ZF Falcons

My team, the ZF Falcons, have been doing fundraisers in different masjids. We have been selling various things, some of which are hijab pins, slime, bracelets, and much more. We have raised a lot of money over the past few fundraisers and it has been really fun to sell those items. We will have another fundraiser on June 2nd at Taraweeh. It will be hosted at Cary Masjid. Please come purchase our goods and support the orphans!

Toy Auction Basket

On June 1st, the Friday night program will take place in which we will be auctioning a toy basket. There will be a variety of fun games and puzzles within the basket such as legos, board games, stuffed animals, and some surprises. Please come participate and support our fundraiser for the orphans. We will also be selling baskets during bake sales on June 7th at the Islamic Association of Raleigh, June 8th at Cary masjid, and on June 9th at Apex masjid. Please come by!

Raffle Baskets

Assalamu alaykum!

On the 7th, 8th, and 9th of June, group Zen will be auctioning baskets at the Raleigh, Cary, and Apex masjids respectively. These baskets will be catered to a variety of interests. There will be a spa basket, filled with items such as lotion and face masks; a tea/coffee basket, with different packets and a mug; and a baking/cooking basket, with frosting, piping bags, a cookbook, and more. The bid for the baskets start around $20, and they are well worth the price, especially since all of it is sadaqah.

On the 13th of June, we will be auctioning a few more baskets, art/ stationery, Marvel, and books.

This Friday, the 1st of June, we will be auctioning a toys/games baskets. All our baskets are fun and hold useful items, and we hope that you will auction for them.

Business Fair

Do you know about our business fair? If you really have no idea about what I'm talking about, then listen up. All the 99 Orphans youth kids split up into teams and are having a little friendly competition for Ramadan to see which group can raise the most money. Each team has to come up with different fundraising events to raise money for the orphans. And whoever puts the most effort into it and gets the most money will get a mystery prize. I'm in the ZF Falcons group. We are doing a few business fairs where we will sell slime, squishies, Eid cards, bracelets and more. Our upcoming one is on June 2nd at Cary masjid during taraweeh, and we also have one on June 13th at the ZF center during our chand fest   . So please come and join us; I guarantee you will be happy you came.  

Productive Ramadan

It’s already the 5’th day of Ramadan! Can you believe it? This holy month is going by so fast,
we need to reap benefit from it before it’s all over. Here are some tips to maximize the benefit
we gain from Ramadan:

1. Plan a Schedule

Ramadan is a blessing, but it has a time limit of 30 days. It is an opportunity not to be missed.
Make sure you schedule all the important acts of ibaadah, like reading Qur’an, praying salah
on time, praying taraweeh, and doing tahajjud. You should also schedule your school/work
activities so that they don’t interfere with your worship.

     2. Qur’an Recitation

Ramadan is the month of Qur’an.  During Ramadan, there is 70 times the reward for all good
deeds. This means that there is 700 good deeds for uttering a single letter during Ramadan.
This should be a huge incentive to take advantage of the gift Allah has given us, and read as
much Qur’an as possible.

    3. Prayers

Do your salah immediately after you hear the adhan. Sometimes, we delay our prayer without
any good reasons, and especially in Ramadan, when we are feeling hungry, thirsty, and tired.
Don’t delay salah just because you are fatigued, always do it on time.

     4. Don’t overeat

Some people stuff themselves at Suhoor and Iftar, to “make up for food missed”. However,
this practice is against the Sunnah. The Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said:
“The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach; for the son of Adam a
few mouthfuls are sufficient to keep his back straight. If you must fill it, then one-third for
food, one-third for drink, and one-third for air.” (Tirmidhi)

     5. Purification of the Heart and Soul

Ramadan is a time to purify our heart and soul from all evil. For many of us, Ramadan has
become too much of a ritual, not a form of spiritual improvement. We fast from morning to
night, but we forget to smile at others or even use kind words. By the end of Ramadan, we
are supposed to have better character and get rid our bad habits. The Prophet (Sal Allahu
Alayhi wa Sallam) said: “He is doomed who sees the month of Ramadan come and go,
“Jibreel said to me, ‘May he be destroyed, who sees the month of Ramadan come and go
and he has not been forgiven’, and I said ‘Aameen’.”.

I hope that we make the most of Ramadan, and use the golden opportunity to improve our character
and get our du’a accepted.

Food Packages

Ramadan Mubarak!!

The blessed month has finally come and I'm sure anyone reading this is either really hungry from fasting or really full from Iftar. Most of us are all blessed to break our fasts with huge feasts every night this Ramadan. However, there are millions of people worldwide who don't know when they will be able to afford their next meal. This month, not only is Zakat Foundation trying to raise enough funds for 99 orphans but also for food packages. Last Ramadan, ZF was able to feed 8 million people through food packages and our goal for this year is 10 million. One food package that costs only $60 will feed one family for a whole week. I believe this is one of the best ways to donate this Ramadan. Inshallah, by the end of this month we can all each put a happy smile on someone's face.

Thank You!

- Huda

Ramadan Fun

Fun in Ramadan!

Assalamualaikum!

My name is Asiya Ahmed and I love helping the orphans and meeting at the ZF center. Our team is planning several fun Ramadan events this year! In Ramadan, we want to help as many orphans as possible, because it's a blessed month and our actions are always accepted.

A couple of days ago, on Sunday, the 99 orphans team divided into different age groups: high school girls, high school boys, elementary/middle school boys & elementary/middle school girls. We came up with different team names. Ours was ZF Falcons. We took turns voting on different ideas for events in Ramadan.

One of my favorites is having a talent show, which I came up with. Our idea is that admission could be $5 and also a $10 fee to sign up. We haven't confirmed yet, though. We're also thinking of a science fair, a bake sale, a lemonade stand, and a business fair.
Hope you can join us this Ramadan to help more orphans than we ever have!

Asiya