Al-Umma Center of Santa Clarita Valley Strongly condemns the senseless massacre of fourteen people in San Bernardino.  We send our condolences to the families of the deceased, and pray for the speedy recovery of those who were injured.   As Muslims, we stand against any violence that targets innocent people, and firmly believe that no teachings or doctrines in  our beautiful and peaceful religion, Islam,  will ever justify the killing or hurting of innocent people.

Inshaallah Eid Al Adha will be on Thursday, September 24, 2015. Alhamdulillah, the three Masajid in the the Santa Clarita Valley will be joining together for the Eid Prayer, and Unity Center of Santa Clarita will be the lead Masjid for this blessed event. The prayer venue and time are as follows:

Venue:
Hyatt Regency Valencia
24500 Town Center Drive
Valencia, CA 91350

Time: Takbeer starts @ 7:30 AM
Salat : 8:00 AM
Khutbah : Immediately after Salat

*Please bring at least one prayer rug

This article about the Eid celebration published in the local newspaper, SCV Signal, in their Friday edition.

* * * * * * *

July 18, 2015 | By The Associated Press | Signal AP 

On Friday morning more than 800 people gathered at Rancho Pico Junior High School for a special service of prayer and celebration marking the end of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting.

The three mosques in the valley, Al Umma Center of Santa Clarita, Unity Center of Santa Clarita, and the Islamic Center of Santa Clarita, worked together to organize the event.

“This event gives people a sense of community and strong family values, since the gathering is like a larger family,” said Majub El Arabi, 68, who is on the Board of Trustees for the Al Umma Center.

Ramadan is a mix of a religious and cultural event. It calls for followers of Islam to fast every day from sunrise to sunset. They are not allowed to eat or drink water. Muslims can break their fast every night after the sun has set.

Friday’s celebration is known as the day of Eid. Ramadan began June 18, and Friday marked the completion of fasting with celebration and supplication to Allah, the Arabic word for God.

This is the fourth year the three mosques have gathered for the Day of Eid.

The morning started with chanting, followed by quite prayer where attendees prostrate on the ground. Later a message was delivered by a community leader. Finally, the event closed as each attendee greeted and congratulated other attendees for completing the month of fasting.

“It is a very spiritual experience,” said El Arabi. “We are called on to do good deeds and be helpful to others. It is a month of mercy and spirituality. It also helps me understand what it feels to go without, for people who have a hard time finding food or shelter.”

El Arabi explained another requirement of Ramadan, besides fasting, is doing good deeds, being kind to others, abstaining from sexual activity and doing acts of charity.
Participants explained this is also an important part of Ramadan, knowing the poor and homeless go without food and empathizing with them.

Children, the elderly and those who are sick are not asked to fast because it may be too stressful for their bodies.

“I feel good doing something for God,” explained Mohammed Kaamoush, 70, director of the Islamic Center. “It also helps me to be more productive and focus on work.”

Dr. Omaran Abdeem, 45, was this year’s Day of Eid speaker. Beforehand, he planned to focus his message on the importance of being kind to one another, connecting with family and fasting as an act of worship.

“It is supposed to be a time for self-discipline, putting worldly things behind us and enhancing our spiritual connection with God,” said Abdeem. “It is also an exercise in empathy with others.”

Participants explained the first few days it is difficult to fast for 15 hours. By the end of Ramadan, many say the fasting has become habit and it has helped them to be focused and spiritually connected.

“When you have peace of mind and peace of god, your health also gets better,” said Kaamoush. “People feel really good.”

Abdeem explained many people face difficulties in their lives which may seem insurmountable, but going through Ramadan helps to train people to face the challenges of life.

“It gives me a great sense of spiritual uplifting, I become closer to God, the Qur’an and I become better at worship,” said Abdeem.

Abdeen explained, done once a year, it is a way for Muslims to give their faith and dedication to God a “tune up.” In Islam, it is referred to as a “cleansing of the heart,” helping people to better focus on their faith for the rest of the year.

“Our faith is in the news frequently because some people engage in evil acts of terror, they proclaim to be Muslims, causing others to be apprehensive about our faith,” said Abdeen. “I hope Ramadan shows we want to contribute to the community. We have an obligation as Muslims to be positive forces in the community and help others. This is what is at the core of our faith.”

Attendees of the three mosques were asked to invite neighbors to the Eid event. It is meant to be a true connection of community and outreach.

“Our religious belief is to take care of our neighbors, it doesn’t matter what religion,” said Moadzem Chowdhury, chairman of the Unity Center. “As humans we stand for each other.”

Eid Prayers will be held at:

Ranch Pico Jr. High School
26250 Valencia Blvd, Valencia, 91381
Friday July 17, 2015
Takbeer at 7:30 AM
Salat at 8:00 AM

Dr. Omaran Abdeen will lead the prayer and deliver the Khutba. The Islamic Center of Santa Clarita Valley is the sponsor and organizer of this Eid event, and Al-Umma Center and Unity Center are the guest Masajid.

We request everyone to bring at least one prayer rug. We also request that the elderly and handicapped be given priority to park in the school parking lot, while everyone else is requested to park in West Ranch High School parking lot which is across the street.

Zakat al-Fitr is mandatory for every muslim regardless of age or gender. It must be paid before Salat al-Eid, or else it will count as Sadaqa. We encourage everyone to pay as soon as possible to enable the Masjid to distribute it to the needy, preferably before Eid. We have set up a special box for this Zakat in the Masjid. We also need your help in identifying needy people in our local community.

On behalf of everyone at Al-Umma Center of Santa Clarita Valley, we extend our warmest congratulations to the Santa Clarita Muslim Community in particular, and the Muslim Community worldwide in general, for the arrival of the Holy Month of Ramadan which will begin, Inshaallah, on Thursday, June 18th, 2015. We ask Allah (SWT) to enable all of us to increase our prayers and good deeds during this blessed month.

Inshaallah, the Ramadan program at AUCSCV’s Canyon Country Masjd (18027 Sierra Highway, Canyon Country 91351) will consist of the following:

• Daily Iftar, which will, for the most part, be sponsored by community members. Anyone interested in sponsoring Iftar is encouraged to put his/her name on the sponsorship sign-up sheet currently posted in the Masjid, or call the Masjid’s phone number (661 347-8367) to find out which days are still available for sponsorship. In the event some nights end-up being without Iftar sponsors, we’ll have a potluck style Iftar.
• Taraweeh prayers will be lead by three capable sheikhs who are visiting the Masjid from the UK and Jordan. The first Taraweeh will be on Wednesday, June 17, right after Isha Prayer. The format of the Prayers will be as follows:
1. Four Rakaas
2. Short lecture (5 to 7 minute)
3. Four Rakaas
4. Witr Prayer for those who can pray only Eight Rakaas
5. Twelve Rakaas
6. Witr Prayer
• Khatm Al-Quraan will, Inshallah be on the 27th of Ramadan.
• The Masjid will be open every night for anyone who wants to do Tahajjud after Taraweeh Prayers.
• Inshaallah, the visiting Sheikhs will be conducting Quraan Tajweed classes, and the schedule of these classes will be announced soon.

This Ramadan will be very special in light of the fact that the Masjid has experienced tremendous growth, since last Ramadan. Not only have we completed the first phase of construction and are in the middle of phase 2, the number of Brothers and Sisters who frequent the Masjid has been steadily increasing due in part to the many high quality educational programs for children and adults alike. We look forward to everyone joining us in this year’s Ramadan program.