Assalamu-Alaykum (Peace Be Upon You)

On behalf of Muslim Association of Puget Sound, I extend our heartfelt Eid greetings to each of you! Eid Mubarak.

وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَٰهِـۧمُ ٱلْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ ٱلْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَـٰعِيلُ رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّآ ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ ١٢٧

When Ibrahim (Abraham) was raising up the foundation of the House, along with Ismail (Ishmael) (supplicating): “Our Lord accept (this service) from us! Indeed, You – and You alone – are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing!” Qura’n: Surah Al Baqarah:127

This Eid celebration along with the pillar of Hajj – undertaken by 2 million+ of our Muslim brothers and sisters commemorates the sunnah and legacy of our beloved Prophet Ibrahim AS. We learn numerous lessons from his seerah, which guide us today and will continue to guide Muslims till the end of time. Among the very important lessons that we learn from Prophet Ibrahim AS are that he first constructed the Kaa’ba as a place to worship Allah swt, that he left his family in its care, and that he allowed the city of Makkah to flourish around it. Today, the masjid around the Kaa’ba is a place where Allah’s name is mentioned 24/7 and is the center of the Muslim world. Our desire to establish masajid and branches in this part of the world follows the sunnah of Prophet Ibrahim AS, as it aims to create a place where Allah SWT is worshipped and to act as centers for Muslims in the Pacific Northwest.

This Eid-al-Adha is a special one for us as this is the first time we are congregating in Maydenbauer for our Eid prayers. Alhamdulillah, over the last 18 years, our MAPS community has grown a lot. We are continually expanding our programs, offerings, and branches to better serve you and we consistently see increasing demand for more. It is truly by Allah’s mercy and barakah that the American Muslim community, despite all the pressures it faces, continues to grow. At MAPS, we have expanded our spaces, including a prayer tent in Ramadan, doubling the size of our Sunday School, adding youth seminary and offering multiple religions, educational, and social programs catering to youth, young professionals, and adults. These spaces are quickly filling up, reflecting the high demand within our community. We need a clear vision and plan to meet the needs of our growing community.

We have discussed a grand expansion at our main location in Redmond. If we are to truly fulfill the aspirations and maximize the potential of our community, we need a space to accommodate our continued growth in the years to come. I am pleased to announce that we have a dedicated team who has been actively looking for options to grow our physical footprint at the Redmond campus and searching for a permanent facility in Seattle. It is not an easy task to find a suitable option given the high price of real estate in our area. Moreover, we are committed to securing a viable funding plan that is not based on riba and conforms to our religious practices. We are praying to Allah SWT for guidance and ease in this matter. I am confident we will present viable solutions and options to you soon.

We cannot remain complacent with our current setup, services, and offerings. The need of our Muslim community will grow over the next 15 to 20 years. We have a good foundation for religious and educational programs for kids, youths, and adults. We also have a great portfolio of humanitarian services and community activism. We have an engaging set of social programs and services. In fact, MAPS is unique in its ability to bring this set of diverse programs and services that everyone in the community – Muslims and non-Muslims alike, benefit from. We have an opportunity to build upon this foundation and further institutionalize these offerings. Additionally, we need to have a plan to self-sustain our expanding operations.

These are significant decisions to make for a community of our size and potential. We learn from the Seerah of Prophet Ibrahim AS to have a vision and purpose, to plan and invest in building the next generation, and to be ready to offer sacrifices should a need arise. Achieving a multi-million-dollar project will not be a small feat. It will require all of us, as a community, to come together and work hard towards achieving this dream with the help of Allah swt.

While we work towards our important priority for 2024, I strongly encourage you all to take full advantage of all our upcoming major programs. If you are not already connected through our email or social media channels, we encourage you to follow us to stay updated. We have a 3-day family camp coming up from July 5th – 7th on Whidbey Island and a separate youth camp. We are offering 30+ summer camps this summer for kids, featuring classes on Islam, Quran, sports, art, technology, and more. This year, we are starting a PNW Seminary with the goal of elevating the Islamic literacy of our community. This 3-year program offers a diploma upon completion, allowing flexibility for students to enroll in as many classes as they wish. These are just a very few out of numerous programs we have available for you.

I pray to Allah SWT that He accepts our Udhiya/sacrifices and Ibadaat, that He answers our prayers, that He cleans our hearts, that He blesses our families, and that He forgives our sins. Additionally, let us not forget our brothers and sisters in Gaza, Palestine, Sudan, and around the world who are facing immense challenges. A heartbreaking genocide and ethnic cleansing are unfolding in Gaza with live streams on social media. May Allah swt alleviate their sufferings, prevent starvation and famine, and grant our leaders the moral courage to put an end to this humanitarian crisis.

Please accept our sincere wishes for a very joyous Eid.

Eid Mubarak and Assalamu Alaykum Wa-Rahmat-ullah.
Mohammad Vakil
MAPS President