Asslamualiekum warahmatullahe wabarakatuh, Blessings and prayers be upon our community and all thanks to Allah for His infinite help and mercy, and blessings on the MSOG community. The task of building the house of Allah is something that is done with true sincerity and consciousness of Allah. Many verses of Quran and Ahadeeth come to mind as I write this, however I want to take a moment to look back. I want to reflect on a childhood memory from when my late father took on the task to help build the Cambridge Masjid. I was only six at the time. The task before him was huge, the community still small and largely working class, and the project budget over one million dollars. Rather than agonize or question, what I observed at six years old still amazes me. I witnessed the whole community coming together, regardless of background or financial ability, with every resource they had, to load scaffolds, dig trenches, lay pipes, pull wires, sweep floors, and cook food for one-another. The pooled whatever finances they could, with the faith that they were building for Allah and for future generations. Now, hundreds of people congregate for the five daily prayers at the site. My father was a beaming example for us all and there are many like him in our midst, putting physical labour into building this masjid and a vibrant community. Now it is our turn to write our names in the record for Allah; amongst those who were the ones who supported the cause of building the house of Allah. Guelph needs your help. When difficult times come, we should meet them with bravery and courage. Your masjid and your community centre is in need for ~500K to complete the current phase of the project. I ask everyone to put their hearts and souls together and unite for this cause. May Allah give the MSOG Board the help and steadfastness to complete this project. I enlist myself, to be among the first, to follow in the footsteps of my elders. I encourage you to follow too. You’ll never regret it! Your brother Mubeen Butt |