This international panel of scholars examines Imam Tirmidhi’s Shama’il Muhammadiyya, one of the most revered works on the character, conduct, and descriptions of the Prophet (Allah bless and grant him peace). Through four focused presentations, the program highlights the objectives of studying the Shama’il, its placement within the traditional sciences, its role as a guide to Prophetic character and spirituality, and the rich legacy of scholarship dedicated to its preservation and teaching.
Participants will gain a deeper appreciation of how the Shama’il continues to shape Islamic learning, nurture love for the Prophet, and inspire spiritual transformation.
- المعلم: Mawlana Irshaad Sedick
- المعلم: الشيخ خالد الخرسة
- Students of Islamic Studies – seeking path to understanding Prophetic character and the role of the Shama’il within traditional scholarship.
- Teachers, Imams, and Community Educators – looking for reliable frameworks to teach the Sunnah, refine spirituality, and inspire their congregations.
- General Muslims and Seekers – anyone wishing to deepen their love for the Prophet and adopt his qualities in their lives through authentic, structured learning.
- Understand the purpose and significance of studying Imam Tirmidhi’s Shama’il in cultivating knowledge and love of the Prophet.
- Recognize the Shama’il’s place within the classical Islamic curriculum and its connection to broader hadith studies.
- Identify key Prophetic qualities highlighted in the Shama’il and how they inform character, ethics, and spirituality.
- Appreciate the legacy of traditional scholarship in preserving, commenting on, and transmitting the Shama’il across centuries.
- Develop a practical roadmap for applying the lessons of the Shama’il in personal development, teaching, and community engagement.
This seminar is a gathering in which we reflect on the life of one of the scholars of al-Sham who combined the precision of jurisprudence with the beauty of spiritual refinement — Shaykh Adib Kallas, may Allah have mercy on him. He lived what he taught and taught through how he lived.
Through this evening, we draw closer to the essence of the relationship between knowledge and character, between study and spiritual state, in a time when we are in great need of role models who connect knowledge to humanity and restore to learning its living meaning.
Shaykh Bassam Aytaani and Shaykh Faraz Rabbani will join the audience in exploring how we can carry the light of this scholar in our pursuit of knowledge, in our service, and in our journey to Allah. The program offers participants practical ways to embody the values the Shaykh lived by: presence of heart, discipline, compassion in teaching, and continuity in serving the religion.
- المعلم: Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
- المعلم: د. إياد عمار
- المعلم: الشيخ باسم عيتاني
- The age group includes youth, students of knowledge, and anyone seeking to renew their relationship with knowledge, religion, and the bond between teacher and mentor.
- The target audience consists of students of Islamic studies, teachers, educators, preachers, and those searching for the spirit of education and learning.
- It is also intended for anyone interested in understanding how knowledge and spiritual refinement come together in one path, and how a scholar can be a living example of what he teaches.
By the end of this seminar, participants will be able to:
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Recognize the key traits of Shaykh Adib Kallas — his knowledge, his method of nurturing others, and his practical character in life.
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Understand the relationship between knowledge and spiritual training as two complementary paths that together form the scholar-educator.
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Draw inspiration from the model of the “scholar who lives what he teaches,” enabling learners to renew their relationship with knowledge and service.
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Develop practical steps to strengthen presence of heart and discipline in seeking knowledge and serving others.
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Comprehend the meaning of “the light connected through transmission,” and how knowledge is passed on through spiritual state and companionship before words.
Join us for an illuminating exploration of two towering intellectual and spiritual figures who shaped the revival of Islamic scholarship in 20th-century Damascus. This seminar examines the remarkable lives and enduring legacies of Sheikh Salih Farfur (1901-1986) and Sheikh 'Abd al-Karim al-Rifa'i (1904-1973), whose innovative approaches to traditional learning transformed not only their immediate communities but influenced the broader landscape of Islamic education across Syria and beyond. Through the insights of two scholars who studied under these masters, participants will discover how Farfur's establishment of the influential Ma'had al-Fath al-Islami in Damascus—an institute that graduated thousands of students and became a model for Islamic education worldwide—and al-Rifa'i's "Zayd Jamaat" movement, which reimagined mosques as dynamic centers of education and community engagement, created sustainable models for preserving authentic Islamic scholarship while addressing the needs of modern Muslim society. This program offers a unique opportunity to understand how individual scholarly dedication, when combined with visionary educational leadership and deep spiritual grounding, can generate movements that continue to bear fruit decades after their founders' passing, providing contemporary Muslims with practical wisdom for revitalizing learning communities in our own time.
- المعلم: الشيخ خالد الخرسة
- المعلم: الشيخ محمد فايز عوض
1-Adults of all ages, particularly those in their 20s and above who are seeking to deepen their understanding of Islamic scholarship and its practical application in community building.
2- Students of Islamic learning and others seeking to understand how scholars in the twentieth century maintained a focus on calling to Allah based upon scholarship (‘ilm) in the context of the tremendous changes of the twentieth century
3-Anyone interested in the history and development of Islamic scholarship in Damascus and the Levant (Bilad al-Sham)
- Identify the key biographical details, scholarly contributions, and historical context of both Sheikh 'Abd al-Karim al-Rifa'i and Sheikh Salih Farfur
- Explain the distinctive features of their teaching methodologies and the movements of scholarship they established
- Evaluate the lasting impact of their educational innovations on Damascus, Syria, and the broader Muslim world
- Assess how these scholars successfully integrated traditional Islamic learning with community engagement
- Compare their strategies for preserving and transmitting classical Islamic knowledge in a modern context
- Synthesize lessons from both scholars' lives to create a comprehensive understanding of effective Islamic scholarship
Have you ever wished that you had a better understanding of basic Islamic history? What happened after the Prophet ﷺ passed from this world, and after the time of the Rightly Guided Caliphs? Join us for this informative course in which we will give a complete overview of Islamic History, so that you will become more aware of the lessons from past events, and gain a better understanding of what happened when, and how that leads to, and potentially impacted, the present-day reality that we face.
- المعلم: Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
- Give a clear sense of what truly matters in human history
- Show how true history is the history of faith, guidance, and virtue
- Appreciate the gift that faith and guidance represent
- Contextualize the nature of tests and trials—and how they relate to faith
- Learn lessons on how to view current political, human, and personal challenges.
