Blog post brought to you by Laila Katie Helms
There’s a quote in the Qur’an:
“You are the best people ever raised for the good of mankind, because you have been raised to serve others” (3:111).
It’s a striking thing to be told — not that the best among us are the most learned, or the most devoted in solitude, but the most useful to others. But what does that look like in practice? And how do we serve when we are unclear on what we have to offer? What follows is an exploration of how service to the community can be in service to your heart.
What I found when I served
I can say from my own experience that this isn’t just a nice idea. The first time I volunteered at one of these gatherings, what I got back was completely out of proportion to what I gave. I didn’t expect a folding-chairs-and-name-tags kind of task to leave me with a deep sense of connection to the actual core of this community — but it did. I felt like I belonged. I felt like I was of use in a way that mattered much more deeply than tidying a room mattered. Being there in that capacity was a blessing for me every bit as much as it was for the people I was serving.
More beloved than two months in the masjid
That’s not a coincidence. Hassan Al-Basri (RA) once said: “Attending to the need of another Muslim is more beloved to me than secluding myself in worship within the Masjid for two months.” That’s a genuinely bold claim — that showing up for someone else’s need can outweigh two months of solitary devotion. But if you’ve ever volunteered somewhere and felt exactly what I felt, it doesn’t sound like an exaggeration. It sounds like a description.
Even if you can’t come
Here’s something you may not have considered: this invitation to volunteer isn’t only for people attending in person. At a recent community call, one beloved put it beautifully — even simply opening the volunteer interest form is itself a kind of gift, just from witnessing how many teams and committees, large and small, are already working behind the scenes to make this gathering happen. Filling the volunteer interest form out, offering whatever small piece of support you can, even from far away, opens doors. It helps spread Sidi’s message. It helps someone else make it there. As this beloved put it: “There’s so much barakah and blessing when it’s that selfless — when it’s not even for yourself, but to just be of service to Allah and Sidi’s message and our community.”
Supporting an event you can’t attend isn’t a lesser form of service. It’s still service — still a way of being of use, even from a distance.
This October
We need volunteers — the gathering simply cannot run without them, whether that support shows up in person or from afar. If you’ve never volunteered before, consider this your invitation. Whatever task you’re given, however small it seems, it may end up giving you back more than you expect.
If you’re interested, let us know either when you register, or feel free to reach out directly and we’ll find the right place for you — even if that place is simply holding this gathering in your prayers from home. There are tasks and teams to suit all interests and skill levels, you are welcome.
Come, let’s take a drink of the Deep Love together — and let’s be of service to each other while we’re at it.
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