You can find out details of the program (and see our fine graduating class!) here: www.sharethekhayr.org/graduates

The keynote speaker for the event will be someone who truly represents Islam in America: none other than our very own Imam Siraj Wahhaj. Additionally, he will be joined by a number of other Instructors, including Sh. Waleed Basyouni, Sh. Yaser Birjas, Shaykh Abdulbary Yahya, Sh. Muhammad Faqih, and Dr Yasir Qadhi.

Join AlMaghrib Institute as you witness history in the making. Join in as we celebrate the first graduating batch of AlMaghrib Institute.

Rest assured, this will be the first of many graduation ceremonies with AlMaghrib. Hoping to have you in the next batch in sha Allah.

Here are some of the gems we learnt:

The importance of having a Vision in life of the Duniya and the Akhira
It is important to have a vision/mission statement in life as a person. Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years? Then you can work on the goals and objectives and actualise your plan to make your vision a reality. Sync your goals with your Vision.
– Sh Riad Ouarzazi

Importance of  taking Action
What is the value of knowledge if you do not ACT upon it? The sahaba would recite and learn 10 ayat at a time, implement them and then continue.
– Sh Kamal elMekki

Prayer as a means of Success
What you live on is what you die on and what you die on is what you will be resurrected on. For every salah the muezzin reminds us of the success of salah – calling us to to salah is where the true success is. Nowadays people measure success on greed and material things but the true success lies in the prayer.
– Sh Said Rageah

Sincerity
Sincerity brings Barakah into the action and the knowledge. Our actions hinges on intention. Shaytaan wants us to give up on the action by corrupting our intention but Allah wants us to struggle with the intention so that we can continue to return back to Him Azza Wa Jal
– Sh Saad Tasleem

Leaving a Legacy
The Prophet (SAW) raised a generation of leaders. Make dua that we are leaders in Iman and Taqwa and in our relationship with Allah Azza Wa Jal
– Sh Ahsan Hanif

Having SMART Goals
Create S-M-A-R-T Goals for yourself:
Specific | Measurable | Attainable | Relevant |Time bound
These are practical tips but lack spirituality from a deen perspective, so:
1) Fear your sins like you fear your enemy
2) Make du’a
3) Keep righteous companionship
- Sh Navaid Aziz

Patience
Allah has promised 3 things to the believer who has patience:
1) Allah praises you
2) Allah bestows His Mercy on you
3) Allah guides you
– Sh Waleed Basyouni

Don’t be afraid to Stumble
We are meant to stumble. There is a divine wisdom behind stumbling. The best of the sinners are the ones that sin but turn back to Allah to ask for forgiveness the quickest.
– Sh Omar Suleiman

Importance of bringing benefit to others
You cannot be a selfish muslim – it is an oxymoron. The best of people are the ones that benefit the people. The benefit of the duniya is a benefit that you need to live but the benefit of Iman  is one that you can die with and allows you to live an eternal life and the benefit of Iman that is the greatest, is the benefit of knowledge of Islam, Allah and the Prophet (SAW) and how to worship Allah.
– Sh Yasir Qadhi

The Psychology of Excellence
Our mindset is important in leaving a legacy behind. Ibn Hazm (Rahimullah) said: The smart one will not accept any reward for himself less than Jannah. This is the essence of Al-Ihsaan. Whatever you do then do it with the intention for no reward for yourself other than Jannah. Set your goals high, even if you fall short. Set your eyes on Jannah.
– Sh Yaser Birjas

Friendship & Seeking Advice
Be careful with who you make friends with as they can make us or they can break us. Allah says in the Qur’an: Close friends will be enemies on the Day of Judgement unless they are people of Taqwa. 
– Sh Mohammad Faqih

Beware of Shaytaan and his trap
Major sins are Shaytaan’s finest artillery and we can avoid it. Keep your eyes open for the smaller sins that we may not think that we are doing wrong but these small innovations in the deen can be the traps of Shaytaan. Allah forgives all sins if the believer repents.
– Dr Reda Bedeir

Holding yourself to Account
You should hold yourself to account now in this duniya BEFORE we go to the akhira. The death of people around us are lessons for us and gives us perspective. We should be able to be focussed on high standards and high quality and hold ourselves to account. Make a to-do list of everything that needs to be done. Check it everyday and hold yourself accountable for every day and everything before you go to bed.
– Sh Abu Eesa

