The SeekersHub is a Societal Obligation to Support (And Other Gems from Dr Umar)

Dr Umar has been here in Toronto for the past month, but because of school and other commitments, it was only at the end of his trip that I was blessed to see him. On Thursday night I went to the Hub for a beautiful mawlid led by Dr Umar, followed by Dr Umar explaining two Hikams of Ibn Ata’illah. That would have been enough gifts for the month, but the next evening the Hub hosted an incredible discussion about the paper “Living Islam with Purpose” with Dr Umar, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, Imam Afroz Ali and the Hub in general. It is difficult to summarize the event because there was so much wisdom said that night, but  below are some selections from my notes.

Imam Afroz Ali

1. Why do you do what you do? The critical answer is Allah, but the question is, how do you do that? Service is an honour. Sadaqa (charity) is not simply about wealth, but we’ve reduced it to an experience with credit cards. Our focus should be on efforts not results. Results are aspirational,  but it is in our efforts that we experience mercy and justice of Allah. We are supposed to be people of sacrifice not expectation. Time shouldn’t be in something that we checklist, we should have presence of mind when we act. We should avoid ABC (Activist Burnout Syndrome). We need to walk the walk rather than talk the talk. Don’t be people who are donkeys with a bunch of books on their back. Don’t be mediocre Muslims. It is important to have a certitude of abundance rather than an attitude of poverty.
2. Important to have attitude of sustainability. In Sydney there are mosques very close together because of ethnic divisions and this is a breakdown of the imperative of sustainability. Need to have paradigm shift of organizations that are not for profit to organizations that are for benefit.
3. The maxims of Islamic law are not mechanical thinking, they are ways to higher purpose.

Dr Umar

1. Reason wrote this paper is that there is a need for communities where reason is cultivated and respected. Because sometimes it may be that someone is citing the hadith and other sources but it just may not make sense. Islamic law has polysemic teachings, which means that they are open to many interpretations.  Dissent hones the legal mind.
2. Societal obligations are important because they cannot be made up. In Islam, water has rights. I’m sorry if that cramps your style.
3. When we do things it’s about tapping into the religion of the Beloved (may peace and blessings be upon him) The Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) changed tribal society.  Our civilization is like the peacock’s tail. Unity in diversity, not unity in conformity. Societal obligations are like a fire in the neighbourhood, you can’t just walk by because you have an appointment. Same thing if you see someone being mugged. We need to help people. But we don’t think about priorities, we think about do and don’t do, do and don’t do, do and don’t do.
4. If you’ve memorized the Qu’ran and don’t learn the meaning. you’ve missed the boat Youu have to live by what you’ve learnt. Aql is the first ethical principle. We’ve got to empower our reason.
5. The core maxims of Islamic law are an incredible bridge to other cultures and traditions. Europeans used to be impressed with Muslims because they worked so hard.
6. When mosques are so unwelcoming, then at least create sacred space where we can grow. In some mosques they just go “PRRRRRR” to get through the Qur’an in Ramadan. You think you’re going to get rewarded for speed reading?
7. Often in the Muslim world, it’s not the brilliant students who are becoming scholars.
8. We need indigenous scholars, from this culture. Some brothers are here for 20 years, but they haven’t studied the language. Imams need english intensive courses. We import imams because they don’t cost too much, but then we ask them to do things of ten imams. We ultimately need to develop curriculum and we need the best teachers and best minds.
9. Part of adab is knowing whether anything I have to say will be listened to or not. It’s a whole science to correct people. Have to know, when, how, and whether you have knowledge to do so.
10. Shariah is vast but you would not believe this because of the way some fuqaha (jurists) try to make it. Whatever problem you have, be very clear shariah is not a problem. Because the shariah has solutions to everything. Fuqaha should not be memorizers of rules. Law is there to solve problems, not alleviate them. You have to learn about how you translate being in blessed lands to your own context (talking about people  who have difficulty adjusting after studying overseas).
11. Remember: if you are not at the table, you are at the menu.
12. Turkish people have roots in traditional Islam and they have their heads on their shoulders.
13. Key to transformative education is a transformative teacher.

