Reigniting a Fading Muslim Community in the West

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
‏إن الحمد لله نحمده ونستعينه ونستغفره
‏أشهد أن لا اله الا الله وأشهد أن محمد رسول الله
‏صلى الله عليه وسلم

We begin in the name of Allah the most gracious, the most merciful.

All praise is due to Allah, we praise him and seek his refuge and forgiveness.

We bear witness and testify that no deity is worthy of worship except Allah.

And we bear witness and testify that Muhammad is Allah’s last and final messenger.

Peace and blessings upon him.

I want to begin by saying I am not a Sheikh, nor a person of great knowledge, I am but a humble student, and for that reason, I wish to emphasize that my intention is not to speak from a position of knowledge rather this is a personal reflection, regarding our beloved Sheikh and world renown Qar’I Abd-Allah Ibn Kamel (رحيمه الله), may Allah be pleased with him and grant him mercy and enter him in Paradise. My intention is to increase people in the remembrance of Allah to encourage us to follow our Deen, for any moment could be our last. May Allah forgive me for any mistakes I may make as they are from me, and Allah knows best.

His voice was known by millions of Muslims around the globe. Many shed tears for his death, as they once shed listening to his beautiful recitation. Sheikh Abd-Allah was one of the great reciters of our time and was always regarded as a pious and righteous man. His influence and impact were felt across the globe. Writing this the day after his death I have been reflecting upon his devotion to spreading the religion, and I want to highlight the amazing work he has done in fundraising for Dawah and particularly in aiding many Mosques in the U.S. (my place of birth and residence). Al Tawheed Islamic Center of Jersey City, the last Mosque our beloved Imam led the prayer in before his death, and one he frequently visited. The congregation welcomed him with open arms and was honored to have such a beautiful voice and pious soul join us for three consecutive Ramadans. Less than a week prior to his death was Eid Al Fitr 1444, and our beloved Imam led thousands of believers in prayer at the local park. However, his story in our community was years in the making, and his immense impact is felt now more than ever since he returned to his lord.

Like many others in my community, Al-Tawheed Islamic Center in Jersey City was a home for many youth, I would argue at times the masjid was even more important to me than the house of my parents. Al-Tawheed provided me with a community, provided me with guidance, and role models in those who were older than me. And I was blessed to be born into a congregation in which Allah provided a beautiful masjid and righteous leaders. Throughout the years so much knowledge and piety has come through the doors of Al-Tawheed, and I am a beneficiary of this great blessing. Al-Tawheed frequently hosted great scholars and Imams from all over the U.S. and the world. The masjid was a building block for the Muslim community In Jersey City, and a beacon of light and kindness for our non-Muslim neighbors as well.

A tragic event occurred on February 28th, 2014, as a fire blazed through the Mosque and caused significant damage to the property, and would set off ripples in the community, leaving a permanent mark on our history. At the time I was but a child, walking past the masjid as I typically would on my way to school and thought to myself “This will all be cleared up after school”. Nothing would disrupt my after-school routine of going to the Mosque. I was mistaken, at the time an optimistic child, in retrospect naive of the severity of the situation. Years would pass and the masjid remain damaged slowly coming together, due to lack of funding. Over the course of 7 years, the congregation still prayed, at first covered by a tent in our parking lot. Then we got an upgrade, we carpeted a small area, which was once our parking garage. Many still gathered in the “Mosque” to get the blessings of praying in congregation, and to hold tight to whatever trace of the community we still had. However, despite the efforts of the Mosque’s board and the people to uphold our community, we suffered. Many people turned away from the Masjid, and numbers decreased over time, many faces, which were once regular occurrences, were seldom seen amongst the congregation. Resources for the youth also suffered, there were fewer classes for kids, and fewer people enrolled their children when opportunities were made available.

Our community in Jersey City suffered because of the tragic fire at Al-Tawheed. Very few people in the congregation had any resources to commit to the rebuilding project. A community of Immigrant blue-collar workers, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck, some even worse than that, had very little time to help in the rebuild and even less money. The burden to fundraise and support the current Mosque accommodations along with organizing and planning for the rebuild fell upon the shoulders of a few members of the board spearheaded by our Beloved Imam Sheikh Alaa El Saadawi (May Allah bless him for his good deeds and allow him to continue to lead our community). They made great strides in the project however after 5–6 years of fundraising we couldn’t get over the hump.

This is where Sheikh Abd-Allah Ibn Kamel’s “Al Tawheed” story begins.

For Ramadan 2021, (Hijri 1442) Al-Tawheed Islamic Center hosted Sheikh Abd-Allah Ibn Kamel for Ramadan, rather we were honored to host him and to pray behind him during Taraweeh (The night prayer of the holy month of Ramadan). For many of the community, this was our first introduction to Sheikh Abd-Allah, and it didn’t take long for his voice to penetrate our hearts with the words of Allah. It was the most beautiful and strong recitation I had ever heard with my youthful ears. The blind Imam, having never seen the letters of the Quran on a page, captivated the masses with his voice and led us in worship to our lord. People gathered from near and far to pray behind Sheikh Abd-Allah, his recitation encouraged those who previously left the masjid to return and those who had never been to come and join the Muslims of Jersey City. At this time, we were still praying in the carpeted garage, Suphanallah even in conditions as such people hastened to worship their lord to join the Imam in Taraweeh and once again our community was taking shape again. For many of us, it was some of the happiest times in our lives.

