Who We Are

Muslim Alliance Helping Disadvantaged Individuals (“MAHDI”) is an Islamic charitable organization established in April 2008. We are a volunteer-based, grass roots, charitable institution seeking to help the greater Houston community in need. We encourage all Muslims to get involved in helping the members of our city who have come upon hard times, as we know that charity begins at home. With nearly 900,000 individuals living below the poverty level in Harris County and surrounding areas, nearly 35,000 people go hungry on any given day in the Houston area.

Assemblies of volunteers gather each Sunday at 8:00 a.m. the Islamic Education Center’s Men’s Dining Hall together for a common mission. Through this humble effort, approximately 200 lunches, complete with sandwich, fruit, cookies, and a water bottle are put together and distributed in downtown Houston, rain or shine.

That means we distribute over 10,000 brown bag lunches each year! Through these efforts, MAHDI Volunteers are not only helping to sustain our community, but they are building bridges of friendship, goodwill and interfaith understanding through positive interactions. Furthermore, MAHDI Volunteers have been able to distribute much needed and appreciated hygiene packs 2-3 times per year, which include soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, washcloths, and combs, among other items.

Our Mission

It is an Islamic tradition to feed and help the poor and needy of our society, and Muslims believe that there are great blessings in doing so. Therefore, the mission of MAHDI is embedded in the Holy Qur’an, the Sunnah (The Way) of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and Ahlul Bayt (AS), and in our very name – which is to help disadvantaged individuals of all kinds, through innovative and dynamic programs that address the social ills of our society.

Source of GREAT Honor & Blessings

Although we know that helping Muslims is a priority in any Muslim community, there appears to be little or no organized, concerted effort by any Muslim community in Houston or in the US dedicated to helping the poor, downtrodden, or “permanent underclass” members of this society. This is the focus of MAHDI, as it is our duty as Muslims to help the poor and needy whether they are Muslims or not. It is also our duty to educate the believers regarding the many spiritual blessings, personal rewards and various other benefits individuals and the community-at-large, may receive when we serve the poor and needy. Some of the benefits for helping the poor and needy include, but is not limited to:

• Earning the pleasure of Allah (SWT) by helping others & following the way of the Holy Prophet & the Ahlul Bayt (AS)
• Fulfilling our Islamic duty to help spread the true message of Islam through service
• Giving back to the society we benefit from by helping to alleviate some of the burdens of the poor and needy
• Helping to prepare the way for the return of Imam Mahdi (AS) by helping to make his name well known & synonymous with justice, generosity and goodwill towards our fellow man
• Establish a positive image of Islam in the greater community