The 1MM Library Initiative
Library and Research Center of Western Pennsylvania, Supervised by Moosaa Richardson
Status
LATEST STATUS: (1438/7/20 – April 17, 2017)
The big day! The library has arrived at al-Masjid al-Awwal in Pittsburgh! Al-hamdulillaah! It is in surprisingly good condition for being stuck in various storage locations over 2.5 years. The historic 5.2-ton library was delivered by two large delivery trucks before Thuhr Prayer. A number of volunteers helped load all 116 boxes into the building on this beautiful sunny Monday morning. We praise and thank Allaah, the One who through Him all good things are completed!
Thul-Qi’dah 1, 1435
After much consultation with scholars and their students, the decision is made to move the library from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA).
Thul-Qi’dah 17, 1435
Shaykh Fu’aad al-‘Amree and Abu Ziyaad Khalid Bagais visit the library in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Thul-Qi’dah 18, 1435
Packing the library in preparation for international shipment begins.
Thul-Qi’dah 29, 1435
The library is indexed and packed for shipping. 106 large boxes of turned over to a shipping agent in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The shipping costs were to be under $2,500 through a shipping agency inexperienced in handling libraries of this size.
Thul-Hijjah 1, 1435
The inexperienced shipping company declines their services to ship the books. The books are then collected and placed into storage until another solution can be found.
Thul-Hijjah 2, 1435
A decision is made to ship the library in a shared container with another student’s library. The search for a new shipping agent begins, while the books remain in storage in Saudi Arabia.
Thul-Hijjah 4, 1435
Moosaa Richardson leaves Saudi Arabia on a ‘final exit’ visa and arrives in America, at his home city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The library remains behind with only part of the shipping costs collected.
Thul-Hijjah 20, 1435
A decision is made to ship the library in a shared container with another student’s library, using a (much more expensive) shipping agent with experience in shipping large libraries. The shipping cost is SAR 20,753 ($5,528 USD) for the Saudi side of the shipping, excluding the services of a clearing agent in America (another estimated $500).
Muharram, 1436
Efforts are made to secure the funds needed to ship the library. Generous brothers in Dubai have already committed to providing $2,500 USD. Another $1,465 USA is collected by friends and supporters of the library in Saudi Arabia.
Safar 23, 1436
The final $1,600 needed for the KSA shipping bill is collected and wired to the shipping agent. Awaiting confirmation of receipt of the funds, as well as specific information about when the shipping will be sent and when it is expected to arrive in America.
Jumaadaa Al-Oolaa 15, 1436 [March 6, 2015]
Two main reasons are behind the delay of the library shipping. The first one is that the wire transfer of the final payment was a fail. We have been waiting for over two months for the banks involved to refund the money or credit it to the account of the shipping company. The second reason is new procedures in shipping libraries from Saudi Arabia that require more layers of permission and approval than before.
Jumaadaa Al-Oolaa 28, 1436 [March 19, 2015]
After a failed wire transfer which took three months to trace and recover, the final $1600 was recovered and resent through a Saudi bank to the shipper. We are presently awaiting confirmation of its receipt from the shipping company.
Jumaadaa Ath-Thaaniyah 1, 1436 [March 21, 2015]
We have received confirmation from the shipping agent that all funds have been received, wal-hamdulillaah. They are working on clearing the shipment for movement soon, in shaa’ Allaah.
Sha’baan 10, 1436 [May 28, 2015]
The previous agent, Sharif Cargo in Jeddah, has failed to ship the library. The library has been returned to a safe storage facility in Jeddah. Our brothers in Dubai, Qatar, and Riyadh are busy coordinating the shipment through another company, in shaa’ Allaah.
1437
The Library was moved to a storage unit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, while numbers attempts to hire shipping agents failed, due to the size of the library and some new requirements placed on international shipments. Through friends and business contacts, the storage costs were kept to a minimum (only about SR 9,000).
Safar 14, 1438 [November 14, 2016]
A new shipping agent has taken over the project and is now shipping the library. As fees for two years of storage have eaten away at our available funds to ship this library, friends and supporters of the library are encouraged to contact us about assisting in the costs of shipping and maintenance. We estimate that we will need around SR 12,ooo in the coming days.
Rajab 12, 1438 (April 9, 2017)
After 2.5 years of failed efforts to ship the library by sea through numerous companies, a decision has been made to separate it from another student’s library (originally intended to save shipping costs by sharing a shipping container), and prepare to ship by air. By the permission of Allaah, through concerned volunteers working to help the library, we found a way to ship this 5.2-ton library by air for just SR 45,505 ($12,135). Storage fees, X-ray scanning, and other necessary services bring the total costs to: $14,352. We have raised $5,096 of it so far, and we thank and praise Allaah.
Rajab 15, 1438 (April 12, 2017)
Al-hamdulillaah, the library has arrived in America! It is being cleared and delivered to Pittsburgh over the next few days, in shaa’ Allaah. About $9,000 of the costs needed (about 15K) to cover shipping, clearing, and initial setup have been raised at this point.
Rajab 16, 1438 (April 13, 2017)
After the arrival of the library in New York City, it is going through normal US Border Protection scrutiny and clearing procedures. At this point -alhamdulllaah- all urgently needed costs to ship and clear the library have been covered! May Allaah bless all those who contributed. A long awaited journey winds down to a close as we anticipate the arrival of the library at al-Masjid al-Awwal in Pittsburgh, in shaa’ Allaah! May Allaah facilitate ease through the completion of this project, in safety and good health.
Rajab 20, 1438 (April 17, 2017)
The big day! The library has arrived at al-Masjid al-Awwal in Pittsburgh! Al-hamdulillaah! It is in surprisingly good condition for being stuck in various storage locations over 2.5 years. The historic 5.2-ton library was delivered by two large delivery trucks this morning before Thuhr Prayer. A number of volunteers helped load all 116 boxes into the building on this beautiful sunny day. We praise and thank Allaah, the One who through Him all good things are completed!
The 1MM Library Initiative 
Bismillahi Rahmani Raheem
Assalamu Alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa Barakathuh
Akhee,
I wish to know the current status of funds required for the project. I hope some brothers in my area may also be ready to cooperate. So please tell us. Barakallah feekum.
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