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

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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

Abdul Hakim Murad:Contentions 13

Mashahallah. Just awed at Shaykh Abdul Hakim Murad's depth, eloquence and wisdom. May Allah preserve him. Contentions 13 are out!

Here are my favorites ( from the small number I understand):

5. You cannot grow out of your culture, but you can help it to grow.


44. Show yourself yourself; then He will show Himself Himself.

70. Pay attention, and trust in God.


71. Know that your plans are written on water.

78. The world is the way it is because you are the way you are.

81. 'Fear of God is knowledge enough. To be pleased with one's knowledge is ignorance enough.' (Bint Umm Hassan)

91. Respect the insights that can only be expressed by humour.

92. Pride is the crown of the ignorant.

93. Traditional Islam is not the replication of the positions of the ancients; it is to seek what they sought.

94. Look within, and what is outside you will become clear. Look around you, and you will understand yourself.

99. A little worship with sincerity is all of religion; abundant worship for the sake of one's image of oneself is nothing at all.

100. Modernity finds it hard to distinguish between rest and idleness.

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!

Irin News: PAKISTAN: The darker side of glittering bangles

Sad to read about this:

LAHORE, 29 September 2008 (IRIN) - Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of the Muslim month of fasting, provides an annual boost for the glass bangles' industry, but behind the glittering bangles lies another story - one of child labour, poverty, deprivation and hardship.

READ ON

Rickshaw Diaries: Changing our Condition

Baraka Bajee from Rickshaw Diaries really summarizes the situation in Pakistan beautifully:

Of the people closest to where the bomb goes off they say there is nothing left but a pink mist to mark that a human once lived and breathed there. Further away and you begin to see shredded skin and disembodied limbs lodged in treetops. Then, burned corpses and dazed survivors.

Six years ago when I worked at a Boston-based human rights organization one of our areas of focus was the Occupied Territories - Palestine. The topic of suicide bombings and whether they were valid instruments of defense sometimes came up with family members and other Pakistanis. Many of them thought that even when used against civilians it was justified because of the miserable living conditions of the Palestinians and their lack of weapons against a well-equipped, occupying army.

READ ON

Islamabad Blast

Just learnt about the bomb blast in Islamabad. Its probably the most sad I have felt about something since the Pakistan earthquake in 2005. It really hurts when you see the places you associated with-while growing up-disintergrate, causing numerous casulties in the process.

The immediate problem is the blast, but, I guess what really makes one sad is that the root of the problem remains. In fact, the US attacks over the last few weeks have been adding fuel to the fire.

It really started going south after the Lal Masjid issue last summer when the authorities opted for a "forceful solution". To me, that really blew up the whole problem and we are where we stand today.

As things stand today, bombing the heck out of the tribal areas in West Pakistan is NOT solving anything. I dont think the US has learnt lessons in Iraq? As Owen Bennett Jones says in his recent report on Pakistan:

"There is, I think, universal agreement amongst Pakistanis that, if the US continues to rely so heavily on military firepower in Afghanistan, and increasingly in Pakistan too, then the Taleban will win."

And thats exactly the point. May Allah make it easy for everyone.

A Cup of Cofee

A nice article found on SunniPath:

You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again. A young woman went to her mother and talk her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled 3 pots with water. In the 1st, she placed carrots, in the 2nd she placed eggs and in the last she placed ground coffee beans.

READ ON

Good reads: Google, Muslims and practing what we preach

These articles are good articles I came across recently:

Is Google making us stupid?

About the pitfalls of being wired in current times.

Dont Worry we are going to do something?

Umm Zaid about the failure of Muslims to be honest with themselves

Pratice what you preach
A nice article about how to do what you say and vice versa

Arranged vs. Love marriage?

This article from CSM has forced me to blog about marriage again.

Whisper the words "arranged marriage," and images of women signed over as chattel are likely to rise in the minds of many Westerners. But, say culture watchers and sociologists, there's a rising interest in this age-old practice in the West, as shown by at least two books and three upcoming television series on the topic – as well as a growing number of matchmaking sites devoted solely to arranging unions.

