"Our objective is to build a new generation of
men and women who understand Islam, adhere to it, and call
for it"
About MAS Youth:
Conforming to the Society's mission and ensuring a bright
future for Islam in America, MAS considers Islamic work among all segments of
Muslim youth a top priority. Youth work proved and continues to prove to be one
of the most challenging yet effective areas of Islamic work. MAS believes that
tarbiya is a core process to build the Muslim society and this process must take
place in the youth age, a very critical period of life. Youth are the ones who
are going to lead the Muslim community in the future and MAS believes that it is
its duty to prepare them for that critical and important role. All objectives
and means of tarbiya are used to develop and train young American Muslim.
Mission:
To
develop committed Muslim youth capable of spreading and giving root to the
comprehensive understanding of Islam, and to prepare them to be at the forefront
in the development of their communities.
Vision:
MAS Youth, as a
department of MAS, is giving roots, nurturing, and establishing an organized,
efficient, movement oriented Islamic work among all segments of Muslim youth
based on the comprehensive understanding of Islam.
Goals:
- Preserve the Islamic identity
of our youth.
- Provide youth with an Islamic
environment to socialize with other Muslim youth.
- Strengthen the bonds of
brotherhood/sisterhood among them.
- Empower the Islamic values in
the youth and attach them to the Islamic teaching.
- Train our youth to develop and
improve their leadership and Da'wah skills.
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join a study circle:
The MAS Youth Usra Program (MY UP), or study circle, is a
weekly meeting of brothers or sisters interested in building their Islamic
personality. It follows a strict and thoroughly reviewed educational
program and timetable, and serves as a nurturing ground for educational,
spiritual, and intellectual development. The Halaqa mechanism helps
joining hearts by developing true brotherhood and sisterhood (acquaintance and
solidarity), trust and mutual understanding, loyalty and a sense of belonging,
and commitment to the service of Islam and the community.
What is
an Usra:
-
A bond of
love for the sake of Allah between 6-10 members
-
A way to
practice Islamic values in reality ( love for Allah, sacrifice, brotherhood
…)
-
One of
the ways of Islamic education and discipline
-
A working
unit for outreach (dawa) work
Mission
of a MAS Youth Usra:
To build many American,
Muslim activists and leaders, that have a comprehensive understanding, are
approachable, attractive, and have a positive impact on this society.
The goal is to have many
Godly people: Quality and Quantity.
Vision
for the members of a MAS Youth Usra:
Pillars
of MAS Youth Usra:
-
Ta’aruf
– deep knowledge of one another
-
Tafahum
– mutual understanding, culture of freedom of expression and understanding
each one’s situation and needs
-
Takaaful
– mutual support & solidarity – we are here to support one another in
anything we may need in our lives
Who can
join a MAS Youth Usra:
-
Open to anyone willing
to commit
-
First level of
committed Associate membership
-
Need to fill out
membership form and pay yearly dues ($10/mnth or $100/yr)
-
Focused on
Spirituality and Bonding, Basic Knowledge
-
If start at 1st level,
overall takes about 2-3 years of meeting weekly before becoming an adjunct
member
The
History of Usra:
-
It started in Dar Al-Arkam
in the early days of Islam.
-
When the Sahabah
became Muslims they went to the first usra in the home of Al-Arkam
-
It has been the
recurrent model of Tarbiya throughout Islamic history.
-
Even after the 2nd
pledge of aqabah, the Prophet SAW divided 73 people into 12 naqeebs (leader
of a group of people), to ensure all the people were taken care of.
-
It is a very effective
and proven model to develop the individual.
The
factors distinguishing MAS Youth Usra
from regular Islamic classes or public lectures are:
-
Once an Usra is
formed, its membership stays constant, i.e. people do not arbitrarily join
at a later point (analogous to a college class - people cannot join it after
a few weeks). Those joining the Usra do so with the commitment to remain
part of it until the end of the curriculum. Of course, if you decide to
formally leave it, you would be free to do so, but your intention when
joining should be to commit for the duration.
-
Usra members give it
very high priority, such that they put in a lot of emotional, spiritual and
physical effort (measured not by quantity of time but quality of effort) and
attend every session (of course, legitimate absence is excused).
-
The reasons for the
above two factors are so that a deep brotherhood (or sisterhood) develops,
such that people can meaningfully touch each others’ lives, and also so that
clear progress is made in the curriculum with everyone on the same page
rather than a diluted effect with people in and out.
-
The material the Usra
covers ranges widely from very spiritual topics: Qur’an, hadeeth, seerah,
Islamic history, modes of da’wah, etc. Additionally, there is a lot of
independent reading and learning required (the material being of the
attendees’ own choice based on needs the counselor and the individual
identify together). Presentations are then given to the rest of the study
circle on the reading so that all can benefit.
-
There is great
emphasis and follow-up on issues of character and personal worship.
-
There is
emphasis on being involved in Islamic work because (1) it is a
responsibility we have before Allah, and (2) it is the only way to really
understand what we learn and to gain wisdom from it. “And those who strive
for Us, We will surely guide them to Our ways” –(Surah Al-Ankabut: 69)
General
Rules of the Usra:
Duties to One Another
-
Being open with one
another to strengthen the sisterhood
or brotherhood
-
Personal difficulties
and needs take precedence to discuss in Usra over curriculum, we are here to
help one another
-
Be ready to share of
yourself
-
Obey the time, call if
you are running late
-
Get permission to be
excused from the Usra, need a valid excuse.
Duties to Our Usra and Own Development
-
Meet weekly
-
If we cannot meet,
perhaps we can replace it with a phone call
-
If someone is sick we
visit them
-
If there is an
alternate event on the same night we can reschedule or attend the event
together
Duties to Gaining Knowledge
-
All members
participate in giving the curriculum
-
Assignments agreed
upon are to be done and prepared in the week, with accommodations given
schedules and certain times (ie. finals)
-
If you are not able to
prepare, contact your Usra leader ahead of time to ensure it gets prepared
-
Participation is
beloved
-
Take notes
The MAS
Youth Usra:
Are you ready to prepare
yourself to be able to spread the mission and message of the Prophet SAW?
If you are interested in joining MY UP, please fill out the form below. You will be contacted as soon
as possible with more information about MY
UP, insha'Allah.
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join our mailing list:
It’s obvious that we, as Young American Muslims of the
Washington, D.C. Metro area, need a means to communicate. We need something to
inform each other of B- Ball games, cool outings and other Islamic events that
are happening in our area. It is important that we share news of all kinds,
whether it is unfortunate events where we console each other and come together,
or joyful occasions where we share the bliss and blessings of the moment.
This youth only
e-group
has been created to represent us, the youth, in Northern Virginia & D.C. which
will allow us to better communicate with one another.
Join the
group and help strengthen the unity and bring us closer together. The group
is moderated; therefore, you will not find unsupervised junk coming to your
inbox. If there is an event, you will receive one copy of the email concerning
it, not multiple copies of the same email. The same would apply with important
news, occasions, etc. Considering our hectic schedules, this is a great way to
stay updated!
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Contact Us:
MAS Youth of DC
Email:
youth@masdc.org
Address:
3606 Forest Drive
Alexandria, VA 22302