Middle Ground

Welcoming Ramadan

Eid Prayer Info

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum everyone. It’s that time of year again, in shā’ Allāh: time for Ramadan! Middle Ground is excited to announce a Ramadan plan/schedule.

  • The last Tarawih prayer will be Wednesday night. Obviously you still have to fast Thursday but there will be no Tarawih prayer Thursday night.
  • Eid is expected to be Friday morning. For those praying in Rancho, see here for Eid United’s info.
  • Imam Marc Manley will be leading the Eid prayer at Masjid al-Fātiḥah in Azusa. The gates open at 6:30amTakbirat starts at 7am, and Ṣalāh begins at 7:30am. Please note the space is limited so I would try and arrive early and leave enough time to park and walk.
  • There will be no Jumu’ah prayer at Middle Ground on Friday. This is because Eid and Jumu’ah will occur on the same day and so there is no obligation to pray Ṣalāh al-Jumu’ah. However, remember to pray Ṣalāh al-Ḍhuhr!!. You are still obliged to pray that.
  • And finally, don’t forget to keep seeking Laylah al-Qadr up to the end of Ramadan!

Prayer Times (to the end of Ramadan)

  • Note: the iqamah time for Ṣalāh al-‘Ishā’ will change to 9:00PM on Sunday.
  • Note: the time for Ṣalāh Tarawih will be approximately 9:30PM.

Here’s an overview of our general Ramadan schedule:

  • al-Tarāwīḥ Prayer will be lead by Shaykh Ibrahim Merdad.
  • Imam Marc will offer a short talk, daily, between al-‘Ishā’ prayer and al-Tarāwīḥ prayer.
  • Ifṭār will not be offered every day. The Ifṭār schedule will be thus:

If you have any questions, please contact us at contact@muslim.center. We look forward to seeing you all and may Allah bless you and your families in this month and accept your worship. Amin.

Jumu’ah at Middle Ground

Below are a few guidelines to keep in mind:

  1. No registration is required. Capacity is first-come first-serve;
  2. Face coverings are no longer required inside;
  3. Physical distancing is optional;
  4. Those who have fever over 100° or any COVID related symptoms are not allowed to attend;

The Jumu’ah starts at 1PM, in shā’ Allāh. It is the same year round. The time never changes.

Donate to Middle Ground

May Allah accept from you all. Amin.

We look forward to seeing you at Middle Ground.

Activities At Middle Ground

Fajr Club

Every Saturday Middle Ground members gather for prayer and breakfast. We start the morning with Fajr Salah and then break bread with one another. It’s a great opportunity to get to know other members in the community as well as treat yourself to Shaykh Chef’s (Imam Marc!!) famous coffee and breakfast. Current iqamah time is 6:30AM. Front door code is 3923 and the rear entrance code is 0719*. Imam Marc’s Understanding the Qur’ān class follows. Currently, the class is on the Fifth Chapter of the Qur’ān, Sūrah al-Mā’idah.

*Note: this will be the last Understanding the Qur’ān Session until after Ramadan.

Current start time is 7:30AM.

Understanding the Qur’an

After Fajr Club on Saturdays, Imam Marc teaches Understanding the Qur’an. This course explores such topics as tafsīr, ‘aqīdah (theology and creed), fiqh (jurisprudence), as well as insights into the Arabic language. The class also explores how we might understand Revelation in light of our culture as Americans.

Currently the class is on the Fifth Chapter of the Qur’ān, Sūrah al-Mā’idah, through such works by al-Sa’dī, Ibn Juzayy, al-Ṭabarī, and al-Qurṭubī and others.

For those who wish to attend remotely, please sign up for the e-mail list, or send us an email at contact@muslim.center, to be added to the e-mail notification. The live class is conducted through Google Meet.

Current start time is 7:30AM.

You can see some past sessions on our YouTube channel.

We also do a reading of Ibn Abī Zayd al-Qayrawānī’s al-Risalah the last two Sundays of every month.

All classes can be attended remotely. Please send us your email (to contact@muslim.center) if you have not already signed up for the email list.

Here’s the video for our first session for How Islam Works

For more session videos and notes, click here.

Articles & Blog Posts

The Middle Ground website also features the writings of Imam Marc. He has not only been teaching but also writing about affairs concerning the American Muslim community for nearly two decades. You can find his posts here.

About Middle Ground

Middle Ground Muslim Center began as an idea; an ideal. We are a small group of concerned Muslims looking to create a new space that will serve as a place for the community to connect with God and with each other. We are located in Upland, California, in the heart of the Inland Empire. We hope Middle Ground’s intimate setting will provide you with a space to nurture and grow your Islam amongst friends.

Our methodology is simple: religious and spiritual development through hands-on tutelage and camaraderie. Everyone at Middle Ground, from the staff to the participants, are here to learn and grow.

As you experience Middle Ground please feel free to leave us feedback so we may improve upon the services we offer. We look forward to serving you.

Religious Director

Imam Marc Manley is the Religious Director for Middle Ground. A convert to Islam (1992), Imam Marc has had the opportunity to sit and study with many of the top Muslim teachers in Detroit, Philadelphia and Saudi Arabia. Imam Marc has been an active educator having taught Arabic and Islamic Studies as well as being appointed the Muslim Chaplain at the University of Pennsylvania and starting the Muslim chaplaincy program at Drexel University.

Imam Marc enjoys cooking (Shaykh Chef being one of his nicknames), lifting weights (he’s all about being #FiftyAndFit #50AndFit!) and hiking here in beautiful southern California.

We look forward to seeing you at Middle Ground.