Having Tawakkul in Allah
Tie your camel and place your trust in Allah. Allah will not change the state of the people until they change themselves. Half of the equation is making du’a to Allah Azza Wa Jal, praying Qiyaam-ul-Layl, going into sajdah and calling upon Allah Azza Wa Jal and placing your trust in Him.
Allah Azza Wa Jal promises the believers in the Qur’an and He will give you the result:
1) Be thankful to Allah Azza Wa Jal.
2) Du’a. Allah Azza Wa Jal will answer the call of the believer if they call upon Him.
3) Always keep our Iman and Taqwa in check. Commanding the good and forbidding the evil.
– Sh Muhammad AlShareef

<< Click Below >>
Be part of the Legacy and Share the Khayr

A group of dedicated former AlMaghrib students fought hard to bring AlMaghrib to Malaysia. They made some noise, committed themselves and HQ heard their call. And thus the journey of Qabeelat Ihsaan was born.

ILMinate.EMANcipate.ACTivate – their motto and they have truly lived up to their motto.

May Allah Azza Wa Jal increase Qabeelat Ihsaan with Khayr and all those who made it what it is today. Ameen

A big shout out to the rest of the power house Qabeelah’s who gave it their all:

2) Qabeelat AlShams (London, UK)
3) Qabeelat AlBarakah (Manchester, UK)
4) Qabeelat Tayybah (New York, USA)
5) Qabeelat Majd (Toronto, Canada)

So now that we know who won the “official” Liwaa – who won the “unofficial” Liwaa?
And the “unofficial” Student Liwaa vote goes to Qabeelat Taqwa, Scotland UK.

And those who say, “Our Lord, grant us from among our wives and offspring comfort to our eyes and make us an example for the righteous.” [Surah Furqan: v 74]

]]> http://almaghrib.org/blog/2013/05/06/qabeelat-ihsaan-win-the-liwaa/feed/ 0 http://almaghrib.org/blog/2013/04/24/the-unofficial-liwaa-who-will-you-vote-for/ http://almaghrib.org/blog/2013/04/24/the-unofficial-liwaa-who-will-you-vote-for/#comments Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:51:09 +0000 almaghrib http://almaghrib.org/blog/?p=1201 Read More »]]> A little bit of competition never hurt anyone. The “Unofficial Liwaa” is just as exciting, if not more exciting then the “Official Liwaa” vote. Along with the “Official Liwaa” which is awarded to the top Qabeelah who performs on student attendance, exam turnout and exam scores, the “Unofficial Liwaa” sees thousands of students across the AlMaghrib student body take to Facebook to vote for their favourite Qabeelah.

Who will be the Student’s favourite Qabeelah this year?

Last year, Qabeelat Ihsaan, Malaysia, took the title by over 1500 votes – and rightly so as they proved to be very worthy winners. Will Qabeelat Ihsaan win the hearts of the students again this year? or will a new Qabeelah rise to the challenge?

Which Qabeelah are you going to vote for? You can follow the voting here and see how your Qabeelah is doing. Put your Qabeelah on the map and make some noise and remember every vote counts!

https://www.facebook.com/questions/10151655157115774/

Will Qabeelat Madinatayn be able to defend their title? Tune in and find out with thousands of students across the AlMaghrib student body in the most anticipated suspense of the year…..way better than any movie trailer!

Well, think of the AlMaghrib world as that beautiful night sky and all the stars as students. Those rare, beautiful, magnificent and spectacular stars would be the students on our Dean’s List! These students earned this great honour by attending three or more classes during 2012 and achieving 90% or higher! They will be rewarded by a certificate and a private conference call with Shaykh Yasir Qadhi!

Check out the poster below to see the students who made it onto the Dean’s List:

When the story of our Prophet has fallen on the oblivious ears of the Muslim Ummah, it’s the Imams’ obligation to shed a guiding light. This Saturday, under the banner of AlMaghrib Institute, ten beloved Shaykhs, teachers and poets ascended before a Minnesota audience of 1,600 attendees for one purpose: to fulfil that obligation.

