Can you help? Please try and encourage people to get involved

[Plum]

Poetry Competition

Al-Ansar masjid is organising a poetry writing competition to raise money for the innocent victims of the Bangladesh Cyclone. Thousands of people have been displaced due to their homes being demolished by flooding. 50% of the proceeds will go towards this appeal.



We also hope to pay back the loans incurred during the recent purchasing of our building, Masjid Al-Ansar in Goodmayes, Essex. Alhamdulillah due to great support from the community during Ramadan we were able to purchase the building however have incurred many loans (Qardah Hasana) in order to do this. As you may already know Al Ansar offers a wide range of services to the local community from circles to tafsir classes in Urdu and Bengali, a madrassa and even youth fitness training in our gym. 50% of proceeds from the competition will go towards paying back those who kindly lent us the money.



This is a great opportunity for us to get creative. The competition is open to both children and adults in the U.K. We are also encouraging Islamic schools to get involved. If your school has not yet been contacted by Al Ansar, please let us know if you are interested in registering. Winning individuals and the runners up will each receive a certificate and their poems placed on our website for all to read and enjoy insha'Allah.



The theme is al-Jannah (Paradise) and the maximum word count is 230 words. The deadline for entries is 16th February 2008. You may enter as many poems as you like with a donation of £5 per poem. For a full list of the competition rules and to download an entry form please visit our website www.masjidansar.com. com or please contact Sister In'aam on sumayyahsmum@hotmail.com or on 07766 570 926. We cannot wait to read your poems, insha'Allah, SO GET WRITING!!!

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An Ode to the People of Bangladesh

by Lynne Northcott

The wind has blown the floods remain
Tattered homes and death again
Poor Bangladesh the tests keep coming
And here we sit doing nothing!

Oh what is that you say?
There is a really easy way
To show that I really care
Even from my cosy arm chair

230 words is all it takes
And a crisp £5 note will be my stakes
And perhaps my intercession on that Last Day
When my charity will save me from the Fires blaze

Send it where? To Masjid Al-Ansar
Who are paying back their debts to Allah
Half my donation will help them on their way
“Can we write one too” my kids say!

Want to know more about how to apply?
Sounds like fun? Just give it a try
You don’t have to be a scholar or don
Visit www.masjidansar.com

Just grab a pen and some quiet time
To scribe a poem, just a few lines
About Allah’s paradise divine

So far entries have been thin on the ground - so why not help raise money for charity in this innovative way. All proceeds going to really good causes.
No excuses - just jot down a poem for yourself and then get your family members to do the same and all your friends. Lets make this a successs (by the permission of Allah).

What are you waiting for????

[Umm]

Brother, I would advise you to offer a better prize. My dauhghter is a great little poetess Mashallah, but when she saw the prize was a certificate and the poem put on the site, she kinda lost incentive.

[Plum]

Walaikum as-salaam

Jazak Allah Khair for the comments.

The sisters organising the competition are awaiting the opinion of the shaykh regarding the permissibility of offering a prize for a competition that you have to pay money to enter (i.e. is this close to gambling). Inshallah the shaykh should be returning from hajj soon and the matter will be clarified (inshallah).

In the meantime we encourage people to enter and know that the money raised will go to a good cause and that money given in charity is a way to save ourselves from hellfire.

I hope that explains our position for now.

So please encourage people to enter as it is an innovative way to encourage charity.

[Umm]

Fair enough, that's a very valid point.
It's an innovative way to raise sadaqah - far better than having a tin rattled under one's nose

[Plum]

DEAD LINE EXTENDED to
1st MARCH 2008

Inshallah the competition is to be featured in the Ilford Recorder on Thursday 21st February. So inshallah we have extended the deadline to accommodate this and will allow all those who haven't entered to do so !!! Remember this is a creative way to raise money for charity - so don't delay, write that poem today!!

www.masjidansar.com for application form.

or to go direct to the poem comp page: http://www.masjidansar.com/iy/pages/...comp_2008.html

[Plum]

An ode to the People of Bangladesh

The wind has blown the floods remain
Tattered homes and death again
Poor Bangladesh the tests keep coming
And here we sit doing nothing!

Oh what is that you say?
There is a really easy way
To show that I really care
Even from my cosy arm chair

230 words is all it takes
And a crisp £5 note will be my stakes
And perhaps my intercession on that Last Day
When my charity will save me from the Fires blaze

Send it where? To Masjid Al-Ansar
Who are paying back their debts to Allah
Half my donation will help them on their way
"Can we write one too" my kids say!

Want to know more about how to apply?
Sounds like fun? Just give it a try
You don't have to be a scholar or don
Visit www.masjidansar.com

Just grab a pen and some quiet time
To scribe a poem, just a few lines
About Allah's paradise divine
Let's hope your poem is better than mine!