"ESSENTIALS OF ISLAMIC BELIEF" With Shaykh Imadudeen Abu Hijleh
Nov. 8th-9th 2008
The discipline of Islamic belief has many names in Arabic. One of these names is usul al-din, which means, "the foundations of religion." In reality, this truly describes what Islamic belief is: the foundation of a Muslim's religion. If his belief is in trouble, then all other aspects of his religion are also in trouble; just as when a building's foundations are shaky, the entire structure is shaky. Because of this, the root cause for the lack of religious dedication and drive that many Muslims find within themselves is that they haven't established their foundations of Islamic belief properly. For this reason, this course is arguably the most important of all courses.
Our belief is the context of our lives—it is what gives our lives meaning. Through it, we understand where we came from, what we are doing here, and where we are going. By understanding both the key tenets of our faith and why we believe them, you will be able to give your life meaning and purpose. And by being able to have all your belief-related doubts, questions, and confusions answered, you will leave with a firm conviction in all the tenets of faith, and will find a fresh drive to learn your religion and draw closer to Allah Most High.
COVERED TOPICS:
-Belief in Allah His names and Attributes.
-Belief in His prophets and their infallibility as mentioned in the Quran.
-Belief in the Angels, their names and duties.
-Belief in the Jinn, their names, tribes, their magic and their purpose.
-Belief in the Day of Judgement, its signs , the states of the soul, the life of the grave, the questioning of the Angels Munkar and Nakir, hell and heaven.
-Belief in Predestination and Divine Decree (Qadha & Qadr).
-Dreams, forgiveness and 'Riddah.' (what takes you out of Islam)
NOTE: This is an intensive course and will cover a lot of material so please come prepared.
* (PEOPLE OF OTHER FAITHS ARE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND)*
The Shaykhs Bio:
Shaykh Imaduddeen Abu Hijleh is orginally for Jordon and lived in Boston for 18 years. He has several ijazas or teaching certificates from well-known scholars in Qur'an, Hadith and Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence). He has spent several years studying Fiqh with several scholars, such as Shaykh Mustafa Mekki in UAE and Shaykh Ahmed Mabrook, the student of the Mufti of Egypt. Shaykh Imad also studied Hadith, Hadith Methodology, Fiqh, Fiqh Methodology and Aqeedah with other scholars. He is an author and teacher. He founded and taught at the Razi Institute from 1992 to 2000 in Everett, MA, which was focused on teaching the basics of Islamic Knowledge. Shaykh Imad wrote a 850 page book covering topics including Aqeedah, Fiqh and Seerah and this book has been certified b Ahmad Muhtar Ramzi (the famous Egyptian scholar of Hadith), Shaykh Nuh Ali Salman (the Mufti of Jordon), and AlAzhar University of Egypt among others. Shaykh Imad also wrote a book on the crises of Zakat in the West, which was certified by scholars in Jordon. He is currently based in Tarim Yemen with his Shaykh Habib Umar bin Hafidh, and is writing additional works on Fiqh in the West, covering topics such as fasting, family relations, inheritance and dawah.
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"THE 77 BRANCHES OF FAITH" With Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Sept. 2008The Messenger of Allah (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"Faith has sixty-odd, or seventy-odd branches, the highest and best of which is to declare that there is no god but Allah, and the lowest of which is to remove something harmful from a road. Shyness, too, is a branch of faith." [Bukhari & Muslim]
DISCOVER what faith entails and what it means to be a true believer through Living the 77 Branches of Faith. This awe inspiring program will help you on your journey to Allah by answering these questions:
▪ Have I actualized the qualities of faith in my heart?
▪ What rights do people have over me that I'm not fulfilling?
▪ Is there a disconnect between my faith and my actions?
▪ Which dimensions of faith am I practising? What am I missing out on?
▪ What are the different ways in which I should be realizing my faith?
▪ How do I know if I'm actually improving?
WHAT WILL I LEARN?
After attending Living the 77 Branches of Faith, you will:
1. UNDERSTAND the beauty and wisdom of the Prophet's teachings and the central principles of his guidance.
2. INSPIRE AND BE INSPIRED to walk in his footsteps (peace and blessings be upon him) by upholding his ways of excellence in your life; strengthening your deen step-by-step.
