Seekers Guidance: The Laws of Love: The Keys to a Spiritually Transformative Ramadan, in Toronto

The Laws of Love: The Keys to a Spiritually Transformative Ramadan, in Toronto

Date: Saturday 24th July 2010

Time: 11 - 7

Venue: Room 108, Koffler House (The Multi Faith Centre), 569 Spadina Ave

Speakers:

• Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
• Shaykh Yusuf Badat
• Mufti Umer Esmail
  
• Shaykh Zahir Bacchus
• Ustadha Shireen Ahmed
  

Register now!
The Holy Month of Ramadan. A time of spiritual transformation, of revival, of struggling to reach ranks that surpass those of the Angels. Lofty goals -- and ones which Believers can achieve with knowledge, effort and determination. So how do you actually attain such blessings? How can you to move toward perfecting yourself during this Blessed Month?

This full day SeekersSeminar in Toronto offers practical guidance to help you make this Ramadan a time of true transformation. Knowledgeable, accessible teachers will guide you through a deeper examination of the spiritual purpose and fiqh of fasting and worship, and will introduce you to the laws of love and how they can help you achieve a more meaningful relationship with Allah.

Make this Ramadan your best yet. Join us in Toronto on July 24th!

Featured topics include:

• The spiritual purpose of Ramadan and the fiqh of fasting (Shaykh Faraz Rabbani)
• An examination of what Allah says about Ramadan in the Qur'an (Shaykh Zahir Bacchus)
• The virtues of fasting (Shaykh Yusuf Badat)
• How to attain a socially meaningful Ramadan (Ustadha Shireen Ahmed)
• Connecting with the Qur'an during Ramadan (Mutfi Umer Esmail)

The way of the companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) was to prepare themselves for this blessed month, during the month of Shaban.

How prepared are you? Register now!

Help Spread The Word!
Spread the word via your Facebook page and Twitter, by posting:
"SeekersGuidance is holding a seminar on the topic of Ramadan, here in Toronto, on July 24th. With Sh. Faraz, Sh. Yusuf Badat, Sh. Zahir Bacchus and more great speakers. It sounds very interesting, register now"

Visit our Facebook event's page and don't forget to invite others to attend!

Interested in Volunteering?
If you are interested in volunteering to help with this seminar, contact us today at seminars@seekersguidance.org

Qurba: Detour Ahead: Staying on the Prophetic Path

In 300 metres, take a right to the Straight Path...

Wouldn't it be nice if you had a GPS that took you to the Prophetic Path and kept you on it?

Well, you don't. And you might be taking detours without even knowing it.

Finding a spouse...
Dealing with student loans...
Excelling in your career...

These could be potential detours from the path if you don't know how to handle them.

Register for Detour Ahead: Staying on the Prophetic Path to learn how to spot detours from a mile away and stay firm on the Prophetic Path.

Prophet (Peace and Blessings be upon him) and his companions

We were pleased to be at groundbreaking ceremony of the construction of the new Oshawa Mosque building a few days ago. Mufti Mohamed-Umer Esmail of Seekers Guidance was there as well and shared some insights. One of the things which touched us from his speech was when he said that a lot of times we think of the sahaba (companions) as being old people with grey beards around the Prophet (Peace and Blesssings be upon him) and the community in Medina being of an older demographic. He said while this may be true for some of the companions, it was definitely not true for all of them. In fact he said the community around the Prophet (Peace and Blesssings be upon him) had many young people and these young people were more in number. (Young being defined as 40 years and younger).

He said our communities need to be like this and be more inclusive of the youth so that we can be closer to the Prophetic community and have an impact (as a community) that closer to the impact that the Prophetic community had.

Shaykh Samir in Toronto

As salamu `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu

Alhamdulillah wa shukrillah, we are pleased to announce the arrival of Sayyiduna Shaykh Samir al-Nass who will arrive in Toronto on Thursday April 8th, 2010. He will be staying in Toronto till the following Sunday, insha Allah. Let us make this short stay of his immensely beneficial for ourselves and our families, wa billahi-l-tawfiq.

