SeekersGuidance Retreat LIVING FAITH Understanding, Living, & Realizing the TESTISFICATIONS OF FAITH

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1 In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful SeekersGuidance Retreat LIVING FAITH Understanding, Living, & Realizing the TESTISFICATIONS OF FAITH Coker Creek, Tennessee June 25th, June 30th,

2 There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of God. We repeat this witness multiple times every day. But how well do we understand what we are saying? How would our lives change if we really understood the meaning of these two testimonies? Living Faith: Understanding, Living, & Realizing the Testifications of Faith will help us answer these questions. We will see that our lives as Muslims are encompassed in these seven words. Moreover, we will learn how to allow this testimony to move beyond our lips, limbs, and mind to the heart; we will learn what it means to love Allah and His Messenger, to love what He loves, and to truly live our faith. We invite you to come attend this retreat of spiritual and physical healing in a place where skyscrapers are replaced with mountains, billboards with trees, smog with post-dawn mist, and trivial chatter with the dhikr of Allah. THE SITE The SeekersGuidance retreat will be held at Coker Creek Village, located 75 miles southwest of Knoxville, Tennessee. This 300-acre park is nestled high in the southern Appalachian Mountains on the famed Ocoee River. Students will be surrounded by the creation of Allah and enveloped in some of the nation s most pristine national forests. Visit the site s website at for more information. ACCOMMODATIONS Students will be housed in bunkhouse log cabins, with brothers and sisters accommodated in separate sections of the site. We recommend traveling lightly as storage space is very limited. The site is supervised by trained personnel and will be assisted by members of the organizing committee. Food will be cooked onsite by the camp personnel and all the meat served will be zabihah (meat provided by a local zabihah meat provider and chicken provided by CrescentHalal.com). Classes will be held in the Village's new Retreat Center and the Barn. Five private cabins are available on a first-come first-serve basis for families of up to four people. These private cabins will be an additional $100 per night ($500 for five nights). Private family cabins include one queen bed, one futon, full private bathroom, refrigerator, microwave and coffeemaker. The organizers will also provide a welcome basket containing snacks and refreshments for the private family cabins. Please contact retreat@seekersguidance.org if you are interested in reserving one of these private cabins. Please note that there will be no babysitting services provided during the retreat if you will be bringing children under the age of fourteen with you, please be advised that you will be responsible for them at all times. Furthermore, we recommend families with children under the age of fourteen to reserve one of the private family cabins. Children between three and fourteen years of age may stay in the bunker halls with their parent (female child with mother and male child with father). Depending on the nature of the class in session, children less than fourteen years old may not be allowed entry to some youth sessions. Please retreat@seekersguidance.org for more information regarding children less than fourteen years of age. 2

3 TEACHERS Shaykh Faraz Rabbani Confirmed Shaykh Yahya Rhodus Confirmed Shaykh Omar Qureshi Confirmed Ustadha Shireen Ahmed (Umm Umar) Confirmed Ustadh Usama Canon Confirmed - Parallel Youth Session CURRICULUM Courses will focus on the following subjects: Understanding the meaning of the Testifications of Faith Living the implications of the Testifications in your life Spiritual realization and attainment of love through the Testificaitons Open forums with panel of scholars A broader varity of courses will be specified in the orientation package after registration PARALELL YOUTH SESSIONS A parallel program for youth between the ages of fourteen and eighteen will be held at the site. The program will be held separately from the adults and will consist of classes highlighting the main theme. Children under fourteen will be allowed to attend the majority of sessions, but due to the nature of some of the sessions, we will enforce the age of fourteen to eighteen. Classes will be taught by Ustadh Usama Canon as well as the retreat s other scholars. Some programs and activities, such as the group prayers, dhikr sessions, and meals will be combined for the youth and adults. The daily schedule will be less rigorous and will include more recreational time. Youth leaders will be assigned to guide the youth at all times and ensure that Islamic etiquette is maintained. ACTIVITIES The following activities have been confirmed and scheduled in the Appalachian Retreat: White Water Rafting for the YOUTH on the famed Ocoee River (12 to 18 years old) Special gathering on Buck Bald Summit Campfire gatherings with Nasheeds Horseback riding (10 people per hour) Mountain Bike Trail Ride (10 people per hour) Miles of Hiking Trails Gold Panning Mining for rubies, emeralds and other gemstones Climbing Tower with Zip Line Low Ropes/Team Building Course Swimming Volleyball Basketball Ultimate Frisbee Frisbee Golf 3

