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
Yasir Qadhi is a lecturer and Islamic orator who has authored several books about Islam. He is a popular speaker in many Muslim circles in the United States, Canada, England and Australia. He was born in Houston, Texas, went to high school in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and graduated with a BSc in chemical engineering from the University of Houston. He pursued an education in Islamic studies, and left for the Islamic University of Madinah in Saudi Arabia. There, he completed a second bachelor’s degree, specializing in hadith studies, and then went on to complete an MA in Islamic theology. After the horrific events of 9/11, he decided to return to America, and completed a PhD in Islamic Studies from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Currently, he is an associate professor of religious studies at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN, the dean of academic affairs of Al-Maghrib Institute, and the resident scholar of the Memphis Islamic Center.
OMAR SULEIMAN
Imam Omar Suleiman is the President of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research and a professor of Islamic Studies at Southern Methodist University. He’s also the resident scholar of the Valley Ranch Islamic Center, and Co-Chair of Faith Forward Dallas at Thanks-Giving Square, a multi-faith alliance for peace and justice.
Originally from New Orleans, LA, he began his journey of traditional Islamic learning in the year 2000 and has spent years studying in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Malaysia, etc. Upon becoming certified in various traditional sciences, he completed a Bachelor’s degree in Islamic law, a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, a Master’s degree in Islamic Finance, a Master’s Degree in Political History, and is in the process of completing his PhD from the International Islamic University of Malaysia in Islamic Thought and Civilization.
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. In addition to her work at Tayseer Seminary, where she also serves on the board of directors, she is part of the teaching faculty of the Ribaat Program, an online Islamic Studies curriculum led by Anse Tamara Gray, a leading woman scholar of traditional Islam.
Tariq uses his platform to address the concerns of improperly served communities within the Chicagoland area through volunteerism and activism focusing on connectivity and justice.
Tariq is a past appointee to former Illinois Governor Pat Quinn's Muslim Advisory Council, and is a past Convener of the Chicagoland Shura Council (the gathering of masaajid and organizations comprising the community of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed). He serves on various organizational boards that reflect his core values of service, education, and activism.
When he's not engaged in community work, Tariq enjoys spending time with his wife of 17 years, and their three teenage daughters.
In her past role as Director of Movement and Campaign Strategies at PANA, she helped to build a newly founded organization as she built grassroots community power through organizing, advocacy, alliance building, designing and implementing a civic engagement infrastructure in refugee communities, developing leaders, addressing hate crimes and using an integrated voter engagement strategy to build a visible refugee electorate. She continues to be engaged in and work on issues that address racial disparities, social injustices, equity and inclusion for marginalized communities. She is a former co-host on Flip the Script: The Future is Female podcast which lifts up women game changers and leaders in San Diego county. She also served as a member of the Strategic Council for statewide tables Mobilizing the Immigrant Vote and Steering Committee member for Power California as well as a representative on California Calls’ African-American Civic Engagement Program.
Ismahan received her Bachelor’s in Human Biology from UCSD and a MA in Education with Concentration in Counseling from SDSU. She currently serves as the National Deputy Director for the Muslim American Society’s Public Affairs and Civic Engagement Department and also serves as the Executive Director at MAS PACE San Diego. Ismahan has received numerous recognitions and awards for her work including Assemblywoman Gonzalez-Fletcher’s 2018 Woman of the Year recognition, Power-Builder Award, recognized by NAACP for her service in the community, Moxie Theatre’s Women with Grit and Determination award, Youth Adult Ally 2019 and more. . As a frequent speaker in local and national platforms, Ismahan is passionate about working for justice and building an inclusive society.
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.
YASER BIRJAS
Often described as the fatherly figure by students, Shaykh Yaser exudes a calm, gentle and caring demeanor that welcomes students to ask questions with awe and respect.
