%201.png)
Help The Most Active Muslim Youth & Revert Community Center in Atlanta!
.png)
This campaign will collect funds until June 30th, 2024
Campaign Goal
Update campaign goal needed
The New Muslims and Muslim Youth at Darul Arqam Institute Need Your Help !
Axel and Vien need your help!
Axel grew up in a nonreligious family from Honduras as an only child. For years, Axel was isolated and struggled to find a good community.
Here's Axel's story: “I was lost, depressed, had anxiety and battled many mental issues throughout my childhood. I did not know what the purpose of my existence was and why I was even living. I started to look into religion as I always naturally believed in God but never figured out which religion or way of life was correct or meant for me. I looked into almost every religion but none of them made sense to me and I felt more frustrated than ever before. After days of researching and reading long and confusing religious texts online, I began to have an emotional break down in my University's library. My friend Muhammad came and sat down next to me asking me why I was crying. I told him how lost I felt and how I had looked into every religion, searching for guidance but none of them made sense to me. Muhammad consoled me and asked ”Have you looked into Islam and read the Qur'an yet" ? I told him that I did not and wasn't planning on doing so as I was always told bad things about Muslims. Muhammad gave me a copy of the English translation of the Qur'an and also send me a Qur'an recitation to listen to calm me down. I listened to the recitation of Surah Rahman - the Chapter of the Most Merciful. Instantly, the hairs all over my body began to stand up, my pupils expanded, and my heart felt this sudden sense of ease. As the recitation continued, I felt an uncontrollable urge to cry and tears began to roll down my face. I opened the Qur'an immediately to a completely random page and happened to open a page on Surah Adh-Dhariyat - The 51st Chapter of the Qur'an. The first verse I found my thumb on was verse 56 under the subheading: The Purpose of Life, “I did not create jinns and humans except to worship me” (Qur'an 51:56). This was the answer to the question that I was always looking for! I stopped everything and started to binge read the Qur'an from beginning to end to find out what Islam was all about. After years of feeling lost and confused about the purpose of my life , I had finally found it in Islam. I took Shahada and became Muslim in July of 2023 at the age of 23 and soon after, reconnected with an old muslim friend of mine from high-school who introduced me to a local masjid called Darul Arqam Institute. I went there for the first time on Friday for Jummah prayer and was shocked to see people of all different backgrounds and ethnicities: Arabs, Desis, Asians, Hispanics, Carribeans, Africans, Caucasians, etc. People from every corner of the world came to this masjid on Friday to pray to the One True God, Allah. I came back that Friday Night to Darul Arqam Institute to attend the Najam Brothers Youth Circle Program. We had food, a great group discussion on muslim brotherhood, played some basketball outside, and prayed together before the night ended. I had never felt such brotherhood and peace before. Ever since then, I have been consistently attending our weekly Najam Institute Brothers Youth Circles at Darul Arqam Institute and it has completely changed my life! Alhamdulillah ! "
Axel's revert story is emotional, motivational, and inspiring as you should never give up on yourself in life and keep searching for the truth. But we need help renovating our masjid to accommodate for and develop programs for more new muslims and life transformations like Axel 's !
A room for the youth in the Masjid that desperately needs to be renovated !
Another beautiful story that we have is that of Brother Vien, from Vietnam.
Here is Vien's story: “My journey to being a muslim was unexpected. One month before I took shahada I had zero expectations about Islam but Allah put a series of events in my life and I went through an entire rollercoaster of emotions and depression within that same month before coming across Islam which at first seemed to be a very restrictive religion but I found out that it was the guidance and discipline I was truly seeking. Holding the Qur'an for the first time felt extremely heavy, knowing that this book is the word of God and that billions of people are Muslim because of this religion and many have memorized the Qur'an. I opened it for the first time with a fear of not knowing who God is. I was a buddhist before but there were many holes in the religion and I thought all religions were like that. However I found out that I was very mistaken. I realized that the only real guidance in life is God through the only true religion of Islam. However Allah is the best of planners and sets everything up perfectly. After reading the Quran for the first time, I realized how merciful Allah is, He is the most forgiving and Iʼve never heard that before about God. I read the Qur'an over and over again as it felt like a divine treasure. Over time I started praying and fasting since it was around Ramadan time so I was quickly picking up on the religion and fell in love with it more and more. However it wasnʼt always easy and it was very difficult to give up many different things from my previous lifestyle that I found out were haram. Many changes take place over time and nothing is done overnight. Finding my place in the Muslim community took some time, effort, and Du'a but it came at the perfect time Alhamdulillah. The very first brotherhood I've ever had is the brotherhood at Darul Arqam Institute as we hangout during the Najam Brothers Youth Circle events on Friday Night. We come to the masjid every Friday, pray together, eat together, play sports, and have deep discussions about Islam Alhamdulillah. These were the first brothers that I have ever met in my entire life and I instantly connected with them. They are the brothers that I can call upon if any trouble or evil comes to burden me and honestly, I don't know what I'd do without them. I've never trusted a group of people with my life so effortlessly. Knowing that they struggle with the same desires as I do and are striving to become closer to Allah every single day keeps our bond tight. What brotherhood could I connect with if they donʼt pray to Allah, there is no real brotherhood without Islam! I love the entire Muslim Ummah for the sake of Allah and I know they love me simply because we say La Illaha Illallah Muhammadur RasulAllah! My life has completely changed for the better since finding this brotherhood and this is the best group of brothers I have ever had in my entire life!"
Revert Brother Joshua getting food at our Brothers Youth Circle
New Muslims typically suffer with loneliness, confusion, a lack of direction after becoming Muslim but at Darul Arqam Institute, we are welcoming to all muslim brothers and sisters ! Darul Arqam Institute has the most active community of muslim youth and new muslims in metro Atlanta! We strive to bring together brothers and sisters of all backgrounds in order to empower them with Islamic knowledge and understanding, so they can continue to feel empowered to make positive changes in their lives and their communities. We have a huge growing Muslim revert/convert community with brothers and sisters that are African American, Hispanic, African, Caucasian, South Asian, East Asian, Caribbean, etc.There are many more beautiful stories like Axel's and Vien's such as Brothers Mike, Kevin, Gabriel, Aidan, Yusha, Nidal, and many more ! We need your help & donations to create, develop, and sustain Islamic programs for our new muslim brothers and sisters in order to keep them steadfast on the deen!
But we can't continue supporting new muslims and muslim youth without your help ! Please support us as all of your generous donations will go towards supporting our youth group, building classes & programs for new-muslims & muslim youth, expanding masjid operations to accommodate for many more newcomers in'sha'Allah, and much more to benefit the local muslim & non-muslim community in metro Atlanta and beyond!
May Allah SWT bless you for your generous donations and please remember us in your du'as !
Campaign photos
