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Around 1,800 Supports Help Raise $1.95M at Dec 15 Dinner

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Call this event the "December 15 miracle". Or call it the "the winter 2013 miracle".


Or, just call it "yaqeen".


Despite the  enormous amount of money yet to be raised by Dar-us-Salaam in its bid to purchase a 66-acre property in Howard County as its new campus, members and supporters of the College Park, Maryland community building project attended the December 15, 2013 annual fundraising dinner brimming with confidence.

 

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Volunteers help with counting cash and pledges as they streamed in once the fundraising commenced.An inital figure displayed on the screen at the event was slightly higher than the actual amount collected and the final confirmed figure was emailed to supporters and posted on Dar-us-Salaam's websites in the days following the dinner.


Even without a surprise $1,000,000 donation announced towards the end of the fundraising portion of the program, the $957,239 raised was the highest ever for Dar-us-Salaam, the organization which is home to Al-Huda School.


The total, a ground breaking $1.95 million, gives Dar-us-Salaam much needed momentum as it enters the final stretch in its race to raise $10 million by this coming spring 2014. Combined with the funds raised at the yaqeen event, Dar-us-Salaam has raised abotu $3 million in cash and pledges towards the $10 million needed to close on the Howard County property, a former catholic school campus.

 

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On November 6, 2013, Dar-us-Salaam submited its application for conditional use to Howard County. The approval process involves a series of public hearings and usually takes 6 to 9 months.


After the recitation of the Qur'an by a young graduate of Dar-us-Salaam's hifz school, Minhaj Hasan opened the program by acknowledging the many masajid and communities whose leaders and members were present. Hasan has served as the master of ceremonies for the past few Dar-us-Salaam annual dinners. However, at this evening's event, he took leave of the audience, passing the torch to the next generation of community leaders.

 

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Al-Huda School students perform a nasheed towards the end of the program which went till around 10pm.



"In the spirit of yaqeen, of having confidence in Allah, this year we are showing we are confident in our next generation, so we are having this most important event tonight presided over by the salutatorian of the Al-Huda High School graduating class of 2013," said Hasan, welcoming college freshman Naeem Baig to the stage.


Baig, known for his poetry and spoken word performances at the Muslim Interscholastic Tournament and on Youtube, went over the event protocols and ettiquetes in verse.


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Aqabah Karates shows off its high flying self defense techniques and signature dive rolls.


Dividing the program according to the "yaqeen" theme -- meaning confidence in Allah and His promise -- Sheikh Muhammad Syed Adly discussed "Ilm Al-Yaqeen" (having confidence through knowledge), Brother Safi Khan discussed "'Ayn Al-Yaqeen" (having confidence through seeing), and Imam Siraj Wahaj discussed "Haq Al-Yaqeen" (having confidence when the reality becomes manifest).


Dr. Altaf Hussain, the fundraiser for the evening, said he had never attempted to raise the $1 million goal for the evening, but said he had faith and confidence something amazing would happen tonight.


It did, and now Dar-us-Salaam and its supporters continue to work to raise the remaining funds, hoping for more miracles from Allah to carry them home.


To learn more or donate, visit www.homeoftheheart.org.

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