MCC East Bay

Thursday Night Community Zikr
2022-11-17 19:00 - 20:30, 2022-12-15 19:00 - 20:30, 2023-01-19 19:00 - 20:30, 2023-02-16 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | MCC East Bay, 5724 W Las Positas Blvd #300, Pleasanton, CA, 94588, United States
Our monthly Zikr gathering is in the Conference Room from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month. Our Dhikr in a group session is open to all. Please join us!
Zikr is a ritual prayer or litany practiced by Muslims for the purpose of glorifying God and achieving spiritual perfection.
Questions? events@mcceastbay.org

Gender Roles: The Intersection of Culture & Islam | Ustadha Hosai Mojaddidi & Imam Ahmad Deeb
2022-12-30 18:00 - 20:00
Join this interactive community conversation with Ustadha Hosai Mojaddidi & Imam Ahmad Deeb, examining the generational differences in gender expectations.We will discuss what Muslim women and men expect from one another and the origin of those expectations.Ustadha Hosai Mojaddidi is a public speaker, teacher, writer, spiritual counselor, mentor, and Mental Health Advocate. Imam Ahmad Deeb is an Imam, counselor, and Certified Coach Outreach Ambassador for Bayan Islamic Graduate School.

6 p.m. to 8 p.m. (Maghrib to Isha) | Friday, December 30 | MCC Conference Room | In person or watch online at mcceastbay.org/live

Questions? events@mcceastbay.org

Sponsored by Bayan Islamic Graduate School, West Valley Muslim Association and MCC East BayUstadha Hosai Mojaddidi was born in Afghanistan and moved to the United States with her family at age two. She credited her Islamic journey to 1996 when she began attending Islamic classes in Hayward, California. These classes were taught by her teacher and mentor since then, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf.

One of her main areas of focus is to help create a strong sisterhood for the women in the community by leading halaqas (spiritual study circles) and support groups while offering individual spiritual counseling and mentoring. She noted that many spiritual problems reflected the community’s deep and complicated mental health issues and would be better served by focusing on mental health. Thus, along with her cousin, Dr. Nafisa Sekandari, co-founded a website called Mental Health 4 Muslims (www.mentalhealth4muslims.com).

Imam Ahmad Deeb

His grandfather Dr. Sheikh Ramadan Deeb, one of the oldest living scholars in Damascus, is a renowned Syrian scholar who built important bridges between western and eastern scholarship. He grew up watching his father, Shaykh Abdallah Deeb, lead a Muslim community in Orlando, Florida.

But, even though he was born into a family of Muslim scholars, Imam Ahmad Deeb struggled as a teenager seeking answers to fundamental questions about religion.

It wasn’t until University, when he began attending a local halaqa and listening online to Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, that Imam Deeb felt his mind and his heart begins to find a connection to Islam. Upon graduation, he turned his focus to seeking knowledge at a higher level.

Shaykh Muhammad bin Yahya al-Husayni al-Ninowy, a family friend, invited him to join a Madina Institute pilot program he was starting in South Africa. Imam Ahmad Deeb spent a year at the Madina Institute in Cape Town. When he returned, he continued studying with local scholars, including his father and began a Master’s in Islamic Studies at Bayan Islamic Graduate School in Claremont, California.

Today, Imam Ahmad Deeb is the Imam at the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo, located in one of the oldest Muslim communities in North America. He is the co-founder of Pillars Seminary alongside Shaykh Ismail Bowers, which focuses on teaching the foundational Islamic sciences to busy professionals, as well as the co-founder of Itqaan Institute, dedicated to developing a love of God through a relationship and mastery of reciting the Qur’an, with his father as the primary teacher and leader.

His story intersects with many familiar names: Shaykh Ramadan Deeb, Shaykh Muhammad bin Yahya al-Ninowy, Shaykh Abdallah Deeb, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Dr. Sherman Jackson, Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad / Timothy J. Winter, Shaykh Jihad Hashim Brown, Shaykh Ismail Bowers, Ustadh Arthur Richards Jr., Dr. Ali Shahata, Imam Mohamed Masri.

Gender Roles Symposium

Performing Umrah: A Step-by-Step Workshop | Imam Tahir Anwar
2023-01-07 11:00 - 12:30
Join Imam Tahir Anwar, a seasoned leader of Umrah and Hajj trips, for a step-by-step workshop covering preparation for the journey of Umrah, rights & responsibilities, visiting the Prophet ﷺ, and more!

