to Ahle Sunnat brothers as

well as the 17th which is the

date according to Shi’i tradi-

tions. This is a week for all

Muslims to celebrate a great

Eid together.

Other days of significance in

Rabiul-avval include the matri-

mony of our Holy Prohphet

(sawws) and H. Khadija(sa) on

the 10th, the death of Yazid ibn

Muawiya on the 14th as well as

a few other enemies of the

Ahlul-Bayt.

Looking ahead to Rabius-thani,

the noteworthy dates of the

month are the birth of Imam

Hasan Askari(as) on the 8th,

the wafat of H. Masoumeh(sa)

on the 10th, and the uprising of

Mokhtar-e-Saghafi on the 14th.

In the name of Allah,

most Beneficent, most Merciful

The caravan of Karbala treads

this path every year and it is

our task to make sure that we

are on board every year. By

the grace of Allah (swt) we

were able to commemorate

Moharram and Safar 1435.

Our center saw an unprece-

dented number of patrons on

the night of Ashura this year.

During these two months ap-

proximately 120 speeches

were delivered in English, Farsi

and Urdu by over 20 different

speakers.

According to conservative

estimates, over 20 million pil-

grims visited the Holy Shrines

of Karbala, Iraq, marking yet

another year of the “world’s

biggest pilgrimage”) (External

Article Link)

The period after Safar is criti-

cal in keeping alive the sense

of Islamic inspiration that the

sorrow of Aba Abdillah(as)

renews every year. As we look

to Rabiul-avval, it is difficult to

not interpret the important

events in this month as a re-

newal of our imaan after the

awakening of Moharram and

Safar. This is a month of cele-

bration and it includes the birth

of Mercy Upon Mankind and

the leader of our religion, the

Holy Prophet of Islam(sawws)

on the 17th, the birth of our

leader of faith, Imam Jafar-e-

Sadeq(as) also on the 17th, and

the start of the Imamat of

Imam of the Age(ajtfs) on the

9th.

“According to the hadith of Amir

al-Momineen (A.S.) that every

day when one does not diso-

bey his Lord is the day of Eid.

We can understand that although

particular days of Eid are few but

in the life of a faithful person

every day that he obeys his Lord

that day becomes day of joy and

day of celebration.”

- HI G.H. Shabbiri

Therefore, this month provides

us with a chance to renew our

allegiance to the ideals of our

faith as we celebrate these joy-

ous occasions. The week of

unity includes in it the 12th of

Rabiul-avval which is the birth

of the Holy Prophet according

Looking back and ahead

I N S I D E

T H I S I S S U E :

Looking back and

ahead

1

GBM Invitation 2

Education Updates 2

Karbala Play 3

Muslim Spelling Bee 5

IEC Services 6

Editor’s Note 6

Wahdat Newsletter J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 5 / / R A B I U L - A W A L — R A B I U S - T H A N I 1 4 3 5

S P E C I A L

P O I N T S O F

I N T E R E S T :

Looking back at Mo-

harram and ahead to

Rabi I and II.

Education Updates

A recap of Al-Hadi

students’ Karbala Play

Page 1

Congratulations to all on

the auspicious occasion

of the birth of Holy Proph-

et(sawws) and Imam Sad-

eq(as).

IEC Sunday School

will resume on

Sunday, January 4th,

2015

Education Updates

Notice of General Board Meeting In accordance with the rule set forth in the IEC constitution article 6.1.1,

the General Body Meeting will be held on Saturday, January 10, 2015.

Registration will start at 5:30 P.M.

The agenda for the meeting will be as follow

Directors’ Report

Question and Answer Session

A quorum is necessary to hold a valid meeting. Forty percent (40%) of the

active members registering for the General Body Meeting shall establish a

quorum for the meeting.

Shahid Ali Chawla

Please note that IEC Sunday School will resume on Sunday, January 4,

2015.

Please note that Farsi School registration will be Friday, January 2nd with

classes beginning that same day.

IEC Farsi School

will resume on Fri-

day, January 2nd,

2015

Please mark your calendars!

Al Hadi School of Accelerative Learning (www.alhadi.com) invites all com-

munity members to their 19th Annual Anniversary Dinner, which will be

held on Saturday, February 7th 2015, Insha’Allah. Tickets for Adults and

Youth (ages 12 and above) will be on sale shortly; free admission for Chil-

dren under 12 years, and Childcare will be provided for ages 2 – 6.

Come join us for an eventful afternoon to view Live Student Performances,

Presentations, and Auction, followed by Dinner. Your contribution to the

future of our children is greatly appreciated.

Page 2

Al-Hadi School stages live performance on events of Karbala

On December 12, 2014, to commemorate Arbaeen which signifies the 40th day after the martyrdom of Imam

Al-Hussain (as), students of Al-Hadi School staged a live play depicting the events of Karbala. Over 50 stu-

dents from Grade 1 through High School took part in this play and through their heart-warming performanc-

es, brought to life various characters that exemplified the struggle of righteousness against falsehood and

oppression. Directed by Br Zaheer Zaidi, the play was organized by Al Hadi School’s IQRA department, well

supported by the school admin and several parent volunteers. Open to the entire community, the live play

drew an audience of over 350. Below are some pictures from the performance. To watch a recording of the

play, please click here.

Page 3

Page 4

Please register at

http://MuslimSpellingBee.com/Register.aspx or contact

Sr. Elia Zaidi at EZaidi@alhadi.com

Page 5

As-salaamu ‘alaykum Dear Community Members

The Wahdat Newsletter is actively seeking writers, editors and reviewers. We are also seeking

photographers who can who can help bring the words to life with their creativity.

If you are interested, please send your information to Director.Publications@iec-houston.org.

Your feedback is always welcome!

Wahdat Team,

Islamic Education Center of Houston, TX

2313 South Voss Rd.

Houston Tx 77057

713-787-5000

www.iec-houston.org

Director.Publications@iec-houston.org

The Islamic Education Center is a spring that quenches the

thirst of those looking for true spirituality in the desert of

materialism, a huge blessed tree to rest under its wide shad-

ow from the heat of corruption which exists elsewhere, a

masjid to supplicate and pray in, a school to learn in, a center

to provide and receive services, and eventually a place to get

near to Allah through righteous activities. We praise Allah

(SWT) for helping us to be one of the unique communities

that has been able to maintain its unity and provide services

to the Muslim community and progress year after year.

IEC SERVICES: PROGRAMS

Daily Congregational Prayers, Friday (Jumuah) Prayers, Dua-

e-Kumail, Tawassul, Nudbah, Programs on all major Islamic

occasions

COMMUNITY SERVICES

Nikah/Wedding, Imam Sajjad Clinic, Full-service Restaurant,

IEC Library, Funeral Services, Dawah & Interfaith and much

more.

EDUCATION

Al Hadi School (PreK - Gr. 12), Sunday School, Farsi School,

Al-Mustafa Hawza

AGE BASED ACTIVITIES

Al-Qasim Youth Group, As-Sadiq Senior Citizens Group

Islamic Education Center

Houston, TX

Editor’s Note

Wahdat Newsletter: Seeking to inform,

intrigue and inspire

Disclaimer: "The views expressed in this newsletter are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or

policy of the Islamic Education Center (IEC) of Houston TX, its' Board , Wahdat or anyone else other than the authors."

Page 6