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Reflection on the Knoxville Deen Intensive

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Reflection on the Knoxville Deen Intensive
Intellectual
08/07/03 at 08:43:00
As Salamu Alaikum.

Some of my friends thought that it would be a good idea if I post this up on the board.

Anyway, here is an essay on my experience of the Knoxville Deen Intensive:

Personal Testimonial of My Very First Deen Intensive

Chapter 1: A Small Account on How I Ended Up Going to the DIP

     My journey towards a greater understanding of the importance of studying Islam in the traditional method began on June 7th, 2003. I clearly remember walking in to the Garden State Exhibit and Convention Center in New Jersey for Zaytuna Institute’s East Coast Fundraising event. The very first person I interacted with as soon as I walked in was a brother handing out small flyers. Being that I was very eager to walk in to the main hall, I tried to avoid him. My attempt failed and he handed me one. I quickly pocketed it without giving the flyer’s content any notice. (Little did I know that this one particular brother would soon become a good and sincere friend of mine.)
     
     At the fundraising event, the organizers presented a short video about the Zaytuna Institute. The video, despite its short length, really captured me and caught my interest. The video showed students of Zaytuna studying Islam in a traditional manner, and that inspired me enough to want to go to Zaytuna to study. However, as I was stuck in between my sophomore and junior year at college, I reluctantly realized that the idea of going to Zaytuna would have to wait. But the idea of wanting to study Islam in a way that was studied ever since the time of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) still remained fresh and alive in my mind.

     That night, after the event, I emptied out the large pockets of my Moroccan thawb and placed all of the slightly crumpled flyers on my desk. I was weary and tired, but something made me decide to look through some of the flyers that I had received. I looked upon the first one: “Knoxville Deen Intensive: Internalizing the Two Testimonies,” it said. The list of shuyukh (scholars) included some of North America’s finest scholars. Included amongst them was a wonderful teacher that I have known for quite a while: Shaykh Adil Saleem Woods, who is from my city of residence in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I have never been to a Deen Intensive before. I have heard of them, and I personally knew a few friends who have attended Rihlas and Deen Intensives in the past. They have all related to me good accounts of their respective experiences. Right then and there, I thought to myself that since I am not taking any summer classes, I should take this opportunity to attend this Deen Intensive since I most likely will not have such an opportunity for a long time.

     A few days later, I called up Shaykh Adil to ask him if I could have the distinct honor of being his traveling companion to the Deen Intensive. Even before I asked, he offered me to come along with him. This was truly a great blessing for me. So, I proceeded to undergo the application process for the Knoxville Deen Intensive. In just a matter of few days, I received an acceptance letter that brought much joy to my heart. It brought me much joy because not only was I going to attend a Deen Intensive, but I was going to travel with a wonderful and noble scholar, and traveling with the people of righteousness is something that is encouraged in the Islamic tradition. It is said that when one travels with a scholar, just the mere fact that the companion and the scholar are close to each other would facilitate the spiritual betterment of the companion. So, in short, I was truly blessed.

Chapter 2: An Account of the Knoxville Muslim Community

     During the wee hours of Thursday, July 17th, after praying Fajr, I embraced my family and left home. Shaykh Adil and I both began our flight to Knoxville, Tennessee. During our travel, we both had the opportunity to discuss many pertinent issues facing the Muslim Ummah in America. During our talks, I never forgot that I was truly blessed to travel with this great, yet humble, scholar.

     While on the plane, I looked out of the window and I saw a few large bodies of water down below. They reminded me of how knowledge is like a vast ocean that one cannot see the limits or boundaries of, and that the amount of knowledge we, as human beings made of mud and clay, can have is so small and fractional. I realized that I was attending this Deen Intensive only to gain a fraction of that fractional amount, but that the journey would still be worth it, for the pursuit of knowledge is one carried out from the cradle to the grave.

     Upon arriving at the Knoxville airport, Shaykh Adil and I were greeted by two young brothers. As unbelievable as this may sound, I started to gain a sense of what the Knoxville Muslim community must be like just by observing the hospitality of these two wonderful brothers. They dropped the Shaykh and I at the apartment of one of the local brothers in Knoxville where we experienced even more hospitality and brotherly love emanating from our wonderful hosts. We were constantly asked if we needed more provisions and if we were content. The hospitality I witnessed there was unprecedented.