Shaykh Faraz:

1. If you read something that disturbs you, important to first affirm something as true, whatever is true with Allah. Then take means to knowledge.
2. Also remember, there is no such thing as “fard ulema” There are societal obligations, and we all need to support the scholars.
3. The sunna teaches us that most dichotomies are false. Sunni path is both. We uphold what is right with due consideration of people and circumstance. Be aware of where Allah has placed you. Prophet didn’t just listen to what people said, but listened to people’s hearts. Listen to what people are really concerned with, and If you allay concerns, can do what you want. Don’t explain your motives, explain what you want to do in the light of their concerns.
4. Prophet  (may peace and blessings be upon him)  taught us to always consult. For example, the Prophet  (may peace and blessings be upon him)  consulted his wife when he first received revelation. Fiqh means understanding, not that you memorize and pull right book of the shelf.

Dr Umar:

1. What is imperative in this religion is to teach the unknown religion.
2. Theology is the first obligation but we don’t study it anymore.
3. Community is essential to religion and we need dynamic communities. This (the SeekersHub) is community, and with this, religion becomes powerful. With strong communities, don’t have identity crisis. Hub is a societal obligation to support.
4. Need talented people to work and sacrifice. People have a right to the deen.

Purifying Our Hearts at U of T (Session 3 with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani)

Apologies for the delay in posting! Please keep the note-taker in your duas (And if I may be so bold, in particular, duas for my studies would be most appreciated in these blessed days of Dhul Hijjah. My notes below!

Purifying Our Hearts at U of T (Session 2 with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani)

On Tuesday we had our second dars with Shaykh Faraz studying Imam Haddad’s Poem of Counsel, and it was beautiful. It’s a busy time of term, and given all the places people could be instead, it was lovely to sit in the MultiFaith centre and look around at all the students who came (despite many students having a long commute home!) to talk and learn about spirituality and their own heart.

In this lesson, we learnt about the importance of propriety (adab), about the treasures in the 40 Hadith of Imam Nawawi, about the stages of education, and were introduced to Syed Muhammed al-Attas. As always, these are not complete notes, but they do give you a flavour for the class. Please do keep the note-taker in your duas!

Purifying our Hearts at U of T (Session 1 with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani)

Today was the first session of Shaykh Faraz’s Purification of the Heart class at the University of Toronto, and you could literally feel the excitement in the air before the class began. The turnout was great, the class was excellent, and everyone commented how lovely it is to have a class downtown in such an accessible space. (Though alhamidullah I’ve been in Toronto for more than a year now,  there are days where I can’t quite get over the blessings in this city, and today was definitely one of those days). I never imagined having such easy access to scholars during my undergraduate years in Vancouver. Many thanks to the MSA and Shaykh Faraz for creating such a lovely learning opportunity! For those not in town, parts of my notes are below.

Be People of Excellence (Walking the Way of the Prophet with the SeekersHub)

Every teacher has something unique that you learn from being in their presence. And every time I am in a class with Shaykh Yahya, I learn a bit more about what it means to be a dignified human being and to exemplify the qualities of excellence. Regardless of what the actual subject matter of the class, by his conduct and state Shaykh Yahya teaches his students that it is important to value your time, to polish your intellect, to contribute to your community, to speak with purpose and to keep good company. Shaykh Yahya’s classes are strong inspiration to take life and being a full human being seriously.

Three years ago I was in Toronto for Ramadan, and Shaykh Yahya spoke at a U of T iftar about how we should strive for excellence in everything we do. If we are studying, we shouldn’t just try and be good students, we should strive to be the best students possible (same applies if working or whatever else we are doing) and radiate excellence in all aspects of our lives. From our clothing to the beauty of our surroundings, from small and big aspects of our lives, everything should reflect excellence.

At this year’s Knowledge Retreat, Shaykh Yahya mentioned that “Each one of us has our own potential, and all we are required to do is maximize our own human potential. The sahabas maximized the potential of whatever Allah gave them. You’re falling short if you’re not maximizing your own potential and abilities, but you’re not going to be taken to account for what you were unable to attain if it was not within your capacities.” 

And this past weekend Shaykh Yahya was visiting the SeekersHub, and due to a fieldtrip and other school conflicts, I was only able to catch a bit of Friday night’s (God bless live streaming!) leadership class. A major theme of the session was that it is key to know why you’re doing what you’re doing. Shaykh Faraz’s words reminded me of a creativity and drama workshop we participated in at work recently where our instructor mentioned that

In acting you won’t get too nervous if you know what your character wants. It’s like life. If you know what you want and why you are where you are, it’s much easier to be motivated and get what you need to do done. If you don’t know why you are where you are, and the reason you’re doing what you’re doing, you’ll feel self conscious. Words that come through heart and are connected to feelings and actions will be successful. All words can be powerful when connected to the heart.

