The fierce battle between the Qabaail finally ended last week! The final moments of combat between Qabeelat Durba and Qabeelat Madinatayn had us all on the edge of our seats. It certainly was a close call. So who won the Liwaa cup again?  

Founded just two years ago in 2010, located in the twin cities of Minnesota, Qabeelat Madinatayn managed to achieve what many other Qabaail have been working for since the establishment of Almaghrib Institute. Having attained excellent attendance for their courses and the highest percent turnout for exams, Q Madinatayn pushed their way past three other outstanding Qabaail and won the Liwaa.

How did it all begin?

Volunteers of Q Madinatayn began promoting Almaghrib Institute in March 2010. Although Almaghrib had not yet reached their city, they managed to persuade a number of students to attend seminars in Chicago to get a feel of the education Almaghrib had to offer. Eventually, after some serious promotion, this Qabeelah had their very

first Promo Event in September 2010, where they saw the fruits of their efforts with an amazing turnout of 650 students!

Bringing Almaghrib to their community allowed Q Madinatayn to fulfil their vision of bringing people together from all cultures, ethnicities and backgrounds for the same purpose; to gain the pleasure of Allah (swt) and attain Islamic education. In addition to this, Almaghrib also became the foundation for many students who are now pursuing additional avenues of Islamic education.

So what was it about this Qabeelah that enabled them to win the Liwaa in such a small space of time?

Alhamdulillah it is only by the will of Allah (swt) that we have been able to accomplish all this in two years Alhamdulillah. I made du’a every day in Ramadan before our promo that Almaghrib is successful in coming to this state and that the people here would accept it. Nadia Abuisnaineh (Ameerah)

Obaid Zafar (Ameer) gives credit of this success, first and foremost, to his community who had been waiting for an opportunity like this for a very long time. When the volunteers were finally able to bring Almaghrib to their city, the response was incredible. Having sold out five out of six courses the community proved their devotion and zeal for knowledge. Sincere, dedicated volunteers and students were also a primary cause of the Qabeelah’s achievement as well as being able to learn from other Qabaail and Shuyookh. Taking one step at a time this Qabeelah developed and provided a comfortable learning environment for their students.

According to Shaykh Waleed Basyouni this Qabeelah did everything in their capacity to stand out.

How can we look up to this Qabeelah to allow us, as individuals, to excel as Muslims?

Obaid Zafar gave his personal advice:

Always take on what you think you can accomplish first, even if it is small, but excel at it and then build on it, insha’Allah.

An idea may start off small but by using it as a foundation we can build on it and make it huge. Rather than using an impractical idea after

having a sudden imaan boost that shoots down as fast as it shoots up, we should slowly but surely build on something small and realistic.

Islam is about ihsan. That is the level that every Muslim should aspire to achieve so that when they meet Allah they will be in the highest rank of jannah in the company of Al-Nabi (pbuh) and his companions (RA). Only people with excellent standards make the change.  Shaykh Waleed Basyouni.

So what can we learn and take from this outstanding Qabeelah? Success is not using a burst of energy and burning yourself out. If you work with sincerity while keeping your standards high but realistic, you’ll soon make the change you want to see bi’ithnillah.

If you conceive in your mind that you have lost, then you have lost. You have chosen to lose.  Shaykh Muhammad Alshareef.

Contributed by Sr. Urusa Naseem

Alhamdulillah, by the grace of Allah (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla), AlMaghrib Institute is not only rejuvenating Islamic education systems in the West, but also rapidly making its mark in the East as well!

Qabeelat Ihsaan pioneered the way in the Far East on January 2011. AlMaghrib is extending its bridge by expanding to Singapore and Indonesia. Tabarak Allah! Welcome Qabeelat Ikhlaas of Indonesia and Qabeelat Itqaan of Singapore to the AlMaghrib family!  

