By Syed Rafay Ul-Hassan, a Youth volunteer and member of our Brothers Youth Council

لحمد لله

Thanks to the hard work of our Youth Committee head, Ml. Hanzlah Atcha and with the support of our IPC Masjid Management team and volunteers, our youth overnight program was an incredible success and a memorable experience for all those who came.

It was an amazing night. Followed by the inspiring and uplifting talk by guest speaker Brother Mohammed Hoblos, the volunteers quickly helped the crowd disperse and it was only the youth in the Masjid. After a quick headcount of the registrants, we walked across the street towards the soccer dome, SIGMA FC, which the organizers graciously rented out for us. We were sorted into four different teams, we each took our corners and started playing soccer.

There were many substitutes on the benches but Alhamdulillah all of us got a chance to enjoy the game. The winners would then play on one corner of the dome, while the losers played on the other. Soon, it was time to leave, so we packed up, did a quick headcount just so no one was left behind, and left for the masjid.

As soon as we arrived at the masjid, we unpacked our stuff and our sleeping bags in the library on the second floor. After we had gone down, our food had already arrived and we dug in. Pizza and wings catered by 786 Pizza & Wings. After cleaning up, we then made wudu for Qiyam-ul-layl. We made a plan to pray 8 raka’at, in which I led two raka’at, Hafidh Sarmad four raka’at, and Hafidh Amaan two raka’at. AllahummaBarik!! What majestic voices they both have. May Allah bless them and grant them strong and unwavering voices, آمين. After we prayed they took out dessert for all to eat: Krispy Kreme donuts and milk. Once everyone had their fill, we went upstairs to go to bed.

You could probably guess that no one would want to be going to sleep while their friends are all there. So, we chilled for the most part and everyone was in their groups. We discussed Islamic topics and told each other dumb stories, all in all having a good time. Although there were some minor disturbances (kids were running around playing tag and hide and seek…), we managed to get some sleep before we were woken up at 6 a.m. for Fajr salah. In our times, we made wudu and prayed our two raka’at sunnah. After the Salah, led by Hafidh Qayyom, we went back upstairs for a short reminder by Hafidh Akber, in which he talked about gathering at the masjid for the right intention, the benefits of sitting in a gathering at the masjid and the dua’ to recite after a gathering is over.

After the small talk, we all read Surah Yasin individually and rested until it was time for breakfast. One of the uncles generously brought food, especially for the overnight kids: bread, Nutella, juice etc. May Allah be pleased with him and reward him with the best.

We all went back upstairs to rest for a bit and when the time for Dhuhr came, we all prayed together in jamaa’ until the fresh barbeque which was planned by Ml. Hanzlah was finished and we all ate to our fill الحمد لله. May Allah bless all those who made this program an unforgettable experience and إن شاء الله we can attend this program again!