The Muslim Development Course has been rescheduled! It is due to start up again on April 4th.

The Muslim Development Course is the class I will be teaching that is part of the Quba Adult Learning Program entitled, al-Qāfilah: ‘The Knowledge Caravan’. The objective of this course is to encourage the development of Muslim thought, action, and behavior, both individual and social, in such a way that it reflects a deeper and more personal understanding, ownership, and embodiment of the divine principles found in the Qur’an and the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings upon him.

This course will examine the current conditions of Muslims – most immediately of those living in the Philadelphia area (though the principles may be applied to any) – with the aim of looking critically at our current condition and how we might apply the Qur’an and Sunnah in our lives by actively engaging in its historical realities and processes. Such topics will include, but are not limited to: the life of the Prophet [s] – a.k.a., the sīrah up to the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah; the early Qur’anic Revelation (Makkan period): the cultural context as well as its audience; pre-Islamic life in the Hijāz (the jāhiliyyah): what was pre-Islam Arabia like? How did pre-Islamic Arabs think?; the language of the Qur’an: its history, its audience, its changes – how do we as an English speaking audience conceive of its meaning?; the socio-political order of Makkah and Madinah: what lessons are there for us today, both personal and collectively? Through engaging in a dialog with the collective of Muslim Revelation, history, thought, and language, we can better understand ourselves and, God willing, have a deeper commitment to the legacy of the Prophet Muhammad.

The class starts April 4th. Running time is from 10:00am until 12:30pm. The class will run for four Sundays: April 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th. This session, the second session, will be held at Masjid Mujahideen, in West Philadelphia:

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The first cycle of this class was started on March 7th, and will is currently running until March 28th [taught by Imam Anas of the [Quba Institute]. If you would like to sign up for this course, please contact the Quba Institute as follows:

Phone: 215-473-8589. E-mail: adultprogram@qubainc.org. The course fee is $50 [this is less than $15 a day!]

I am often asked by Muslims on how they can better learn and memorize the Book of Allah. I know that even in the best of situations, memorization of the Qur’an can be a daunting task, whether one is a convert or born Muslim. There are a number of factors that make this a high road to climb:

1. Time: modern life can make it a challenge to find the time to consistently sit down and read Qur’an.
2. Study Methods: not everyone is born a great student. Like other areas of knowledge, one can learn to be more efficient at memorizing the Qur’an by learning good study skills.
3. Language: there is no doubt that lack of the Arabic language can make the process more difficult but one should not be discouraged. Many people learn the Qur’an without knowing what all the words mean. While under optimal conditions, the two would go hand-in-hand, this short article will assume that one is not a master of the language.

There is little I can do for points one or three, but I can offer some tips regarding point number two: technique. Here, I will introduce a time-tested technique, not only for myself, but one used throughout the Muslim world for students of Qur’anic memorization. I call it the Magic Lawh. (more…)

The objective of this course is to encourage the development of Muslim thought, action, and behavior, both individual and social, in such a way that it reflects a deeper and more personal understanding, ownership, and embodiment of the divine principles found in the Qur’an and the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings upon him.

This course will examine the current conditions of Muslims – most immediately of those living in the Philadelphia area (though the principles may be applied to any) – with the aim of looking critically at our current condition and how we might apply the Qur’an and Sunnah in our lives by actively engaging in its historical realities and processes. Such topics will include, but are not limited to: the life of the Prophet [s] – a.k.a., the sīrah up to the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah; the early Qur’anic Revelation (Makkan period): the cultural context as well as its audience; pre-Islamic life in the Hijāz (the jāhiliyyah): what was pre-Islam Arabia like? How did pre-Islamic Arabs think?; the language of the Qur’an: its history, its audience, its changes – how do we as an English speaking audience conceive of its meaning?; the socio-political order of Makkah and Madinah: what lessons are there for us today, both personal and collectively? Through engaging in a dialog with the collective of Muslim Revelation, history, thought, and language, we can better understand ourselves and, God willing, have a deeper commitment to the legacy of the Prophet Muhammad.

The class is slated to start February 21st at the Quba Instituate. If you would like to sign up for this course, you may contact the Quba Institute or stay tuned for more details.

65, a collection of mostly Deletion poetry, is now available for viewing. Enjoy some mind bending, grammar twisting poetry. www.marcmanley.com/65.

The Islamic Literacy Series is a new program at the University of Pennsylvania aimed at increasing the level of understanding among Muslims about their own faith. Each week, a 50 minute class will be held on a different topic pertaining to Islam. A faculty of 5 instructors will introduce, explore and examine the richness and diversity of the Muslim past and present. The goal is that over the course of this series, students find answers, discover new questions, challenge conventions, appreciate tradition and gain a better grasp of who they are and what their faith means.

All classes will be held in Huntsman Hall, Room TBD. The classes will be on Tuesdays and Wednesdays on the dates listed below. Each class will begin promptly at 7:30 and will last for exactly 50 minutes. Faculty will be available for those who wish to stay after to ask more questions. All students are welcome to attend. If you are not a student, but would like to attend please contact Adnan Zulfiqar to request permission (azulfica@sas.upenn.edu). For more information, read here.

New Muslim Cool – One of my images made it in the new documentary film, New Muslim Cool, a PBS special. Look for it here.

The American Muslim Experience is a documentary piece I have been putting together for several years now. It includes photographs and interviews of ordinary Muslims. Currently, I am working on meeting with older members of the Philadelphia Muslim community to help tell their story. (more…)

The Community Lens is a collection of RSS feeds that point to various points around the Muslim net that I think may be beneficial. If you have a link you want added, email me.

The Ma’rifah Blog is the spot that I will be posting the notes from khutbahs and halaqahs I deliver as well as links to any audio or video recordings of any such events. There’s also a schedule of when I will be speaking. I hope to also post some writings more specifically related to religion and spirituality as well. Check back often or subscribe to the feed.

Upon completing the khatīb certificate [the one who delivers the Friday sermon] under the tutelage of Mufti Anwar Muhaimin of the Quba Institute, I have been working as a khatīb here in the Philadelphia area, servicing various academic institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania and Jefferson University. (more…)