     That night, Shaykh Adil and I had the opportunity to see the Knoxville Muslim community as a whole at a fundraising dinner. Imam Zaid and Sidi Haroon Sellars were the two main guest speakers of the dinner. Upon meeting and greeting more wonderful Knoxvillian Muslims, we heard Imam Zaid’s and Sidi Haroon’s two spectacular speeches.

     The next two days were replete with local Islamic events, halaqas, and even the marriage of one of the local and beautiful brothers. The brotherhood that Shaykh Adil and I experienced closely resembled the brotherhood that we study of in the Madinan community of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Hosts would jump at the opportunity to entertain guests, smiles accompanied every greeting, and everyone felt like they were part of the community. During these two days, Shaykh Adil and I would continuously admire the community’s hospitality and we would also hope that our own community in Philadelphia would resemble this one.

     The masjid in Knoxville, Masjid an-Noor, is unlike many of the masajid that one would notice in the larger cities: it accommodated believers from varying backgrounds and races. And they were all together in a wonderful state of brotherhood and sisterhood! Many times, masajid in larger cities would usually separate along lines of trivial and nonsense divisions, but this was not the case at all in Knoxville.

     It was also during this time that I met brother Tarek El-Messidi, who was the main organizer of the Deen Intensive. Masha Allah, brother Tarek is a brother who has been blessed with the distinct ability to serve the cause of Islam without acquiring any tiredness. Throughout my stay in Tennessee, he has served as one of the best hosts. Surprisingly, I learned that it was brother Tarek who handed me the flyer for the Deen Intensive back in June at the Zaytuna fundraising event in New Jersey.

     I wished to see more of the Knoxville Muslim community, but the time came when we had to depart to leave for the Deen Intensive, the main purpose of my visit.

Chapter 3: An Account of the Baraka-Filled Deen Intensive

     We arrived at Coker Creek Village a short while after noon on Sunday, July 20th. As soon I walked the ground of the campsite itself, I was astonished. I was immersed in Allah’s (SWT) creation. All of the different life forms around me reminded me that we, as human beings, have to return back to the natural order of things. It just amazed me to think that in the midst of all of the chaos and disruptions, the trees still continue to grow, the animals and insects still live in harmony, and that the stream still flowed ever so gently. These were surely reminders that the best way for man to turn to is the natural way, and the natural way is Islam.

     We were directed to our cabins where we settled our luggage down and began to make acquaintances amongst ourselves. (I was able to settle down in the same cabin where Shaykh Adil and Mufti Abdur Rahman were settling in. This, I considered, was another blessing.) The group of brothers there were really nice and friendly. It gave me much encouragement to know that I would be studying alongside other brothers who had the same desire to seek knowledge.

     After a brief orientation session, the scholars gave us some introductory and guiding advice as to how we should conduct ourselves as students. I was able to gain much knowledge of the adab (etiquette) that students must adopt when studying, of how we can facilitate our growth of knowledge, of how we were to spend our free time, and of how blessed we were to be in the presence of scholars who generously took time out of their schedules to teach us.

     Our first actual lesson was taught by the truly captivating Shaykh Husain Abdul Sattar. His lessons were on revelation and the compilation of the Qur’an. Now, being someone who attended Sunday school for quite a while and read a few seerah accounts, I initially thought that I pretty much knew everything there was to know on revelation: Simply, the first verses of the Qur’an were brought down to the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) by the Angel Jibreel, and the rest of the verses were revealed to him over a period of 23 years. However, Shaykh Husain did a truly excellent job in teaching us aspects of revelation that many of us have never even thought of. Plus, he did it in such a captivating and eloquent manner. We were all paying attention to him very seriously. He made an excellent point that we, as ordinary human beings, have been given the five senses, intellect, and reason in order to gain a better understanding of the wahi (revelation) that was given to the Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
     
Then we were blessed to have the presence of Shaykh Adil. His gentle and eloquent way of teaching caught the attention of all of the students. His first lesson on the legal proofs of dhikr enlightened all of us as to the importance of remembering Allah (SWT) at all times. It was through him that we learned that any gathering in which the name of Allah (SWT) is not mentioned is a gathering of grief. He also taught a class to the younger students on the major sins. Every time I had the opportunity to go and sit in one of his classes, I took it. Throughout the camp, many of the younger students told me of his impressive way of teaching and advising. Finally, he taught from an important text known as “The Book of Assistance.” Through the book, he taught us that the way to change our outward is by changing our inward. Every student enjoyed the company of Shaykh Adil and would always seek advice from him.