His impact was huge, allowing the masjid to make a significant dent in the rebuild project. Raising hundreds of thousands throughout the month of Ramadan and cultivating the minds of the believers igniting passion and love for the Quran. By the will of Allah, we were able to open the new Masjid for the last few nights of Ramadan 1442 (2021), and Sheikh Abd-Allah was an integral part of this happening. However, now many of our costs were covered by debts the Masjid took from a handful of Muslim brothers willing to loan the money for the sake of Allah. Alhamdulilah a halal loan, but a loan nonetheless and one we would struggle to repay till this day. Today thousands of Muslims gather in Masjid Tawheed each week, memorizing Quran, sitting in lectures, and worshipping their lord. It fills me with joy to see the Masjid flourishing and full of big smiles, and for that, I praise Allah and thank Sheikh Abd-Allah for his immense help.

Regarding Sheikh Abd-Allah the people loved him and loved his voice, and he felt it, giving us the same genuine love in return. He promised us he would return to us the following Ramadan and he pulled through. A year would pass, and he would return, furthering his efforts to help erase the debt of the Masjid, something he took pride in and worked hard to do. Sheikh Abd-Allah understood the importance of the Masjid, and the responsibility of the Muslims to spread the deen. In fact, days before his death, one of the youth from our community, and a student of our Imam Sheikh Mustafa Abo Seif, stated that they were with Sheikh Abd-Allah and he spoke to the students about the importance of Dawah and seeking knowledge to teach people their Deen. This a profound message, and a timely one by our late Sheikh. His efforts to raise funds for Al Tawheed and other Mosques across the country are indicative of his love for the ummah and his devotion to Dawah.

Our Beloved Sheikh Abd-Allah passed on the 5th of Shawal just days after he led thousands at Jersey City’s Lincoln Park for the Eid prayer. That day I approached him alongside Sheikh Mustafa and thanked him for being with us, the image of his joyous smile remains in my mind. His last few days he spent in our masjid accompanied by Sheikh Mustafa Abu Seif who stated regarding their last sitting. “It was a sitting which I have never experienced before, we were reading, reciting dhikr, joking and laughing, crying, laying on heart, and I remember he passed a thought about Surah Al-Takweer and has sobbed aggressively, and another thought about the age of 40 and has said, “If a matter is complete then the lacking in it appears ..watch for a demise if something is complete”. A dear friend of Sheikh Abd-Allah reminds us of the proper manner of a Muslim in such a calamity, stating “I will not say except what pleases our Lord, we belong to Allah and to Him we shall return. May Allah bestow his mercy upon you my friend, and may Allah gather me with you in Jannat ul-Firdaus without judgment or punishment.

Below are the statements of Sheikh Mustafa Abu Seif in Arabic:

كانت جلسة لم أر مثلها كنا نقرأ ونتذاكر ونمزح ونضحك ونبكي ونتأثر وأذكر أنه مر على خاطرة عن سورة التكوير فبكى بكاء شديدا، وعن خاطرة عن سن الأربعين وفيها: إذا تم أمر بدا نقصه. ترقب زوالا إذا قيل ت ولا أقول إلا ما يرضى ربي فإنا لله وانا اليه راجعون رحمك الله يا صديقي وجمعني بك في جنة الفردوس بغير حساب ولا سابق عذاب

I would like to close with this my dear brothers and sisters, as the passing of our beloved Sheikh at the age of 40 years old is a reminder that death knows no age, and whatever Allah has decreed will be such. We should always be in remembrance of Allah (SWT), work to memorize, and live by the Quran. As Muslims, we must enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil, and one of the best deeds we can do is to give for the sake of Allah. Give our time, our energy, and our wealth, all of which came from Allah, to help the Ummah. The Muslims are suffering in the East and the West, so do not forget to donate to your brothers and sisters, and do not forget you Masajid in your generous donations!

We must hasten to worship Allah and live our lives according to his rulings and according to the teachings of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAAW)

صله الله عليه وسلم

May Allah grant Sheikh Abd-Allah Ibn Kamel the highest level of Janna

May Allah make him steadfast upon his questioning, and grant light in his grave.

May Allah continue to use his voice for good, and a vessel for truth.

May Allah forgive him for his sins and shield him from the fire and grant him among the righteous on the day of Judgement.

Ameen

We ask Allah to forgive us for our sins and to Increase the believers in Piety and Righteousness.

We ask Allah to grant us people of Knowledge and to grant us Knowledge which we will benefit from on the day of Judgement.

We ask Allah to bring us close to the Quran and allow our hearts to be filled with its message, and our tongues constant in recitation.

May Allah grant all of us Paradise and shield us from the torment of Hell Fire.

Ameen

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِين

عمر محمد عبد المقصود

Brother Omar Elbaz