Don’t underestimate the power of du‘ā’ and hard work! Māshā’Allāh with the helpful advise from our beloved instructor Shaykh Abdulbary Yahya and the help of the team that brought AlMaghrib to Malaysia, they consulted and worked extensively to obtain the approval of local Islamic authorities for press conferences and permission to hold AlMaghrib seminars in their countries.

It does not stop there. After attending the “Valley of the Seekers” seminar in Malaysia,  the teams from Qabeela Ikhlaas and Qabeelat  Itqaan worked even harder than the year  before, continuing to set up marketing  campaigns and volunteer recruitment stalls to  share their AlMaghrib experience with  everyone in their community.

It starts from a consistent effort done communally with the common love for this great Deen of Islam for the sake of Allah (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) .

You can connect with the students of Q.Ikhlaas and Q.Itqaan via their Facebook pages. Inshā’Allāh, Shaykh Riad Ouarzazi is coming to Singapore and Indonesia in May to teach their very first AlMaghrib seminar, “A Heart Serene”.

Best success to Qabeelat Ikhlaas and Qabeelat Itqaan! May Allah (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) keep them steadfast and unite this Ummah!  Ameen!

In the comment section below, share your love and support for our brothers and sisters in Singapore and Indonesia!

]]> http://almaghrib.org/blog/2012/03/25/power-student-10-part-video-series-by-shaykh-wb/feed/ 0 http://almaghrib.org/blog/2012/03/16/dawah-promo-tour-with-shaykh-kamal-el-mekki/ http://almaghrib.org/blog/2012/03/16/dawah-promo-tour-with-shaykh-kamal-el-mekki/#comments Fri, 16 Mar 2012 15:53:57 +0000 almaghrib http://almaghrib.org/blog/?p=978 Shaykh Kamal El Mekki is doing a 3-days Dawah Tour in the UK. Check out the locations and timings below:



[And it will be said], “Indeed, this is for you a reward, and your effort has been appreciated.” (Sūrat’l-Insān, 22)

Māshā’Allāh the hard work and efforts paid off! Out of our 40,000+ students, we have a handful of shining stars. These students attended 3 or more classes in 2011, took the exams, and scored a 90% or above on each of those exams. It is with great pride and honor that we present to you AlMaghrib’s 2011 Dean’s List!  

Durbah:

• Farah Chaudhry
• Md Haque
• Azam Riaz
• Maryam Rabeea
• Babar Khan
• Ibaad Sadiq
• Firoza Zaman
• Su’aad Zaman

Ittihad:

• Zeinab Ahmed
• Safa Al-Dabagh
• Ola Al-Dabagh
• Osama Iqbal
• Samar Saadedeen

Haqq:

• Shahd Bahgat

Madinatayn:

• Mohamed Njah
• Warda Odhowa

Majd:

• Julie Lowe
• Solange Waithe

Salaam:

• Devon Lyons
• Zaineb Lyons
• Widaad Zaman

Tayybah:

• Najeebuddin  Mohammad
• Salman Ghani
• Waleed Tawfik
• Tayyib Zaman

Quwwa:

• Shakeel Shareef

As a small token of our appreciation, these students will receive:

• Preferred seating at seminars
• A private group phone consultation with our instructors
• Early registration for IlmSummit

May Allāh increase them in knowledge that is beneficial and reward them for their efforts, āmīn.

Read about it here: http://www.muslimlinkpaper.com/index.php/community-news/community-news/2864.html

On January 20th, a reporter of LA Times & Huntington Beach Independent sat and attended Shaykh Waleed Basyouni’s new seminar in Southern California. Little did we know that she would write a reflection article in her Unveiled weekly column.  

It is safe to say that those who know me would describe me as a tough, assertive girl with a conviction that women are equal to men.

They would also say that I embrace my femininity and feel privileged to be a woman.

Although I grew up in Egypt, where women don’t hold the same social status as men, I never felt less equal or less important as a girl.

This attitude and conviction I hold didn’t develop when I moved to America. It was ingrained in me, and there are many reasons for it. The biggest, and I know this might be surprising, is Islam itself.

