MCC East Bay

Women’s Seerah Bookclub (in-person & virtual) | Ustadha Leila Fakira
2025-11-10 11:00 - 12:30, 2025-11-17 11:00 - 12:30, 2025-11-24 11:00 - 12:30, 2025-12-01 11:00 - 12:30, 2025-12-08 11:00 - 12:30, 2026-01-05 11:00 - 12:30, 2026-01-12 11:00 - 12:30, 2026-01-19 11:00 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles) and 3 more dates | MCC East Bay, 5724 W Las Positas Blvd #300, Pleasanton, CA, 94588, United States
Join our weekly sisters’ in-person & virtual Seerah book club, where we have an active discussion, take away lessons for our daily lives, and inshaAllah fall in love with the Prophet ﷺ. This year, we are reading from Our Lady Fatima al-Zahra (R.A.) by Muhammad Abduh Yamani.

Every Monday, in-person & virtual | 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. | MCC | Women only | RSVP for the live registration link at https://mcceastbay.org/bookclub | RSVP is needed to join us virtually

Event Details:

The in-person & virtual discussion takes place every Monday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with a break in Ramadan ’26.

Please register online to receive the link to the WhatsApp thread where all communication and updates will be made.

Book Purchase:

If you wish to follow along with the book, please purchase the book. The book can be purchased here:

https://www.meccabooks.com/products/our-lady-fatima-al-zahra
https://store.celebratemercy.com/products/our-lady-fatima-al-zahra?srsltid=AfmBOoolySfro5MbF50JY0y6f-0yyRMdaGwsDMa2DqstKJWBykrF1Tpa
https://bookshop.rabata.org/search?q=pur+lady&options%5Bprefix%5D=last

For those local in the Bay Area:

Rumi Bookstore
Zaytuna Bookstore

Questions? bookclub@mcceastbay.org

About the Book

This book is about the life and virtues of the eminent lady Sayyidatunā Fāṭima al-Zahra ﵂. Through her, with Sayyidunā ‘Alī ﵁, the blessed lineage of her father, the Messenger of God ﷺ, was preserved. She resembled him in every way, and of all people she was the dearest to his heart. She stood with him ﷺ and strove always to serve and aid him, taking care of him after the death of her mother, Sayyidatunā Khadīja ﵂. Fāṭima was brave, strong, forbearing, dutiful, gracious, and protective. She was a loving mother and an inspiring example to her sons, Imams Ḥasan and Ḥusayn ﵁. Fāṭima al-Zahrā ﵂ tells the life story of its subject in a vivid, straightforward manner, linking it to the history of Islam from the early times of tribulation to the establishment of the Dīn and the Community based in al-Madīna. Its style and approach are very suitable for children, as well as for older readers. The author, Dr Muhammad Abduh Yamani (d.1431/2010), who served for several years as Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Information, was a distinguished educationalist, author and businessman, notable also for his piety and philanthropy.

Mommy & Me Fall–Winter 2025 Session | MCC's Mommy & Me Program
2025-11-13 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-11-20 10:00 - 11:00 | MCC East Bay, 5724 W Las Positas Blvd #300, Pleasanton, CA, 94588, United States
In this five-week session, our toddlers and pre-schoolers (ages 1-5) will develop love for Islam, Allah (swt), and RasulAllah (saw) through book reading, sing-alongs, Parachute Time, activities, and more!
Thursdays: 10/23, 10/30, 11/06, 11/13, & 11/20 | Saturday: 11/08 | 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. | Conference Room or Prayer Hall | $75 for 5 sessions, or $20 per session | Register at mcceastbay.org/happyhearts
These Mommy & Me sessions are designed for girls and boys ages one to four who are accompanied by a female guardian. Moms, grandmothers, and so on are welcome. This is also a great opportunity to connect with other moms and caretakers in the MCC community.
Our Mommy and Me sessions begin with dua and a salaam/greeting song and end with the Fi-Amanillah song and kid-favorite parachute time.
Questions? Happy Hearts Playgroup Facilitator Sr. Khadija at mommyandme@mcceastbay.org
MCC has a standing policy that financial need should never hold a person back from attending any activity held in the community center. To request a financial waiver, please complete our financial waiver request: HTTP://mcceastbay.org/scholarship

