Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. Photo by Neil Turner

Coming out of the airport, surrounded by several eager and anxious faces, we got on the bus. “Who got VIPed?” was the first question to be asked. One of the brothers answered: “I did at Heathrow, but I don’t blame them. I’m a nuclear engineer, working at an energy plant, going to Istanbul for a month long Islamic workshop”. And I thought to myself: “OK, what did I sign up for exactly?”

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The Rihla for me was an opening of several doors, and a repainting and ornamentation of many others. I have always been involved in international work and communities, and always have been thankful for the horizons Allah has extended my understanding for , yet this time I am thankful for the blessing of coloring all of these horizons, and in the most beautiful color of brotherhood in Islam, with all of its warmth and love that comes organically, and extends towards brotherhood with all humanity.

A sentence that I have heard from many, and repeated myself: “It felt like a year, or several years, but it passed as quickly as a day”. When my family greeted me at the airport, their first question was “How was it?”. But how can I summarize a year into words when I have only been away for a month in the eyes of others? In the eyes of others, it is unbelievable that we have accumulated so much in so little, and adopted a state of mind and heart, in a time that appears to them to be very short. My answer was: “Alhamdulellah, it was great, I feel that I’m free now, a truly free Muslim”.

“teşekkür ederim” and “Afiyet olsun” are what distinguished my Turkish experience on this trip to Turkey, I simply couldn’t get enough of repeating my thanks, nor of hearing the kind words from our Turkish hosts. Our hosts have been extremely kind and generous, and have shown us a side of Turkey, that I myself have never seen despite having visited it before. The beauty of the mosques which having the Shuyukh roaming around with us gave them a different light, and a lovely taste. The kindness of the people whom once you say anything in Turkish they smile widely, and try in any possible way (though in Turkish) to help you and assist you (specially at the dorms, who never got  bored of our numerous thanks and greetings). The packed streets with people who would immediately greet you with “salam Alaykom” in case you were wearing the usual Rihla-style clothing, specially that street next to the dorm with its sweets shops (with one particular sister buying sweets for everyone every Ramadan night), and its joyful “dondurma” stalls with their humor (almost staining our clothes with their ice cream “games”), and its Burger King (which we stopped visiting after Imam Afroz’s lectures).

Studying at Arab universities, every single movement of the Shuyukh had more impact upon me than others coming from western cultures, for people don’t know what they’re missing until its gone, and though ensha’-Allah they won’t lose it in their countries, we never had it to begin with in ours; that is proper people of knowledge, in other words: Scholars. Humility and humbleness are a treasure, and an indicator of how people that hold true knowledge carry themselves, standing in line along with us at the cafeteria, sitting with us on the benches, widely smiling with greeting and pure joy at meeting those who qualify as their daughters and sons (some as sisters and brothers) by age, and respectfully directing their speech towards us with full sincerity hoping that we absorb it and implement it (a respect that shows in their strive to memorize our names). This among other traits of their character is what drew me the most towards them, and I now understand what a scholar is, and what does it mean to be in the presence of those whom Allah loves and enlightens; its enlightening in its own right!

Rihla 2012 in Yenikapi Tekke in Istanbul, Turkey. Photo by Neil Turner

Seldom did I pray for being in heaven with people from this age, and it took a lot of time after meeting someone to start thinking this way about them, but the Rihla has got me to pray to be in heaven with almost 200 sisters and brothers, and this has happened in just one week! Their open hearts, their modesty, their high manners, and their strong intellect has drawn me and given me a sense of pride and a strong bond with each one of them (whether we met properly or not). Engineers and Doctors mainly (as all Muslims are as I discovered), yet their search for truth has overcame these exhausting and demanding professions, an indicator of how aware they have grown (also of how right Sheikh Hamza is about humanitarian studies).

