The answer to your question is Hamburger University, home to McDonald’s corporate training facility and a lot of interesting sites. Last year in May 2007, Qabeelat Wasat held The Code Evolved: Evolution of Fiqh taught by Shaykh Yaser Birjas at Hamburger U.

This year Qabeelat Wasat returns to the University of Big Macs for Light Upon Light, Aqeedah 102, taught by Shaykh Yasir Qadhi.

Some interesting issues arise as a result of holding an Islamic studies course at such a location. Will McDonald’s methodology work for our Islamic values?

“Do you believe in magic?”
As Muslims, yes we do, and AlMaghrib students know this well from Shaykh Yasir’s Aqeedah 101 class, Light of Guidance. We also know magic is a major sin; Muslims never involve in it, learn it, or come near it.

“We love to see you smile.”
It’s Sunnah to smile, right? After all, the Prophet (SAW) said that smiling is a form of charity.

Finally, after taking an AlMaghrib seminar, especially one with Shaykh Yasir Qadhi, we’re confident that you’ll be coming out of the two weekends with a Super Size EmanRush, a double filet ‘ilm increase, and if anyone asks you about Islam, you’ll just say…

See y’all at the class inshaAllah.

“Most khateebs and students of knowledge use the same evidences to prove the same points,” one attendee of the lecture said. “So when you’re listening to the lecture, you generally know the evidences that are being told because you’ve heard them before.”

“But some of the Ahadīth he said in this lecture I’ve never seen used. That’s what happens when you sit with someone who has ijāzah in the 6 books of Hadīth. ”

You can listen to the lecture below. Or download for your own listening pleasure below inshaAllah.

[Download | 35.6MB | 78 mins]

So yeah, Shaykh Yasir Qadhi is teaching a class this June in Chicago (see you there, insha’Allah ).

But wait!!!!!

What is the class about? Names and Attributes of Allah subhaana wa ta’aala? Yes, but that’s not the entire story - you might want to take a minute to read this because this is something Shaykh Yasir definitely wants you to know before taking the class.

First up, this is most difficult Aqeedah class offered by AlMaghrib Institute, period. Shaykh Yasir will build your knowledge from ground zero and take you up as high as you’d like to go, but sometimes, you climb really high, you look down, and it can be a bit scary. Same applies here - you take this class, you’re gonna go high, and you’re going to learn ALOT, but the question is, can you handle it?

The thing is, this isn’t a “Here’s a Name, here’s what it means, here’s an attribute, here’s what it means,” and so forth. No, this is a class about the fundamental principles underlying the names and attributes of Allah subhaana wa ta’aala. So you’ll first learn what we, Sunni Muslims, believe about them, and how they ought to be understood. Then you’ll learn how other groups, sects, and religions viewed those attributes, and the mistakes they committed as a result of such (mis)understandings in the second weekend.

Still down for it?

I will say this - I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to study this topic previously, and I have to say that while this topic is heavy with terminology, it’s also heavy on Emanrushes which is something not typical of your regular technical courses.

Why? Because in the process of studying this particular branch of Aqeedah, you end up studying at least 15 - 20 attributes of Allah subhaana wa ta’aala, and the proper understanding of those attributes skyrockets your Eman up a thousand-fold. You feel so much more closeness and spirituality when you get into it.

Best of all, when you study this topic, you know there is no better topic possible to study than this one - as the scholars have stated, to know the nobility of a branch of knowledge, look to the nobility of the topic of that branch of knowledge. In this case, we are studying about Allah subhaana wa ta’aala Himself, and what is more noble than Him, and therefore, what branch of knowledge can be more noble than studying about Him.

So, yes, there are many caveats I’m throwing out there, but I’m telling you, even more so than the speaker, the topic itself is amazing and an EmanRush on steroids, and despite it’s deep and academic nature, I STRONGLY encourage you to take this class.

To register for the class, click here.