The following is a brief itinerary of the programs he will be engaged in during his short stay:

Friday 9th April 2010 1:30 PM – 1st Jummu’ah Khutba @ ISNA Masjid

Friday 9th April 2010 7:30 PM – The Quran & Your Family @ The Lote Tree Foundation

Saturday 10th April 2010 10:00 AM – Class on a short text in Tajwid & a lecture on the Importance of Quranic Memorization @ The Lote Tree Foundation

Saturday 10th April 2010 1:00 PM – Discussion on Islamic Medical Ethics @ Location To Be Announced

Saturday 10th April 2010 7:30 PM – Lecture with ISNA’s Saturday Evening Family Program @ ISNA Masjid

The details for these events can be found at the following blog: http://shaykhsamirintoronto.wordpress.com/ You can also use the blog to ask questions about the events. Please try to make it out to any of the events, insha Allah! Whether you can make it, or you cannot, you can certainly help us to spread the word! Please email this invitation out to anyone and everyone you think that might be able to benefit by attending! If you use Facebook, the following links will also be of benefit to you, insha Allah:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=102772009765016&ref=mf

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=106707846034523&ref=mf

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=111343498893462&ref=mf

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=108394909194996&ref=mf

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=102652673109343&ref=mf

wa bi-llahi-l-tawfiq

jazak allahu khayran

Quantifying Baraka

Shaykh Ramzy had his weekly halaqa at Risalah last weekend. In it he quoted Shaykh Yahya from Shaykh Yahya's talk at ISNA on Friday (which I was unable to attend) where Shaykh Yahya had said that:

"Doing a lot does not result in Baraka but it is Baraka which results in a lot."

Shaykh Ramzy commented that this could mean that you sleep less but your still not tired. It could mean that you eat less but still be full. It could mean that someone said a few words but their impact was a lot. Subhnallah. May Allah increase us in Baraka.

Shaykh Ramzy: On knowing the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)

A couple of weeks ago our teacher Shaykh Ramzy gave an introduction to a talk by Shaykh Talal on Shamail at a local Mawlid which was organized by a brother who was getting married that weekend. Shaykh Ramzy said many things but the following three things stuck with us:

1. He said that the more you hear about the Prophet ( Peace and Blessings be upon him), the more you love him and the more you love him the more you want to hear about him.
2. He told us that the Shamail is an an important text because its a means for us to know the Prophet ( peace and blessings be upon him). He said that if you are passionate about cars, then you will know all the details about cars--whats a good car-how should a good car run..how fast..etc. (Din was thinking about his love of Rotee at this point!). In the same way, we should strive to learn more about the Prophet ( peace and blesisngs be upon him), if we really love him. i.e. the way he was, the way he ate, the way he looked and the list is endless. Subhanallah.
   
3. He looked at Brother "brother" who was getting married and said: " You cannot be too extreme in loving the Prophet ( peace and blessings be upon him), however, you can be extreme in loving your spouse.."
   

May Allah SWT preserve our Shuyukh.

Seekers Guidance: Shaykh Faraz

Shaykh Faraz has been a blessing for many of us in our lives. Alhmaddulillah, he is one of those teachers who can take a complicated concept and deliver in a way that it becomes a easy action item. Moreover he delivers the material with humor and good examples which solidify one's understanding. Shaykh Faraz is currently teaching at Seeker's Guidance which has programs on the ground and also online. Some details are listed below:

Online:

SeekersGuidance (www.SeekersGuidance.com), the Online Islamic Educational Portal of Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, has just launched its fall courses in:

1. Islamic Law (Fiqh)

2. Beliefs & Understanding (Aqida)

3. Prophetic Guidance

4. Qur'anic Studies

Course Format: Conveniently downloadable lessons.

Course Texts: Text translations, lesson handouts, review questions, and other related readings will be provided upon course opening.

Registration is now open!

First 10 registrants in each course get an early bird 20% discount
First 5 registrants in each course also get
a free copy of "The Branches of Faith: Bringing Faith to Life" (a 4-lesson set)
Returning students registering in any course get
a free copy of Imam Ghazali on "Organizing Your Religious Routines"
Courses to commence from Friday, Oct 17th 2008

REGISTER TODAY!