     Mufti Abdur Rahman allowed us to benefit from his vast knowledge of the “Ihya Ulum-id-Din,” one of the most important texts in the Islamic tradition. This is a text that many of us heard of, but very few of us knew about. Mufti Abdur Rahman was able to bring the text alive by his clear and lucid style of teaching. He began his lessons by teaching us of the historical importance of Imam al-Ghazali and his impact on the Western world. Over the course of his lessons, he taught us four major aspects that are addressed in the text: worship, habits, destructive factors, and those things that lead to survival. Many of the students were loved his distinct and humorous style of teaching so much that they bought some of his CD’s. Mufti Abdur Rahman’s great ability to draw contemporary parallels to the situations addressed in the text really moved me. I was extremely drawn to his character, especially since I was able to sleep in his cabin.

     Many of the students anticipated the arrival of Imam Zaid Shakir to our Deen Intensive. In his powerful and persuading voice and tone, he taught us about bettering our communities by drawing examples from Islamic history. Much to the students’ delight, he brought forth fascinating pieces of knowledge alongside with humor. By addressing many of the problems of today’s Muslim communities, Imam Zaid inspired every one of the students to go back and implement what we have learned.

     Finally, there was the extremely heart-warming and gentle Shaykh Salek bin Siddina. I first met him two days before the Deen Intensive began and I was immediately captured by this scholar’s character. When he first meets somebody, he lovingly embraces him, puts his arm around him, and does not let go for quite a while. Upon seeing this great scholar for the first time, I wept out of the love and compassion he showed me and other brothers. I never thought I could cry out of love for someone until I met this scholar. He inspired me to learn Arabic after he told the students of its benefits. He went over a text of respecting the rights of parents and grandparents, and I am sure that he gave much more detailed insight as to the rights our parents have over us. Even though I do not know the Arabic language, there was still something about him that strongly drew me and the rest of the students towards his presence. He was my teacher in Maliki fiqh, and he taught me how to determine the times of Zuhr and Asr just by looking at the sun. He left me with two gifts, a book on Maliki fiqh and a du’a written by Murabit al-Hajj (both written only in Arabic), and these gifts presented a challenge to me that I am willing to accept: the challenge of learning the Arabic language.

     Shaykh Salek’s advice on respecting parents was so powerful that the participants of the Deen Intensive saw immediate implementation of his words. One of the participants of the Deen Intensive, brother Nasser, learned by way of phone call that his mother was sick. Upon hearing this news, he returned back home in order to tend to his mother. This was a reminder for all of us that we are all to respect our parents and care for them and tend to them when they are in need.

     Alhamdulillah, the above words cannot do enough justice to the greatness of the scholars that we had the opportunity to study under. They were towers of knowledge, and we were blessed to partake in a small portion of the knowledge that they imparted to us. Being there made me realize even more why our scholars are the heirs of the Prophets.

     Besides engaging in the pursuit of traditional Islamic knowledge, the Deen Intensive was an amazing brotherhood-building experience for me. I had the opportunity to bond with so many wonderful brothers from so many different places. It is always encouraging to know that there are other knowledge-seeking students out there. Our brotherhood was gradually growing as the days went by, and we finally solidified this bond after an emotional gathering around a campfire. We all sat in one big circle, and we took turns stating our names, where we came from, and what we got out of the Deen Intensive. We ended this occasion with some singing. I am glad that Allah (SWT) gave me the opportunity to meet all of those brothers. I love them all for the sake of Allah (SWT).

     Probably one of the most memorable events of the Deen Intensive was the lesson that Imam Zaid conducted on top of a gorgeous mountaintop. The scene was breathtaking, and we ended our lesson by roasting halal marshmallows around a campfire. Learning about our deen becomes much more fantastic when you are surrounded by nature wherever you turn. Words alone cannot describe the experience of an amazing mountaintop view.

     To conclude my thoughts on the Deen Intensive, I must say that I learned the importance of studying Islam in the traditional method. Right before Shaykh Adil and I left for the airport, we stopped by the home of one of the local Knoxvillian brothers, and there, I had one last opportunity to sit with Shaykh Salek. Immediately before I departed to the airport, Shaykh Salek asked me to sit next to him. Through his translator, he corrected one of the past statements he made in one of his fiqh lessons at the Deen Intensive. On my way to the airport, I realized from Shaykh Salek’s correction, the importance of studying Islam traditionally. If anyone were to simply record a teacher’s lesson in which a mistake was made, and if that person was to only hear that recording later, he would learn something incorrect. On the other hand, by always being with a scholar, one can receive explanations and corrections for anything that they have learned. I am not trying to downplay the useful nature of tapes and books, but there surely is an advantage and beauty in studying Islam traditionally.