11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. | Saturday, January 7 | MCC Conference Room | Join in person or watch online at mcceastbay.org/live

Sponsored by The Foundation for Islamic Scholarship and Teaching (FIST) and MCC.

11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Imam Tahir Anwar

12 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. Pervez Qureshi – Logistics & Q&A for the February Umrah Group

(this last session is open to the public, but will be most beneficial for people planning to perform umrah in the near term)

12:30 p.m. – Dhur prayer

– More Imam Tahir: https://mcceastbay.org/tahir

About Imam Tahir Anwar

Imam Tahir Anwar is an American Muslim scholar and preacher. Born in London, England, he has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1983.

After completing his religious studies, Imam Tahir has served the Bay Area Muslim community since 2000. He also teaches Islamic Law at the renowned Zaytuna College, America’s first Muslim liberal arts college in Berkeley, CA.

In addition, he is the founding board member of Averroes High School, the Bay Area’s first Muslim high school. He is currently the chairman of the board of NISA, North-American Islamic Shelter for the Abused, an organization that works towards alleviating issues related to domestic violence.

He has a passion for community service. He served on the Human Rights Commission for the City of San Jose for over 5 years and on the Human Relations Commission for the County of Santa Clara for one year. He also leads a group for Hajj each year.

Defining Truth, Goodness, & Beauty in a Postmodern World | Ustadha Hosai Mojaddidi & Sr. Heba Haddad
2023-01-28 10:30 - 13:30
Join Ustadha Hosai Mojaddidi and Sr. Heba Haddad as we discuss the impact of postmodernism on the Muslim community.
This parenting education workshop is with the spirit of a conversation on the sound upbringing of children in the modern world and to go back to the source of wisdom and virtue and discover new ways of applying these principles in our modern world. The speakers will provide ample time for Q&A!
10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Zuhr) | Saturday, January 28, 2023 | MCC Conference Room (event not live-streamed; please join in-person only) | Adults & Mature Older Teens Only | RSVP required at https://mcceastbay.org/workshop

– Ustadha Hosai: https://mcceastbay.org/hosai
– Sr. Heba: https://mcceastbay.org/heba
– Islamic Parenting talks: https://mcceastbay.org/parenting
– More Islam for kids: https://mcceastbay.org/kids

The workshop is dynamic and interactive and will cover relevant historical points, critical data analysis, and helpful tips for dialogue and advocacy around political agendas and movements.
Questions? events@mcceastbay.org
Examining the current zeitgeist and the broad tentacles of nihilism, atheism, and secularism, we must act swiftly to help prepare our youth for the challenges they face due to the rapid cultural changes happening all around them.
This workshop will cover key contemporary issues impacting youth, families, schooling, and social media.
The target audience is parents, educators, community members, and youth who are active in their community.
The workshop is dynamic and interactive and will cover relevant historical points, critical data analysis, and helpful tips for dialogue and advocacy around political agendas and movements.

– Gain insights into helping Muslim youth navigate the complexities of modernity;
– Learn the importance of language and communication used as tools versus weapons;
– Tackle challenging modern ideas and ideologies with the proper Islamic framing;
– Empower yourself and your family members with the tools necessary to protect your faith against spiritual threats;
– Provide youth with fortification and confidence to maintain and defend their faith identity.

About the Speakers
Heba El-Haddad has been a mental health practitioner at the Khalil Center since its inception in the Bay Area. She is also an affiliate of Stanford Muslim Mental Health Lab, which provides resources for clinicians, researchers, and community leaders working with the Muslim population. Believing that prevention is superior to intervention, Heba has worked on promoting awareness on a broad spectrum of topics ranging from anxiety to anger management through seminars, workshops, and lectures and her previous role as a mental health instructor at Kaiser Permanente. She believes that psychoeducation can empower and transform communities, not just individuals. Heba is part of a group of clinicians and scholars who contributed to publishing a text introducing interventions utilizing the Traditional Islamically Integrated Psychotherapy model (TIIP) to Muslim practitioners nationwide and is a TIIP practitioner herself. She perceives learning as a never-ending process and continuously seeks to further her self-development.
Ustadha Hosai Mojaddidi was born in Afghanistan and moved to the United States with her family at age two. She credited her Islamic journey to 1996 when she began attending Islamic classes in Hayward, California. These classes were taught by her teacher and mentor since then, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf.
One of her main areas of focus is to help create a strong sisterhood for the women in the community by leading halaqas (spiritual study circles) and support groups while offering individual spiritual counseling and mentoring. She noted that many spiritual problems reflected the community’s deep and complicated mental health issues and would be better served by focusing on mental health. Thus, along with her cousin, Dr. Nafisa Sekandari, co-founded a website called Mental Health 4 Muslims (www.mentalhealth4muslims.com).
Ustadha Hosai is also a freelance writer and editor and lectures on various Islamic/spiritual topics.

