Muslim American Society Organizes 15th Annual Convention

The 15th Annual Convention of the Muslim American Society was held on the Thankgiving weekend in Los Angeles on a grand scale. In a message summing up the salient features of the event, Adeeb Arafeh, MAS GLA Convention Chair, stated:

It was truly a joyous and spiritually filled occasion with families, individuals, couples, children, and honored guest speakers all enjoying a good time together alhamdulillah. The MAS GLA Convention was attended by a variety of different ethnicities and ages. In fact, our oldest attendee was a 94-year-old brother masha’Allah!

Alhamdulillah this convention re-affirmed and embodied the true spirit of the theme of our Convention, “One Ummah, One Brotherhood, One Pulse”. There were many moments that demonstrated this spirit, which is composed of an unbreakable loving and close bonds between people solely based for the sake of Allah.

This convention has made us all more optimistic that our Ummah can truly be one body worshipping together, celebrating each other’s company and gaining spiritual and practical knowledge as one body, all for the sake of Allah.

This convention provided a unique forum to discuss real and practical issues faced by our ummah, including mental health issues and domestic violence. The convention included a community forum that showcased various ethnic communities within our ummah and the experiences shared amongst them that transformed them to who they are today.

This convention provided a nurturing environment for our children to enjoy humorous activities while simultaneously developing their Islamic personality. It provided the opportunity, most importantly, for attendees young or old, from Afghani to Turkish to make sense of their own Muslim identity and relate it to the larger goal of connecting with one another as one Muslim ummah to please Allah.

In order to give true ever-lasting meaning and significance to the time we all spent together, we must take the lessons learned this past week and apply them to our core mission in life, which is to strengthen our spiritual bond with our Creator at the individual, family, community and societal levels in order to move all people to a heightened and sustained level of God consciousness.

Let us all take back at least one positive thing we learned from the Convention and slowly integrate it in our individual and family life. Gradually, we will begin to witness a transformed and improved state of God consciousness in our lives.

It is this constant struggle and striving to improve our affairs that will gain us true success and happiness, for Allah speaks the truth when He says in Chapter 29, verse 69, “As for those who strive hard in Us (Our Cause), We will surely guide them to Our Paths”.

Let us not forget that message as we leave the Convention and go back to our daily life routines.

I will leave you with this short video produced during the Convention that truly highlights the experiences felt during those three days. Enjoy!

May Allah bless you all, accept your good actions, and allow us all to gather again together in this life and the next seeking only one thing: the pleasure of Allah.

Wassalamu Alaikum wa rahmatullahy wa barakatuh.

 

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