The room teemed with Muslims and non-Muslims as diverse in language, race, culture, history as they are numerous. The topic in discussion? The seerah of our beloved Prophet, Muḥammad ibn ʿAbdullāh al-Qurashi al-Hāshimi, upon whom is Allah’s peace and blessings.

Canadian poet Boonaa Moḥammed embraced us as host for the night. And in spoonfuls of ʿilm, we consumed story upon story, lesson upon lesson, wisdom upon wisdom from the mouth of our teachers. Beginning with Brother Farḥān ʿAbdulʿAzeez. A speaker who shook us to humility for our ignorance about the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ.

Straddling the worlds of sixth century Makkah and twenty-first century America, Brother Farḥān transformed foreign, distant events from seerah into relevant, telling lessons for our time. I hadn’t heard of this Brother until now, to be honest. But when ʿAmmār al-Shukry introduced him as “the one who will make you smile, laugh and cry with tissues by your side,” I realized he was no joke. Brother Farḥān took us through the trials of Mu`tah, when the ṣaḥāba gathered around our Nabi for a livestream of the Muslim-Roman battle abroad—they wept at the spilled blood of their brothers. Brother Farḥān then dove forward into Syrian, Burmese and Gazan current affairs, raising the question, “When we gather around media outlets today, on who and what do we concern our hearts and minds?”

Brother Farḥān spoke with such vigor, such authority, that by Allah, I scanned the audience and found eyes and faces glistening where tears streaked. “For two miles,” he said about ṭā`if, “Rasūlullāh ﷺ never raised a foot except that it was struck by stones.” Words pulled heart strings, a delivery shared by all those who spoke after him.

Following him was Shaykh Saad Tasleem, a new personality to the Minnesota scene, as well as the AlMaghrib sphere at large. With his trademark leather jacket and hair groomed to perfection, Shaykh Saad took youthful strides to the stage and addressed the oft-forgotten demographic: Muslim youth. And they are a forgotten demographic, make no mistake. But Shaykh Saad reminded us of their historic role in propagating the message of Allāh. What stories he gave delved into the themes of social media, love and marriage, image branding and maturation; he unerringly balanced his prose to suit, ensuring everyone in the audience would derive benefit. A few GEMs from our own #IlmFest Twitter hashtag [which, by the way, trended worldwide...]

Scholars of the past believed it is impermissible for a Muslim to get married without knowing the fiqh of marriage and divorce.

The ṣaḥāba back then took better care of their MANY wives better than our own men take care of ONE wife.

Why do we accept that our boys will be boys? Why can’t we take the stance that our boys need to grow into men?

An enraptured crowd of zealous social media-users, theater-goers, daughters, sons, political activists, some married, others not, shared laughs and tears with Shaykh Saad “Nowadays,” he said, “Muslim sisters will daydream about their ideal husband. ‘Yeah, umm, Ryan Gosling… But with a beard and thobe.’”  His keen eye on youth culture is, perhaps, what garners him the attention and admiration of the AlMaghrib crowd. And his pop-cultural references are always an added pleasure. We ask Allah to keep him firm.

The program was running smooth at this point, until along came a man on stage, cloaked in a thobe and turban-esque ḥijāb (or a ḥijāb-esque turban, I can’t be too sure). He then plopped down on the couch, back slackened, seemingly comfortable with Boonaa’s frustration. After an exchange of silence and anger, the man finally revealed his identity. Lo and behold, before us was Shaykh Kamāl el-Mekki. Thank you, Shaykh, for that surprise. And you said you would be in Sudān this weekend? Mashā` Allāh, the way you manipulate our expectations shamelessly…

But as a previous student of Shaykh Kamāl, there isn’t a single person I would’ve hoped to see beneath that turban more than him. His Somalia/Banana Republic jokes; his colorful impersonations; his mischievous grin that reads, “I solemnly swear I am up to no good.” In his last trip to Minnesota, he left no nationality immune to his self-hosted banter-fest. But his jokes on the ʿIlmfest stage came to an abrupt stop after he admitted: “I made tawba from the ugly baby jokes… and now I ran out of material.” Attendees scanned him hard to detect traces of Shaykh Kamal’s compassionate side. After a few rounds of banter, he finally let it out: “Qabeelat Madinatayn is by far my favorite Qabeelah.” Yes, indeed, these words did bring some of us to tears.