As was custom, people responded to this call either coming themselves or sending representatives to receive the news that was about to be laid out to the masses of Makkah. Leaving whatever they were involved in, the people hurried over, to the mount of As-Safa to arrive at the disposal of the one they had come to know of AlSadiq (the truthful) AlAmin (the trustworthy).

Upon their gathering, the Messenger of Allah salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam posed a question of impending nature, “If I were to tell you that there were some horsemen in the valley planning to raid you, will you believe me?” They replied in a matter of fact manner and proclaimed, “Yes, we have never experienced any lie from you.” Then the Prophet Muhammad salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam announced, “I am a warner to you before a severe torment”.

Amongst this crowd was a disgruntled Abu Lahab. He had left the affairs of his life dangling to come hear the message and all he received was this! Disgusted with having to leave his costly work behind to hear a message he apparently had no time for, in a fit of rage he responded, “Perish you all the day! You have gathered us for this?!”

Did the Prophet salla Allahu ‘aayhi wa sallam not understand the ‘preciousness’ of his time? Did he not realize the money that needed to be made? Did he not take into account the energy spent in order to come and hear this message?

For asurety, the Messenger of Allah salla Allahu ‘aayhi wa sallam understood the society that was present and knew that this message was much more crucial than anything else that was to be done.

Have you seen Abu Lahab lately? I’ve seen him. I see him every Friday texting on his phone during Jumu’ah and requesting the salah to be shorter afterwards. I witnessed him pass up an invitation to a Halaqa to watch the latest episode of Smallville. I saw him at the restaurant with his friends at 5:00 AM in a restaurant, but didn’t see him at the masjid for Fajr.

If you haven’t caught on, I didn’t actually see Abu Lahab, but I saw his characteristic clear as day in these scenarios. Shaykh AbdulBary Yahya relayed to us in The Shepherd’s Path the aforementioned story and explained that some individuals become so obsessed with this world that when you bring up issues of the Hereafter, they go silent or they get upset that you brought up such an issue. In addition to this, they avoid these issues and tune out when they are mentioned.

Although, as Muslims, many of the examples I gave do not reject Islam, yet they have this baseline characteristic that renders them lost. It is an obsession with this world that distracts them from the final destination. This is what Abu Lahab had and is what drove him away from the serenity of Islam. Allah ‘azza wa jall says,

“And they will say, ‘If only we had been listening or reasoning,
we would not be among the companions of the Blaze.’” (67:10)

One of the greatest regrets of the ones who are banished to hell is that had they just listened, understood and obeyed to the ones who were calling to them, then they would not be stuck in such a position. This is also why we find in different places in the Qur’an where the people of Hellfire ask Allah subhaanahu wa ta’aala to placed back in the world so that they can do the good that they missed out on the first time around.

We are, by the Grace and Mercy of Allah subhaanahu wa ta’aala, still alive. Thus, we still have a chance to listen and understand. We still have an opportunity to attend those lectures and halaqaat that we got numerous fliers about. The time to unplug your ears, open your heart, and move your limbs is now! Because when your ears are decaying, your heart stops beating, and limbs no longer move, your deeds will be reckoned and you will arrive at your final destination.

Distracted by much is mankind,

Yet the truth is what he desires to find.

Blinded by routine and status quo,

By which he seeks fruit becomes his untimely foe.

Break yourself free from the shackles of this ignorance,

And bring yourself forth into the arms of knowledge and repentance.

May Allah subhaanahu wa ta’aala open our hearts to His Guidance, give us the tawfeeq to follow it, grant us the highest levels of Jannah. Ameen ya rabbil ‘aalameen.

No longer will we keep you waiting, here’s the khutbah, entitled “Uncomparable Love” for your listening and/or downloading pleasure. For those of you who were there, you’ll know exactly which love Shaykh Yasir chose to speak about.