Join the SeekersGuidance Newsletter mailing list or Facebook group for regular updates!

www.SeekersGuidance.com

Relevant Courses | Clear Answers | Inspiring Media

For further information, please email us at

info@seekersguidance.com

__________________________________________

On the Ground:

SeekersGuidance Halaqa in Mississauga, Ontario

with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Wednesday Nights | Oct 8th to Dec 31st | 6pm to 9:15pm

Shalimar Community Centre

3024 Cedarglen Gate, Mississauga

@ Mavis & Dundas

Covering:

• Understanding Halal & Haram
• Imam Nawawi's Riyad al-Salihin
• Absolute Essentials of Islam

Contact:

Umm Umar (Shireen Ahmed)
SeekersGuidance Administration
shireenfatima@seekersguidance.com

Why we study the Prophet's Chracter ( Peace and Blessings be upon him)

Some of us had the good fortune of spending the 27th night of Ramadan at Risalah Foundation this year, alhamdulillah wa shukrillah. It was a memorable night filled with much baraka.

One of the special parts of that night was where a few of us sat down with Shaykh Ramzy and had a wonderful Q & A ( generally about Ikhlaq) . In our discussions, the topic of knowing one's faults came up.

The discussion spiraled towards the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him). One of the reasons to study the Prophet's (Peace and blessings be upon him) character is to have something to measure our own character against. For one to measure dimensions on anything, one needs to know the units and one needs to have measuring tool. SO essentially the Prophet's (Peace and blessings be upon him) character is our measuring tool ( one which goes till infinity). And this is why we should strive to know about him and learn about him, so, we know, how much and where we lack.

For us its a difference in magnitudes. If, the Prophet's ( Peace and Blessings be upon him) character is measured in kilometres then our characters are measured in nanometres. May Allah SWT help us to learn, implement and improve!

Qurba Quotes...Shayh Faraz and Shaykh Zahir

This weekened I am at Razi's Qurba event. I am unable to attend many of the sessions but have gotten glimpses of the brilliance of our tradition....in what I have been able to attend..

Two great quotes from the sessions

Shaykh Faraz said " The lover knows The Beloved"

Shaykh Zahir quoted a scholar " Act on what you know and Allah will bestow upon you what you do not know"

Sh: Talal: The Night Journey & Ascension: Recounting the Ultimate Divine Disclosure (Razi & Risalah Foundation)

The Razi Institute: Qurba 2008

The Razi institute presents: Qurba 2008!

If you are a student of knowledge and can be in the Toronto area in mid August then this program is worth attending.

There are two streams: Essentials and Seekers. The Essentials program will run from August 15 to 17 and the Seekers program will run from August 13 to 17.

Costs cover food and boarding! Spots are limited to a 100 and 50 for each program so Register quick!

For more details click below:

• Qurba
• Seekers Program
• Essentials Program

Sh Samir Al Nas Toronto Tour : Muhammad ( Peace and Blessings be Upon him) / Marriage-Completing half the deen

Salikah: The Hikma of Hakim Archuletta

A good summary of Hakim Archuletta's talks last weekend posted by Salikah Bajee. Alhamdaulillah it was the first time I saw Sidi Hakim and it was definately worth listening to his words and also to reflect on them. May Allah give us tawfiq to act on his words.

Read details of the Sidi Hakim's wisdom filled words on Salikah bajee's blog:

Sidi Hakim began by saying "Alhamdulillah, Shukrulillah" -- and he said it with his entire being and mentioned that we cannot begin, but with those words of gratitude to the One without whose permission we could not have gathered together. READ ON

RIS EVENT: Islam and the Environment

Alhamdulillah, quite excited about this upcoming event inshahAllah! :-D

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The youth organizers of the largest Muslim gathering in Canada, RIS Convention, are organizing a public lecture entitled "Faith and the Environment" on May 17, 2008. The lecture will be held at the Medical Sciences Building at University of Toronto (St. George Campus) from 6PM - 9PM. This lecture is part of RIS's Revival Series that is committed to engage its participants with relevant and challenging issues facing us in Canada.

