Books for Muslim & Non-muslim Inmates
Donation protected
As-Salaamu-Alaikum-wa-Rahmatullahi-wa-Barakatuh. (May Allah’s Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you).
The purpose of this project is to garner your support for the acquiring of Arabic/ Islamic and educational books for the incarcerated Muslims and non-Muslims at the South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton, New Jersey.
Below is a message from Waqas Ibrar, who is a dear brother of mine, from the prison directly,
"As-Salamu-Alaykum dear brothers and sisters:
My name is Waqas Ibrar, and I'm currently incarcerated at South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton, NJ. The purpose of this page is to collect donations to purchase Islamic and Arabic language books for Muslim and interested non-Muslim inmates.
Your donations will serve to increase the Islamic and Arabic language educational resources inmates have at their fingertips to better educate themselves and others on Islam at South Woods State Prison. Particularly, it will be books that will be provided to inmates who are highly motivated in seeking Islamic knowledge and learning the Arabic language. Your donations will be critical for their learning, as most of these inmates have scarce resources available to them--even from outside of the prison walls, as some of them have had their family ties strained--or worse, have been disowned by them--for embracing Islam. On the inside of the prison, the access to already-limited resources, generally provided by the facility's chaplain department, is further restricted due to COVID-19 outbreak in the facility. In an attempt to mitigate the spread of the virus, the prison's administration has changed its policy regarding religious (among other) activities by further containing and controlling movement of inmates out of the inmates' housing units (aka cell block).
More specifically, these donations will be used to build a sizeable "informal library" of Islamic and Arabic language books here on housing unit (which houses ~25 Muslim inmates out of 128, with two recent converts during Ramadan). I refer to it as an informal library, because (1) the books will be in the possession of the inmates and will be circulated within the housing unit among all the inmates interested; (2) the books will be circulated and distributed among Muslim inmates, as the prison policy regarding books prohibits any one inmate from having more than twelve books in possession at any given time; and (3) the prison's policy prohibits inmates from forming an actual library to shelve books on the housing unit.
Once executed, this could increase the Muslim inmates'--and the interested non-Muslim inmates'--access to Islamic knowledge. For instance, on my particular housing unit, it could also be beneficial in advancing the Islamic knowledge of one or two inmates in particular, who are instrumental in teaching Islam to newly converted Muslim inmates. The benefits will also be long-term, as these individuals have long sentences to serve and can truly continue to make a difference by spreading the message of Islam throughout the remainder of their sentences. Also, these books will not leave the facility; they will stay here, as books are generally passed down to new inmates by inmates leaving the facility or passed around by inmates finished with the books (I see all kinds of books in circulation here from almost 20 years ago!). There's a great sense of shared responsibility among inmates in preserving and sharing books--especially Islamic ones--with others in prison.
There are 24 other such (above-described) housing units in the prison, and such (abovementioned) key individuals exist, in varying numbers, on all of them; therefore, the mission of this cause is to establish such libraries on all of the housing units and properly equip these individuals to continue to educate other inmates in their respective housing units on the true meaning and message of Islam. I will update you, via this page, once the first round of books are purchased, delivered, and distributed successfully in my housing unit.
Being one of the very few fortunate and blessed inmates to have the love and support of amazing friends and family who extend my reach outside of these prison walls, with their help I wanted to extend this opportunity to you to join in my efforts in building this "informal library" of Islamic books and, ultimately, an overall more conducive environment for learning and practicing Islam.
Please donate to this greater cause. May Allah (SWT) accept, and reward you greatly for your contributions. Thanks in advance on behalf of myself and the inmates for contributing to this cause. And a special thanks to my dear brother Mansoor Aziz for his coordination and execution on the outside.
Sincerely,
Waqas Ibrar”
To seek knowledge is a sacred duty on all human beings, and it is obligatory on every Muslim. The first word reveled to our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) from Allah was “Iqra” which translates to “Read!” (96:1) Therefore, reading, seeking knowledge, and educating yourself is crucial for growth and advancement. Education and acquiring knowledge has also been emphasized in the Quran, Allah’s direct words and source of guidance for all people. One particular one comes to mind, “My Lord! Increase me in knowledge.” (20:114)
I am happy for these brothers who are utilizing their time while being incarcerated learning and educating themselves. The Hadith of the Prophet (PBUH) also emphasizes the value of knowledge and charity, “Abu Hurairah notes, “When a man dies, his acts come to an end, but three, recurring charity, or knowledge (by which people benefit), or a pious son (or daughter), who prays for him (the deceased). (Sahih Muslim Book 12, Hadith 4005)
I ask for your support for this great cause, in whatever capacity you are able. May Allah swt bless our efforts and use it in our scale of good deeds. Ameen
The purpose of this project is to garner your support for the acquiring of Arabic/ Islamic and educational books for the incarcerated Muslims and non-Muslims at the South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton, New Jersey.