Shaykh Yaser started his career in Electronic Engineering in the UAE, then in Madinah where he graduated as class Valedictorian with the highest honors from the Islamic University of Madinah’s College of Shari'ah (Fiqh and Usul) in 1996. He learned from various highly respected scholars such as Shaykh Mohammed Amin Al-Shanqiti and Shaykh Al-'Uthaymin.
In 1997, he went to work as a relief program aide to rebuild war-torn Bosnia. In 2000, he immigrated to the U.S. where he served as an Imam at The Islamic Center in El Paso, Texas and a director of English programs in Da'wah and outreach for the Orland Park Prayer Center. He is currently serving as Imam of the renowned Valley Ranch Islamic Center in Irving, Texas, rapidly establishing himself as an invaluable leader of the Texan Muslim Community.
His speciality in the subject of marriage and relations made him a highly sought marriage counsellor for the Muslim community, and with four children and much experience, his parenting classes are equally popular. With his superb all-round grasp on Islamic sciences, Shaykh Yaser is welcomed eagerly in every city he teaches whether it is his Usul, Fiqh, Financial Literacy, or Relationship classes. It is no wonder that he has taught more students than any other of our instructors at AlMaghrib!
Shaykh Yaser started his career in Electronic Engineering in the UAE, then in Madinah where he graduated as class Valedictorian with the highest honors from the Islamic University of Madinah’s College of Shari'ah (Fiqh and Usul) in 1996. He learned from various highly respected scholars such as Shaykh Mohammed Amin Al-Shanqiti and Shaykh Al-'Uthaymin.
In 1997, he went to work as a relief program aide to rebuild war-torn Bosnia. In 2000, he immigrated to the U.S. where he served as an Imam at The Islamic Center in El Paso, Texas and a director of English programs in Da'wah and outreach for the Orland Park Prayer Center. He is currently serving as Imam of the renowned Valley Ranch Islamic Center in Irving, Texas, rapidly establishing himself as an invaluable leader of the Texan Muslim Community.
His speciality in the subject of marriage and relations made him a highly sought marriage counsellor for the Muslim community, and with four children and much experience, his parenting classes are equally popular. With his superb all-round grasp on Islamic sciences, Shaykh Yaser is welcomed eagerly in every city he teaches whether it is his Usul, Fiqh, Financial Literacy, or Relationship classes. It is no wonder that he has taught more students than any other of our instructors at AlMaghrib!
In addition to be being a mentor and speaker, Lobna has written for myvirtualmosque.com and the MAS Blog. Lobna is a recent graduate of Chapman University with a Masters of Fine Arts in Screenwriting. She is the creator of the YouTube channel, Double Shot Mocha Productions, where she strives to promote social awareness through humor.
Lobna was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from California State University, Northridge in Business Administration with a focus in Accounting. She worked as an accountant for ten years until she began her career as a mother. Lobna moved to Egypt for three years with her husband, Shaikh Suhail Mulla, and her children and studied Arabic, Qur’anic Recitation and Islamic Sciences under Azhari scholars. Lobna Mulla currently resides in Los Angeles, CA with her husband and four children.
ESSENTIAL AXIOMS:
We will enter the KR with the following important presumption which help how to address the issue:
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Hadith is the main source of Islamic knowledge & Shariah second to none but to the Quran.
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No Muslim should ever reject something they know the Prophet (S) authentically said, did or approved. If the Prophet (S) was in front of them, they’d accept it.
KR COURSE MAIN COMPONENTS:
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The sciences of hadith are technical and can become very dry, and the goal of the KR is for the audience to have a general understanding of sciences of hadith, without getting bogged down by the minutia.
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While discussing the sciences of hadith real-life scenarios will be covered as related case studies for lessons learnt.
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We will discuss in two to three lectures the following basic hadith topics "Definition of hadith & its sciences, brief history of hadith compilation, classification of hadith".
