going to offer certain people the option of either giving now to help start things up or signing up for the LOI newsletter and being notified when the tax-exempt designation comes in. I'm going to make a version of my info sheet that includes that option. (I also need to find out what kind of deduction the IRS offers for a donation to a non-501(c)(3) organization. It may be that it's deductible despite my status.)
So now I have to:
1) Make the info sheet tailored to "Turn on the Light."
2) Create the first newsletter.
3) Figure out a way to create a database of potential victims - I mean donors.
4) Find out about the deductible status of donations to non-501(c)(3).
Which means I have to stop tweaking the web site. But I think I finished today by adding the copy clarifying the whole thing about a nonprofit retail:
What is a “nonprofit bookstore”?
A bookstore is a retail business, so how can it be nonprofit? Very simply, it can be both, and they are not mutually exclusive. Light of Islam Bookstore is a retail bookstore, but the profits don’t go to anyone but the company itself. Light of Islam is a registered nonprofit organization, and as such no profits can go to any individual involved with the store. The organization is governed by a board of directors and managed by an executive director who is an employee of the organization. There aren’t many models like this, but they do exist.
The primary purpose of selling books and providing educational activities is to fulfill Light of Islam Bookstore’s mission. It will be run just as a retail business would, but won’t rely solely on profits from book sales. That’s why we need support from donors, just as any nonprofit organization does.
You know, by reading this blog you're getting this genius for free, people. Buck up. $25. $50. This is me you're talking about. We go way back. Make me proud.
Now the wait.
I've been told processing the application for charitable tax-exempt status takes anywhere from two to six months.
And so I wait.
Please pray for my application to be expedited, and LOI granted 501(c)(3) status. The sooner we get it, the sooner we can start fundraising in earnest. Hard core fundraising, not please-click-on-my-Paypal-button-if-you-have-a-chance fundraising. (Although everyone who reads this should be donating something through that button! Come on, could $25 or $50 really hurt that much? That's a couple weeks of lattes, for God's sake!)
I did finally have a revelation today about raising money during this sorrowful time pre-501(c)(3). It's the "Turn on the Light" campaign. I'm going to offer certain people the option of either giving now to help start things up or signing up for the LOI newsletter and being notified when the tax-exempt designation comes in. I'm going to make a version of my info sheet that includes that option. (I also need to find out what kind of deduction the IRS offers for a donation to a non-501(c)(3) organization. It may be that it's deductible despite my status.)
So now I have to:
1) Make the info sheet tailored to "Turn on the Light."
2) Create the first newsletter.
3) Figure out a way to create a database of potential victims - I mean donors.
4) Find out about the deductible status of donations to non-501(c)(3).
Which means I have to stop tweaking the web site. But I think I finished today by adding the copy clarifying the whole thing about a nonprofit retail:
What is a “nonprofit bookstore”?
A bookstore is a retail business, so how can it be nonprofit? Very simply, it can be both, and they are not mutually exclusive. Light of Islam Bookstore is a retail bookstore, but the profits don’t go to anyone but the company itself. Light of Islam is a registered nonprofit organization, and as such no profits can go to any individual involved with the store. The organization is governed by a board of directors and managed by an executive director who is an employee of the organization. There aren’t many models like this, but they do exist.
The primary purpose of selling books and providing educational activities is to fulfill Light of Islam Bookstore’s mission. It will be run just as a retail business would, but won’t rely solely on profits from book sales. That’s why we need support from donors, just as any nonprofit organization does.
You know, by reading this blog you're getting this genius for free, people. Buck up. $25. $50. This is me you're talking about. We go way back. Make me proud.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
My space
No, not the virtual community, a real space. Yesterday afternoon I took a look at the retail space I spoke to a realtor about. Now I have it implanted in my mind that it's the future Light of Islam Bookstore.
(One day I'm going to write a post about the difference between obsession and determination; sometimes I can't tell the difference, like in this case - am I obsessed with that spot because it makes me feel like I can picture the future and so in my head I can envision an actual location? Or am I determined to achieve the goal of making that space the future LOI?)