[Download - 30 mins - 32.1MB]

JazakAllah khair to br. Muaz Rizvi and br. Sharif Murphy for helping record it. Enjoy.

While most people are used to seeing Shaykh Yasir Qadhi at a podium giving speeches about Allah subhanahu wa ta’alah, he made it clear last weekend that he likes to chow down as well.

While in town for an academic conference sponsored by the American Orientalist Association, Shaykh Yasir made plans to spend a couple of meals with the QWasat brothers. Despite a tight schedule on his busy weekend in Chicago, QWasat brothers treated Shaykh Yasir to a Friday night dinner in Devon, and a Sunday morning breakfast in Chicago.

Taking Shaykh Yasir to Usmania Restaurant in Devon whenever he’s in town seems to have become a QWasat tradition! Known as his all-time favorite Desi restaurant in the country, he always requests a dinner at the hot spot on Devon. Alhamdulilah, we were able to invite a lot of the brothers to come enjoy a night of biryani, gosht (meat), and conversation with one another.

Towards the end of the meal, while everyone was sipping on their mango shakes (absolutely amazing, by the way), Shaykh Yasir gave some words of encouragement and advice for the brothers in regards to his upcoming class, Light Upon Light. (more…)

A separate room was provided with live audio and PowerPoint feed, allowing the mommies to care for their loud or fussy babies without missing chunks of the class.

When asked about the new accommodations, former Wasat Ameerah, Olivia Kompier, said, “It was awesome! Really great, Alhamdulilah, I enjoyed it. And it was of immense benefit to a lot of people. Before, with my daughter, I couldn’t leave her with babysitters because of her anxiety with strangers, and now, nursing my son, I need to keep him near me.”

A lot of mothers experience this frustration, of loving these classes, and wanting to truly benefit from them, yet leaving periodically to care for their children, thereby receiving the knowledge only piecemeal. This took away from the experience of the Almaghrib class, reputably known for its professional learning environment, and dynamic teaching styles.

BUT NOW…

The people who need this Ilm the most, the ones responsible to carry this knowledge onto their children, can obtain it while responding to the call of maternal duties, a crying baby. This way, they may enrich their babies’ lives with Islamic environments which their fitrah craves, and have a great opportunity to learn and grow.

“Every mom came and did her own thing. They spread their blankets, set out coloring books, nursed easily when they needed to, and took notes. The mothers and babies just chilled, knowing they could relax undisturbed, and not disrupting the rest of the class.”

Make dua that we can maintain such awesome mommy and baby-friendly options for quality Ilm-gain! Insha’Allah, next time we can make it even better, with activities for the kids to occupy their time. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please comment, you will definitely be heard!

The khutbah begins at 2:00PM, after the first khutbah of 1:00pm ends. The parking lot will be a bit full from people leaving from the 1:00PM khutbah, so you might want to get there a bit early to avoid walking in late.

Shaykh Yasir is instructing the next seminar for Qabeelat Wasat in Chicago, Light Upon Light, a seminar on the names and attributes of Allah (SWT).

As many of you know, Shaykh Yasir is a current Ph.D. student at Yale University in Hartford, CT, and is a graduate in both bachelors and masters from the Islamic University of Medinah. He has spoken at events all over the world and is a specialist in Islamic theology.

Basically, this is gonna be a khutbah worth your time . Come by and see you there, inshaAllah.

Driving directions to IFS: Google Maps

“Wow, this is an amazing turnout!”

“I already miss the class!”

If I could list all the positive testimonials people give about AlMaghrib Institute experience with Qabeelat Wasat, that alone could make for a gi-normous blog post. Alhamdulillah, by the Mercy and Blessings of Allah subhaana wa ta’aala, our organization in Chicago has been outrageously successful (alright, so there was that Chain of Command hiccup, no one’s perfect) the past two years, and I thought, why not share some of our secrets with the people who read this blog If it benefits you, then insha’Allah, I’ll be rewarded as well.

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