I think it comes down to balance. In the west, people are counting on too much love before marriage, where as, in the ( traditional) east people are counting on too much love after marriage. there is a line somewhere in between.

You cant find everything you want in that one single person before marriage. The consumer society we live in makes us think that there is a person ( product?) out there who meets all our criterion. The problem with trying to fit someone within your great expectations is many-fold. One, is that this may be self delusional. The person who may seem perfect today may only do so because your search for idealism has given you temporary sun glasses from which you like to see someone. However when those sun glasses disappear and reality sets in, things may appear different then they were. Unfortunately, this product ( person?) cant be returned to customer service to get a new and approved product. there are many emotional strings once your in a emotional, intellectual, physical, spiritual and cultural relationship with a person. Whats more, if you leave this person today, whats the guarantee that you will find someone better? Customer Service does not have perfect products. Also, this "apparently perfect" person will react and change under different circumstances and scenarios. You cant test all of these before marriage. i.e. at some point the person will fail your ideal standards, what will you do then? You are looking for "this" and "that". Okay! But are you perfect yourself? The love in a love marriage should also include how much love one is likely to have for the spouse's family after marriage. No matter what, one has to deal with spouse's family. You cant expect your spouse to be ignoring his/her family.

On the other hand you have the arranged marriage (for this post, lets assume it was arranged through family). You may not even see the person before you get married. Even if you see the person you may only literally see the person (i.e. you may not talk). the problem with that in the urban environments of today is that it may be too risky. Gone are the days when you could judge a person by how their family was. TV, internet and other societal factors have numbed the influence of a family in raising their child up. A good family could have a child who is bad and vice versa. Another issue is that today's popular culture encourages one to think in black and white terms i.e. either a person is perfect or he/she is evil. So a person could go into a arranged marriage with an ideal picture of what the spouse should be, only to be extremely disappointed later on when he/she realizes that the person cannot meet the "Standard"( this point has parallels with love marriage..). Also there is a difference between getting someone's input and/or letting them decide (probably) the most important step of your life. One needs to have a say in one's own marriage!

So I guess that leaves us searching for a line somewhere in the middle where you don't know everything about a person yet you should know what matters to you--and one should know there is no "perfect ladoo man or ladoo woman" out there. You will have to adjust yourself and so will they--but you just want to find out the best you can about them in the minimum amount of time before marriage and reasonably predict what compromises you may have to be ready for..We of course want do it in a halal way as well and also minimize emotional connections. Also, one should make sure that the families are somewhat comfortable with another ( or maybe you need to push them to get comfortable?) You cant specify the number of meetings you need with the individual and the family. It really depends on how fast everyone can get comfortable with the idea. It may also depend on how fast the person can learn how to make rotee..! Allah hu alam...

Ramadan Mubarek ( and some links)

Ramadan Mubarek to everyone! Inshahallah we all have a fruitful Ramadan!

We were lucky to get a reminder from Shaykh Abdul Hakim Murad through BBC's thought of the day. Here is the amazing end of the "thought". The full text can be read here:

Yesterday, I returned to my endless conflict with the weeds in my garden. I know that when tackling the mortal enemy that is ground elder, or convolvulus, I have two options. Either I slice it off at ground level, which is quick, and fun, but allows it to reappear all too soon. Or I reach for the roots, which takes time and effort.

Weak human beings, Muslim or not, know that long training is needed before we gain the patience to uproot our tendency to crave and yearn for what is unnecessary. Fasting, in Ramadan, is a rigorous discipline, an opportunity to gain in self-restraint. We are unlikely to abolish the weeds in our souls, but when properly trained by this annual endurance event, we can keep them under control, and hope that, with God's help, we can start to enjoy the experience of detachment.

Keeping with Abdul Hakim Murad, here is a old Ramadan speech with him. It is a "must listen" for sure. One thing which he said which really stuck in my head was that a fast is sabar during the day and shukr during the night...

Zaytuna has a nice section on Ramadan on their website. In one of the articles on their site Imam Zaid quotes a poem:

How many deceased people have you known who fasted?

Amongst your family, neighbors, and brothers.

Death has erased them, leaving you behind.

