Celebrating a Decade of History, Beautiful Work, Community Service & Success

Ramadan Mubarak to you all. As we begin fasting this first day of Ramadan, on Monday, May 06, we ask Allah the Almighty to shower us with his mercy in this month, elevate our status and make us among the very close and beloved ones to him, and make it a month of mercy, forgiveness and salvation from the fire. Ameen! This Ramadan is the 10th Ramadan since the opening of Apex Mosque. In this occasion, we feel so delighted to celebrate a decade of outstanding success for Apex Mosque & Community. Apex Mosque has certainly come a long way since it was established in 2009 as a community project, supported by its mother institution: the North American Foundation of Islamic Services (NAFIS). Its creation came with the emerging realization that serving the community was one of the keys to a sustainable and prosperous future of the next Muslim generations in the US. Over the last decade, the leadership of the Mosque, inspired by the great support of the community, could establish a variety of projects, programs and initiatives that will grow, God Willing, and serve many generations to come. With such great efforts to promote education and training, many of our children, families and adults could embody the core principles of Islam, and sustaining that spirit should continue to be the responsibility of all of us. By the grace of Allah and the sincere efforts of its leadership and the community, Apex has made a significant contribution to raising the education and training levels in the Triangle Area. It has also established extensive credibility and visibility not only among Muslims, but also among our Non-Muslim friends, neighbors and official agencies. On page seven of this newsletter, some of those achievements are listed. Apex Mosque is indebted to each and every community member and looks forward many more decades of achievements for the community. We ask Allah who placed us on this path of service, to strengthen us to continue serving it with sincerity, humbleness and thankfulness. Ameen.

Imam Khalid Shahu

Apex Mosque Newsletter

RAMADAN 1440 - SUMMER 2019 The

COMMUNICATOR Apex Mosque Quarterly Newsletter / May-August 2019

A Decade of History, Beautiful Work, Service to the Community & Success

- Declaration of the Triangle Imams Council on Beginning of Ramadan & Eid Al-Fitr, p. 2 - Ramadan prayer time, p. 3 - Calendar of short talks & other major activities, p. 3

- 10th Quran Contest, p. 4 - Quran Halaqa for sisters, p. 4 - Sponsor an Iftar, p. 4 - Apex Mosque Fundraising Iftar, p. 4 - Important info on Taraweeh, Babysitting, Zakah, I’tikaf, p. 5

- Educational programs for kids, p. 6 - Fall & Spring Courses for Adults, p. 6 - Dec. 2019 Umrah, p. 7 - The 3rd Annual Beloved Seerah Conference, p. 8

All praise is to Allah (swt) and may His blessings and peace be upon the Prophet Muhammad (saw). Our dear respected brothers and sisters of the Triangle: Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh – may peace be with you, and the mercy of God and His blessings. We congratulate you on the anticipated arrival of a special guest – the blessed month of Ramadan. We pray this noble month is full of blessings, mercy, and accepted worship for you and your loved ones. The undersigned members of the Triangle Imams Council met and deliberated the issue of the starting date of Ramadan and Eid. In particular, the recent adoption of the Wake County Board of Education of the Eid-ul-Fitr holiday in school calendars was carefully deliberated. Alhamdulillah, the Council had previously worked towards regional unity by reviewing prayer time calculations and by unifying the amounts of Zakat-ul-Fitr and Fidya regionally based on Shari’ah guidelines and market pricing research. After a fruitful discussion, a voted to recommend adoption of the opinion of determining the beginning date of Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr based on astronomical calculations beginning with Ramadan 1440 AH / 2019 CE. Several important points are highlighted below from a broader, technical discussion: Establishing Unity in the Muslim community. Upholding the unity of Muslims takes precedence above and beyond any valid difference of Fiqh opinions. We therefore recognize and respect the legitimacy of differences on this issue and maintain our sense of brotherhood and unity, while seeking to unify the decision regionally as much as possible to facilitate a common calendar for family members and Muslims region-wide. Facilitating Eid festivities for the Muslim family. The Wake County Public School System has adopted Eid-ul-Fitr as a school holiday, a great accomplishment for the Muslim community of the area that other districts have been pursuing for decades. As with all school dates, it will be designated more than 1-2 years in advance and thus based on calculation. Adopting the present opinion will facilitate all Muslim families being on a single calendar, as well as immense benefits in dawah and sharing our beautiful religion with our neighbors of other faith traditions. Upholding Scholarly References. While the Council acknowledges and embraces the diversity of scholarly references utilized by different masajid in the area, a number of these have adopted criteria supportive of this decision. Both the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) and the European Council for Fatwa and Research adopt the astronomical calculation methodology outright.

The Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America (AMJA) issued a recent fatwa asserting the importance of being united on the beginning and end of the fast, particularly in a single city, and conditionally supporting adopting calculations for community unity in certain contexts. Other imams also shared reasoning and evidence from classical Islamic scholarship and other references. We must remind our community that the determination of Ramadan and Eid has traditionally been determined based on governance and administration within boundaries of the Shari’ah, rather than specific fiqhi differences. In fact, the very scholars who held these differences would universally obey the decree of the local ruler guided by his council of scholars. These scholars would not cause fitna and disunity by calling for people to adopt their individual opinion, even if they felt it was the stronger one. It is our hope that each member in our community may follow in this legacy, starting with ourselves, in preferring the direction of the collective (jama’ah) to one’s own opinion, and in coming together as one. If you have any questions, please reach out to your local imam for further discussion, and Ramadan Mubarak! The first day of Ramadan 1440 will be on Monday, May

6, 2019. Taraweeh prayers will begin Sunday night insha’Allah.

The day of Eid-ul-Fitr will be Tuesday, June 4, 2019

insha’Allah. Your brothers, Imam Mohamed AbuTaleb, Chair – Islamic Association of Raleigh Imam Salahuddin Muhammad, Secretary – As-Salaam Islamic Center Imam Abdullahi Ahmed – Jamaat Ibad ar-Rahman Imam Mohamed Mesbah Badawy – Jamaat Ibad ar-Rahman Br. Khalid Baloch – Muslim Youth and Community Center, RDU Imam Muamar Dahnoun – Islamic Association of Raleigh Imam Musa Jabi – Masjid King Khalid Imam Oliver Muhammad – As-Salaam Islamic Center Imam Juma Mussa – Masjid King Khalid Dr. Mohamed A. Othman – North Durham Islamic Association Imam Greg Rashad – Ar-Razzaq Islamic Center Imam Khalid Shahu – Apex Masjid Imam Abdul Hafeez Waheed – Masjid Muhammed Imam Abdenasser Zouhri – Islamic Center of Morrisville

Declaration of Triangle Imams Council (TIC) on Ramadan & Eid-ul-Fitr

Calendar of Ramadan 1440/2019

Calendar of Between Taraweeh Talks & Other Major Programs Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Taraweeh 5 Begin

Imam 6 1st Day of Ramadan

Asif 7 2

Istighfar 8 3

Ihab 9 4

Imam 10 5

Imam 11 6

Youth 12 7

Imam 13 8

Asif 14 9

Tasbeeh 15

10

Ihab 16

11

Asisou 17 Mosq. Report 12

Fundraiser 18

13

Competition 19

14

Imam 20

15

Asif 21 16

Prayers upon the Prophet 22

17

Ihab 23 18

Imam 24 After-Jumua Fundraiser 19

Imam 25 - Quran Contest Test (10:30-1:30) 20 Itikaf Beg.

Youth 26 21

Imam 27 22

Asif 28 23

La-Ilaha-Illa-Allah 29 24

Ihab 30 25

Imam 31 27th Night 26

Quran Celeb 1 Bet. Traweeh 27

Relief Fund 2

28

Imam 3 29

Eid Prayer 4 Shift 1/8:30am Shift 2 -10:30am 1

5 2

6

3

7 4

Eid 8 Celebration 5

Calendar of After Fajr Talks Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