Environment has been a focus of our discussion in Canada for last many years but has taken a main stage over the recent past due to alarming signs of Global Warming and Natural Disasters. The theme of the event is chosen to reach out to a diverse audience, including the religious community, to educate people on the importance of preserving our environment and providing awareness of how religion, and more specifically Islam, promotes this concept.

The evening panel will include distinguished speakers Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr and Mr. Hakim Archuletta. Both speakers have been chosen based on their expertise on this subject. Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr ((http://www.nasrfoundation.org/bios.html) is a professor of Islamic Studies at George Washington University and one of the leading experts on Islamic science and spirituality. Mr. Hakim Archuletta (http://www.hakimarchuletta.com/biography.html) is an expert in homeopathic medicine and has worked within the healing arts profession for over 30 years.


Public Lecture information

Venue:
Medical Sciences Building
McLeod Auditorium - University of Toronto
St George Campus
Toronto, Ontario

6:00PM TO 9:00PM
May 17, 2008

Registration: $10 per person for the public lecture

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One Day Intensive Program information

Venue:
Living Arts Centre
Mississauga, Ontario

10:00AM TO 4:00PM
May 17, 2008

Registration: $15 per person for the one day intensive program


We invite you to take part in these unique programs and help spread information about it to friends and family. Details are attached and are also available on our website www.revivingtheislamicspirit.com

Please feel free to contact us at revivalseries@revivingtheislamicspirit.com for further assistance. We look forward to seeing you at these programs.

To register and for more information please visit:
www.revivingtheislamicspirit.com

There are limited seats for these events, so please register at your earliest convenience.

Shaykh Faraz Halaqa

For those of you around Toronto:

Living the Light;Understanding the Qur'an & Sunna

With Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Wednesdays 7PM

Shalimar Community Center -3024 Cedarglen Gate

(Dundas just East of Erindale Station Rd. Mississauga)

Topics being covered : (1) Understanding the Qur'an: Tafseer ; and (2) Understanding the Prophetic Example: Commentary on Nawawi's Gardens of the Righteous


All welcome.

Monthly fees: $20 (Individuals); $40 (Family)

(No one will be turned away due to lack of funds)

Handout provided upon registration.

For details & directions email: rabbanihalaqa@gmail.com

Directions: Go North on Cedarglen Gate from Dundas. Take immediate left. Drive to end of lane. You'll end up in an open-air parking lot. The Shalimar Community Center is straight ahead. Cedarglen Gate is West of Mavis, just East of Erindale Station Rd.

Salikah: Branch 6 - Belief in the Last Day & the Hereafter

Salikah on the 77 branches event last weekend.

Bismillah. AsSalamu'alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,Alhamdulillah, The Razi Institute's 77 Branches of Faith program held this past weekend at the University of Toronto was wonderful -- insha'Allah, some of you also attended. The Shuyukh all compliment each other very well -- Sh. Talal, Sh. Ramzy, Sh. Faraz, Sh. Jamal, Shaykh Zahir and his wife, Ustadha Saima...the dynamic between them all was one of wonderful reverence and utmost love for one another, with a shared concern for the ummah. READ ON

14 to 16 March: Living the 77 Branches of Faith

Upcoming Weekend Event

Living the 77 Branches of Faith

Aslamaua aliakaum,

ALhamdulillah, "Living the 77 Branches of Faith" is being held from the 14th to 16th of March at University of Toronto ( St. George). The teachers for this program includes local ulema like Sh Ramzi. Sh. Zahir, Sh Faraz, Sh Jamal and Sh Talal all of whom are very learned and respected teachers. I recall the same teachers teaching at a previous event last fall ( Imam Nawawi's 40 hadith) and all of my friends whom I talked to, could not help but be awed by the knowledge (and it's delivery) from these teachers.

I hope to see you there!

Living the light: Understanding the 42 Nawawi Hadith

click here for information updates...

Historical Islamic Texts/ Fiqh of Marriage program at Islamic Foundation this weekend

For Registeration please visit www.alzahraonline.com

Program Details: http://www.alzahraonline.com/Program.pdf