Anyway - as I mentioned in yesterday's post the store is 980 square feet, which I thought was definitely going to be too small, but when I eyeballed it I thought it looked like the right size. It's in one of the strip malls that abound here in Clear Lake (virtually every retail business is in a shopping center of one size or another). There's plenty of parking and it's on a major street less than 1/4 mile from the intersection of two major streets, which makes it easy to access from the highway. (It's a little over 3 miles from my house, another bonus.) It has good visibility and unlike some shopping centers around here it's very easy to access from the street and in fact has two entrance/exits, one from the major road and one from the intersecting side street.
It was formerly a video store and has a couple small rooms in the back, one of which must have been their x-rated room. If I expanded the larger one a little it would make a good enclosed classroom. The store is a total dump right now. The convenience store next door has been using it as a storage space for their discarded or unused equipment and fixtures (e.g., there's an ice cream freezer sitting in there). It looks like no one ever cleaned up after the video store closed. I asked the guy at the convenience store how long it's been closed and he said he'd been working there 8 months and it had been closed since he started. The rent is $1400 and if I seriously considered it I would definitely negotiate that and see if I could make a deal regarding renovations.
Anyway, I really like the space, and even though it's probably going to be a year till I open, it may very well still be vacant in a year.
(One day I'm going to write a post about the difference between obsession and determination; sometimes I can't tell the difference, like in this case - am I obsessed with that spot because it makes me feel like I can picture the future and so in my head I can envision an actual location? Or am I determined to achieve the goal of making that space the future LOI?)
Anyway - as I mentioned in yesterday's post the store is 980 square feet, which I thought was definitely going to be too small, but when I eyeballed it I thought it looked like the right size. It's in one of the strip malls that abound here in Clear Lake (virtually every retail business is in a shopping center of one size or another). There's plenty of parking and it's on a major street less than 1/4 mile from the intersection of two major streets, which makes it easy to access from the highway. (It's a little over 3 miles from my house, another bonus.) It has good visibility and unlike some shopping centers around here it's very easy to access from the street and in fact has two entrance/exits, one from the major road and one from the intersecting side street.
It was formerly a video store and has a couple small rooms in the back, one of which must have been their x-rated room. If I expanded the larger one a little it would make a good enclosed classroom. The store is a total dump right now. The convenience store next door has been using it as a storage space for their discarded or unused equipment and fixtures (e.g., there's an ice cream freezer sitting in there). It looks like no one ever cleaned up after the video store closed. I asked the guy at the convenience store how long it's been closed and he said he'd been working there 8 months and it had been closed since he started. The rent is $1400 and if I seriously considered it I would definitely negotiate that and see if I could make a deal regarding renovations.
Anyway, I really like the space, and even though it's probably going to be a year till I open, it may very well still be vacant in a year.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Feeling icky
I don't know...this talk of money has me feeling yucky, maybe kind of dirty. I like the part where I had a dream a whole lot better. I like the beginning part (see archives) where I was so excited over the stupidest little things like getting my EIN and preliminary board meetings and so forth. I wish money had nothing to do with it. And as more people have started reading this blog, I'm finding that I self-censor a fair amount. I don't like that. I'm struggling with the bookstore having become some big other thing than it started out being. I don't want to think about raising $100 grand in 5 months. I want to think about selling great books and having great classes and picturing myself in the store, making it a success and feeling gratified. So from now on let's keep it simple. Rest assured, fundraising will be discussed on this blog, but I want to talk about me and how I'm building this thing. (But don't forget to go to the Paypal link on the web site and donate generously...darn it, I can't stop myself!)
So...my big focus now is on getting accurate numbers of budget items (darn! there goes that money thing again!) There's a commercial spot near here that's 980 sq. ft., which is smaller than what I was thinking, but the rent is about $500 less than what I had budgeted, so I think I'll stroll on over there and take a peek. The real estate agent told me I can get the key from the convenience store next door. (Wow, BTW.) I realize I won't be ready to sign a lease for what, like, 10 months, 9 months? But it's worth investigating, and you never know. OK, I'm shutting down the computer and heading out.
