Jan. 28, 2016

Assalamu Alaikum

Dear Family & Friends of ICSC,

As January comes to a close, we are running full speed ahead into February. In the next few weeks, we have quite a few exciting events coming up including our General Membership meeting, another group hike, a "Serve + Connect" outing at the Union Rescue Mission, and our second "Get to Know Each Other" joint program with the Bilal Islamic Center.

Thank you for all of your continued support and we look forward to seeing you soon.


In peace,

The Islamic Center of Southern California

In this Issue

Friday Khutbaskhutba
Photo of Dr. Ahmed El-Gabalawy
TOMORROW: 1/29
Dr. Ahmed El-Gabalawy
Photo of Asim Buyuksoy
NEXT WEEK: 2/5
Asim Buyuksoy


Listen to Lask Week's Friday Khutba (1/22)

Hassan Zeenni - "The Power of Beauty"

Coming up at ICSCcomingupagain
This Weekend
(1/29 - 1/31)

FRIDAY (1/29)
1:00 p.m. -  Jumma'a Prayer & Khutba
Dr. Ahmed El-Gabalawy
5:45 p.m. - Qur'an Class for Kids 
Asim Buyuksoy

SATURDAY (1/30)
5:30 a.m. - Saturday Morning Circle
Recitation, Tajweed, & Breakfast
Asim Buyuksoy
10:00 a.m. -  ICSC Food Pantry
Volunteers arrive @ 9:45 a.m.

SUNDAY (1/31)
10:30 a.m. - Parents Circle
11:15 a.m. -  Highlights of the Qur'an
Dr. Najeeba Syeed
"Lessons from the Qur'an: What nature teaches humans about peace." (Part 2)
12:00 p.m. - "Stress Management"
Dr. Shamim Ibrahim (NISWA)
Healthy Living Education Series


Next Week
(2/1 - 2/7)

TUESDAY (2/2)
6:45 p.m. - Qur'an Recitation Class
Asim Buyuksoy

THURSDAY (2/4)
6:45 p.m. -  Islam 2.0 for New Muslims
Asim Buyuksoy

FRIDAY (2/5)
1:00 p.m. - Jumma'a Prayer & Khutba
Asim Buyuksoy
5:45 p.m. -  Qur'an Class for Kids
Asim Buyuksoy

SATURDAY (2/6)
5:30 a.m.  Saturday Morning Circle
Recitation, Tajweed, & Breakfast
Asim Buyuksoy
10:00 a.m. - ICSC Food Pantry
Volunteers arrive @ 9:45 a.m.

SUNDAY (2/7)
10:30 a.m. - Parents Circle
11:15 a.m. -  Highlights of the Qur'an
Dr. Saleh Kholaki
"The Concept of Love in the Qur'an" (Part 1)
12:00 p.m. - "Do We Love God or Fear 
Him?"
Hassan  Zeeni



Perfecting our Character:  serveandconnect
Voices from our Community
by Kristen Stangas

Our Beloved Messenger (PBUH) once said,  " The best among you are the best in character and in manners." (Bukhari)   

These words made it incumbent upon all Muslims, to take on the lifelong task of striving to better our character.  It takes focus, self-discipline, and seeking knowledge.  We hear this all the time - but do we really understand what it means?  How do you define good character?

"That's a really good question. A man is judged by his character, not his reputation, so little things like how you treat people or being honest."   (Naif - Technology Coordinator)

"Good character is defined by how well one behaves himself and how well one's reactions affect his surroundings." 
(Mouloukou Sulaiman Kanté - ICSC Community Member)

"For me it's humility. You're confident yet have a modest opinion of yourself. Someone that has good character has a growth mindset and is willing to learn new ideas from others. You also express gratitude for what you have instead of expecting more because you think you're better."  
(Waffa - ICSC Community Member)

"I think to have good character you have to be honest.  Also, I think you have to help others out of the goodness of your heart."  (Wahid Momin - MYG Board Member)

Perfecting our character is not an easy task. It is a goal to work towards, and as long as we set our intention and make an active effort to improve each day, insha'Allah we will be one step closer to the best versions of ourselves.



Save the Date 

More info to come, but save the date for now!
  • General Membership Meeting (Feb. 14)
  • Take a Hike - Fajr & Sunrise Hike (Feb. 20)
  • "Get to Know Each Other" Program with Bilal Islamic Center (Feb. 21)
  • "Serve + Connect" at Union Rescue Mission (Feb. 21)
  • Spiritual Night - "Serving Humanity... A Way of Life" (Mar. 5)
  • "In the Path of the Prophet Abraham: An Interfaith March" (Mar. 6)

General Membership Meeting Banner
hike banner
Serve and Connect Banner
Get to Know Each Other Banner
What's new in our community?
New Horizon and newhorizon
Sunday School

Qur'an Competition: Watch one of our students recite Surat An-Nas at today's New Horizon Qur'an Competition.


World's Finest Chocolate: The New Horizon PTO is selling chocolate bars as a fundraiser for the school.  Each bar is $1 or you can buy a box for $60.  Please contact the school office for more information.

We are always accepting new students.  For more information about our New Horizon elementary school or our Sunday School program, please contact Hadir Elsayad .

Do you shop at Ralphs?

If you're a Rewards Card member, it's easy for you to donate a portion of every purchase to our New Horizon School through the Ralphs Community Contribution Program.  By linking your existing Rewards Card to our non-profit ID number, you can benefit our school by just buying your groceries!

For additional information, please link to the instructions on our ICSC website.
Muslim Youth Group (MYG:)MYG

MYG meets every Sunday from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. in the Youth Room

This Sunday (1/31):
We will be having a debate.  The topic will be decided that day.

What have we been up to?
A couple weeks ago, we had a joint program with the IKAR kids. Last weekend (1/24) we went to the Ronald McDonald House to cook dinner for children with terminal diseases.

ICSC MYG and IKAR
ICSC MYG and IKAR

Photo of MYG grilling hot dogs for Ronald McDonald House
MYG grilling hot dogs for Ronald McDonald House



Ski Trip Image
Coming up (2/13):
It's that time of year - time for the MYG to hit the slopes and have some fun.  The annual Ski Trip is coming up on Feb. 13.   This  is a Youth Group favorite.  Don't  miss out!   Sign up today

For more information, please contact MYG President,  Omar Badr  or our Youth Coordinator,  Yusif Lee .
Want to get involved?volunteers
We're working on updating our volunteer database right now.  If you are interested in sharing your time and talents with ICSC, please send us an email with your name, phone number, and email address to let us know how you want to get involved. Contact  Kristen Stangas


Part-Time Job Opportunity

Current Volunteer Opportunities
  • ICSC Food Pantry (Every Saturday morning @ 9:45am, doors open to the public at 10 a.m.)  
  • Experienced photographers to help take photos at our events
  • Experienced babysitters to help with children at events

Food Pantry Poster
Prayer Timesprayers
We are open for prayers five times a day, every day.  Iqama is ten minutes after the athan is called.  You can find prayer times on our  website .




" Desires make slaves 
out  of kings  and  patience 
makes kings out of slaves ." 

(Imam Al-Ghazali)




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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Kristen Stangas, Communication Coordinator

ICSC | 213.382.9200 |  icsc@icsconline.org |  www.icsconline.org