Women's Weekly Friday Evening Halaqa | The Rahmah Foundation
2025-11-14 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-11-21 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-11-28 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-12-05 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-12-12 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-12-19 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-12-26 19:00 - 21:00, 2026-01-02 19:00 - 21:00 and 5 more dates | MCC East Bay, 5724 W Las Positas Blvd #300, Pleasanton, CA, 94588, United States
Ustadha Dr. Rania Awaad holds a weekly women’s gathering on Friday evenings to discuss navigating contemporary issues. This program runs in parallel to the Friday night girl’s halaqa.

7 p.m. to 9 p.m. | Every Friday from September 19, 2025, to May 22, 2026 | MCC Conference Room | Free; no registration or RSVP required to attend in person | To join virtually, register at https://mcceastbay.org/zoom

– More Dr. Rania: https://mcceastbay.org/rania
– Watch past Dr. Rania’s Friday Night Halaqa (FNH) recordings: https://mcceastbay.org/womens-halaqa
– Join Dr. Rania’s WhatsUp group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/HlHmFFnGbwvCvLl6uGD1C4
– The Rahmah Foundation’s Holiday Calendar: https://mcceastbay.org/rahmah-calendar

The FNH Fall session runs from Friday, September 19, 2025, to May 22, 2026, with no halaqas on the following dates: Friday, November 28, December 19, December 26, January 2, February 20 through March 27, April 3, and April 10. See calendar.

Free weekly babysitting is provided in Room 23. Facility map: https://mcceastbay.org/facility-map

Questions? events@mcceastbay.org

This women’s halaqa is hosted at MCC and runs parallel to the girls & teens program in partnership with The Rahmah Foundation.

Ustadha Rania Awaad was raised in the U.S. and began her formal study of the traditional Islamic sciences when her parents permitted her to travel to Damascus, Syria, at 14. Her desire to continue studying the Deen resulted in multiple trips back to Damascus, interspersed between her high school, college, and medical studies. She was honored to receive Ijazah (authorization to teach) several branches of the Shari’ah sciences at the hands of many renowned scholars, including many female scholars. She has received Ijazah to teach Tajwid in the Hafs and Warsh recitations from the late eminent Syrian scholar Shaykh Abu Hassan al-Kurdi. In addition to completing several advanced texts of the Shafi’i madhhab, she is licensed to teach texts of Maliki fiqh, Adab, and Ihsan. Currently, Ustadha Rania teaches online and local classes for The Rahmah Foundation, Rabata. She is on the faculty of Zaytuna College, where she teaches courses in Shafi’i fiqh and women’s issues in fiqh and has helped develop and co-direct the Tajweed and Hifz program.

Ustadha Rania is also a medical doctor with a specialty in Psychiatry. She completed her Psychiatric residency and fellowship training at Stanford University, where she is currently on the faculty as a Clinical Instructor in the Stanford Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences department. Her medical interests include addressing mental health care concerns in the Muslim community- particularly that of Muslim women and girls. She has been awarded grants from the NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) to research this topic and has presented her findings at several medical conferences. Other ongoing endeavors include compiling manuscripts addressing female-related mental health and medical issues from a fiqh-oriented perspective. She is the Director of the Rahmah Foundation, a non-profit organization that teaches traditional Islamic knowledge to Muslim women and girls. In this capacity, she also heads the Murbbiyah Mentoring Program, which trains young women to teach and mentor Muslim girls and teens. Ustadha Rania is both a wife and a mother; she has been counseling and teaching women classes on Tajwid, Shafi’i Fiqh, Ihsan, marriage, and raising children since 1999.