5

Imam 6

Moubarak 7 2

8 3

Ihab 9 4

Imam 10 5

Imam 11 6

Youth 12 7

Imam 13 8

Asif 14 9

15 10

Ihab 16 11

Imam 17 12

Imam 18 13

19 14

Imam 20

15

21 16

22

17

Ihab 23 18

Imam 24 19

Imam 25

Youth 26 21

Imam 27 22

Asif 28 23

Imam 29 24

Ihab 30 25

Imam 31 26

Imam 1 27

2 28

Imam 3 29

4 1

5 6 7 8

APEX MOSQUE - RAMADAN PRAYER TIME 1440/2019

Mon 6 Rama 4:45 5:00 6:17 1:13 1:30 4:59 5:30 8:07 9:22 9:45

Tue 7 2 4:44 5:00 6:16 1:13 1:30 4:59 5:30 8:08 9:23 9:45 Wed 8 3 4:43 5:00 6:15 1:13 1:30 4:59 5:30 8:09 9:23 9:45 Thu 9 4 4:42 5:00 6:15 1:13 1:30 4:59 5:30 8:10 9:24 9:45 Fri 10 5 4:41 5:00 6:14 1:12 1:30 4:59 5:30 8:11 9:25 9:45 Sat 11 6 4:40 5:00 6:13 1:12 1:30 5:00 5:30 8:12 9:26 9:45 Sun 12 7 4:39 5:00 6:12 1:12 1:30 5:00 5:30 8:12 9:27 9:45 Mon 13 8 4:38 5:00 6:11 1:12 1:30 5:00 5:30 8:13 9:28 9:45 Tue 14 9 4:37 5:00 6:10 1:12 1:30 5:00 5:30 8:14 9:29 9:45 Wed 15 10 4:35 4:45 6:10 1:12 1:30 5:00 5:30 8:15 9:30 9:45 Thu 16 11 4:33 4:45 6:09 1:12 1:30 5:00 5:30 8:17 9:33 9:45 Fri 17 12 4:31 4:45 6:08 1:13 1:30 5:00 5:30 8:17 9:33 9:45 Sat 18 13 4:30 4:45 6:07 1:13 1:30 5:01 5:30 8:18 9:34 9:45 Sun 19 14 4:29 4:45 6:07 1:13 1:30 5:01 5:30 8:19 9:35 9:45

Mon 20 15 4:28 4:45 6:06 1:13 1:30 5:01 5:30 8:20 9:36 9:45

Tue 21 16 4:27 4:45 6:05 1:13 1:30 5:01 5:30 8:20 9:37 9:45 Wed 22 17 4:27 4:45 6:05 1:13 1:30 5:01 5:30 8:21 9:38 9:45 Thu 23 18 4:26 4:45 6:04 1:13 1:30 5:01 5:30 8:22 9:38 9:45 Fri 24 19 4:25 4:45 6:04 1:13 1:30 5:01 5:30 8:23 9:39 9:45 Sat 25 20 4:24 4:45 6:03 1:13 1:30 5:02 5:30 8:23 9:40 10:00 Sun 26 21 4:24 4:45 6:03 1:13 1:30 5:02 5:30 8:24 9:41 10:00 Mon 27 22 4:23 4:45 6:02 1:13 1:30 5:02 5:30 8:25 9:41 10:00

Tue 28 23 4:23 4:45 6:02 1:13 1:30 5:02 5:30 8:25 9:42 10:00 Wed 29 24 4:22 4:45 6:01 1:14 1:30 5:02 5:30 8:26 9:42 10:00 Thu 30 25 4:20 4:45 6:01 1:14 1:30 5:03 5:30 8:27 9:43 10:00 Fri 31 26 4:20 4:45 6:01 1:14 1:30 5:03 5:30 8:27 9:43 10:00 Sat June 27 4:19 4:45 6:00 1:14 1:30 5:03 5:30 8:28 9:44 10:00 Sun 2 28 4:19 4:45 6:00 1:14 1:30 5:03 5:30 8:29 9:45 10:00 Mon 3 29 4:17 4:45 6:00 1:14 1:30 5:03 5:30 8:29 9:46 10:00

IMPORTANT DATES & EVENTS: PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDAR • FUNDRASING IFTAR: May 18 • QURAN COMPETITION TEST: May 25 • ITIKAF BEGINS: May 25 • NIGHT OF 27: May 31 • Hajj Omar Khatm Al-Quran

Competition: Begins the 1st Day of Ramadan

• Eid Al-Fitr: June 4 • Salat Al-Eid: Shift1 8:30am & Shift2 @ 10: 30am • Eid Celebration: June 8 • 6 Days of Shawal: You can begin on June 5 • Quran Halaqa for Brothers: Sun 6:30-7:30pm • Quran Halaqa for Sisters: Thu & Fri 10am-12pm

Day May/June

Dulhijja M’har

Fajr Iq. Sunr Duhr Iq. Asr Iq. Magri Isha Iq

Apex Mosqu e invitecommunitymembersto

sponsorIftarinthemonthofRamadan

v CostofIftarcanbesharedamongfamilyandFriends.v SponsorapartialIftarcanalsobemade.v ThemoneycollectedforpartialIftarswillbeused

eitherforIftarorSuhoorforthelasttendaysofRamadan. ForsponsorshiporfurtherinformationcontactSocialandWelfareDepartment

BrotherMohamedAchiban:919-949-3569.BrotherMahmoudSuleiman:919-889-2990.