Get serious [about your religion], for the living are quite close to the dead!

You take delight in the 'Eid outfits being cut out now for the festival.

But soon they will be your burial shrouds.

How long will the person be happy with his worldly home?

Knowing that his ultimate home is the grave.[1]

Shaykh Abdul Sattar also has a nice Ramadan Audio section on his website. His speeches are motivating mashahallah.

SunniPath has a Imam Ghazali text translation on the Inner Dimensions of Fasting. It also has nice collection of answers on Fiqh of Fasting.

Shaykh ABdul Kareem Yahya also has a very inspring message for Ramadan

SHaykh Faraz Rabbani has uploaded last week's Wednesday halaqa as a course. It is a MUST Listen as well.

May Allah SWT bless our Ramadan!

Punjabi Wise Sayings 7: one plus one is....

Bhukhey noon aakhyaaa ik te ik
os aakhyaa do Rotayaan

A hungry man was asked " What is one plus one"
He replied "two rotees"

The above is a simple saying with a lot of depth. When one is in need of something that is what all one thinks about. Actually it is interesting that one of the intentions that scholars say one can have in feeding oneself ( or working so one can feed oneself) is that one does it so that one can focus on Allah and not think of the need one has for food.

Another way to look at this is how things vary from different people's perspectives. So that means even a simple question like "one plus one" can have multiple answers depending on who you ask . So when one seeks an answer to a question, one should take the means to ask the right person. Also one lays down the question so that the person asked can move away form his/her box and think of it in the "terms" you are thinking about it.

May Allah grant us tawfiq in our communciations!

Book Review: The Omnivore's Dilemma

Alhamdaulillah, I am glad that I was pointed towards "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan about a year ago. My trips to the grocery store have not been the same since I had started reading this book. I just finished it last week.

Pollan looks at how the "industrialization" of food sources has led to a decline in the quality of food we are getting. In order to simplify the food chain ( and to make profit) , we are losing out on a lot of the benefits of the food and in the process we are being inhumane towards nature ( i.e. animals, land, soil, plants, etc). Pollen also talks about the economics of food processing and how that helps companies profit. He then shows a link between between obesity and profit making! There are a few chapters about the history of the Organic food market and how it has also been comercialized ( i.e. compromised).

A must read book which will change your outlook on food ( or give you "food" for thought anyways)...

Shaykh Ramzy: the mountain and valley

During one of the sessions at Qurba, Shaykh Ramzy gave an analogy on how we should be. He said we should be like the valley not like the mountain.

i.e. We should be humble and low so that we can collect all the rain water . The valley is the place which is fertile, where the water flows and where the vegetations grows. The mountain ( is high) yet their tops are bare.....

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"

Hatim Al-Assam Quote

Shaykh Abdul Hakim Murad mentions a quote from Hatim Al Assam in his CD set Al-Ghazali : Remembrance of Death & Afterlife Audio CD Boxed Set by Abdul Hakim Murad (Dr. T. J. Winter)

Work for this world in proportion to the time your going to spend in it
Work for the next world in proportion to the time your going to spend in it
Work for the fire for the fire in proportion to how much patience you would have in it
Work for Allah in proportion to your need of him

Cool Blog: 40 days and 40 nights in Yemen

A really cool blog which details the life of a student at Dowra 2008 in Tarim.

"Tarim feels like a different world; it makes you want to be a better person. You're better not because you feel everyone is better so you imitate them blindly, but because Tarim somhow inexplicably gives you an extra drive—almost as if the very air is embodied with little spiritual 'infusions.' It sounds silly when I read it, and I know I'm being repetitive, but it's true."


"There must be bad people in Tarim, it's not paradise and I'm not naive enough to think there aren't any. But here, you feel that the inherent goodness in people, the fitra (priomordial nature), is truly present, and not buried like it is with so many of us in this day and age. And it's a goodness that I'm sure needs no religion—an atheist could come here and still be moved by these people, who truly embody the spirit of al-Ethar so much more than I could ever dream of being: They give away what they have to others, even if they need it, and are happy about it."

Scholarly quotes from the blog:

"The secret of knowledge is acting upon it. The secret of dhikr is copious amounts of it. The secret of prayer is presence in it." Habib Kathim.