4 APPLICATION AND REGISTRATION FEES REGISTRATION COST BREAKDOWN Single Adults $350 Couples $300 each Students with ID & Youth: age $300 Under 14, participating, in cabin $200 Under 14, not participating, in cabin $100 Under 14, participating/not participating, own bunker $250 Under 14, not participating, share bunker with parent $100 ADULTS, COUPLES & STUDENTS COST. To be eligible to participate, applicants should submit a completed application (along with the registration fee), either online through the SeekersGuidance website ( or by downloading the application from the same site and mailing the completed form and fee to the address indicated below. The deadline for submitting or postmarking the application and fee is May 24 th. Full acceptance into the program is pending upon receipt of the applicant's registration fees. The cost of the retreat is $ (USD) per person for the regular program. Couples, students with a valid student ID and attendees of the youth program will receive a discounted rate of $300 per person. CHILDREN UNDER FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE COST The cost for each child under fourteen years of age participating in the retreat programs with accompanying parents staying in a private family cabin will be $200 The cost for each child under fourteen years of age not participating in the retreat programs with accompanying parents staying in a private family cabin will be $100 If a child under fourteen participating or not participating in the retreat programs will be staying in the bunker hall (sleeping in their own bunker) with a parent (female child with mother and male child with father), the cost for each child under the age of fourteen will be $250 If a child under fourteen not participating in the retreat programs will be staying in the bunker hall (sharing a bunker) with a parent (female child with mother and male child with father), the cost for each child under the age of fourteen will be $100 To reiterate, depending on the nature of the content, there may be situations where children under the age of fourteen may not attend some of the fourteen to eighteen youth sessions. During this period, we ask the parents to keep their child with them in the adult sessions. Registration includes lodging for five nights, all zabihah meals during the program and recreational activities for the youth program. GROUP RATES A reduced cost structure has been established for out-of-town groups of ten or more who wish to attend the program. Please contact retreat@seekersguidance.org for discounted rates. Fees must be paid in full with the registration form. All checks should be made out to MCK - Ibn Masud School. Students may withdraw from the application process at any time, but if accepted they must inform the organizing committee of their withdrawal by May 24 th to receive a full refund. After this date, a surcharge of $100 will be deducted from the fee should they cancel. Applicants are encouraged to make an additional donation towards our scholarship fund which helps financially sponsor others who may otherwise be unable to attend the SeekersGuidance retreat. Every effort will be made to ensure that financial constraints do not hinder eligible participants from attending, insha Allah. 4

5 TRANSPORTATION & TRAVEL PLANS Students flying in from out of town should plan to arrive in Knoxville s McGhee Tyson Airport (airport code TYS) no earlier than Friday morning, June 25 th. Anyone who arrives on Thursday, you will be responsible for his or her own lodging and transportation to Annoor Masjid. For directions to Annoor Masjid, please visit Transportation from the airport to Annoor Masjid will be provided on Friday morning until 1pm. After 1pm, you will be responsible for your own transportation to Annoor Masjid. You must arrive at Annoor Masjid by 3pm on Friday, June 25 th, otherwise you will have no transportation to get to the remotely located Coker Creek Village If you are driving from out of town, you may drive directly to Coker Creek Village (go to for directions) and meet the group there on Friday, June 25 th 4:30-5:00pm We will be departing from Annoor Masjid ( to Coker Creek Village on Friday, June 25 th 3:00pm this trip will be approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes (70 miles) We will be departing from Coker Creek Village to Annoor Masjid on Wednesday morning, June 30 th at 10am Transportation from Annoor Masjid to the airport will be provided from 2pm until 8pm Please ensure your flight from Knoxville departs after 2pm on June 30 th 5