SisterFatimaZohraAbouedahab:203-893-2325.

Note:

v SponsorsshouldhelptosetupthebighallbeforeIftarandCleanitafter.v Thebighallmustbecleanandreadyforthebabysittingbefore9:45pm.

CostofIftarSponsorshipFRI-SUN:$2000 WeekDays:$1500

ZAKAT AL-FITR Zakat al-Fitr this year is $13

per every person in the family (child or adult, male or female). Apex Mosque starts collecting Zakat Al-Fitr by the middle of

Ramadan. For your convenience, a special drop box is designated for it. If you have any questions about Zakat Al-

Fitr, email the Imam at: apexmosqueimam@gmail.com

The Itikaf will begin on May 25th, after Maghrib & continues until Jun.3rd, after Maghrib. We encourage you to join this once-a-year transformational Spiritual journey. Young adults (15+) and grown-ups are welcome to spend the last 10 days of Ramadan in the Masjid. Amenities and sleeping arrangement for full and partial Itikaf will be made available. Note, registration and signing a code of conduct form are required for all those interested. A security agent will be at the main entrance lobby, from Maghrib till Fajr. Those who are willing to join the itikaf must show a photo ID and sign up in and out. No Kids under age 15 are allowed for Itikaf during last 10 days. 15 yrs. Kids can join the itikaf but be part of the program at all times.

ZAKAT AL-MAL  Zakat Al-Mal is 2.5%

of your annual savings. For your

convenience, a special box is available for

your Zakat. If you have any questions about

Zakat, please email the Imam at:

apexmosqueimam@gmail.com

FIDYAH = $7 per Missed-Day If you miss a day or more of Ramadan, due to illness, traveling, or due to menstruation or periods for women, you have 2 ways to make it up: 1. To make up the fasting of that day as soon as you have a chance. 2. If for health issues you can not make it up, then you MUST feed a poor ($7 meal) for every day you missed or – if you can’t identify a poor – pay to the mosque where you usually pray, a fidyah of $7 for every day you missed, and the mosque will use that money to feed poor people, as the need for it rises.

Isha prayer will start at 9:45PM, on May 5th, and will change to10pm, from May 20 – End of Ramadan. The Taraweeh are 8 Raka’t, followed by 3 Raka’t Shaf ’ & Witr and Duaa. The Tahajjud is 8 extra Raka’t, which are performed as follow: u  In the first 20 days of Ramadan, we perform

them immediately after Shaf ’ & Witr u  In the last ten days of Ramadan (during

Itikaf), we perform them before Suhur May Allah help us witness all the Taraweeh of Ramadan    

Apex Mosque is hiring several babysitters throughout Ramadan. We are planning month-long activities and crafts for all children who attend. There is no fee to drop children with the babysitters. Please make use of these arrangements. If your children (12 years or less) are not praying by your side, they must be in the babysitting. Mothers with babies should be in the reading room at all times. The Masjid has the responsibility to provide frequent friendly reminders for parents and children on the rules and manners of the Masjid. These reminders can be boring and even irritating, but please understand that they are needed.

APEX MOSQUE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR SCHOOL YEAR 2019-2020   §  CROSS-GENERATIONS QURAN SCHOOL: It offers classes of Quran Reading, Tajweed

and Memorization, on Mondays, Wednesdays & Saturdays, for kids of all ages §  THE VOYAGE PROGRAM: It offers Islamic vision and practice to youth ages 13-16, on a

variety of faith, cultural and identity issues. It meets by weekly on Fridays and Saturdays. §  Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers (ANAS): Offers one-hour class twice a week (Tuesdays &

Thursdays / 6-7pm), for ages 15 and up including adults. §  AL-IHSSANE SUNDAY SCHOOL: Provides a great environment for kids of all ages to learn

and embrace Islamic values and character. §  AL-MANARA PRESCHOOL: It’s a part-time preschool (Mon – Fri / 9:00am-1:00pm), with

the option of after school babysitting. For kids 3-5 yrs. An excellent environment, where kids learn Islamic values, Arabic language, English, Math and Science

§  TANWEER CIRCLES: Meets every Friday, from 6-7pm, for girls & boys, ages 7-10. Hands

on Islamic Values

Registration is Open. To learn more about each of these programs and to register for school year 2019-2020, visit Apex Mosque Website, at: www.apexmosque.org

OBSERVE THSES DATES & OCCASIONS: MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Eid Al-Fitr will fall on Tues Jun 4th. Eid

prayer will be 2 shifts: 8:30AM & 10:30AM. Because Eid falls on a weekday, make sure to

plan accordingly.