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Next lectures will focus on 3 sources of doubt related to hadith and how to dispel them:
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SOCIETAL DOUBT
It’s coming from what they heard their family and friends say; for example, people might say things like “hadith are nonsense, shuyookh are trying to control things, all you need is the Quran, etc.” This rhetoric is often a tactic to escape certain fiqh issues that would problematize their own lifestyles. And they’ll attempt to bolster their argument by saying, “just follow the Quran,” when in reality they say this because they believe the Quran is more lenient than hadith, and they can ultimately do things they want to do either because Quran did not mention it or the Prophet (S) forbade it but they can question the authenticity of relating it to the Prophet.
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INTELLECTUAL DOUBT
One of these doubts is to believe it’s simply not possible to accurately transmit hadith as it is transmitted by chain (e.g. I heard this person, who heard from this person, that the Prophet (S) said…). The teacher’s goal is to intellectually and factually reassure Muslims that the science of hadith is indeed a robust, credible science.
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COGNITIVE DOUBT
They don’t doubt the sciences of hadith. Rather, there are some hadith that are controversial and this leads to doubting the hadith tradition as a whole. For example, they may assess a hadith that is difficult to reconcile. They will have trouble believing the Prophet (S), the most perfect human being, would ever say such a thing on various matters or do such a thing. The doubt in one hadith then causes doubt in several other hadith. And it leads to questioning the need for hadith. Therefore, it is important to have a session or two titled, “Did the Prophet (S) really say that?” It’s important for the speakers of the IKR to address the controversial hadith by quoting what classical scholars said centuries ago, because you will find differing opinions amongst scholars regarding such hadith. This will lead the audience members to realize that such hadith are in fact not controversial. And another lecture will address how to approach such controversial hadith. Ultimately, the goal is when Muslim says or feels, “I’m uncomfortable with this hadith,” the speaker can help the Muslim go from feelings of doubt to the affirmation of “we hear and we obey.”
SCHEDULE
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9:00 AM - 9:40 AM
Fundamentals of Hadith Sciences. (Part-1)
(Definition of Hadith)
09:45 AM - 10:30 AM
Fundamentals of Hadith Sciences. (Part-2)
Hadith & Sunnah
10:30 AM - 10:45 AM
Break
10:45 AM - 1:30 AM
Development of Hadith
Overview of Documentation, Recording and Transmission (Part-1)
Prophetic Era
11:30 AM - 12:15 AM
Development of Hadith
Overview of Documentation, Recording and
Transmission. (Part-2)
Post-Prophetic Era
12:15 PM - 02:00 PM
Lunch + Dhuhr
2:00 PM – 2:45 PM
Overview of Hadith Collections
2:45 PM -3:30 PM
Overview of Hadith Collections
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Asr
4:00 PM – 4:45 PM
Hadith Classification
(Part-1)
4:45 PM – 5:30 PM
Maghrib
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Hadith Classification
(Part-2)
6:30 PM – 7:45 PM
Open Q&A
9:00 AM - 9:40 AM
In the Company of Imam Al-Bukhari
The Blessed Journey
09:45 AM - 10:30 AM
The Role of Human Intellect in Hadith Interpretation
10:30 AM - 10:45 AM
Break
10:45 AM - 1:30 AM
When Hadith and Science (seem to) Clash
11:30 AM - 12:15 AM
Emotional Discomfort
Apostasy, Capital Punishment, & Human Rights
12:15 PM - 02:00 PM
Lunch + Dhuhr
2:00 PM – 2:45 PM
Verifying & Understanding Hyperbolic and Exaggerative Hadith
2:45 PM -3:30 PM
Hadith Related to Female Roles, Rights, & Rewards
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Asr
4:00 PM – 4:45 PM
Coexistence with and Treatment of Non-Muslims
4:45 PM – 5:30 PM
Maghrib
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Loving the Hadith & Sunnah as a Means to Loving the Prophet
6:30 PM – 7:45 PM
Open Q&A