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Welcome Back to CalMSA Newsletter
January Newsletter
Cal MSA
January 20, 2026
JANUARY 2025
﷽
Asalaamu’ alaikum and welcome back to the Cal Muslim Student Association’s monthly newsletter! If you are new here, this is your one-stop scroll for events, reminders, resources, and reflections to keep your imaan strong and your calendar busy.
As the semester kicks off, remember: education is a gift, not a guarantee. May Allah allow us to be among those who seek knowledge sincerely, act upon it, and use it for His sake.
رَبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا
Rabbī zidnī ʿilmā — My Lord, increase me in knowledge.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Join Us For the First Jummah of the Semester | January 23rd
MSA PODCAST
INTRODUCING MUSLIM VOICES @ CAL
Episode 1: The Past, Present, and Future of the Berkeley Muslim Community
OUTSIDE RESOURCES
BML CHAPLAIN CANDIDATES
Berkeley Muslim Life is hiring a Director of Muslim Life to serve, lead, and represent our Muslim community of UC Berkeley and the surrounding area. As part of the final stage of interviews, we've invited our top 3 candidates on-campus to meet our community.
It is incredibly important for you to attend these events and share their input, as these finalists are being considered for the chaplaincy role and would serve YOU and the broader Muslim community at UC Berkeley. Your presence and feedback play a key role in shaping the future of Muslim life on campus. RSVP HERE
CANDIDATE 1
CANDIDATE 2
CANDIDATE 3
RAMADAN BERKELEY MASJID VOLUNTEERING
SELF REFLECTION
Welcome back to our monthly self-reflection! College life can easily sweep us into deadlines and to-do lists, but this section is a chance to pause, renew our intentions, and remember that every step can be a path to spiritual growth.
DUA OF THE MONTH
As the semester begins and we renew our intentions before Ramadan
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُك عِلْمًا نَافِعًا، وَرِزْقًا طَيِّبًا، وَعَمَلاً مُتَقْبَّلا
“O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, pure provision, and accepted deeds.” (Sunan Ibn Mājah 925).
As we step into a new semester, this dua centers our niyyah, learning not just for grades or success, but for growth, service, and closeness to Allah. With Ramadan approaching, it’s a reminder to align our daily efforts with sincerity, discipline, and purpose, so that our work becomes worship and our routines prepare our hearts for what’s to come.
May Allah grant us clarity, consistency, and barakah in this semester—and allow it to be a means of drawing nearer to Him before Ramadan.
GLOBAL MUSLIM NEWS
Welcome back to the Global Muslim News section of the MSA newsletter. As part of the worldwide ummah, we are bound by shared faith, history, and responsibility. If you are new here, this section will highlight stories, struggles, and triumphs from across the Muslim world. We hope to keep our community at Cal informed and connected, with the underlying remembrance that what affects one part of the ummah affects us all. Be sure to check back next month for the most recent updates from across the global Muslim community.
As stated by the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ),
“The parable of the believers in their affection, mercy, and compassion for each other is that of a body. When any limb aches, the whole body reacts with sleeplessness and fever.”
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
CAMPUS RESOURCES
PRAYER SPOTS
Click on the image above for the location of all the prayer spots on/close to campus 🤲
LINKS
MSA
Mental Health Support
Muslim Mental Health Initiative (MMHI) - Sign up for free online and on-campus consultations
Bay Area Muslim Therapists - list of Muslim-identifying therapists in the Bay Area
Palestine
