السلام عليكم ورحمة الله و بركاته

About Me:

My name is Abdullah Ateeque, and I am a resident of Redmond, WA in the Greater Seattle area. With the grace of Allah, I had the opportunity to pursue higher Islamic education in the prestigious Darul Uloom Deoband seminary in India for two years. Education aside, I was fortunate to witness firsthand the admirable efforts some sincere Muslim intellectuals and professionals are making to preserve Islam in the face of the systematic and relentless religious hatred spewed by the current Indian government.

Project Intro:

One of my teachers hails from near Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, India, where Muslims suffer from significant disadvantages in economic opportunities and literacy rates. Ever since childhood, he had dreamed of starting a Madrasah (religious seminary) in his hometown to provide a better upbringing for the Muslim youth there, simultaneously transforming their religious grounding as well as their careers. Madrasah Mahmudiyyah was founded in 1999 as a product of this ideation, and a structure was established to start classes there. Over the years, due to financial and personal hardship, the project could not be advanced further and stayed at the two-class, twenty-student capacity it started with, until now.

Current Report:

With the mercy of Allah SWT, I had the opportunity to collaborate with him in restarting the project in 2024. Over the past year:

Context Awareness:

Considering the religious bigotry routinely displayed by the government, we prioritized investing in protecting the Madrasah from legal pitfalls the ruling party uses to harass, interfere in, or even shut down Islamic institutes. Alhamdulillah, now that work is in full swing, the surrounding community has shown much interest in enrolling their children at the Madrasah; it is imperative that the planned work completes before the start of the academic year in June of 2025.

The Ask: Phase 1

The first phase of this project is to expand the classrooms from the existing three to six, along with bathrooms, a principal's office, and a guesthouse. The boundary wall, foundation, and ground leveling are already complete. Foundational pillars for the rooms have already been installed as well. Around 12K USD has already been spent, and an additional $20K is needed, inshaAllah.

Appeal

In this blessed month of Ramadan, I urge you to include this project among your charitable contributions. Alongside being Sadaqah Jariyah (perpetual reward), it is a first-hand effort to preserve Islam in an area where the government is not shy to claim that erasure of Islam from society is a priority goal for them. I understand the trust and honor code that comes with handling funds donated for the sake of Allah, and guarantee that your donation will be used in the most optimal way we can, inshaAllah. Please note that this project is Non-Eligible for Zakat.