Learn more about Dr. Rania and her work at http://med.stanford.edu/psychiatry/research/MuslimMHLab.html

Every Friday evening, the MCC bustles with activity. MCC hosts four halaqas to increase God-consciousness for youth, women, and men.

Join Dr. Rania Awaad‘s women’s gathering on navigating contemporary issues from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. This wide-ranging Muslimah halaqa is in the MCC Conference Room, and the first hour is live-streamed here (watch past sessions at https://mcceastbay.org/halaqa). This halaqa is organized in partnership with The Rahmah Foundation. Questions? events@mcceastbay.org

Gathering of the Hearts | Ustadha Hosai Mojaddidi
2025-12-04 19:30 - 21:00 | MCC East Bay, 5724 W Las Positas Blvd #300, Pleasanton, CA, 94588, United States
Join Ustadha Hosai Mojaddidi for our monthly in-person and online gathering for women (ages 18+) to commune, reflect, discuss, and gain strength and support from each other.
7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. | Monthly on a Thursday | Free; no registration required | Conference Room or watch live online at https://mcceastbay.org/live
In this class, we use “Purification of the Heart” and “Foundations of the Spiritual Path” By Sidi Ahmad Zarruq, Translated by Hamza Yusuf. Download the book at HTTP://mcceastbay.org/foundations
Watch past session recordings at https://mcceastbay.org/muslimah-purification
We discuss spirituality, self-development, relevant and contemporary topics, and issues related to Muslim women’s roles and responsibilities in today’s knotted-up world. We also examine “Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms, and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart” by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf.

– 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

This is a discussion-based group, and participation is not only encouraged, but it is required.
Sorry, no babysitting provided. The in-person option is for women only, or the virtual option so anyone can watch live on:

– YouTube: https://mcceastbay.org/live
– Facebook: https://mcceastbay.org/facebook
– Instagram: https://mcceastbay.org/instagram

About Ustadha Hosai Mojaddidi:
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 a variety of 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.
These monthly sessions are live-streamed and recorded. Watch past Ustadha Hosai recordings at https://mcceastbay.org/hosai
Questions? events@mcceastbay.org

"Born Far From Home: A Midwife’s Search for Meaning" | Shannon Staloch
2025-12-20 13:00 - 15:00 | CA
For Sisters: Join us for a special gathering with Shannon Staloch, a licensed midwife and longtime community advocate, as she shares heartfelt reflections on support, belonging, and the unique experiences of New Muslims. Shannon will speak about the importance of midwifery and the role it has played in her own spiritual journey as a convert of over 20 years.
She will also read from her beautifully written new memoir, Born Far From Home: A Midwife’s Search for Meaning, a moving exploration of faith, service, and identity.
This event is perfect for all women, and especially meaningful for converts seeking connection, inspiration, and shared experience.
Saturday, Dec. 20 | 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. | MCC Conference Room | Sisters Only | Join us in-person or virtually at mcceastbay.org/live | Register at mcceastbay.org/meaning
Co-sponsored by The Rahmah Foundation
Questions? events@mcceastbay.org
About the Speaker
Shannon Staloch became a licensed midwife in 2008. Since then, she has attended over 800 births and established the popular home birth practice, Midwives Bay Area. Born Far From Home is her first book. Shannon resides in Berkeley, California, and still takes daily walks or runs in its beautiful hills.

About The Book, Born Far From Home
A new Muslim, Shannon Staloch, moves to California to live near a community studying traditional Islam and finds herself learning another venerable tradition, midwifery. In this intricately woven memoir, Shannon braids the intimate moments from the birth stories of a diverse cast of women with the reflections of great thinkers from the Islamic and Western traditions—from the spiritual master Imam al-Ghazali to the British obstetrician Grantly Dick Read, from Plato to Malcolm X—as she traces her journey of finding belonging and an enduring path to truth in her new faith. Birth by birth, Shannon approaches a deeper understanding of her craft and herself, aiming for a place that transcends identity, buoyed by the belief that dedication to a craft can shape not just the hands of a craftswoman but also her soul.
“Shannon Staloch effortlessly weaves ancient childbirth lore with the stories of births she attends, and relates them to her deepening faith in an equally ancient religion…beautiful, elegiac, transformative.” Peggy Vincent, bestselling author of Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife

