As-salamu Alaykum (Peace Be Upon You):

Eid Mubarak. Let me start by wishing you all a joyous Eid.

The theme I chose for my remarks on this occasion of Eid-ul Fitr is Gratitude. In Surah Baqarah, verse 185, Allah SWT commands us to fast in the month of Ramadan, emphasizes that he intends to make fasting easy on us and concludes the verse by reminding us to be grateful:

Ramadhan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur’an, as a guide to mankind, also clear Signs for guidance and judgment (Between right and wrong). So, every one of you who is present during that month should spend it in fasting, but if anyone is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed period (Should be made up) by days later. Allah intends every facility for you; He does not want to put to difficulties. (He wants you) to complete the prescribed period, and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance ye shall be grateful. (2:185)

Ayesha (RA), the Prophet’s wife narrates:

When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed the night prayers (Qiyam-ul-layl), he would stand until his feet swelled. So, I asked him: “O Prophet of Allah, do you do perform so much while Allah has forgiven all your mistakes?” He responded: “Should not I be a grateful servant of Allah?” (Muslim)  

Ramadan is a time to reflect on our blessings and show gratitude. Abstaining from food and drink is a reminder of how grateful we must be because we only endure this hunger while fasting. This is not so for many who cannot afford some of these necessities of life. A year ago, we were in a pandemic locked up in our homes. I remember standing here in front of an empty hall with Sh Joban during the last Eid as I made my Eid remarks.

Alhamdulillah (praise to God), how much life has changed in the 12 months. What a blessing a year has produced. This Eid we will have over 2000 people in 7 Eid prayers, while following all COVID guidelines. We have a highly effective vaccine and most of us are vaccinated. And if you are not, you can walk-in and choose your vaccine. This coming Saturday, MAPS-MCRC Clinic will be providing vaccines right here in our masjid. It is a blessing to have a cure so widely available. And for that, we indeed need to show gratitude to Allah, Al-Shafi, The Healer.  

The rest of the world is not as lucky as us. Even in a country like UK, you can get vaccination today only if you are above 30 years old. More than 1.4 Billion in India are in a lockdown right now not being able to step out of their home but for a few hours for essentials. People are dying due of lack of oxygen. Only 2% of India is vaccinated. There are many countries in Africa that have not seen a single dose of vaccine. That includes doctors who are treating COVID patients.   

How then do show our gratitude for all these blessings? At MAPS during this Ramadan, there are many things we have done to show our gratitude.  

1. We were able to hold 2 daily congregations for Isha and Tarawih (Night) prayers in the masjid. We held Qiyam prayer in the last ten nights. It took many volunteers to make these prayers happen. We are grateful for our Tarawih and Qiyam.
2. Every single day we provided iftar to 360 people here and to the needy in the city of Seattle. We are grateful for Iftaar (breaking of fast).
3. We distributed over a thousand Ramadan Gift bags with prayer mat we got from Turkey to welcome you back to masjid for the month of Ramadan. We are grateful for our community.
4. MAPS-MCRC provided a whole month of essential food items and toys to 1200 families. We are grateful for our rizq (sustenance).
5. Later today, we will be distributing 1500 goody bags with toys and candy to kids as Eid gifts. We are grateful for our children.
6. This year, we are doing something new. We will be giving Eid Gifts to 350 sick children who are receiving care at the Seattle Children’s hospital. Many of these children have not been able to see their families or friends because of COVID. We had initially planned to give the gifts to Muslim kid patients only but the hospital was so excited that we extended the program to all of their patients. We show gratitude for our health.
7. A couple of days ago we distributed zakat, fitr, fidya and sadaqah to over 1000 needy families so that they can enjoy a nice Eid today. We are grateful for a blessed Eid. 
8. In all, we spend a third of our budget (close to $1M) helping the less fortunate in the broader community. We are grateful for donations from our community. A few days ago, my son asked me, “Dad, why don’t you find something fun to do besides working on MAPS stuff”? It occurred to me that “we are here because of the sacrifices of so many people before us – whether it is the Prophet and the companions at the dawn of Islam, or the early Muslim pioneers who sacrificed everything to establish institutions like ISNA, mosques, or the civil rights leaders in this country who have championed fair political, immigration and religious rights for all of us. We stand on the shoulders of these giants and we are grateful to them.

I am very grateful to you all for helping us establish an institution like MAPS in just a span of 15 years. At MAPS, we have taken a broad view of what it means to be an impactful Muslim community, to be a good citizen of the society we live in. We give Sukr or gratitude to Allah SWT for this blessing!  

When we give back, we gain moral authority to demand justice and fairness. I know that this week the hearts of all Muslims in the world are in pain seeing images of masjid Al-Aqsa, a place where our Prophet prayed and ascended to heaven, the 3^rd holiest place of Islam, being smoked and gassed and desecrated on the night of Layl-at-Qadr during Ramadan. As we feel helpless, the question we ask ourselves repeatedly, is what we can do about it. We all wish we had an immediate solution to this problem. But all I can say this. We live in a time and place when and where it is imperative that we build strong institutions that are engaged locally and nationally and that we establish a community that is politically involved leveraging the opportunities available. That is the only way our voices will be heard.  

MAPS is part of the larger effort to build such a community – locally engaged with visible impacts and one that fosters an environment of change. We are blessed to be in an area that is fast growing and fast transforming. In a few years, we will live at a walking distance away from a light rail station and 500 brand new apartments. We gave Sukr (gratitude) to Allah SWT for building the city around us.  

That’s why we have embarked on an expansion project to add 4,600 sq ft of space to our current facility to meet our short term and long-term needs. This project will cost us a $1M. Just last week, the MAPS General Assembly approved the project and the project is expected to start in June and finish by Oct IA. We are very thankful for the unwavering support you have given us. I thank you for your generosity to help us complete this project.    

For those of you are new to MAPS, we extend you a warm welcome to our community. We have a lot to offer you and learn from you. If you have a particular passion, we want to leverage your expertise in spiritual, as well as, worldly matters. Sign up for our newsletter on our website and follow us on our social media channels to stay connected. I am grateful to the community for your unwavering support over the years. I want to close by wishing all of you and your families a blessed Eid Mubarak!  

Hyder Ali
MAPS President