As I was leaving, I realized that Tennessee was one of the places where the Native Americans were forced to leave their homes and go west. In 1838, General Winfield Scott passed a statement calling for the removal of the Native Americans from that very land that I was walking on during the Deen Intensive. As a result, they were forced to migrate while trying to retain their culture and way of life. Much of the Native American culture was preserved through the oral tradition.

In July of 2003, Muslims gathered in Tennessee to try and preserve a tradition that has been passed down to them since the days of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). That is the tradition of learning Islam under the presence of the scholars. While they did not experience the turmoil that the Native Americans experienced, they still tried to hold onto this tradition in the midst of many influences that would divert them, such as negative television.

Chapter 5: A Final Account

     Presently, I am now home in Philadelphia. I have told my friends of the Deen Intensive and of its benefits. Now, I have a whole group of friends who have been inspired enough to attend the next Deen Intensive.

Waqar Abdur Rahman
Temple University MSA
Re: Reflection on the Knoxville Deen Intensive
tawbah
08/08/03 at 16:00:18
Masha Allah, that was  beautiful, I’m literally in tears.  

Brother Waqar, Jazak Allahu Khairan for taking the time to write this very moving account of your experience.  I have never attended a deen-intensive and after reading this you certainly increased my yearning ten fold.  

I think it would be very beneficial if you submit this to the deen-intensive.com w ebmaster as there is currently only one testimonial.

Wa 'alaikum as-Salam.
08/08/03 at 16:01:18
tawbah
Re: Reflection on the Knoxville Deen Intensive
Nawawi
08/10/03 at 21:03:16
[slm]

maa sha Allah.

This is so good to hear. Al hamdullah.

To see traditional Islam growing, to see people wanting to stick to the Sunnah.  

So you are maliki, Al hamdullah.  I am Shafi.  Some of my Maliki brothers around here find it strange that I reading Maliki books.  I've been reading Imaam Ibn Abi Zayd's Risala off and on, and I am also reading some books on the usul of maliki fiqh.  I mean Maa Sha Allah it is indeed a beautiful school.

I would like to go to Mautania and study there.  I know it sound strange to here a Shafi say that.  But seriously, I would love to study under those Shuyukh, from what I hear, they are truly awesome.  I would like to meet Murabit ul Hajj.  From the things I hear about him he seems to be like the modern day Imaam Malik.

I guess one of my attraction to the madhab is because I listen to Shaykh Hamza Yusef alot.

I've have meet a couple of traditional Shuyukh, Shaykh Mushin, Shaykh Nuh and Shaykh Khalil.  All happen to be Shafi, Well expect Shaykh Mushin he has ijaza's in Shafi, Maliki and Hanafi fiqh.

But anyway. this is so beautiful to hear.  
08/10/03 at 21:09:21
Nawawi
Re: Reflection on the Knoxville Deen Intensive
se7en
09/11/03 at 04:13:05
as salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullah,

*sigh*... masha'Allah.. it sounds like such a beautiful and heart-moving experience.  

Earlier today I was talking to someone about my (not so nice) comments about the ISNA conference this year, and how I found it spiritually lacking in a lot of ways.. and he made me question whether it was the conference that was lacking, or my state of mind when attending it.

SubhanAllah just reading this account.. how you found beauty in even small things like the hospitality of the brothers that hosted you.. saw metaphors of knowledge amid the currents of water you saw from your airplane window..  these are a lesson to me.  It's indicative of a person attending a gathering of learning with the right focus of mind and heart.

jazak Allahu khayran for sharing with us :)
09/11/03 at 04:13:53
se7en
Re: Reflection on the Knoxville Deen Intensive
AyeshaZ
09/14/03 at 17:42:06
[quote author=se7en link=board=bookstore;num=1060256580;start=0#3 date=09/11/03 at 04:13:05]as salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullah,

*sigh*... masha'Allah.. it sounds like such a beautiful and heart-moving experience.  

Earlier today I was talking to someone about my (not so nice) comments about the ISNA conference this year, and how I found it spiritually lacking in a lot of ways.. and he made me question whether it was the conference that was lacking, or my state of mind when attending it.

[/quote]

Subhan'Allah se7en very deep!.. Many times we forget to look inside our hearts.. subhan'Allah


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