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’ān 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’ān 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’ānic 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’ān: 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 [Qubā' Institute]. If you would like to sign up for this course, please contact the Qubā’ Institute as follows:

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

As of May 2008, I have been certified as a khatīb [the one who delivers the Friday sermon speech for congressional prayer], by Imam Anwar Muhaimin of Masjid Quba in Philadelphia. and have delivered khutbahs in the Philadelphia area. Sermons cover such topics as spirituality, ‘aqīdah, examples from the biography of the Prophet Muhammad [s] and the Qur’an, but above all, a reminder on how Muslims here in the American context can creatively respond to it, with advise to help us all conduct our lives here in congruence with what the society demands of us as well as keeping true to the transcendant values of Islam. One of the goals is to help create psychological spaces for American Muslims.

Trained in the Mālikī school of Muslim thought, I keep one foot in the guild of law, one on the path of spirituality. Below is a list of some of the khutbah topics with links to the notes. You can also follow them via subscribing to the podcast or the RSS feed. Notes and audio for the khutbahs are also available here. An updated copy of the khutbah and lecture schedule is here.