Gallery: "A Night for the Love of Palestine" in Florida

Islamic Relief USA's "Night for the Love of Palestine," a dinner in Tampa, Florida, was a beautiful evening of love and celebration featuring Egyptian actress Hanan Turk. All proceeds from the event are going to IR USA's projects in Palestine. Check out the gallery below.

Gallery: "A Night for the Love of Palestine" in Washington, D.C.

Hundreds came out for Islamic Relief USA's "A Night for the Love of Palestine" in Washington, D.C. this past weekend. It was an evening of love and celebration, featuring Islamic Relief Goodwill Ambassador Hanan Turk. A second event is coming up in Florida. Click here to learn more.

Ramadan 2010: Why Giving is a Gift

Many Muslims look upon the holy month of Ramadan as a time of spiritual growth, oneness with Allah (SWT), and a time to give up bad habits and take on new good habits. It’s a time when whatever good deed we perform, each prayer we do, each time we give back, and each time we remember Allah, we will insh’Allah gain 70 times the amount of reward for it.

We are encouraged to give in Ramadan. Give zakah and give wherever we can. Volunteer, donate to a good cause, help someone -- because giving is a gift. Being able to give back to those in need is a gift for us, for through our giving we can insha’Allah obtain spiritual reward.

Upon reflecting on these principles of Ramadan, we at Islamic Relief USA felt that the theme of “Giving is a Gift” was fitting for this year. We’ve seen great suffering and need in disasters like the Haiti earthquake, the continuing Gaza crisis, and the Pakistan floods, and we’ve seen the great need for help here in the United States through our Day of Dignity events. We realize that it is a blessing for us and our donors to be able to raise money, reach out, create programs, and provide help where it is needed most.

The Holy Qur’an says, "Those who give to charity night and day, secretly and publicly, receive their recompense from their Lord; they will have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve. (2:274)"

The Holy Qur’an, also says, "They ask you (O Muhammad) what they should spend in charity. Say: 'Whatever you spend with a good heart, give it to parents, relatives, orphans, the helpless, and travellers in need. Whatever good you do, God is aware of it.' (2:215 )"

The emphasis on charity and giving in Islam is seen throughout the Qur’an and in hadith. For that matter, charity and helping those in need goes beyond Islam: It is a moral principle shared by many faiths. If you are in the position to give, then please give back. It is a gift to be able to give.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "If I had (a mountain of) gold, I would love that, before three days had passed, not a single (coin) thereof remained with me if I found somebody to accept it (as charity), excluding some amount that I would keep for the payment of my debts." - Sahih Al-Bukhari.

We would like to wish you a blessed Ramadan. Please check out our blog during Ramadan to hear more giving stories from people like you. We here at Islamic Relief USA appreciate all you do, and we appreciate your support of our efforts to give back to those in need. Indeed, giving is a gift, and we hope you choose to give and receive that gift.

Ramadan Mubarak!

Photos: IR USA's Fundraising Dinner for Palestine with Hanan Turk

Egyptian actress Hanan Turk did a series of fundraising dinners with Islamic Relief USA to raise money for Palestine. Click through photos of the fundraising event with Turk in New Jersey in early May.

Egyptian Actress Hanan Turk Raises Money for Palestinians

For the past two weeks, Egyptian actress Hanan Turk has been criss-crossing the United States with Islamic Relief USA to raise money for the people of Palestine. The popular actress visited a number of major cities, including Chicago, Detriot, Boston, Milwaukee, and New Jersey. The response of the American Muslim community has been astounding to Ms. Turk’s appeal for the people of Gaza. Alhumdullilah, donors across the country gave more than $1 million for Palestine just in the past two weeks.

In New Jersey on May 1, 2010, Ms. Turk's emotional speech brought people to tears, as she made them connect to those in need in Palestine. Called “A Night for the Love of Palestine," the fundraising dinner truly became an outpouring of love for Palestinians. Hanan Turk is an international friend of Islamic Relief USA and has visited the relief organization's work site in Palestine.

Read more about the relief work Islamic Relief USA is doing in Palestine. To donate to IR USA's Palestinian campaign as well as other campaigns, click here.