There are questions to ask yourself: where am I? what do I want? if I get what I want, what will it fulfill? Why do I want what I want? It’s important to know your values and what you find most important so that your activities resonate through those particular values. When you know where you are and where you want to be, you find lots of opportunities to build character. Often people will decrease their power so that they become smaller and don’t have to be vulnerable. But don’t apologise for yourself. Until you’re courageous and recognise who you are, aren’t fully alive. The greater your spirit is about the work that you do, the greater your work will be. It’s also helpful to have rituals. In drama, we have specific rituals, from voice to nutrition and meditation, and you need to find relevant rituals in your own life to be engaged.

Shaykh Faraz and Shaykh Yahya’s leadership class brought up similar ideas, but connected it to the most beautiful of meanings, how we can connect what we do to the highest of purposes, and make our actions pleasing to Allah. Here are some snippets of my notes.

A Blessed Beginning: The First SeekersHub Class

In the SeekersHub’s first class today, Shaykh Faraz reminded us that to seek something means to have “concern, care and respect”. And alhamidullah these three things were most certainly reflected today in this wonderful new learning community. The volunteers were helpful and smiling, the space is physically beautiful (with equal space for men and women), and the class is full of practical advice about how to understand and implement the Prophet’s  (may peace and blessings be upon him) words in order to orient our lives towards God.

And best of all, insha’Allah there will be a class next week! I’m from Vancouver, and my learning to date as either been online classes or intensives where one leaves their daily routine for a span of time. That type of learning is useful but can make you feel a bit disconnected from others or a bit overwhelmed, so regular, in person learning is partly why I moved to Toronto. As a result, the SeekersHub plans for long term regular content feels like a deep blessing, and I’m really looking forward to its programming in the upcoming months insha’Allah.

Back to tonight though. Part One of the evening was Shaykh Faraz going through ten hadiths that each reflected the theme of each of the first ten books of the Ihya by Imam Ghazali.  Next week we’ll go through the next ten hadiths insha’Allah, and Shaykh Faraz recommended that each week we read related hadiths to what we covered in that week’s session. For those who couldn’t be here tonight, a few snippets from my notes:

1. Knowledge is a means, not an end in itself. The point is not the knowledge. Knowledge is found on the path (and a path is a way that has been trodden before), but it is not the purpose of the path.  The path is tremendous because it leads to the greatest of goals; Allah. When we study Allah facilitates a path to Paradise, but you have to actually do what the knowledge you study entails.
2. Best way to start, is just start.
3. Need to have clarity on what you believe and why, otherwise doubts may creep in your belief. You don’t want to have a circular thought pattern of  ”I believe because I’m Muslim, and I’m Muslim because I believe”.
4.  Contentment is nurtured through reflection and thankfulness.  These both should be a constant process in your life.
5. If you don’t realise the sweetness of faith in your life, have work to do to nurture contentment.
6. Everything you do is meant to be an act of remembrance.
7. Two halves of faith, patience and thankfulness. Patience is to hold fast to what is most pleasing to Allah. Sometimes that means changing your situation, patience isn’t a passive thing.
8. Way of tahara (purification) embodies the balance of our religion because we are cautious, but are not excessive.
9. If prayer is the best matter,  it must be the best thing that you do, that you have the best concern for. Must do your prayer better than your work, better than everything else you do.
10.  Sadaqa (charity) is the daleel (proof) of  the sidq (truthfulness) of a mu’min (believer) because it shows that you truly trust Allah, that He Provides. 
11. If you want to see where you are with Allah, see what you are busy with and what you are seeking.
12. Best of people are those who recite the Quran consistently.
13. Not everyone is spiritually equal and  there are many categories of people and many doors to Jannah. Most people will most emphatically express one or two qualities, some rare people manifest all qualities.
14. Take from religious actions that which you can sustain. The most beloved practice is that which is most consistent.
15. If you’ve gone through the whole day and you haven’t read Qur’an, you’re deluded. If that’s happened, try and read one verse before bed. Or recite Surah Fatiha. Or something like Surah Asr. Don’t say oh but that’s just a little Qur’an because it’s all great. But read something daily. And every day read something about the Prophet, sallahu alayhi wasalaam. And make a daily routine of reading a hadith. (for example: from Imam Nawawi’s 40 Hadith for example or the Riyad us Saliheen.)
16. In life don’t just go through the motions, don’t drift and stay. Instead, set your direction, see what the obstacles are and then act.