So...my big focus now is on getting accurate numbers of budget items (darn! there goes that money thing again!) There's a commercial spot near here that's 980 sq. ft., which is smaller than what I was thinking, but the rent is about $500 less than what I had budgeted, so I think I'll stroll on over there and take a peek. The real estate agent told me I can get the key from the convenience store next door. (Wow, BTW.) I realize I won't be ready to sign a lease for what, like, 10 months, 9 months? But it's worth investigating, and you never know. OK, I'm shutting down the computer and heading out.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Crunching money and gnashing my teeth
Oy vey...I've been going over the budget Melissa and I drafted and trying to fill in holes, rethink some of the estimates and organize it. The bottom line:
That's the very least it will take to turn the Light of Islam on :)
I originally planned to open in October. That's clearly not feasible.
I'd like to shoot for April 1, 2008. That gives me a year total of fundraising, with two caveats:
1. I probably won't have the 501(c)(3) until around September - seven months of fundraising.
2. I'll need most of it in place by January - five months of fundraising.
So...time to get down to business. This is all going to get funded by individual and corporate donors, mostly by individuals.
I need to figure out if I can open by April. I think the numbers tell me I can't, but I want to open tomorrow, so it's hard to be more realistic. Darn it! Well, I guess I'll work as hard at opening it as I will when it's open. I wish I didn't have a day job - BUT - one more sign that God wants me to do this is that the only job I got despite the many, many applications I put in was the one I do from home. Insha Allah this WILL get done. The Light of Islam Bookstore WILL open. No obstacles, no hindrances, no setbacks, no problems - ONLY SOLUTIONS AND WAYS TO SUCCEED!
$100,000
That's the very least it will take to turn the Light of Islam on :)
I originally planned to open in October. That's clearly not feasible.
I'd like to shoot for April 1, 2008. That gives me a year total of fundraising, with two caveats:
1. I probably won't have the 501(c)(3) until around September - seven months of fundraising.
2. I'll need most of it in place by January - five months of fundraising.
So...time to get down to business. This is all going to get funded by individual and corporate donors, mostly by individuals.
I need to figure out if I can open by April. I think the numbers tell me I can't, but I want to open tomorrow, so it's hard to be more realistic. Darn it! Well, I guess I'll work as hard at opening it as I will when it's open. I wish I didn't have a day job - BUT - one more sign that God wants me to do this is that the only job I got despite the many, many applications I put in was the one I do from home. Insha Allah this WILL get done. The Light of Islam Bookstore WILL open. No obstacles, no hindrances, no setbacks, no problems - ONLY SOLUTIONS AND WAYS TO SUCCEED!
New car, caviar, four star daydream
(With apologies to Pink Floyd...sorry, it goes through my head every time I think about money.)
Got $500 toward the $750 fee for filing the 1023!
(If you understand that you've either been reading my blog or know way too much about nonprofits or the IRS.)
It was supposed to be a loan but they made it a birthday gift, about a month early. I am soooo grateful for this help in addition to what they've helped me with all my life.
I put a Paypal button on the web site today. I worried that it might be tacky or seem wrong to solicit donations before LOI is tax-exempt, but I really don't know how else to cover the expenses that are coming up - things like accountant's fees, business cards and promotional materials, the phone, professional association fees, and all the other things that are coming up in the next few weeks and months. It is a nonprofit bookstore, after all, and nonprofits rely on the generosity of others, and generosity doesn't come without asking. Hopefully the 501(c)(3) will come through quickly.
I want to once again say how grateful I am for the money towards the IRS application. I hope I can achieve something to make them proud and happy.
Got $500 toward the $750 fee for filing the 1023!
(If you understand that you've either been reading my blog or know way too much about nonprofits or the IRS.)
