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.
- Teacher: الشيخ خالد الخرسة
- Teacher: 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