I grew up in a moderate-to-conservative Muslim family. I was naturally influenced by my mom, Shadia, and her six brothers, who all raised me and my sister. On the one hand, my mom has always been an elegant, sensitive and modest person, and on the other, she’s always been tough, assertive and fair. Her brothers wouldn’t dare mistreat her because she’s a woman.

She has always been excellent at maintaining that balance, and I studied it carefully.

Growing up, I clashed a lot with my Uncle Beautiful, who was the most conservative and closest male figure to me. We mainly clashed over how he wanted me to dress.

But it was never about gender. In fact, he too instilled this sense of equality in me.

I wasn’t even a teenager when Uncle Beautiful once saw me walking on the street, and I must have looked uncomfortable or afraid for some reason, because when I got home he said to me: When you walk, walk with confidence. When someone speaks to you, man or woman, look directly at them, make eye contact, be respectful and be modest, but speak clearly and assertively.

He never told me why. I have never forgotten his words. And I have to say that I was a little bit surprised with them.

You might wonder why a conservative Muslim man would instill in me these values.

I wondered, too.

It all became clearer this past weekend. I spent it attending an AlMaghrib Institute seminar about women in Islam. I always knew that when it came to women, Islam was ahead of its time. Khadija, the prophet Muhammad’s first wife, was 15 years older than him. She sought him out, and she was the one who asked him to marry her.

When Imam Waleed Basyouni, the seminar’s instructor, addressed the status of women during the prophet and his companions’ time, it blew my mind, especially when I compared it with the present day.

Not only were women back then allowed to vote, own property, operate businesses, seek knowledge and education, speak publicly, work, and support their husbands and families, but they also served in the army.

All that happened more than 1,400 years ago.

The kind of injustice done today to women in so-called Muslim countries is unfathomable and foreign to me and to Islam itself.

The prophet Muhammad never laid a hand on a woman. He warned men of mistreating women and told them that the worst among them are those who are not good and kind to the women in their lives.

The fact is, if these so-called Muslim rulers and followers would educate themselves about their own religion, they’d be ashamed of how they’re treating women.

But there’s also another important point that can’t be dismissed. For much of history, women, even in the West, didn’t always have the same rights as men.

And I also think it’s not about religion. Men who oppress and mistreat women come from all sorts of backgrounds and hold various religious beliefs. The kind of man who would oppress or beat a woman doesn’t need a religion or a culture to justify it. He is simply not a man.

Now when I reminisce about what Uncle Beautiful taught me, I understand.

(written by Mona Shadia)

“God will exalt those of you who believe and those who have knowledge to high degrees.” (The Quran – 58:11)

Muslims place a high emphasis on knowledge of the Quran and that wisdom being passed on from generation to generation. In the Middle East, and other Muslim majority countries, there are easily accessible opportunities for Quran-based education. On the rare occasion when this type of traditional Islamic training is available to Muslims living in the West, many times it is disconnected from their Western reality.

To meet that need, the AlMaghrib Institute, a Sunni Muslim educational institution operating in Houston and throughout the United States, teaches students orthodox Islam in a way that helps individuals apply principles in their contemporary Western contexts.

It is this cutting edge perspective and focus on application of the fundamentals of Islam in the West that sets AlMaghrib apart from other forms of Islamic education. This emphasis is meant to not only educate Muslims, but expose the West to modern Islam.

“It’s hard for people in the West to relate to the teachings of Islam as they are passed on and exist in Arab countries” said Sheik Waleed Basyouni, Vice President of AlMaghrib and Houston imam, “the challenge of our classes is to communicate, translate and re-introduce Islam so it communicates to modern life.”

Founded in Virginia in 2002 by Canadian born Muhammed Alshareef, AlMaghrib began with the goal of teaching authentic, doctrinally correct Islamic history and faith to younger generations in the West in a way that is engaging and culturally savvy. Alshareef’s hope was to enable young Muslims to learn and share their faith without being estranged from their community.

