About Us
DIC Community: An Overview
Danforth Islamic Centre (DIC), as a registered non-profit organization, has been dedicated to offering a variety of religious, educational and social activities to contribute to the social, cultural and spiritual enhancement of the community at Danforth and Victoria Park in Toronto since it was founded in 2005. DIC continues to the best of its ability to serve the diverse Muslim community of all ethnic backgrounds. At the same time, its programs are open to all Canadians regardless of their religious faith.
Amongst the services DIC offers:
- Daily five-time prayer
- Friday sermon
- Eid Prayers
- Ramadan Program and free Iftar (food) for all.
- Lectures & discussions on various religious issues to learn and understand Islam and other social labilities.
- Weekend and summer Islamic School for kids.
- Educational courses for adults.
- Contribute to Humanitarian activity for distressed people.
- Free book and Quran distribution to non-Muslims.
- Family gatherings on various occasions strengthen the community’s integrity.
- Settlement services for all newcomers.
- Food banks for needy people.
FOCUS ON FUTURE
Alhamdulillah, DIC is delighted to have been awarded charitable status by the government of Ontario in September 2013. We believe this is recognition of our dedication to the community and will encourage us to work harder to improve our services further. Focusing on the future, DIC would like to enhance or add the following services for the community:
Adequate Praying Area for Men and Women (Mosque)
Our prime objective is to provide adequate prayer facility for a congregation of worshippers to perform prayer with ease, comfort and safety.
A separate decent prayer facility for sisters will also be arranged.
Proper Ablution/Toilet facility
Multipurpose Community Hall
A multipurpose hall will be thevenue for various community activities and a gathering place for different occasions. The multipurpose hallwill be equipped with an audio-visual multimedia facility and a modern sound system.
Reference Library/Book Store
To provide Muslims and non-Muslims with the opportunity to understand Islam, Islamic History and culture, there will bea resourceful reference library containing the Quran, Tafseer, books of Hadith, Figh, other comparative religious Books, and Magazines. The library users can get necessary materials to study and research their interests. Computers and free high-speed internet will also be available for the library user.
A bookstore at the same time will run to sell books and other stationery items.
Islamic School and Weekend Madrassah
There is a high demand for a quality Islamic School in our community. The highest objective of our Islamic school would be to prepare our pupils’ lives with purity and sincerity and to build their character based on the ideals of Islamic ethics.
The proposed full-time elementary school will offer simultaneously specialized programs in religious study and accredited Ontario Ministry of Education courses. The Elementary school will be turned into a High School gradually.
The existing weekend Madrassah will be run at a broader scale to enroll more students.
Daycare Facility
One of the challenging difficulties for our community is to find a quality, reliable and affordable childcare place that will safeguard our child and provide Halal foods. DIC will open an on-site daycare center collaboration with the City of Toronto, which will comply with relevant health and safety regulations.
Computer Lab: The TECH Center
DIC will establish a computer lab that creates an opportunity for the community to use for education, training and entertainment purposes.
Gym and Fitness Club
To keep our community healthy, we will establish a state-of-the-art gym and health club. Membership of the health club will be maintained to get professional service.
Community Counselling Centre/Social Service
The community counselling center will offer a family helpline over health and education, resolve family disputes, run senior citizen programs, youth activity, etc.
Catering Kitchen, Food Bank
DIC will have an equipped kitchen for catering food. This kitchen will prepare food for special occasions.
Mortuary and Funeral Service
DIC funeral service is to prepare and arrange carefully and quickly to the deceased person for burial by honoring Islamic law. A mortuary will also be part of this facility.
YOUR SUPPORT IS NEEDED:
The current facility lacks adequate space to maintain and continue regular activities. 10.000 square feet of building premises will allow us to enhance and expand our programs and services for a growing number of devotees.
The expanded facility would cost an estimated $1.8 million, which could be funded through the generous support of people like you.
Allah SWT orders us to donate generously in many verses of the holy Quran:
- And whatever wealth you give away (as a charity donation) goes to your benefit. It is not appropriate for you to spend but for Allah’s pleasure alone. And whatever you spend on your wealth, (its reward) will be paid back to you in full, and you shall not be treated unjustly. [Al-Baqarah: 272]
- You cannot attain righteousness until you give to charity from the possessions you love. Whatever you give to charity, Allah is fully aware thereof. [AI Imran: 92]
In many Hadiths, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) also encourages us to donate to charity:
- Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “The generous person is close to Allah, close to Paradise, close to people, and far from the Fire. The miser is far from Allah, far from Paradise, far from people, and close to the Fire. A generous ignorant person is more beloved to Allah than a miserly scholar. [Tirmidi, 1961]
- Mahmud ibn Labid reported that Uthman ibn Affan decided to rebuild the mosque in Medina, but the people did not like this idea and wished that it would be preserved in the same form. Therefore, Uthman said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say. ‘He who builds a mosque for Allah, then Allah will build for him something like it in Paradise.” [Muslim 533]