In my international work experience, I have organized several conferences and conventions, and by the end of them I couldn’t look in any of the faces of the participants regardless of how much I liked them, me and my team would always be so fed up with all the pressure that we just want everything to end properly so that we may go and sit alone. But our wonderful organizers and volunteers never got tired, never stopped granting us their smiley faces and calm voices of help and advice, and always were on top of things no matter how little they slept. And in the end, were generous in their tears of departure as their true calls and prayers for another meeting echoed not only in our ears, but deep within our very souls.

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Alhamdulellah first, and as the Messenger of God Peace be Upon Him said “He who wouldn’t thank people, wouldn’t thank God”. Thank you our Shuyukh for your time, knowledge, and for your example that I promise to try and follow in my life. Thank you our organizers for your extraordinary effort, with you this Rihla has been a success. Thank you our live stream team and public relations team, with your efforts we are reliving a part of the Rihla every day. Thank you for showing me how kids can happily roam around those who pray and feel safe, thank you for letting me use the words I love; “Alhamdulellah”, “Masha’a Allah”, and “Ensha’a Allah” in my English conversations. Thank you my sisters for displaying what a Musilmah is in reality, thank you my brothers for your brotherhood and true “manly” kinship. Thank you Turkey for your reviving air, your delicious food, and your warm people, and for your Taraweeh “workout” at the “Mas-gym”.

Rihla 2012 Bosphorus Cruise in Istanbul, Turkey. 

Thank you all for giving me the chance to meet you,

Thank you for instilling within me the freedom of Islam,

Alhamdulellah,

Wassalamu Alaykom Wa Rahmatu Allah Wa Barakatuh,

-Suleiman S. Arabiat

Rihla 2012 Students. Istanbul, Turkey. Photo by Neil Turner.

The Spiritual Oasis

The first impression I had related to this Rihla (and that was well before it actually started) was that it would be my means of acquiring sacred knowledge and meeting distinguished scholars and companions. I feel confident now to say that I was absolutely right in this, yet I hadn’t imagined that “acquiring” and “meeting” would be better replaced by “being enlightened” and “getting blessed by”. This Rihla was the spiritual oasis in my life so far..

For the first time in my life, I didn’t want to contact anyone back in my country during the Rihla… I just wanted to completely be there, and I couldn’t spare any part of my mind being back home. What I allowed my home country of my thinking was how to convey what I can of this to it, and how I would describe these amazing feelings I get looking at the faces of scholars I have never ever been able to find the likes of, or staying at the dorms with brothers that managed to easily bring my tears down saying goodbye to them – a thing my best buddies here have perhaps never dreamed of!

May Allah bless them all wherever they are, and answer all their duas… Amin.

The knowledge I was blessed with feeling Alhamdulillah reshaped my thinking and my perspective, I have been introduced to a new way, a new perfect manifestation of our splendid tradition.

I shall revisit this oasis to refresh my soul on every possible occasion Insha’Allah…

Tareq Sharawi

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Islam, Iman, Ihsan

Rihla 2012 Students. Istanbul, Turkey. Photo by Neil Turner.

Assalamualaikum,

I came to this journey seeking knowledge about the greatest love of my creator, Ihsan. However, I’ve learnt that this love can’t entirely be found in the teachings of our beloved shuyookh, rather, this love already existed inside of me.

The Rihla family have helped me rediscover this love, the ability to love another without necessitating it back and feel complete is, to me, proof that Ihsan lies within oneself. It has become unnecessary to search and depend on another persons love when I know I can seek the ultimate love of my creator independently and feel complete.

So I leave this journey reborn and in love again, knowing that this love is from the infinite and will remain until eternity. I love you all for the sake of Allah and thank you for an amazing experience.

-Anonymous

Ustadh Yahya Rhodus comments on the significance and benefits of Deen Intensive Rihla program and provides advice for students seeking scared knowledge locally and abroad. He also shares a special story of loving the Beloved Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

Interviewed by Brother Stuart Clark and Sister Rika Prodhan

Rihla 2012

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Dr. Winter is clearly a singular teacher. He speaks to us with an almost poetic and story-like eloquence, using his words like swords that pierce through to the crux of the matter. Yet at the same time, he is gentle, kind and humble when he reminds us of how ignoble we are as human beings without a disciplined inner practice destined to eventually reconcile our hearts with our limbs and our tongues.