Since its establishment AlMaghrib has taught over 40,000 students and continues to offer courses in Islamic faith, arts, history and ethics with a contemporary twist in cities across the USA, Canada, the UK and several other countries.

Recent courses offered in Houston include a class on fiqh dealing with all the modern issues that Muslim females face in 21st century America including discussions on a woman’s role in Western society, politics, the work force and at home.

One of AlMaghrib’s most dedicated students is one such woman, Rayda Edding who, along with her husband and six children, attended an AlMaghrib course and enjoyed its unique approach to Islamic education so much she wished to take part in every single course.

“I pulled my kids out of public school and started homeschooling them so we could travel to attend every course” said Edding, “and now we travel to other cities in the USA, to Canada and to the UK so that my kids can better appreciate their Islamic identity in the West.”

Edding and her children, aged 9-19, dedicate themselves to the classes because they believe they are central to faithfully living out Islam in a non-Muslim context. Facing persecution and misperceptions about their religion, the Eddings look to AlMaghrib’s courses for role models and encouragement.

“Learning the history of Islam we learned we face similar trials, similar persecution,” said Edding, “it helps us deal with the challenges we are facing right now in the West.”

“It helps solidify our Islamic identity and gives us courage” she said.

AlMaghrib not only seeks to educate and encourage students, but enable them to be better Muslims and Americans.

“We, as Muslims, have a duty towards our country and our religion,” said Basyouni, “one of our goals is to empower the Islamic community to be active members in American society.”

Basyouni hopes this education will be passed on to others outside the Muslim community and erase ignorance concerning Islam.

“Since day one we have felt that misperceptions about Islam will be corrected as more American Muslims learn to share the richness of their faith with others,” said Basyouni, “it is our responsibility to teach others.”

“At AlMaghrib the instructors bring both a deep knowledge of the Islamic faith’s historical interactions with other communities and also excellent communication skills vital to transferring that knowledge base on to others.”

A conference which took over 6 months of preparation,

which bought 9 Superstar Shuyukh under one roof,

with over 1000 attendees, and one poetic genius to add the buzz back into the deen!

…It’s IlmFest, a Celebration of Knowledge.  

One thing special about ‘IlmFest in Leeds is that it changed lives, not just after the event; rather it mesmerised its attendees in an instant. You have Bilal, a young fifteen year old brother from Bradford who’d just started practicing and he doesn’t need to go through a period of loneliness, as ‘IlmFest has given him the platform to meet amazing company who he can benefit from (and have fun with of course!) Then you have a coach driver, a middle aged non-Muslim male who is so taken aback by what he encounters whilst transporting students and the lecturers, that after a day of contemplation he accepts Islam subhan Allah!

This one day conference, ‘IlmFest, held by AlMaghrib Institute in Leeds has impacted over 1000 people in a matter of hours. With nine Instructors, a poetic genius; Boona Mohammad and a day full of practical lectures focused around Surah AlMu’minoon, for Indeed Successful are the Believers – ‘IlmFestcentralised around the topics that are essential for us to succeed, yet due to our busy schedules we don’t prioritise them.

‘IlmFest gave the opportunity to its attendees to internalise role models that excelled in the past, derive important lessons that strike a chord and drive us to take action so we can become better believers, in hope of a mighty reward.

‘IlmFest was blessed with mothers, who are always looking for an opportunity to benefit, with fathers who had come with their families, and young brothers and sisters, eagerly awaiting lectures on leadership by Shaykh Muhammad Alshareef, so they could implement these lessons in their communities.

A young sister, Sonia Hussain from Birmingham, 16 attended ‘IlmFest with her aunty in hope of some inspiration. She turned to me and said something which touched me:

From now on I’m going to attend every AlMaghrib seminar and learn about Islam even if I don’t always find it interesting; after all, this knowledge is here for us to become better people.