*Sold Out* Perfect Timing: How Allah (SWT) Comforted the Prophet (SAW) with Revelation | Shaykh Omar Suleiman
2023-02-04 09:00 - 12:00
On Saturday, February 4, 2023, MCC had the honor of partnering with Miftah Insitute to host Shaykh Omar Suleiman.

Dr. Omar delivered his class ‘Perfect Timing’ about how the Divine fingerprints are always at the perfect timing for everything in our life.

Download Dr. Omar’s presentation deck: HTTP://mcceastbay.org/presentation

Dr. Rania Awaad’s pre-talk is here: https://youtu.be/A0-Gn64YAD4

Dr. Rania’s post-talk is here: https://youtu.be/iwwORhtnz8w

Sidi Uthman Uthman Ames performance is here: https://youtu.be/oTlCndD7–M

Watch Dr. Omar’s talk at MCC by subscribing to the Miftaah portal: https://www.miftaahportal.com

*Sold Out. Positively no more tickets are available. The waitlist is also closed.*

We are positively full! No opportunity to join the waitlist or attend in person.

We’re sorry! Please do not come on Saturday morning unless you have a ticket. You will be turned away.

To watch Saturday’s event live online, please join the Miftaah portal.

We are comforted to know that in our life’s most harsh moments, Allah (SWT) does not abandon us. The weight of Revelation shook the foundation of the Prophet (SAW)’s existence and comforted his heart during his difficult moments.

In this new course, Sheikh Dr. Omar Suleiman talks to us about how the Divine fingerprints are always on the perfect timing for everything in our life. Every life event, even with its hardship, has its place in our lives. Our Creator is our unabiding comfort and succor at those moments.

9 a.m. to 12 p.m. | Saturday, February 4 | MCC Prayer Hall | Limited space (please join waitlist once full) at https://mcceastbay.org/revelation | Tickets will go live at 5 p.m.

Sponsored by Yaqeen Institute, Miftaah Institute, MCC East Bay, San Ramon Valley Islamic Center

Questions? events@mcceastbay.org

FAQ (please read before messaging us ?)Gaah! The tickets sold out so quickly. What do I do now?

*Update on Friday, January 27* Due to the number of people who have joined the waitlist, we have indefinitely closed the waitlist. Positively no tickets are available, and no opportunity to join the waitlist.Join the waitlist at https://mcceastbay.org/revelation! You will get first access to cancellations. We will close the waitlist once it exceeds the number of people who are registered for the event. Will you live stream the event, or will the recording be available at a later date?At the request of the speaker, the session will not be recorded or live-streamed.

I would like to volunteer for this event. Alhamdulillah, between MCC’s core volunteers and the Miftaah team, we have enough volunteers for this event. We are accepting a few more volunteers as ushers. Filling out the volunteer form does not guarantee space: https://forms.gle/3TuhtHyntBUxNDTd6Do you offer event babysitting? This event will take up much of the MCC facility. We offer only limited babysitting. Sing up at https://mcceastbay.org/revelation Once full, we cannot accommodate any more. Please do not bring your young child(ren), if you receive a ticket. We want to ensure a serene environment.

Are there food options?

Yes. Please see the registration page. Pre-purchase lunch orders will receive priority at the food vendors after the program ends at noon. Please wait in line (lines will be very long) if you do not pre-purchase lunch: https://mcceastbay.org/revelation

I am new to MCC. What are the logistics?Only if you receive a ticket will we email you a detailed description of where to park and how you will enter the facility.