"Don't sin and say: 'God will forgive me, He is Merciful and Forgiving.' Yes, he His, but don't be like the fisherman who sits on the shore and waits for a jewel to land in his lap. Yes, the sea is full of jewels but you have to go seek it. So if you sin you need to seek forgiveness for your actions. You need to shamar [roll up your sleeves] and be diligent. " Habib Kathim.

"Just like you die if you stay three days without water, your heart will die if it stays three days without listening to anything that reminds you of Allah, whether it is Qur'an recitations, lectures etc. So what if you're not only not listening to things that remind you of Allah, but listening to things that make you forget Him? " Habib Umar

Go check it out!

A must-listen lecture on extremism

A must listen Radical Middle Way lecture by Dr. Umer Farooq titled "Islamic Extremism in the context of Globalism". We have rarely heard a lecture dissecting the issue of extremism better then how Dr. Umer does it in this lecture...I would even go as far as recommending it to my non Muslim colleagues who are curious about Islamic extremism.

Expectations..

It really becomes disappointing when we set high expectations of "someone or something "and then that "someone or something" fails to meet our lofty expectations. At that point, one has to question oneself: if the fault was with that "someone or something" or was it with our own expectations?

The expectations can be faulty because they were unrealistic. Many times we meet new people or get into new projects thinking everything with those will be perfect. The reality of this world is that people are not perfect and neither are projects. In fact we have heard this can be a huge problem in marriages too where spouses set high expectations based on what they expect their spouse to be ( or not to be ) , which can be unrealistic at some level. When meeting these expectations become exposed as unfeasible, we may want to walk away and "give up"

One problem is that these expectations can be implicit and the other party may be totally unaware of these expectations. So one step would be to make these expectations explicit so the other party knows whats expected and perhaps they can alert you on the lack of pragmatism in your expectations. Now, when these expectations are not met we should be forgiving and merciful and help the person or project in getting to our expectations i.e. not being arm-chair critics saying this is wrong and that is wrong and so on.

Last but not least, ( this should be first), the best attitude is to try to (know and) meet Allah's expectations of us in each situation and to expect the minimum from others.

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

Sh Faraz: Nasiah-and stitching buttons

In this week's halaqa Sh Faraz mentioned a beautiful analogy. He said Nasiha (sincere concern/advice) in the context of people is a sensitive matter. We have to be careful how you do it. He compared it to trying to stitch a button onto a shirt someone is wearing . Our ultimate goal of stitching a button is noble but the way we do it could leave a person hurt ( our needle could pinch them, etc if we dont do it carefully).

Din adds: We may even need training from good "stichers" on how to stitch a button. We may need to to do it in a place where the person does not feel embarrassed. We may need to give them a "heads up". We need to use the right button. We need to stitch it properly so it doesn't look bad after the button is done. There may be someone else who is more suitable to stitch that button (than you), because the button or the person stitched on requires special care. And after we do it, we attribute the act of stitching the button as something Allah gave us tawfiq to do, not something "I" did because "I" am so "cool", so "good".

So in other words, we need to be careful with how we go about adivising people.

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 Faraz: the sunnah of following the sunnah

At last week's halaqa Sh Faraz said "There is a sunnah of how one follows a sunnah."

If we reflect on the above statement then it is quite profound. There are many sunnahs that one can implement in one's life. However, it is not a mere matter of copy and paste. When following a particular sunnah one may contradict another general sunnah.

For example one may decide at a wedding one is attending that it is sunnah to sit on the floor and eat, so one one decides that one will lay down a mat in the hallway ( right in everyone's way since you cant find any other place). In this case, while it may be praiseworthy that one is trying to follow the sunnah in one matter, one may still be going against the sunnah by inconveniencing others. And there are so many other examples we can probably think of.

The upshot is: there is a time, place and way of doing everything. When one learns a sunnah, it is also worthwhile learning/knowing the adab of applying it.

Death of a beloved

Yesterday was a sad closure to a sad week. It was the funeral of a dear member of the Waterloo community, Omer Fereig, who passed away on Tuesday night when he was hit by lightening during the severe thunderstorms which passed through the GTA that night.