What I absorbed from Dr. Winter’s lectures that I attended and the few short conversations I enjoyed with him can be summed up in an unusual moment when I witnessed him do something I’ve never seen anyone do before.

We were at an outside dinner reception and Dr. Winter had been asked to say a few words to the audience. Shortly into his speech the adhan began to sound, and he immediately ceased speaking. He then stepped away from the podium and faced the mosque, which was just across the Golden Horn on the western side of Istanbul, and stood in attendance to the call.

I’ve seen people stop talking when the adhan sounds, but it was the way he stepped away from the podium, which struck me as so profound. It was an instinctive act of complete respect and humility, a standing in total presence for the call to prayer, a call that one day will be replaced with the final call on the Day of Judgment; it was the act of a man whose inward state was reflected in his outward actions, and Allah knows best. Dr. Winter stood apart from the crowd and where he stood in that moment was perfect.

Anonymous student reflection

Student Reflection, courtesy of Umi.

Another visit to beautiful Üsküdar and Beykoz. It is the Asian side of Istanbul; never the less it doesn´t feel much Asian to me. Rather, the spirit of the Eastern brink of the Bosphorus Strait feels as blessed as the Western side.

At the top of a small mountain peak I found the alleged grave of one of the nephews of the Prophet Moses (Allah´s peace upon him). His name was Yusha (may Allah be content with him) and he is allegedly buried with a grand view over the shimmering Bosphorus and a smaller view towards the serene Black Sea of Northern Turkey. Not a bad place to be buried; but of course Yusha would not be bothered by such minor geographic embellishments as his soul is probably already enjoying the views of a much more beautiful place than this world, and God knows best.

Before visiting Yasa Türbesi, there were two other interesting stopovers in Üsküdar; one was the Tekke of Valide Atiq Cami and the other one was the Aziz Mahmud Hudaiyi Cami and school.

Both places are genuine institutions of education. These were places where Turkish and international students are being taught the academic virtues of classical Ottoman education. Dr. Recep Sentürk, who was the vice chairman of the school in charge of those two places, explained to me, why it had been necessary to re-establish an old Ottoman curriculum, when I asked him why not be content with modern education:

“Today there is a gap between modern academic and traditional Islamic education,” he esaid. “We intend to fill that gap. In the West there might be a great academic scholar, but he or she has no knowledge of traditional Islamic education. Likewise, in the Muslim world there might be good Muslim scholars, but they have little or no connection to the modern academic world and ways. We intend to be a link between the modern educational system and the traditional Islamic classical educational system. Our vision is none other than to create a new model for a Muslim scholar.”

I read the curriculum and looked through the books. The schools are executed as honor programs, meaning that only 20 students are selected every year, and that if a student during any semester assesments gets less than a straight A, he or she will be expelled from the school. The outcome would be graduates from the best of human capabilities.

Not everything was measured by academic scores. The fixed motto of the schools are “Ílm, Taqwa and Bayân” – students had to be motivated both academically as well as religiously in order to succeed their study. The schools also accepted graduate, master and phD-students from other universities.

The curriculum of the schools, namely the Arabic language education, is based on the classical Ottoman system of learning Arabic. The Arabic language curriculum is build up first by introducing the art of sarf and nahw (basic grammar), then mantiq (logic) and wad´ (ethymology of Arabic language). Later students become aquainted with the art of istiare (metaphors in Arabic poetry and literature), munazara (rhetorics), and finally with bedi (poetry), bayân (exposition) and me´ani (litteraral analysis).

It was fascinating to see, how students made progress in Arabic by the use of a system that was taught in the ottoman Empire since at least 500 years! And silly me thinking that only the Arabs could teach (good) Arabic….

Other curriculum at the schools was – naturally – aqidah, fiqh, usul al fiqh, Islamic philosophy, ihsan and all the important stuff that makes a decent alîm out of anyone that has the dedication and motivation to follow knowledge to the door of the road. Also Ottoman and Western history was a part of the curriculum, so was sociology and the Persian, English and French language.