– We will open up check-in at 8 a.m. Enter from W. Las Positas Blvd. and park in the Hewlett Packard parking lot (do not come to the MCC property). After parking, walk to the MCC property where the map lists “Outdoor Prayer Space”: https://mcceastbay.org/hp

– Registrants will check in the West parking lot, and receive a wristband, and ushers will direct them into the building.

– Space is first-come, first-serve in the Prayer Hall. Overflow space is in the Conference Room and Banquet Hall, where attendees will view the session live from those spaces. Facility map: https://mcceastbay.org/facility-map

– After the event ends promptly at 12 p.m., please give Shaykh Omar Suleiman a path to leave the MCC facility promptly. He cannot stop for salams. He has a flight to catch.

– Food sales begin at noon. Zuhr is at 12:30 p.m. Ustadha Dr. Rania Awaad will have a session right after at 12:30 p.m.: https://mcceastbay.org/event/maristan-mcc-event/

What is the schedule for the event? We will start the program promptly at 9 a.m. Please arrive early (check-in begins at 8 a.m.). You will get a better seat the earlier you come.

– 9 a.m. – Qur’an recitation by Ahmed Alkubaisi and English translation by Heather Conner

– 9:15 a.m. – Shaykh Omar Suleiman takes the stage

– 10:15 a.m. – Ustadha Dr. Rania Awaad speaks for ten minutes

– 11:15 a.m. – Sidi Wendell Uthman Ames performs Nasheed for ten minutes

– 12 p.m. – Shaykh Omar Suleiman program ends

– 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. – Lunch in the picnic area from food trucks and food vendors

– 12:30 p.m. – Zuhr prayer

– 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. – Ustadha Dr. Rania Awaad session on navigating mental health in the Muslim community: https://mcceastbay.org/event/maristan-mcc-event/

Are there vendor opportunities? No, due to the number of attendees in the facility, we cannot accommodate vendors.

Being Believers: Our Mind, Body & Soul | Ustadh Ubaydullah Evans
2023-02-12 14:00 - 15:00
Join Ustadh Ubaydullah Evans during February’s Black History Month as we explore how do we holistically care for ourselves and our community.

2 p.m. to 3 p.m. | Sunday, February 12 | MCC Prayer Hall (join in-person or watch from home at https://mcceastbay.org/live

– More Ustadh Evans: https://mcceastbay.org/ubaydullah

– More discussions of race: https://mcceastbay.org/race

Questions? events@mcceastbay.org

Ustadh Ubaydullah Evans is ALIM’s first Scholar-in-Residence. He converted to Islam while in high school. Upon conversion, Ustadh Ubaydullah began studying some of the foundational books of Islam under the private tutelage of local scholars while simultaneously pursuing a degree in journalism from Columbia.

Since then, he has studied at Chicagoland’s Institute of Islamic Education (IIE), in Tarim, Yemen, and Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, where he is the first African-American to graduate from its Shari’a program.

Ustadh Ubaydullah also instructs with the Ta’leef Collective and the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) at times. Follow him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/UbaydullahEvans

https://www.youtube.com/embed/WfCIPoVo_F0From ISPU:

For Black History Month, resources on Black Muslim experiences

Black Muslim history is defined by centuries of pioneering presence, resilience, and struggle for racial, religious, and social justice. Black Muslims represent one-third of the American Muslim community, lead in rooting and growing Islam in America, and have borne the brunt of racial injustice and racism throughout our country’s history.

Join us in our ongoing effort to highlight Black Muslim experiences through research and actionable resources, and share with your networks our Black Muslim Experiences toolkit, which includes:

Resources on Black Muslim youth

Research and resources on Muslim experiences of racism

Books on Black Muslims in the United States

Data on demographics, faith, social justice, and more

BLACK MUSLIM EXPERIENCES TOOLKIT

https://youtube.com/watch?v=hTwft2KX9xE

Practically Preparing for Ramadan - Sisters Workshop
2023-03-04 10:00 - 13:00
Join Ustadha Hosai Mojadidi, Sr. Heba El-Haddad, and Sr. Emira Mustafa (author of Practically Preparing for Ramadan) for a pre-Ramadan Saturday morning workshop for practical spiritual tips and insights on what we can do to leverage this upcoming Ramadan for the maximum benefit of our Hereafter.