Mommy & Me Saturday Session | MCC's Mommy & Me Program
2026-01-24 10:00 - 11:00 | MCC East Bay, 5724 W Las Positas Blvd #300, Pleasanton, CA, 94588, United States
For our Toddlers and Preschoolers (ages 1-5): Join us on Saturday mornings for a Mommy & Me session where children will develop a love for Islam, Allah (swt), and RasulAllah (saw) through book reading, sing-alongs, Parachute Time, activities, and more!
Saturday, Jan. 24 | 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. | Conference Room or Prayer Hall | $20 per session | Register at mcceastbay.org/happyhearts
These Mommy & Me sessions are designed for girls and boys ages one to four who are accompanied by a female guardian. Moms, grandmothers, and so on are welcome. This is also a great opportunity to connect with other moms and caretakers in the MCC community.
Our Mommy and Me sessions begin with dua and a salaam/greeting song and end with the Fi-Amanillah song and kid-favorite parachute time.
Questions? Happy Hearts Playgroup Facilitator Sr. Khadija at mommyandme@mcceastbay.org
MCC has a standing policy that financial need should never hold a person back from attending any activity held in the community center. To request a financial waiver, please complete our financial waiver request: HTTP://mcceastbay.org/scholarship

Monthly Sisterhood Hike | Sisters in the Outdoors
2026-02-08 08:00 - 10:30 | Sycamore Grove Park, 1051 Wetmore Rd, Livermore, California, 94550
Join us at 8 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 8, for a hike at Sycamore Grove Park in Livermore to get to know other sisters in the community and enjoy the great outdoors. No children, please (female teens, okay). Let us know you are coming: https://mcceastbay.org/rsvp
If sisters want to walk around more, they can do it depending on their interest/time. The hike will be canceled if there are not enough RSVPs or depending on the weather.

– When: Sunday, Feb. 8
– Time: 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. – Please arrive a little early to park and find the group. The group can wait till 8:15 a.m. and will start the hike. Please be on time, since we cannot hold the group.
– Carpool: We highly recommend carpooling. No carpool is available from MCC for this hike. Carpooling encouraged others on this hike. Please note that cell phone service is not available at the parking lot, so we kindly request that you arrive on time.
– Parking: If the gate is closed, roadside parking is available.
– Meeting Point: Valley Viewpoint and Harrier Trail
– Trail: Valley Viewpoint and Harrier Trail
– Distance: 5.6 miles
– Difficulty: Moderate
– Misc: Wear hiking shoes if possible. Bring a small breakfast/ Lunch sandwich or something to eat. Carry enough water, a hat, and a light jacket. Please download All Trails map (free version) in case you decide to return in the middle of the hike. This will be very helpful in navigating back to the parking lot.
– RSVP: By Saturday, Feb. 7th, please let us know you are coming for this hike: https://mcceastbay.org/rsvp

Sr. Aparna Khan and Sr. Sohaila will be leading this hike. If you have trouble finding the group on the day of the hike, please call or text Sr. Aparna at (408) 480-6584 or Sr. Sohaila at (925) 786-7698. Please remember that we cannot hold all the group, so we request you to please be on time.
For future hikes, please subscribe to the MCC newsletter and/or add your phone number to the Women’s Hiking WhatsUp group.
Please wear comfortable walking/hiking shoes, carry a water bottle, a small snack, a hat, sunglasses, and hiking poles if you have one.
Questions? hiking@mcceastbay.org
About this trail:
Sycamore Grove Park features several trails and dirt roads that wind through open, grassy meadows above the Arroyo Del Valle. This route begins at the Ranger Amy Amphitheater to the south. The Harrier Trail is an extension of the Valley View Trail, a short, winding trail. Bring water and a hat, and be sure to protect yourself from the sun.