Eid Celebration will be Sat. June 8th from

Asr to Isha @ the grounds of Apex

Mosque. Families are invited to join the joy

of Eid

The Night of 27th of Ramadan this year falls

on Friday, May 26th. The Mosque revives the

entire night with a unique spiritual

program. Don’t Miss it.

Fasting 6 days of Shawal is a great

Suuna of our Prophet (SAW). You can start fasting as

soon as the day after Eid & you can fast them separately

or consecutively.

Apex Mosque 10th Anniversary: Achievements of the Past Decade Finance •  Paid 2/3 of the loan. We are 1/3 far from the pay off:

Are you ready for this Ramadan pay-off campaign? •  Secured a financial buffer line to keep the mosque

financially stable and secure Facility •  Installed new celling, new roof, new AC, new carpet •  AV System: new projectors, TVs and Video Camera

in the Musalla, library, & reading room •  Installed new tile and divider for multipurpose Hall •  Established a Library & bookstore •  Established Al-Baraka Kitchen •  Established School Building and offices •  Rented the Medium Bldg. to generate funds for the

Mosque •  Established a Solar power system for the entire

Mosque Education •  Established Al-Ihssan Sunday School, 150 kids per

year •  Established Al-Manara Preschool, 30 kids per yr. •  Established Tanweer Program for kids, 65 kids •  Established the Voyage Program for Youth, 30 youth

per yr. •  Established The Cross-Generations After-School

Quran program, 60 kids per year •  Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers (ANAS) •  Established a Weekly Sisters Hifz Program Social Affairs •  Established a Monthly Community Dinner •  Two Major Fundraising Functions every year •  Zakat Al-Mal & Zakat Al-Fitr Collection & Distribution •  Established daily Iftars in Ramadan •  Established Eid Al-Fitr & Al-Adha Celebrations •  Facilitated the use of Apex Mosque premises for

hundreds of community projects and programs Media & Outreach •  Created and maintained a professional Website &

Facebook •  Created The Communicator”, Ramadan Newsletter •  Established a Monthly Book Reading Club with friends

from other faiths •  Organized many interfaith and dialogue meetings with

religious institutions of other faiths •  Worked with Humanitarian Organizations (Habitat for

Humanity, Syrian Refugees, Islamic Relief, Helping Hands, ICNA Relief

•  Represented the Mosque and community in Media

Dawa •  Established the five daily prayers & two shifts of

Jumua •  Developed & executed unique Ramadan programs,

including Taraweeh, I’tikaf, Talks, etc. •  Established Ramadan Quran Memorization Contest,

Al-Mizmaar Recitation Contest & the 40 Hadiths Memorization Contest

•  Established a yearly program of Umrah •  Established a Yearly Qur’anic Day: “Treasures of the

Quran” •  Established a Yearly Weekend Conference on Seerah:

“The Beloved Seerah Conference” •  Established a youth program: “The Voyage Program” •  Established a Monthly Tahajjud •  Established the Cross-Generations Quran After-

School Program •  Established two shifts of prayer, for both Eid Al-Fitr

& Eid Al-Adha •  Established a weekly program of talks, Dikr sessions,

Quran Gatherings and lectures •  Offered hundreds of hours of counseling for families,

couples, youth, new Muslims & converts, etc. •  Conducted tens of marriage ceremonies •  Effectively contributed to the growth cooperation and

unity among the Carolina’s Mosques and communities •  Effectively represented Apex Mosque in the Triangle

Imams Council •  Participated in many interfaith dialogues Youth & Recreation •  Created the Apex Mosque Youth Club (AMY) •  Organized Halaqat and programs for youth •  Organized camps, picnics, field trips for kids and

youth •  Organized many major functions (i.e. Youth nights

and retreats) and other occasional programs Family & Children •  Established a baby sitting system for the Mosque and

community •  Organized several workshops and trainings on

parenting, childhood education, etc. •  Offered many occasional programs for kids (movie

nights, kids nights, competitions, etc.) Safety & Security •  Established a security system for the Mosque,

including in/outside cameras and monitoring screens •  Increased security in the Mosque through the hiring of

police officers in times of need or other alert and emergency times

The Beloved Seerah Conference 2019 Friday – Sunday, October 18-20

Memories from the 2016 & 2017 Beloved Seerah