Ilm Basis hosted its twenty fifth annual Humanitarian Day (HDAY) on March 16, an annual occasion devoted to serving the underserved.
Held at Gladys Park on Skid Row, sponsors, distributors and volunteers gathered to supply important gadgets, in addition to eye, dental and well being screenings, to these in want.
Humanitarian Day was based on the Islamic precept of service – serving to others with dignity and compassion. Recognizing the struggles of these in poverty and the underserved, founders Imam Saadiq Saafir and Naim Shah Jr. created Ilm Basis, a company birthed in religion primarily based activism.
Their mission extends past giving – it’s about empowerment, inspiring management by means of service and growing help techniques to empower the neglected. By bringing collectively Muslims and non-Muslims alike, HDAY transforms “a single day of giving right into a motion,” embodying the notion that true management is measured by the individuals we uplift.
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“Earlier than Humanitarian Day, Ilm Basis and Dawah 2000 (based by Naim Shah Jr) regularly fed the homeless in Downtown Los Angeles and had hosted two profitable Skid Row Ramadan Feedings,” mentioned Naim Shah Jr.
“After the tragedy of 9/11, the Muslim group confronted unprecedented backlash. On the similar time, a lot of our activism was directed abroad, typically overlooking the wants inside our personal communities.”
These Ramadan feedings laid the groundwork for Humanitarian Day which started throughout the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. “Rooted in Service, Powered by Religion,” the occasion sought to supply these in want with necessities and companies together with eye, dental, well being screenings and present merchandise.
To attain this imaginative and prescient, the Coalition to Protect Human Dignity (CPHD) was shaped, uniting volunteers, sponsors, and organizations beneath a shared mission.
“Humanitarian Day expanded the scope of our earlier Ramadan feedings to incorporate an extended listing of day by day necessities and well being screenings,” Shah defined. “The volunteer base grew from a handful of organizations in Los Angeles to over 20 throughout Southern California. Nothing like this had ever been coordinated earlier than.”
Among the many early contributors had been Masjid Ibadullah, UMMA Clinic, Dawah 2000, Concord Bites, the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, the Will and Jada Smith Household Basis, Islamic Reduction, and others.
Immediately, Humanitarian Day has advanced past a single day of Ramadan service right into a multigenerational motion. “It has develop into a transformative expertise that builds relationships on a deeper stage,” mentioned Shah. “What begins as a one-day effort typically turns into a lifelong mission for a lot of concerned.”
Past Los Angeles, the twenty fifth Ramadan HDAY prolonged its attain to cities together with Pasadena, Pomona, Oakland, Fresno, Las Vegas, and Atlanta, demonstrating a nationwide dedication to humanitarian service throughout Ramadan. The ILM Basis additionally launched the “25 for 25” nationwide marketing campaign, encouraging Muslim communities throughout the nation to host their very own HDAY occasions, reinforcing the collective effort to serve these in want.
This yr’s HDAY was made potential by means of the efforts of quite a few distributors and group companions, together with Hearts of Mercy Basis (foods and drinks), Penny Enchantment USA (luggage and t-shirts), Cease the Violence Enhance the Peace Basis (group ambassadors and socks), Eid LA (kids’s toys), Masjid Al Shareef (footwear and female hygiene gadgets), Islamic Middle of Hawthorne (backpacks), Orange County Islamic Basis (hygiene kits), Muslim Chaplains (group engagement), Dr. Mansour Eye Care Crew (eye screenings), and Trojan Assist (well being and dental screenings).
Venture Supervisor and Host Hanif Madyun mirrored on Skid Row’s altering situations saying, “It’s harsher than after I first began – extra crowded – and whereas companies have improved, they nonetheless haven’t caught as much as the wants.”
However amidst the challenges, moments of transformation stood out to him. “About 10 years in the past, I acknowledged somebody from my neighborhood in line to obtain items. Three years later, that very same individual returned in significantly better situation – this time as a volunteer.”
Naim Shah Jr. shared, “What I felt everybody skilled at the present time is what the Quran calls
‘ۚ لِتعََارَفُوٓا’ in 49:13 – ‘that ye could know one another (not that ye could despise one another).’”
Humanitarian Day was birthed from a few of Islam’s core ideas – group service, giving, encouraging acts of generosity and management by means of compassion. What started as a neighborhood feeding effort has develop into a nationwide motion, proving that “a single day of giving can encourage a lifetime of change.”
