Fiqh of Minorities : Modern Problems, Timeless Solutions
In the late 20th century, the issue of fiqh al-aqalliyat, or Islamic jurisprudence, for Muslim minorities became a mainstream topic with the advent of Dr. Yusuf Qaradawi’s work, may Allah have mercy upon him, although the topic had been addressed before him.
Many questions arose regarding Muslims and their seemingly slow inability to simply assimilate to America and American values. Why can’t we integrate as fast as mother minorities? Why do we eat certain foods? Why do we dress a certain way? And those questions became answered, there was pushback. Are watering down our religion? Are we compromising values for the sake of fitting in with society? Are we letting society dictate our belief system?
But this is not a new issue. Since the time of the Prophet (S) until our time, Muslims have always run into opposing ideologies and values wherever they went. It’s nothing new for Muslims to engage with modern thoughts and philosophies. It happened merely 150 years after the Prophet (S) when Muslims confronted Greek philosophy which gave rise to different schools of thought among Muslims. Some Muslims attempted to integrate those philosophies into Islam, some tried to explain those philosophies through the lens of Islam, and some stood firm with orthodox Islam such as Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal.
Therefore, it’s not new that Muslims are engaged with different thoughts and concepts in lands where Muslims are the minority. It’s the same story, in a different time and place.
Likewise, it’s the same Islam, in a different time and place. Hence the theme for this year’s Intensive Knowledge Retreat: Fiqh of Minorities – Modern Problems, Timeless Solutions.
Our speakers will address modern day issues and challenges unique to American Muslims. This year we are blessed to have our returning speakers including Usthadha Zaynab Ansari, Sheikh Suleiman Hani, Dr. Omar Suleiman, and Sheikh Yasir Fahmy. We are also delighted to have, for the first time, Dr. Yasir Qadhi.
With this powerhouse of preachers and teachers, we will address controversial and mainstream issues that Muslims in America face. Such issues include, but are not limited to student loans and mortgages, issues with salah in public or at work, work functions where alcohol or other problematic matters arise, issues with hijab, identity politics, issues of morality and sexuality, etc. We will also explore how such rulings are derived. Ultimately, we will learn how the Muslim identity challenges the status quo while remaining firm, unapologetic Muslims.
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SPEAKERS
YASIR QADHI
Dr. Yasir Qadhi joined East Plano Islamic Center as a resident scholar in July 2019. He completed his primary and secondary education in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He graduated with a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Houston, after which he was accepted as a student at the Islamic University of Madinah. There, he completed a second Bachelors degree, specializing in Hadith studies, and then went on to complete M.A. in in Islamic Theology from the College of Dawah. He then returned to the United States, and completed a PhD in Religious Studies from Yale University.
He is currently the Dean of Academic Affairs at the Islamic Seminary of America, and the Resident Scholar of the East Plano Islamic Center.
Dr. Yasir Qadhi has authored several books, published academic articles, and appeared on numerous satellite and TV stations around the globe. His online videos are some of the most popular and highly-watched Islamic videos in English.
Zaynab Ansari
Zaynab Ansari has served the Muslim Community of Knoxville since 2014 as a scholar-in- residence, public speaker, facilitator of interfaith dialogue, youth mentor, and a full-time instructor at Tayseer Seminary. She has over ten years of experience as a student and teacher of traditional Islam in various settings, having spent her formative years studying in Damascus, Syria with both male and female scholars of Qur'an, Islamic law, theology, and spirituality. Prior to settling in Knoxville, Ustadha Zaynab was based in Atlanta, where she earned degrees in World History and Middle Eastern Studies from Georgia State University, and dedicated her free time to volunteering with the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta, which honored her with the Georgia 40 Under 40 Muslims award in 2016.Ustadha Zaynab travels throughout the United States, speaking on issues of concern to the North American Muslim community at various forums, including ALIM, ICNA, and ISNA. She has also contributed to online Islamic portals and print publications including SunniPath, SeekersGuidance, Azizah Magazine, MuslimMatters, and the Muslim 500.