10 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Saturday, March 3 | $35 per person, workbook & refreshment included | MCC Conference Room | In-person only, no live stream option

This workshop will give you helpful tips to maximize your time effectively and efficiently to achieve all your spiritual, intellectual, and physical goals this Ramadan, insha’Allah. Join us to transcend the Ramadan grind and maintain spirituality in a busy life.

Trapped in to-dos and endless appointments, everything we do becomes a task to be checked off quickly, even our worship. So how can we be spiritual if we’re so busy? Prepare for the sacred month with our two dear community teachers as they present practical tips to connect with Allah and rise above the grind this Ramadan.

– More Getting Ramadan for Ramadan reminders: https://mcceastbay.org/ramadan-ready

– More Ramadan sermons & talks: https://mcceastbay.org/ramadan-reminders

Questions? events@mcceastbay.org

Ustadha Hosai Mojaddidi

Ustadha Hosai Mojaddidi is the co-Founder of mentalhealth4muslims.com, where she advocates for and writes about various mental health-related topics tailored for Muslims. She has served the American-Muslim community for nearly 20 years as an activist, writer/editor, mediator, interfaith organizer, and public speaker, covering various topics, including women’s issues, marriage/family, education, self-development, interfaith bridge-building, spirituality, etc.

In her spare time, she enjoys reading, writing, blogging via social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter), doing arts and crafts, visiting gourmet coffee shops, and exploring the countless beautiful parks, beaches, and nature preserves throughout Northern California where she lives with her husband, two sons, and fish named Max.

– More Ustadha Hosai: https://mcceastbay.org/hosai – ‘Purification of the Heart’ Series: (Adults): https://mcceastbay.org/heart-purification – ‘Purification of the Heart’ Series: (Women): https://mcceastbay.org/muslimah-purification – ‘Purification of the Heart’ Series (Teens): https://mcceastbay.org/purification – ‘Agenda to Change our Condition’ Series: https://mcceastbay.org/agenda – ‘Modern Muslim Parenting’ Series: https://mcceastbay.org/islamic-parenting – Quranic Parenting Series: https://mcceastbay.org/quranic-parenting

Sister Heba El-Haddad

Heba El-Haddad received her undergraduate degree from UC Irvine in Psychology of Social Science, later earned a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, and is currently pursuing her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at California Southern University. Heba is an affiliate of the Stanford Muslim Mental Health Lab, which provides resources for clinicians, researchers, and community leaders working with the Muslim population. Believing that prevention is superior to intervention, she has worked on promoting awareness on a broad spectrum of topics through seminars, workshops, and lectures through her previous role as a mental health instructor at Kaiser Permanente and currently as a Khalil Center practitioner serving Zaytuna College students. Heba is part of a group of clinicians and scholars who contributed to publishing the new text on the TIIP model (Traditional Islamically Integrated Psychotherapy) titled “Applying Islamic Principles to Clinical Mental Health Care” for Muslim practitioners nationwide.

– More Ms. Heba ElHaddad: https://mcceastbay.org/heba

Heba has been a mental health practitioner at the Khalil Center since its inception in the Bay Area. She is also an affiliate of the Stanford Muslim Mental Health Lab, which focuses on providing resources for clinicians, researchers, and community leaders working with the Muslim population. Believing that prevention is superior to intervention, Heba has worked on promoting awareness on a broad spectrum of anxiety and anger management topics through seminars, workshops, and lectures and her previous role as a mental health instructor at Kaiser Permanente. She believes that psychoeducation can empower and transform communities, not just individuals. Heba is part of a group of clinicians and scholars who contributed to publishing a text introducing interventions utilizing the Traditional Islamically Integrated Psychotherapy model (TIIP) to Muslim practitioners nationwide. She perceives learning as a never-ending process and continuously seeks to further her self-development.

Sister Emira Mustafa

Sister Emira Mustafa founded Craft E Muslims, a business with a mission to connect the heart and mind through fun, innovative methods creatively.

She has published two workbooks on Amazon titled “Islamic Themed Fall Festival Activity Kit” and “Practically Preparing for Ramadan.” Her Etsy page features many Islamic-themed crafting kits sure to inspire a love of learning within our community.

More Sister Emira: https://mcceastbay.org/emiraMCC has a standing policy that financial need should never prevent a person from attaining spiritual or practical knowledge from any event or class held within the community center. To request a financial waiver, message scholarship@mcceastbay.org

Questions? events@mcceastbay.org