The diversity of people who were at his funeral showed how his presence affected so many around him, be it work, university or the community. He was a few years ahead of me in university but I clearly remember him being very friendly, open and willing to give advice no matter what the issue/s were/was. One really feels sad for his parents--there is nothing more heart breaking then to see the corpse of your own child. At a little get together in his memory held by the MSA Alumni, there were lots of stories of how Omer's friendship affected everyone. so deeply.

A well written obituary was published in The Record yesterday and can be read here.

Please make dua for him, his family and friends.

Duas Site

Really cool complete duas index on this site. Please use these to make dua for me :)

Two cool proverbs

"Fall seven times, get up eight times" Japanese Proverb

Reflections: Many times in life, we intend to do a task or a project. Its inevitable that we stumble as we go about doing that task. If we think, that the goal of completion of that task or project will be a smooth highway then we are probably being self delusional. The success lies not in avoiding all obstacles ( because after all we might just avoid obstacles by not doing anything?) but it lies in dealing with all obstacles that comes in one's path in a patient and effective way. An obstacle may slow us down or stop us in our tracks but it should not make us run the other way. If the obstacle makes us fall, we just get up and start going towards where we were going ( i.e. just get up and keep going after you fall down). Our job is to try, its Allah who gives tawfiq and tayseer.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with one step" Ancient Chinese Proverb

Reflections: Its better to do a little and keep going on one's journey then thinking about one's long journey and not doing anything about it. If we want to end up on the top of a stair case, we must step on the first step of the ladder. We cant end up on the last step by just wanting to be on the last step i.e. first things first. Again, our job is to take the right steps, its Allah who gives tawfiq and tayseer.

Being firm and nice

We sometimes consider firmness and niceness to be mutually exclusive entities i.e. One cannot be firm and nice at the same time. In fact, we have observed, most successful people ( on a worldly scale) generally tend to be people who have the art of combining firmness and niceness.

What does being firm and nice at the same time entail?

There are things which are important and things which are not important. We should know the key things in a matter ( or in life), which we need go a certain way for our needs i.e. if we don't express ourselves in these matters then we might still be nice but the niceness may lose it's genuineness because it may not be sincere anymore-since we are not expressing what we are feeling ( i.e. we might be building feelings inside of us--and like a pressure cooker being opened all of a sudden----we may damage ourselves and others when we finally come out with our feelings-explicitly or implicitly).

Once we know what we want then it is advisable to ponder our intentions, goals, means and how we take those means to get to our goal--making dua throughout.

Being firm and nice also entials picking our battles carefully. There are things we may be able to let go and other things which we may not be able to let go of. If we get stuck up on everything (even if you sound nice doing it), we will lose respect of others.

Another key is that ( in matters which really matter to us), we express our firmness in the right way at the right place at the right time. It may not be best to vent out a friend when there are 5 others watching even if what your saying is right and you are saying it very nicely.

Being firm means being firm in achiveing our goal. Sometimes we become firm in "how" we reach our goal as well i.e. this is how I want to do it even if it alienates everyone ( when there may be a softer approach to do things available).

There are matters where we might not know how to go about doing things in a nice, firm effective way. At that point it may be advisable to seek advice ( from the right people)

As for being nice. It entails smiling and asking someone for something ( scholars say even for small things we should ask Allah first, since it is Allah who gives everything). It entails not gettiong angry if the other person responds angrily or is rude ( the sunnah is to return the bad with good). We should forgive and forget and move on from past issues with others as soon as we can. Also when we ask someone something, we should be prepared to hear an answer different then what we would like to hear. It may be advisable to be ready for a dilogue and not a monologue. Sometimes we might be firm on something but might not understand the issue. Also it is less offensive if we take someone through a thinking process when we are trying to convince them ( i.e. ask directive questions which make them think).

And what matters are ones which we should be most firm on? Things which are of next worldly benefit. How do we learn how to be firm and nice? Learn and read about the Sunnah.

We ask Allah for Tawfiq and Taiseer in all our affiars. Ameen.