It was supposed to be a loan but they made it a birthday gift, about a month early. I am soooo grateful for this help in addition to what they've helped me with all my life.
I put a Paypal button on the web site today. I worried that it might be tacky or seem wrong to solicit donations before LOI is tax-exempt, but I really don't know how else to cover the expenses that are coming up - things like accountant's fees, business cards and promotional materials, the phone, professional association fees, and all the other things that are coming up in the next few weeks and months. It is a nonprofit bookstore, after all, and nonprofits rely on the generosity of others, and generosity doesn't come without asking. Hopefully the 501(c)(3) will come through quickly.
I want to once again say how grateful I am for the money towards the IRS application. I hope I can achieve something to make them proud and happy.
Will the IRS ever hear from me?
I know in a month or two I'll be complaining that I haven't heard from the IRS yet about my 1023, but right now they haven't heard from me! My first goal was to have the application for 501(c)(3) submitted by the end of February, then that got revised to early March; now it's mid March...but I believe tonight I actually finished it. Now that's an accomplishment. Now I just have to get it in the mail. Right now I'm just waiting for the wonderful people who are loaning me the $750 application fee to show me the money, and then that huge step will have been taken.
Speaking of money, I'm considering putting a Paypal link on the LOI web site and soliciting small non tax-deductible donations to help with all these things I've been paying for - it's been adding up, and I really have no way of raising significant money without the tax exempt status, so any small amounts I can get here and there from friends and supporters chipping in will go a long way.
It's 12:25 a.m. What is wrong with me? I keep staying up late working on all these things - tonight it was the budget, the web site, and the 1023. I'm off tomorrow so I don't have to get up on that account, but I'm setting myself up to sleep through fajr. Instead of continuing to talk about being up, I am just going to go to sleep.
Speaking of money, I'm considering putting a Paypal link on the LOI web site and soliciting small non tax-deductible donations to help with all these things I've been paying for - it's been adding up, and I really have no way of raising significant money without the tax exempt status, so any small amounts I can get here and there from friends and supporters chipping in will go a long way.
It's 12:25 a.m. What is wrong with me? I keep staying up late working on all these things - tonight it was the budget, the web site, and the 1023. I'm off tomorrow so I don't have to get up on that account, but I'm setting myself up to sleep through fajr. Instead of continuing to talk about being up, I am just going to go to sleep.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
A plan! A plan! My kingdom for a plan!
Today was the looong planning day for Melissa and me. I feel bad because I should have been better prepared and more organized. The hours I've spent away from the PC were therapeutic mentally but left me with some tasks undone. It's difficult to do a business plan right now without the missing information, but I'm not sure we'll need anything that formal until we apply for grants (if we do). A nice proposal will do for now, which I've started drafting already - with a lot of the copy on the web site right now.
The big achievement was drafting an initial budget and determining start-up costs. Melissa was invaluable in helping me figure that out. There's still a lot I need to confirm, like utilities costs and advertising and so on, but at least we have a rough idea.
So now that we know approximately what it's going to cost to get this party started, it's time to complete a fundraising plan. We struggled over that, she being doggedly realistic and me being "we can get it done if we just believe!" Somewhere in the middle we came up with an initial plan.
Stay tuned...the Light of Islam Bookstore newsletter will be out soon...and more developments to come. We've found our footing, and insha Allah this is where the project is going to really come to life.
The big achievement was drafting an initial budget and determining start-up costs. Melissa was invaluable in helping me figure that out. There's still a lot I need to confirm, like utilities costs and advertising and so on, but at least we have a rough idea.
So now that we know approximately what it's going to cost to get this party started, it's time to complete a fundraising plan. We struggled over that, she being doggedly realistic and me being "we can get it done if we just believe!" Somewhere in the middle we came up with an initial plan.
Stay tuned...the Light of Islam Bookstore newsletter will be out soon...and more developments to come. We've found our footing, and insha Allah this is where the project is going to really come to life.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Islam 101 - a year later
...and still plugging away...