Inside jokes aside, Shaykh Kamal el-Mekki did not stray from the event’s theme. His elaboration on seerah was so sensitive to detail, to a forensic degree, he broke the events of hijrah, ṭā`if and al-`Isrā wal-Miʿrāj into their smallest components to evoke a larger truth: nothing in seerah is random. Nothing is coincidental. Probe beneath the surface, as our Shaykh taught us, and we find lessons embedded in every element of his life… That when he replied to Jibreel, “mā `ana bi qāri`” in the cave, some scholars translate his words, “and what would you like me to read?” This alone reflects a human perfection in his noble attributes, ﷺ: obedience, patience, courtesy before a stranger, even when his breath constricted by the grip of a mighty angel.

Of course, we digressed a bit from Seerah for some jokes and laughs. ʿIlmfest Talent Show: the one time in the history of Islamic academia where spiritual leaders will flex a lil muscle for the crowd’s enjoyment. Boonaa Moḥamed brought in a steady stream of talents on stage, from nasheed-singing to cooking, `iḥrām-wearing football match to poetry… We awed at Shaykh Saad’s artistic flair, when in minutes, he whipped out a graphic display that beautifully read: “From Somalia to Gaza, with Love.” From Shaykh Yāsir Qādhi, we pleasured our ears with Boonaa poetry recited in a Bri’ish accent (AE-esque, but with sophistication); melodious Qur`ān recitations from Shaykh Ibn Faqih; and even more poetry from the lips of Shaykh Omar Suleimān, Ottawa’s Brother Phil and New York’s ʿAmmār al-Shukry.

“What if he ﷺ told you, ‘I remember the time your salāms reached me / and I responded, peace also be upon you.’” —Shaykh Omar Suleimān

My personal favourite: ʿAmmār al-Shukry’s Jannah poem, followed by his new release, “Until I See You.” Lyrics that only existed for me in YouTube videos and Facebook statuses had now come to life. We held our phone cameras to capture the scene. We savoured every moment.

Suddenly the show morphed from a poetry slam into a fitness boot camp, as Shaykh Yāser Birjās challenged audience members in a push-up showdown. And from there, to the second batch of speakers for the night. I remember seeking out my AlMaghrib “gang” in the audience, and in turn awing at the faces before me. New Muslim faces returned my gaze. Muslims I had never seen before. Muslims drawn, no doubt, from the nooks and corners of my state, their collage of faces infused with the full spectrum of age and skin color. Muslims that would have remained unknown had it not been for AlMaghrib’s festival of ʿIlm. And I remember thinking to myself, these are the faces of `Ummat Muḥammad. What beautiful faces they are.

To be continued…

So, after Ramadan whizzed past us, the only chance we really had to brush up on our good deeds were the days of DhulHijjah. That was our chance to get back into the practice of fasting and doing regular actions to bank up on some reward. But now that even those days have gone, what do we have to keep our hearts attached to Allah (swt)?

Well, Allah, Ar-Rahman has provided us with constant heart softeners to prevent a distance from forming between us and Him. We have been blessed with serious yearly reminders, namely Ramdan and DhulHijjah, but also with monthly, weekly and daily reminders…if only we are aware!

Jumu’ah

Of the reminders Allah (swt) had gifted us with is the blessed day of Jumu’ah. Those of us that take full advantage of this day will know the effect it has on us for the rest of the week. Reading Surah Al-Kahf on this day, as Rasoolullah (saw) stated, is a light for us from one Friday to the next. If we could see these blessings, we would never neglect this act on Jumu’ah. Also, attending the Jumu’ah prayer is a huge heart softener in itself, listening to the khutbah has a great effect on our imaan and keeps us in check for the following week.

Qur’an

Now that Ramadan is over (and I know this is a cliché) the mus’haf is probably back on the shelf, quite literally. The Qur’an is the best heart softener and source of gaining closeness to Allah (swt). However, it is such that the more we give it, the more it will give us and the moment we begin to neglect it, ‘it runs away (is forgotten) faster than camels that are released from their tying ropes.’ (Bukhari) Reading and reflecting upon the Qur’an allows us to constantly be critical of and eventually change ourselves for the better whilst maintaining and building a relationship with Allah (swt).