Sh Faraz: We are like castles

In last week's halaqa, Shaykh Faraz compared our inner beings to castles. He said that if we were a castle then we would take good care of it. i.e. take care who has access to it.

There are some people who would have access to the guest rooms. Some others would have access to the storage room. Others would have access to the bedrooms. Some would have access to the the living room and the dining room. There are some people who would have no space in the castle. ( this could apply to what thoughts enter one's minds as well)

However.........

The inner most chamber of our inner beings is something that only Allah should have access to. And that Innner chamber is----what everything we think and do revolves around. Subhanallah.

May Allah help us protect ourselves.

SunniPath Summer Full Courses Registeration Deadline: June 17!

The first step to being one who is close to Allah, is to know what it takes to get close to Him. SunniPath has changed the lives of many so try to take some courses if you can!We strongly recommend all their courses!

There is still time to register until this Tuesday, so don't miss this last chance to take part in SunniPath's Summer full courses. Browse course catalog.

For anyone busy at the beginning of the Summer, SunniPath have a few short courses that will be starting July. Here are some featured second-half short courses:

	Finding the Straight Path Maintaining Identity without Extremism Taught by Shaykh Hamza Karamali Gain clarity amidst the confusion through surveying the major currents in contemporary Muslim discourse; understanding the issues that distinguish each current; coming to a conclusion about each of these issues; and then dealing with those who disagree with you in the light of the merciful example of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and give him peace. Learn more.
	Hadith or Fiqh? The Relationship Between Hadiths and the Four Schools of Law Taught by Shaykh Hamza Karamali This short course examines the basis of hadith disagreements among the four schools of thought and dispels the common misunderstanding that the disagreements occurred through lack of knowledge or an incomplete understanding of hadith literature. Learn more.
	Journey to Allah - Part 1 Spiritual Guidance for Muslim Women and Men Taught by Habib 'Ali al-Jifry and Shaykh Abdul Kareem Yahya This short course introduces you to traveling the path to Allah, sincerity, self-observation, preserving the inspirational drive, repentance, and emulating Allah’s beloved Messenger, may Allah bless him and give him peace. Learn more.
	The Supplications of the Daily Prayer Turning the Prayer into a Spiritual Experience Taught by Shaykh Sohail Hanif Learn the meanings and significance behind the various supplications said during the daily prayer so that you can transform it from rote recitation into an active engagement with increased presence of heart. Learn more.

Our trip to "Banff National Park" (Alberta, Canada)

Bow River in Banff
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Historical Hotel in Banff
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Lakes in Banff
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Wildlife Corridor on the Trans Canada Highway

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Lake Louise
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Lake Louise 2
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Lake Louise 3
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Alhamdaulillah, shukirillah we got a chance to visit Banff National Park this past week during our bussiness trip to Alberta. It is a "Subhanallah" place for sure and a "must see" if you are in the area. One cannot get tired of looking at Lake Louise.

Seekers Media-Course Registeration Deadline June 10

Alhamdaulillah, these are great courses being offered at Seekers Media

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SeekersMedia

Islamic Knowledge & Inspiration

www.SeekersMedia.com

New: Two download-based courses with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

1. MUKHTAR DARS: Mastering Fiqh (Worship)

2. KHARIDA DARS: Understanding Islamic Beliefs

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Understanding Islamic Law:

Mawsuli's Mukhtar Explained (Part I: Worship)

In the Name of Allah, the Benevolent, the Merciful

Allah's blessings & peace upon His beloved Messenger Muhammad and his Folk, Companions, & Followers

As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatu' Llah,

If you are seeking a traditional Hanafi Fiqh knowledge you are invited to register for the Mukhtar Dars.

This Halaqa: Will cover Imam Mawsuli's al-Mukhtaruin four parts. This classical matn of Hanafi fiqh is the basis for the majestic commentary al-Ikhtiyar. Each part will be covered over two 12-week sessions

In this Halaqa: You will be able to download 2 recorded audio lessons, , 2 lessons per week, each lessons is 90 minutes length, with three live Q&A sessions for the semester.