On April 1 of last year we had the first "Islam 101" class at my masjid. I helped coordinate the class in response to so many people saying we need a class for new converts.
Say my fellow Muslims time and time again. Well, I do what I can, and so for a year I've been struggling to keep the class afloat, to publicize it and increase attendance, which has been tough because it's usually just two or three students (including me) there every Saturday. Some weeks there were no students, and some weeks no teacher. The class should have been one of those masjid projects doomed to die of inertia and lack of interest, but I've insisted on keeping the class going because it's needed. Even if just one or two people can be helped by it, that's a blessing for them and for us.
Today we had two new students, a woman and her teenage daughter who found out about the class on a web site where it was publicized, probably houstonmuslims.com, although she can't remember for sure. The woman recently married a Pakistani brother and converted to Islam before they got married. A couple months ago she said she suddenly really felt it - that Islam was right and she wanted to learn more and do more. Subhanallah. It's our fitrah - and when it's reawakened it is indeed a great feeling. Anyway, her daughter is inclined to also embrace Islam but the mom wants her to be really sure it's what she wants and that she understands it.
Our teacher reviewed tawheed, they asked some questions, and after he left we talked a bit and then they came to the prayer hall with me for asr. Neither of them knows how to pray, so they first followed along with me as I prayed my two rakat and then the three of us stood for the formal prayer and again they followed along. They were so happy! I gave them both the children's prayer and wudu books we use so they can look them over and I'll go over salat with them at next week's class.
Amazingly, when we were talking after class she said, "What's your last name?" When I told her, she said, "You have a blog, right? And you're opening a bookstore?" I was so thrilled...she said she had been to the LOI web site, although I think it was actually this blog, and had even called the phone number, although it wasn't connected yet. I don't even recall the weird ways that she found me in two different places but again, the qadr of Allah. Anyway, she enthusiastically agreed that something like LOI is absolutely needed. She had to search quite a bit before she found Islam 101. I worry that many converts or other interested people never have.
On April 1 of last year we had the first "Islam 101" class at my masjid. I helped coordinate the class in response to so many people saying we need a class for new converts.
We watch them say shahadah and then never do anything for them, never
follow up...
Say my fellow Muslims time and time again. Well, I do what I can, and so for a year I've been struggling to keep the class afloat, to publicize it and increase attendance, which has been tough because it's usually just two or three students (including me) there every Saturday. Some weeks there were no students, and some weeks no teacher. The class should have been one of those masjid projects doomed to die of inertia and lack of interest, but I've insisted on keeping the class going because it's needed. Even if just one or two people can be helped by it, that's a blessing for them and for us.
Today we had two new students, a woman and her teenage daughter who found out about the class on a web site where it was publicized, probably houstonmuslims.com, although she can't remember for sure. The woman recently married a Pakistani brother and converted to Islam before they got married. A couple months ago she said she suddenly really felt it - that Islam was right and she wanted to learn more and do more. Subhanallah. It's our fitrah - and when it's reawakened it is indeed a great feeling. Anyway, her daughter is inclined to also embrace Islam but the mom wants her to be really sure it's what she wants and that she understands it.
Our teacher reviewed tawheed, they asked some questions, and after he left we talked a bit and then they came to the prayer hall with me for asr. Neither of them knows how to pray, so they first followed along with me as I prayed my two rakat and then the three of us stood for the formal prayer and again they followed along. They were so happy! I gave them both the children's prayer and wudu books we use so they can look them over and I'll go over salat with them at next week's class.
Amazingly, when we were talking after class she said, "What's your last name?" When I told her, she said, "You have a blog, right? And you're opening a bookstore?" I was so thrilled...she said she had been to the LOI web site, although I think it was actually this blog, and had even called the phone number, although it wasn't connected yet. I don't even recall the weird ways that she found me in two different places but again, the qadr of Allah. Anyway, she enthusiastically agreed that something like LOI is absolutely needed. She had to search quite a bit before she found Islam 101. I worry that many converts or other interested people never have.
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