Time Management

‘Wasting time is worse than death because death separates you from this world but wasting time separates you from Allah.’ (Ibn al-Qayyim) This is an epic quote by a major scholar of our deen. If we lived with this quote in our daily lives, we would have a much more productive and progressive deen and dunya. Managing time and balancing our deen with our dunya would mean that we lived in moderation, exactly how Rasoolullah (saw) taught us to live. A true Muslim manages his time perfectly in order that he may give everything and everyone their due rights and this in turn will keep him close to Allah (swt), close to the sunnah of Rasoolullah (saw) and content in this life.

Sadaqah

Spending in the path of Allah regularly allows us to purify our wealth whilst being conscious of Allah and showing our gratitude for the things He has blessed us with. Sadaqah was an action the sahaba did constantly throughout their lives. This act is very beloved to Allah and it is an act through which we can attain the shade of Allah’s throne on the day that there will be no shade inshaAllah.

And these are just a minority of the numerous acts of worship Allah has blessed us with to develop a relationship with Him. And by making a sincere intention we can change almost any action into an act of ‘ibaadah and an act of gaining closeness to Allah. We just have to constantly be aware of Allah and the Day of Judgement in order to gain as much benefit and contentment in this life as we possibly can, of course keeping in mind that the ultimate contentment lies in jannah…our permanent home inshaAllah.

They huddle in the dark, while dealing with the extreme pains of hunger. All the time they are wondering if they will make it through the night, as we smile and carry on without a worry in the world.

The first time one truly understands what it must be like to starve is when they fast for the first time, and they are then reminded of it every time afterwards. When one feels these pains, something amazing transpires within the heart, and it begins to bloom with compassion for others. It is one of the many wonderful benefits and blessings that a fasting Muslim can achieve and receive amongst the many. That new found understanding causes the person to reach out to humanity and strive to do justice and good deeds for others.

The day of Ashura is one of those times in a Muslims life, where one can grow closer to their fellow human beings, in understanding and compassion, while growing even closer to his or her Creator. These days that we Muslims have for fasting are opportunities to open the floodgates and allow knowledge of our deen, mercy, understanding, compassion, forgiveness and so much more to flow into ourselves! Why would you not fast the Day of Ashura? If we only but knew!

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Fasting the day of `Ashura’ (is of great merits), I hope that Allah will accept it as an expiation for (the sins committed in) the previous year” (Muslim).

The day that Musa (Alahi Salam) led the children of Israel out of the clutches of the arrogant Pharaoh. A story of stories rich in lessons and beneficial advice! Who amongst us knows it all? Fast the day of Ashura and be reminded of the history behind it and the lessons that can be derived from it!

As with every single action of worship we have, there is a way to do it. Allahu Akbar! We have been told and taught everything we need to do! Our beloved prophet Muhammad sws advised us to fast in a manner, on this day that differs from those of the Jewish faith. They are fasting on the 10th, so it is the sunnah to differ from them in these matters. One should fast the day before and the day of, or the day of and the day after Ashura. It is also permissible to fast all three.

Remember brothers and sisters, this life is but a passing through, and we are but travellers. When arrive at the end of our journey, it is only our deeds that we can take with us. Please don’t miss out on such a great opportunity to have your minor sins wiped off the slate! And be a reminder to others by reminding them to fast the Day of Ashura as well, and Allah will increase your rewards. We ask Allah swt to forgive us our sins, and make us amongst the people of Jannah. Oh Allah! Forgive us our sins, for if you do not forgive us, who can forgive but you! Oh Allah! Do not test us with test that we might fail, and guide us to and upon the straight path! Ameen!

Contributed by brother Yusuf

Its fruits are vast,

Planting seeds from a tree of, Questions asked….

Food for thought.

What you know is more important than what you’ve got,

But if knowledge doesn’t lead to deeds,

Its point becomes lost…. Where do you start?

IlmFest 2012 | Boonaa Mohammed Video

ILMFEST

Tickets are available online. Check out -> www.ilmfest.com