3. KNOW the roots of your religion and core beliefs, values, and life principles; realizing the fruits of faith through excellence in worship, conduct, and character.
4. TRANSFORM your relationship with your Lord.
Instructors Biography:
Shaykh Faraz was born in Karachi, Pakistan and raised in Toronto, Canada. He entered the University of Toronto with a full scholarship and completed his Bachelor's in Economics & Commerce in May 1997. While in Canada, Shaykh Faraz was involved with various organizations and projects, including founding and running the monthly The Muslim Voice and acting as the Vice-President of the University of Toronto MSA from 1994-1996. While in Toronto, he was involved in various Islamic study circles and educational programs, including those of Shaykh Ahmad Talal al-Ahdab, Shaykh Faisal Abd al-Razzaq, and Shaykh Muhammad Zahid Abu Ghudda. After graduation, Shaykh Faraz traveled with his family to Damascus, Syria, to formally seek Islamic knowledge. In Damascus, he studied Arabic, Aqida, Mantiq, Hanafi Fiqh, Shafi'i Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, and Hadith with a number of scholars including Shaykh Haytham Idilbi, Shaykh Abd al-Rahman Kharsa, Shaykh Abd al-Haleem Abu Sha`r, Shaykh Umar al-Sabbagh, Shaykh Jihad Brown, Shaykh Mu'min al-Annan, Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi, Sayyidi Shaykh Adib Kallas, Shaykh Muhammad Jumuah, Sh. Abd al-Razzaq al-Halabi, Shaykh Haytham, Shaykh Abd al-Haleem Abu Sha`r, and Ustadh Mahmud al-Bayruti. In the Summer of 2000, he moved to Amman, Jordan. Upon moving to Jordan, his teachers advised him to focus on teaching what he had covered, for which they gave him encouragement and permission, and to continue his personal research and study.He also runs the blog Seeker's Digest and has a regular column in Islamica Magazine. As the founder of the original Hanafi fiqh list, Shaykh Faraz has been involved with SunniPath since its beginning. He currently lives in Toronto, Canada with his wife and three children.
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"UNDERSTANDING WHY WEDIFFER, AND HOW WE CAN UNITE"
With Ustadh Abdullah Bin Hamed Ali
July 2006
- Have you ever Wondered why Muslims differ in their daily acts of worship?
- Have you ever wondered some religious acts are considered lawful and some unlawful?
- Have you ever wondered what prerequisites are needed to be considered a true scholar?
Course Details:
1. Islamic Law: its sources and applications, and the basis for varient legal rulings and theoretical differences between the Four Rightly Guided Imams.
2. The Sunnah: defenition of the sunnah according to the salaf, and why certain Imams at times considered certain sources to be more authoritative than others.
Teachers bio:
Abdullah bin Hamid Ali began the study of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the age of 17 with his first Arabic teacher, Imam Aberra----may Allah show him mercy----of Eritrea, a well-known private teacher in Philadelphia. He later studied Arabic, Qur'anic recitation (tajwid) and memorization (hifz), and other introductory topics with Imam Anwar bin Nafea Muhaimin and his brother Anas. He studied privately and as an undergraduate student with Dr. Khalid Yahya Blankinship of Temple University, and at the former Institute of Arabic and Islamic Sciences in Fairfax, Virginia. In 1997, he left the United States and began more intensive studies in the Islamic sciences at the University of Qarawiyyin of Fes, Morocco. In 2001, he graduated with a license from the Faculty of Shariah to teach the Islamic Sciences (al-ijazah al-'ulya), and then returned to Philadelphia. Since his return, he has written a number of articles on various Islamic topics (http://www.lamppostproductions.org/), taught numerous classes, workshops, and seminars, and translated and annotated The Attributes of God (Amal Press), a work by the great scholar, 'Abd Al-Rahman ibn al-Jawzi. In October, Abdullah left a full-time position as chaplain with the State Correctional Institution of Chester, Pennsylvania, after five years, and joined the Zaytuna staff as a resident scholar. He lives with his wife and daughter in the Bay Area.