As I sat and looked at the photography of the more than 100 years old Muslim Ottoman scholar Emin Er, I really wished that such a school or university or college would be an option in the country where I live. I had a hard time stopping myself from visionising how it would be like to engulf myself into studies in the small rooms of the Valide Atiq tekke, while roses bloomed in the garden next to the Islamic water well in the middle. Sitting with a book in my hand, debating with scholars, reflecting and gaining insight more lumious than the rays of the hot sun caressing the green grass in the garden of the tekke!

How is it that man´s curiosity is transferred into a quest for knowledge and wisdom; but opportunities become wasted or unavailable or at their best; filled with hardship and tears. Is wisdom not created for man as means of mercy and insight?

The society of the Ottoman and Andalusian cultures somehow managed to tie the gap between this world and the other worlds by setting standarts for academic achievements on the same scale as the standarts for spiritual insight and worship. A body must also have a soul. Try mentioning the word “God” at a Western University other than in notions of praise for people like Nietzsche! What a shame in the Western academic world that people have turned their backs to the knowledge of the Divine!

In Üsküdar that day I felt so determined to work towards establishing an Andalusian/Ottoman scholastic tradition in the country of my residence, thinking where it could be built, who would teach, who would the students be and what would come of it?  People thought him to be joking when vice-president Recep Sentürk asked the people from Rihla2012 “Which one of you want to establish a school in your home country?” – I wanted so much to raise my hand, because as he uttered the question, I saw the visions. People shuckled and smiled; was I the only one really serious about it? WaAllahualim.

May Allah grant us the ability to establish true educational institutes in every country in this world that will fill the empty gap between academic knowledge and spiritual wisdom.

-Sister Safia Aoude, Rihla 2012 student

• Hirka Sherif Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey Hirka Sherif Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. These buildings contain the cloak of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his other relics. Rihla 2012
• Hirka Sherif Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey Hirka Sherif Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. These buildings contain the cloak of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his other relics. Rihla 2012
• Hirka Sherif Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey Hirka Sherif Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. These buildings contain the cloak of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his other relics. Rihla 2012
• Hirka Sherif Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey Hirka Sherif Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. These buildings contain the cloak of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his other relics. Rihla 2012

     

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The vısıt to Hırka-i Şerif Mosque, which houses a cloak of the Prophet (peace be upon him) yesterday made me naturally thınk about the Qasıdah Burdah (Poem of the Mantle). As I stood ın front of what was allegedly the whıte mantle/cloak of Allahs last Messenger (Allahs peace and blessıngs upon hım) I remembered the verses of that poem goes:’ He called (people) towards Allah, so those who cling to him. Clinging to a rope which will never snap.’

The mantle/cloak was whıtısh ın appearance, yet shabby ın some places and punctured ınto tıny small holes of a pattern not seen any where else ın the hıstory of manufacture. The cuffs lay spread out to each sıde lıke mımıckıng the lovable embrace of Hıs Messenger to all of mankınd. Imam Zaıd Shakır talked about people beıng ın need for hugs, so he urged the students of the Rıhla2012 to hug people more often. Thıs was not hıs own opınıon; ımam Zaıd just conveyed to us what the Prophet (Allahs peace and blessıngs upon hım) had conveyed to mankınd; a message of love and mercy.

Imam al-Busırı (the wrıtter of Qasıda Burdah) composed these words ın hıs famous poem: ‘Glad tiding be to us o people of Islam. We have. By the Grace of Allah a pillar which is indestructible. When Allah called, the one who invited us (Rasuluallah Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam) to His worship. Because of the noblest of messengers , we are the noblest of ummats.’

Rememberıng the sayıngs and actıons of our dearest Prophet (Allahs peace and blessıngs upon hım) I was remınded by these words to keep doıng goods deeds and tryıng to be a responsıble member of the ummah. After all, nobılıty mıght look lıke a gıft, but ıt comes wıth oblıgatıon.