Below is a message from Waqas Ibrar, who is a dear brother of mine, from the prison directly,
"As-Salamu-Alaykum dear brothers and sisters:
My name is Waqas Ibrar, and I'm currently incarcerated at South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton, NJ. The purpose of this page is to collect donations to purchase Islamic and Arabic language books for Muslim and interested non-Muslim inmates.
Your donations will serve to increase the Islamic and Arabic language educational resources inmates have at their fingertips to better educate themselves and others on Islam at South Woods State Prison. Particularly, it will be books that will be provided to inmates who are highly motivated in seeking Islamic knowledge and learning the Arabic language. Your donations will be critical for their learning, as most of these inmates have scarce resources available to them--even from outside of the prison walls, as some of them have had their family ties strained--or worse, have been disowned by them--for embracing Islam. On the inside of the prison, the access to already-limited resources, generally provided by the facility's chaplain department, is further restricted due to COVID-19 outbreak in the facility. In an attempt to mitigate the spread of the virus, the prison's administration has changed its policy regarding religious (among other) activities by further containing and controlling movement of inmates out of the inmates' housing units (aka cell block).
More specifically, these donations will be used to build a sizeable "informal library" of Islamic and Arabic language books here on housing unit (which houses ~25 Muslim inmates out of 128, with two recent converts during Ramadan). I refer to it as an informal library, because (1) the books will be in the possession of the inmates and will be circulated within the housing unit among all the inmates interested; (2) the books will be circulated and distributed among Muslim inmates, as the prison policy regarding books prohibits any one inmate from having more than twelve books in possession at any given time; and (3) the prison's policy prohibits inmates from forming an actual library to shelve books on the housing unit.
Once executed, this could increase the Muslim inmates'--and the interested non-Muslim inmates'--access to Islamic knowledge. For instance, on my particular housing unit, it could also be beneficial in advancing the Islamic knowledge of one or two inmates in particular, who are instrumental in teaching Islam to newly converted Muslim inmates. The benefits will also be long-term, as these individuals have long sentences to serve and can truly continue to make a difference by spreading the message of Islam throughout the remainder of their sentences. Also, these books will not leave the facility; they will stay here, as books are generally passed down to new inmates by inmates leaving the facility or passed around by inmates finished with the books (I see all kinds of books in circulation here from almost 20 years ago!). There's a great sense of shared responsibility among inmates in preserving and sharing books--especially Islamic ones--with others in prison.
There are 24 other such (above-described) housing units in the prison, and such (abovementioned) key individuals exist, in varying numbers, on all of them; therefore, the mission of this cause is to establish such libraries on all of the housing units and properly equip these individuals to continue to educate other inmates in their respective housing units on the true meaning and message of Islam. I will update you, via this page, once the first round of books are purchased, delivered, and distributed successfully in my housing unit.
Being one of the very few fortunate and blessed inmates to have the love and support of amazing friends and family who extend my reach outside of these prison walls, with their help I wanted to extend this opportunity to you to join in my efforts in building this "informal library" of Islamic books and, ultimately, an overall more conducive environment for learning and practicing Islam.
Please donate to this greater cause. May Allah (SWT) accept, and reward you greatly for your contributions. Thanks in advance on behalf of myself and the inmates for contributing to this cause. And a special thanks to my dear brother Mansoor Aziz for his coordination and execution on the outside.
Sincerely,
Waqas Ibrar”
To seek knowledge is a sacred duty on all human beings, and it is obligatory on every Muslim. The first word reveled to our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) from Allah was “Iqra” which translates to “Read!” (96:1) Therefore, reading, seeking knowledge, and educating yourself is crucial for growth and advancement. Education and acquiring knowledge has also been emphasized in the Quran, Allah’s direct words and source of guidance for all people. One particular one comes to mind, “My Lord! Increase me in knowledge.” (20:114)
I am happy for these brothers who are utilizing their time while being incarcerated learning and educating themselves. The Hadith of the Prophet (PBUH) also emphasizes the value of knowledge and charity, “Abu Hurairah notes, “When a man dies, his acts come to an end, but three, recurring charity, or knowledge (by which people benefit), or a pious son (or daughter), who prays for him (the deceased). (Sahih Muslim Book 12, Hadith 4005)
I ask for your support for this great cause, in whatever capacity you are able. May Allah swt bless our efforts and use it in our scale of good deeds. Ameen
Organizer
Mohammad Mansoor Aziz
Organizer
Jersey City, NJ