However, what mesmerised me the most was when her aunty told me one day later how she’d persuaded her father to invest in the ‘IlmRush card and had enrolled herself on every seminar in the UK, coming up in the next few months. I’m not sure about you, but that’s what I call instant change, mashaAllah. It reminds me of the incident of Imam Abu Hanifa rahmiahullah, when his encounter with Imam Ash-Sha’bi rahmiahullah caused him to move to a different direction of life, which was now to become a Faqih. The other story that resonates is of Imam Malik rahimahullah, when his mother persuaded him to leave the dream of becoming a singer to become a Student of Knowledge. Many of us in the UK have a certain direction in life, however it’s conferences and events like ‘IlmFest that cause us to move in a direction adverse to what society expects of us.

As I stepped foot into Saviles Hall, I was hit with an atmosphere of excitement, smiling faces of attendees hovering around the registration tables eagerly registering in hope of front row seats. Young children running around the sweet stalls in hope of satisfying their sweet tooth before the conference began. Qabeelah AlMass (Bradford), Qabeelat Barakah (Manchester), Qabeelah Firdaws (Middleborough) and Qabeelat Taqwa (Scotland); the four student bodies of AlMaghrib Institute went all out with professionalism, from purple table cloths, signage and a jaw dropping stage straight from the Oscars! Personally, the only thing missing was the red carpet, but even this was over shadowed by the line of up of Instructors, each with a unique topic, ready to be delivered in their unique captivating manner. Even Dr. Reda Bedeir wants his own copy of the DVD!

The atmosphere and creativity was amazing …would I be able to get a copy of all the Shuyukh talks? - Dr. Reda Bedeir

Everyone has talent and for the AlMaghrib Shuyukh it goes beyond just delivering lectures and teaching the masses about Islam, the Crème de la Crème of ‘IlmFest was the talent show delivered by several Shuyukh; which stood out for many students!

Shaykh Riad would give the most active athlete a run for his money with his workout – putting stereotypes to rest that Islamic teachers are not healthy! Shaykh Kamel ElMekki restored the Sunnah by making everyone smile by his sense of humor, a nice surprise to the dryness we are accustomed to in the UK and Shaykh Ahsan Hanif officially held the UK in high regard by beating Shaykh Muhammad Alshareef quite pleasantly in the Qur’an competition!

Ahmed Sa’eed shared his excitement:

Alhamdulillah! In 19 years of my life, this was the best EVER way to see off the end of a year!!

Yusuf Issat shares how it’s impacted him, and in turn his family:

My heart was mesmerised by the words of Allah. I walked away with endless lessons which I pray will InshaAllah help me to change my life to help spread Islam and live it to the fullest. I have taken steps in becoming a better role model and setting a right example for my son, so that he is amongst the next generation of Muslims who have a broad and balanced education in Islam, and that he is also God conscious and a productive British Muslim citizen, who will lead a meaningful and purpose-driven life, InshaAllah.

There were also attendees who for the first time in their lives had been persuaded to attend this ‘Islamic Event’ and this is when Shayk hRiad’s dynamic teaching style came into play, keeping them at the edge of their seats in awe of such an interesting lecture. After all, some would argue Islam takes the fun out of any situation, but with AlMaghrib Institute, they pride themselves in adding the fun back into learning!

This was demonstrated by another heart-warming moment when Shaykh Muhammad Alshareef, the Founder of AlMaghrib Institute was checking in for his flight as he made his way back to Canada. As it so happened and much to his surprise the attendant was a newly practicing sister who had the pleasure of attending IlmFest. As she caught sight of the Shaykh she could help but express her gratitude, she turned to the Shaykh and said:

IlmFest has changed my life.

For me personally, I had the pleasure of attending both ‘IlmFests, and as I sat there in a lecture Shaykh Muhammad Alshareef asked the question:

How do you spend your life?

Many of us have used this opportunity to make changes in our lives, we may have otherwise ignored; I myself was impacted and came home and made a life changing decision. I hope you all have been impacted to make one or more changes in your life, like many others who attended ‘IlmFest, inshaAllah. These conferences should cause us to be agents of change within ourselves, our homes and our communities in hope of a better future.