The vısıt also remınded me of the fact that we all carry a mantle wıth us through thıs dunya, and for some of us ıt ıs heavy and ıtchy, at other tımes ıt ıs whıte and shıny, may our mantle allways protect us agaınst the wınd of doubtş that we may remaın wrapped ın faıth. ‘For verily rain causes flowers to bloom on rocks’, ımam al-Busırı wroteş and ındeed ıt dıd on the day I vısıted Hırkat as-Serıf.

-Sister Safia Aoude, Rihla 2012 student

In the video below Dr. TJ Winters, also known as Shaykh Abdal-Hakim Murad, shares with us his experience as a teacher for the Deen Intensive Rihla program and the benefits of such programs.

As a special treat, he explains his motivations in starting the Contentions series and provides some commentary on the contention, “If you put Sunnah before mercy, you have lost both.” (#78 from Contentions 11)

Interviewed by Br. Stuart Clark and Sr. Rika Prodhan.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here for Shaykh Murad’s Contentions series (credit: Masud.co.uk)

One can inquire with the Quilliam Press for Shaykh Murad’s book, Commentary On the Eleventh Contentions.

-Rika

When you give, don’t give with “your hand on top” as in reminding the taker and yourself that you are giving. There is a particular adab (manner) in giving and it is to give secretly.

Ustadh Yahya Rhodus’s class on Imam al-Ghazali’s 99 Names of Allah
Rihla 2012

Ustadh Yahya Rhodus reminded us today of the manner in which Muslims are taught to give sadaqa/charity: essentially that one should give in secret. This reminded me a beautiful Sufi teaching I read many years ago in the book Essential Sufism by James Fadiman and Roger Frager about three different categories of generosity. The lesson of the first level is obvious but the lessons of the second and third levels are subtle and unexpected. Therefore try to read them carefully to sense the subtle differences.

The first level of generosity is when one gives something, material or immaterial, such as money, advice, or time, and expects some sort of recognition or affirmation.

• We know that we’re successful in our giving when in return we receive the acknowledgement and are thanked for our giving. This level of generosity is rewardable, however realize that it’s more of an exchange or transaction versus true generosity or charity since true generosity and charity would not require an exchange of anything.
• This reminds me of something Shaykh Hamza had mentioned in the Rihla classes that if you give and the taker asks you what you would like in return, many of us often refuse anything in return but will say, “Just make du’a for me.” He says that even asking for du’a is technically is the same as asking for something in return, which may negate the act to be sadaqa.

The second level of generosity is giving anonymously and not expecting any kind of recognition from the taker or observers.

• This level is obviously better and more rewardable than the first level, but still limits generosity. The fact that we undeniably find gratitude in ourselves for giving renders our act of generosity as an exchange, as found in the first level. It’s as if we’re paying ourselves and congratulating ourselves for the act of giving.
• Also, given that the receiver knows that he/she was given to and therefore feels the “burden” of gratitude, even if he or she does not know the giver, limits the level of generosity and potentially its reward.

The third and highest level of generosity is “secret charity”. This is when the act of generosity or act of charity is given in such a secretive and mysterious way that no one, neither the giver, receiver, or an observer, senses the act.

• But how does one act in such a secretive way where no one recognizes our giving? It’s like the saying that true charity is one in which one hands doesn’t know when the other gives. It seems like a very difficult level to achieve.
• The two James Fadiman and Roger Frager give a great example of this level. Let’s consider the scenario where you find a dollar bill on the side of the road. You may pick it up and feel no burden of gratitude since you wouldn’t feel that you were given to. Furthermore, the owner of the money, if given intentionally, wouldn’t know how exactly the charity would manifest and thus is less likely to feel a sense of inner sense of gratitude of giving.
• This Sufi teaching contends that if one gives in this manner mentioned above, such as intentionally leaving leaving bills on the street and walking away without telling anyone, or donating wealth without claiming tax exemptions, then he or she would be practicing a form of secret charity since nothing is expected or received from the taker or giver.