For this Halaqa: Your registration will allow you to review Mukhtar Halaqa forums, where you can post your questions to the teacher or the course assistant, also to discuss and share information with other students.

You will be provided with full Arabic text for this course, so you can follow the reading in the recorded lessons.

Requirements: Arabic language enabled on your computer.

A previous exposure to Hanafi fiqh, this is not an "Absolute Basics" class.

Fees: The fee for each part (3 months, 24 recorded lessons) is $175.

The Mukhtar Dars will be opening for registration on Sunday, May 18, by 5 pm EST. Registration will be through the www.SeekersMedia.com site, insha'Allah.

Understanding the Way of Islamic Beliefs

Imam Dardir's Kharida Explained

with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Essential Beliefs. Underlying Methodology. Spiritual Relevance.

This course will cover one of the foremost core texts (mutun) in Islamic beliefs, Imam Ahmad al-Dardir's al-Kharida al-Bahiyya, with the goal of giving us a solid understanding of:

(1) The essential beliefs--we must believe about Allah, Prophets, and Transmitted Matters--with clarity and depth, as transmitted by the great imams of Islam.

(2) The underlying methodology of mainstream Islamic beliefs—the way of the Ash`aris and Maturidis—including the breakdown of rational and normative rulings, which is the basis of sound reasoning, and a brief overview of traditional Islamic logic.

(3) The centrality of transcendence (tanzih) in sound beliefs, and its clear Qur'anic basis, through investigation of the verses some interpret in ways that entail affirming similitude between Allah and His creation (tashbih, anthropomorphism).

(4) How the traditional understanding of Islamic beliefs assists in bringing one's faith to life, and is a means towards realization and understanding of the light of the Qur'an and Prophetic example.

Format: 12 Downloadable MP3 Lessons Plus Forum

The course will run for 12 weeks, with 12 downloadable mp3 lessons (one per week), and a discussion forum for questions and related discussions.

A full translation of Imam Dardir's text will be provided, along with other related texts. The work will also be available in Arabic, with its commentary.

Audience: Both Beginning and Students of Knowledge

This course is suitable both for (1) those seeking a first in-depth exposure to Islamic beliefs and (2) seekers of knowledge with previous study of Islamic beliefs (aqida), seeking to deepen and strengthen their understanding of this foundational Islamic science.

Fees: The fee for 12 weeks course (Lesson per week) is $120.

Discounts:

- Get 25% discount for al-Kharida course when register for both courses

- Family discount up to 25%: Any students are from same family registered for the same class each one will get a 25% off discount.

- Group discount: Any group of students (4 or more from the same city) registered for the same class will get25% off discount.

- Student Discount: any full time student will get 25% discount.

- Muslim world Country Discount: 25% for all students in Asia and Africa.

- Aid: for any financial aid you need due to any circumstances please provide us with the details, and we will do our best to help.

"This is an excellent statement of beliefs

Which I have named 'The Radiant Pearl'

Though light and small in size,

It is tremendous in the knowledge it contains."

Dardir, al-Kharida al-Bahiyya

SeekersMedia

Education & Inspiration

www.SeekersMedia.com

Where?

We previously posted something about "Who and what". In a similar vein we will take a stab at "Where?"

I ask myself Where? Where have you have been to?Are you where you want to be? Why do you want to be where you want to be?

This could relate to you being proud of where you have been. But its important to know that where you have been to was only possible because of Allah. So really we should not look where we have been with pride or disdain but with thankfulness to the one who made it possible. If we want to get somewhere where we haven't been to ( this could be in the emotional, physical or spiritual realm-all for His sake) then we should take the means and ask Allah for help.

The question where can be asked in many different contexts. It can be asked in the context of time and place. It can relate to you and it can relate to others. For example you might not treat somebody well just because of where they are from. Where you are might also determine how good your actions are which is why good company is important. Knowingly and unknowingly we do get affected with where our feet are. I guess where we are also shows where our heart wants to be. Do you desire to be in masjid more than the local mall?

Where are you going? Its important to know one's goals in life. The infinite takes precedence over the finite. The goals should really be next worldly and not this worldly SO the real goal should be Jannah. The real goal should be the pleasure of Him: Allah.

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