YASIR FAHMY
Shaykh Yasir began the study of Arabic and Islamic Sciences in his high school years under the guidance of local teachers. At the age of seventeen, he traveled to Amman, where he spent a year studying at the Islamic University of Jordan. He returned to the US and completed a Bachelor’s of Science from Rutgers University. After working in corporate America for three years in finance, he returned to the Middle East and enrolled in the prestigious Al-Azhar University in Cairo. After seven years of intensive study, Shaykh Yasir received a degree in Islamic Studies from Al-Azhar and attained numerous ‘ijazas (independent certifications) in the subjects of fiqh, hadith, aqida, usul al-fiqh, sirah, tazkiyyah, mantiq, Arabic grammar (nahu), morphology (sarf) and rhetoric (balagha). In 2013, Shaykh Yasir Fahmy became the first American Azhari to teach in the renowned Al-Azhar Mosque. Through his teaching, lecturing, mentorship, and religious leadership, Shaykh Yasir aims to foster love for the deen and appreciation of the vast richness of Islamic tradition in new generations of American Muslims. Alongside his religious studies, Mufti Kamani was blessed with having the opportunity to study the secular and academic sciences. He completed his graduate degree in Business Management from the University of Coventry in England as well.Mufti Kamani currently resides in Dallas, TX with his wife and four children. He serves as an Imam and is on the Board of Directors for the Islamic Association of Carrollton (Masjid Al-Rahman). He is also an instructor for the Qalam Institute.
SULEIMAN HANI
Imam Suleiman Hani is the Director of Academic Affairs at AlMaghrib Institute, a research scholar for Yaqeen Institute, a resident scholar at the Islamic Cultural Association, and an adjunct lecturer at the Islamic Center of Detroit. At the age of 14, Suleiman completed a 10-month Qur’an memorization program and began his intensive studies under numerous scholars, earning dozens of traditional religious certifications in the process. He later earned a master’s degree from the University of Jordan’s College of Shari’ah, ranking first in his class, and a master’s degree from Harvard University, where he studied religions, philosophy, political science, and psychology. Over the past decade, he has served as an Imam and community leader in Michigan, lectured in dozens of countries, published a number of books and articles, and was featured on the largest Islamic TV stations worldwide.
TESNEEM ALKIEK
Tesneem obtained her undergraduate degree in Early Christianity and Islamic Studies from the University of Michigan. She went on to complete her Ph.D. in Islamic Studies at Georgetown University with a focus on Islamic law. Tesneem currently serves as the Director of Expanded Learning where she works with her team to create curricula and other resources for communities to engage with Yaqeen’s research. She is also a Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Rutgers University-Camden.
ESSENTIAL AXIOMS:
We will enter the KR with the following important presumption which help how to address the issue:
KR COURSE MAIN COMPONENTS:
Fundamentals of Hadith Sciences. (Part-1)
Zaynab Ansari
(Definition of Hadith)
Fundamentals of Hadith Sciences. (Part-2)
Zaynab Ansari
Hadith & Sunnah
Break
Development of Hadith
SULEIMAN HANI
Overview of Documentation, Recording and Transmission (Part-1)
Prophetic Era
Development of Hadith
SULEIMAN HANI
Overview of Documentation, Recording and
Transmission. (Part-2)
Post-Prophetic Era
Lunch + Dhuhr
Overview of Hadith Collections
TESNEEM ALKIEK
Overview of Hadith Collections
TESNEEM ALKIEK
Asr
Hadith Classification
Zaynab Ansari
(Part-1)
Maghrib
Hadith Classification
SULEIMAN HANI
(Part-2)
Open Q&A
In the Company of Imam Al-Bukhari
SULEIMAN HANI
The Blessed Journey
The Role of Human Intellect in Hadith Interpretation
YASIR FAHMY
Break
When Hadith and Science (seem to) Clash
YASIR FAHMY
Emotional Discomfort
TESNEEM ALKIEK
Apostasy, Capital Punishment, & Human Rights
Lunch + Dhuhr
Verifying & Understanding Hyperbolic and Exaggerative Hadith
YASIR FAHMY
Hadith Related to Female Roles, Rights, & Rewards
Zaynab Ansari
Asr
Coexistence with and Treatment of Non-Muslims
SULEIMAN HANI
Maghrib
Loving the Hadith & Sunnah as a Means to Loving the Prophet
OMAR SULEIMAN
Open Q&A
