Losing Imam Aly Lela would be a HUGE loss to IAGD

• A scholar who speaks with authority, knowledge, wisdom and eloquence.
• An imam who's cool on the outside, but who burns for the community on inside.
• A leader who's not afraid of telling the truth even if it hurts.
• A scholar with traditional roots with courage to critique our dark history.
• A likeable imam who engages people from various races, ethnicities and nationalities.
• A rare imam among few in US who combines knowledge of Islamic traditions and understanding of the western context.
• A distinguished imam with rare academic credentials from al-Azhar, Cairo University, Wayne State University and Oxford combined.
• An imam who's active outside the masjid as well, well respected by all imams and Muslim communities.
• A visionary who understands the real challenges faced by American Muslims, especially the youth.
• An aalim with empathy who prefers making things easy for folks within shariah.
• Our trustworthy bridge to the vast legacy of Islamic thoughts and Arabic literature.
• A pleasant face of our faith you could be proud of for interfaith dialogs.
• An affable personality liked by non-Muslim visitors and dignitaries.
• A professor not afraid of speaking on controversial side of Islam.
• The privilege of listening to beautiful qira'a with tajweed every day.
• A self-motivated leader who created useful activity programs.
• The privilege of short enlightening discourse after every maghrib/isha salah.
• The popular Hearts and Minds program preparing our youth for their times.
• The tradition of morning azkaar in Ramadan you probably memorized thanks to the imam.
• The prospect of learning tajweed from an expert with 3 ijaazaat of high reputation.
• The prospect of useful workshops and seerah conference every year we have taken for granted.
• The enlightening jumua and eid khutbahs that have been uniquely relevant and creative.
• A teacher who enlightened us with fiqh classes, making understanding of ibadaat easier for us.
• A teacher who tried bringing us closer to Allah through Imam Ghazali lecture series.
• An aalim who's not shy of saying "I don't know" when he doesn't know.
• A counselor who spent hours and hours of personal time settling disputes within community.
• A community healer, who didn't carry aspirations for power in community politics.
• An imam you always felt comfortable approaching, asking to pray for your loved ones.
• An excellent soccer player who plays with our youth regularly despite his distinct religious status.
• A sincere leader who went extra mile without getting due appreciation.
• An imam who went beyond the contractual responsibilities of an employee.
• A compassionate man who embraced this community despite its shortcomings.
• A humble person who never presented himself as superior to others.
• A PhD scholar who could go and be welcomed anywhere, but prefers to call this community home.
• An imam who always spoke against injustice, but was denied due process himself.
• An imam who served at IAGD with dignity and generosity for 12+ years.