The authors James Fadiman and Roger Frager also remind us that technically nothing in existence is ours to truly give. We are only stewards of Allah subhana wa ta’ala, taking care of the portion entrusted to us. They also remind us that if we give what is in our heart, such as patience, insight, and compassion, then we’ll find that not only will this act of giving arise from God (manifesting Allah’s name ‘Al-Karim’), but that each act of giving also becomes an act of remembrance.

These levels of generosity are not easily intuitive and may take time to implement. InshaAllah may our acts of generosity be refined to the highest levels and may we find ease in executing such acts at that level. Ameen.

-Rika

We then headed to Yer Alti Cami for Zuhr prayer, led by Imam Zaid Shakir. The beauty of this mosque is that it is underground! Yes – underground.  But, although it’s underground, it still maintains the aesthetic of any Ottoman inspired mosque with the numerous domes and pillars, minus the height. Another secret this mosque holds is that three of the sahaba are buried in it, namely, Amr bin ‘As,  Vehbe bin Huseyr, and Sufyan bin Uyeyne, may Allah be pleased with them all. There was a presence in this little underground mosque, which has yet to be felt in any of the other mosques we’ve visited thus far. Some even went as far as saying that there was a subtle, sweet fragrance, wa Allahu A’lim.

The third site of the day was that of the Dolmabahce Palace also known as Sultan Abdelmagid’s palace. Although, we weren’t allowed to take photos, the enchanting and luxurious beauty of the palace was ever imprinted in everyone’s mind. There was no need to capture it with a camera, as one would be hard-pressed to forget what their eyes witnessed. A sight even more beautiful than the palace itself though was the view overlooking the Sea of Marmara surrounded by bits of hilly land, primarily two-three story buildings and houses with red rooftops. Oh, almost forgot the ships, there are plenty of those cruise ships, transport ships and other small boats in sight. It’s too pretty for words.

Last but not least, as if that wasn’t enough, we topped it off with our very own cruise on the Bosphorus Strait post-Asr time. We loaded the boat while the sun was still beaming on the ocean-blue waters and hilly landscape of homes. It was picture perfect. The boat had a lower level which was set up for eating dinner, a ground/sea level and top level. You can imagine everyone rushing up to the top level as soon as we got on, in order to get a better view of the overall scene. The brothers along with the Moroccon Fez singers immediately made themselves comfortable on the floor of the top level and began singing various qasidas. They were shortly accompanied Sh. Hamza Yusuf and Imam Zaid Shakir.

I remembered a small occurrence on a similar boat cruise from last year’s Rihla which was also in Istanbul. A student approached Imam Zaid and asked whether our gathering would fall under the category of israaf and/or whether  by hosting or even attending such a luxurious gathering, one should feel guilty.
And by luxury, I speak in  terms of the food, the set-up, the convenience and so forth. And Imam Zaid replied in a very beautiful way. He said that if Allah has blessed you with this and brought you to this gathering with all that it contains then one should not feel guilty. He further said that this is a taste of Jannah, a taste of heaven for Muslims and in this is a reminder as well. The reminder is that when Muslims experience a taste of this heaven on earth, the company of blessed souls, it should make them want to strive harder for Jannah as their final destination. And lastly, that we should remember those who are not with us, especially those in far worse conditions and pray for them, while being thankful. This answer of his lingered in my mind as I gazed out in to the rich, thick ocean-blue waves.
As we were unloading the boat, I noticed Shaykh Hamza standing nearby and decided to walk up and express what I felt about the night. I told him, ‘Shaykh Hamza, this night was beautiful, just heavenly’, only to have him look me straight in the eyes, smile and nod his head in approval. It truly was a heavenly night.

Below are a few short clips to give you a glimpse of what we experienced.

Shaykh Abdal-Hakim Murad singing on the Bosphorus Cruise

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The Moroccon Fez Singers 1

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The Moroccon Fez Singers 2

The video cannot be shown at the moment. Please try again later.

-Sadia