This life changing event has transformed the lives of many, preparing them for year of change. For many 2011 was great, and hopefully 2012 will never be the same, in sha Allah!

Bigger, better and brighter!

(Contributed by: Alima Ashfaq)

Talks of a new fiqh seminar have created a blaring buzz in the AlMaghrib world. After an exclusive interview with Shaykh Waleed Basyouni, we bring to you the inside scoop to “Complicated? A to Z in Women’s Modern Fiqh.”  

In every seminar, be it on the topic of hadith sciences, aqeedah or seerah, the sisters swarm around the instructors in crowds, racing to have their general questions addressed. Can I travel to another state alone for education purposes? What are the rules of interaction between my male colleagues and I? Am I allowed to speak before a mixed crowd at an Islamic event? Under what circumstances am I allowed to undergo cosmetic surgery? How can I balance my career goals with my duties as a mother/wife? Hair dying, halal or haram? These are some of the questions that continue to occupy the minds of twenty-first century female Muslims. “Complicated? A to Z in Women’s Modern Fiqh” with Shaykh Waleed Basyouni seeks to explore these issues.

What’s more, this seminar is the first of its kind that deals with the fiqh rulings of a particular demographic: the (seemingly complicated?) women. One time in Medina, the female companions approached the Prophet (saw) and said, “The men have won you over us, O Rasoolullah … So give us a day with yourself.” From that incident and on, the Prophet split his time with the male and female sahaba, enlightening them on Islamic matters most pertinent to their lives. Hence, this Women’s Modern Fiqh seminar serves as a revival of that sunnah.

From her birth to the moment of her final breath, Shaykh Waleed Basyouni’s course book maps the entire course of a female’s life, then stops to address each issue at its appropriate stage. “We will talk about shaving the female infant’s head, breastfeeding, early education, signs of puberty, the opinions on purification” Shaykh Waleed explained. “Then we will discuss the women’s fiqh for the five pillars, civic engagement, interactions in academia, and so on…” Although seemingly trifling, topics of beautification and physical appearance will also be addressed.

Although contemporary in its approach, this seminar by no means obscures the classical understanding of women’s fiqh. Attendees will gain insight on Usool ul-Fiqh via the works of classical and contemporary scholars, from the likes of Ibn Uthaymeen and Ibn ul-Qayyim al-Jawziyya, as well as female scholars at Umm al-Qura University. A whole plethora of Islamic text on women’s fiqh exists in the archives. While writing the course book, Shaykh Waleed sifted through them, page by page, extracting the rulings from varying schools of thought. One of his primary focuses was female roles in society.

“Sometimes we take statements of individuals and take them as evidence,” he said. “What we don’t realize is, many times, [these statements] are influenced by personality or culture or environment.” Local MSAs and da’wah groups are breedings grounds in the ongoing “battle of the genders.” A sister running for MSA president or rising to lofty career positions are often misjudged by their male counterparts. Similarly, a sister that chooses homemaking over her PhD is frowned upon in a growing feminist society. Prepare to have these controversies resolved in the single-weekend discussion on women’s fiqh.

Female Exclusivity?

Enrolling in this seminar is a no-brainer for sisters, as well as any student of knowledge pursuing an expertise in fiqh. But what of the average brother? Are the fiqh lessons of female purification and dress at all relevant? According to Shaykh Waleed and others, these lessons most definitely are. “In my travels to different states, I’ve seen men taking extreme positions against women in college and work issues,” Shaykh Waleed said. Men and women are interdependent; in every moment of his life, a man is juggling between his role as a father, a brother, a husband or work colleague to at least one member of the female species. That said, this seminar is essential to all brothers as it relates to issues they face within their families and community.

First to host this long-awaited seminar is Qabeelat Haqq, California, on the weekend of January 20 to 22; next in line stands Qabeelat Durbah, New Jersey, with the seminar scheduled for the weekend of January 27 to 29, insha’Allah.