6 ABOUT THE TEACHERS Shaykh Faraz Rabbani is a researcher and teacher of the Islamic sciences, specializing in Islamic Law. He is the Educational Director of SeekersGuidance, and a partner and legal advisor with StraightWay Ethical Advisory. He is the author of Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School (White Thread Press, 2004.) Shaykh Faraz was raised in Canada and obtained a Bachelor's in Economics & Commerce from the University of Toronto in Subsequently, he spent ten years studying and teaching Islamic sciences in Damascus, Amman and Karachi under leading Islamic scholars including Shaykh Adib Kallas, Shaykh Hassan al-hindi, Shaykh Muhammad Jumuah, Shaykh Akram Abd al-wahhab, Shaykh Nuh Keller, and Mufti Mahmud Ashraf Usmani. He currently lives and teaches in Toronto, Canada, with his wife and three children. Shaykh Yahya Rhodus was born in America s Midwest. He became Muslim at the age of 19 in the San Francisco Bay Area and began studying with Shaykh Hamza Yusuf and distinguished scholars visiting from Mauritania, Shaykh Khatry and Shaykh Abdullah Ould Ahmadna. In 1998, he left for Mauritania to further his studies of Islamic Sciences. There he spent over a year studying with some of Mauritania's great scholars, including Shaykh Murabit al-hajj, one the great scholars of our age. In 2000, he moved to Tarim, Yemen to continue his studies at the prestigious Dar al-mustafa. There he studied with renowned scholars including Habib `Ali al-jifry, Habib `Umar bin Hafiz, and other local scholars. In 2005, he returned to the US from his studies overseas to serve as a full-time teacher at Zaytuna Institute until the summer of To further his studies he then moved back to Tarim, where he currently resides with his family. Shaykh Omar Qureshi completed his Bachelor's degree at the University of Missouri Columbia in Microbiology in 1995 and later obtained a M.Ed. in Science Education Curriculum and Instruction from the same institution. As a teacher in Saudi Arabia, he also studied various Islamic Sciences with Sh. Salman Abu-Ghuddah. He continued his Islamic studies in Damascus, Syria at Ma'had al-tahdhib wa-l-ta'lim and privately with local Damascene scholars such as Sh. Hussain Darwish. Currently Omar is an upper school science teacher at Morgan Park Academy in Chicago. In addition to teaching, he is pursuing a Ph.D. in Philosophy of Education and Comparative Education at Loyola University in Chicago, where he is focusing on Muslim moral educational philosophy. Ustadha Shireen Ahmed (Umm Umar) was born and raised in Canada. She graduated from the University of Toronto with a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology. During her university studies, she was actively involved in MSA work at the local as well as the national level. After graduation, Umm Umar spent three years in Syria, studying Arabic at the University of Damascus and Islamic studies at Jamia Abi Nour and taking private classes in Tajweed, Hadith, Hanafi Fiqh and Seerah. Subsequently, she spent seven years in Jordan furthering her studies of Arabic and Hanafi Fiqh. During this time, she also worked at SunniPath developing online courses. Umm Umar is currently responsible for Course Development at SeekersGuidance. She resides in Toronto, Canada, with her husband and three children. Between continuing her studies of the sacred sciences and homeschooling her children, Ustadha Shireen is working on her first publication, Thread of Pure Gold, which is a translation and a commentary on the classical Islamic text on parenting, Simtu al- Uqyan. PARALLEL YOUTH PROGRAM Ustadh Usama Canon was born and raised in California and embraced Islam in Since then, he has had the honor of studying various Islamic Sciences both at home and abroad under some of today s foremost scholars. Currently, Usama Canon serves as an Instructor at Zaytuna Institute and as a Muslim Chaplain for the State of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Usama Canon is the Founding Director of Ta leef Collective and maintains an active role in various facets of outreach and education, concentrating on issues facing Muslim youth, assisting converts, and developing support systems for Muslim ex-offenders. 6

7 INQUIRIES All inquiries should be directed to Registration fees and physical applications should be mailed to: SeekersGuidance Retreat PO Box Knoxville, TN ********** "Continuous remembrance gives direction to the spirit, cures all ills, and awakens one s soul. It cleanses the heart from all else but Allah and increases His love in one s heart. As this remembrance descends from the tongue to the heart and penetrates from the heart to the soul, one rises closer and closer to one s Maker. In continuing repeating the phrase La ilaha illa Llah, the heart joins the tongue, the mind is cleansed of imagination, the rust upon the heart is burnt, the darkness turns into day, and the candle of the mind is put out by the sun of the divine light. Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-jerrahi al-halveti LIMITED CAPACITY 100 Students APPLY NOW Deadline: May 24,

8 SEEKERSGUIDANCE RETREAT APPLICATION FORM All information in this application form is confidential and will not be shared with anyone outside the retreat committee The consent and waiver must be signed and submitted by a parent of the student under 18 years old STUDENT First Name: MI: Last Name: Date of Birth: / / Month Day Year Address: City: If under 18 years of age: State: Zip Code: Parent First Name: Parent Last Name: PHONE NUMBERS AND *Home: ( ) - Work: ( ) - Cell: ( ) - * Address: - you will be added to the SG Retreat announcement list (* required fields) SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS Please list any dietary restrictions you may have including allergies Please list any relevant health concerns you may have including any illnesses (physical or mental) and medications you are currently taking EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION In case of emergency, please contact: First Name: Last Name: Home: ( ) - Work: ( ) - Cell: ( ) - Relationship to student: 8

9 FEES Can I (you) meet the full cost before the beginning of the program? YES NO If not, how much scholarship/aid would you be requesting? $ Method of payment: CHECK: Payable to MCK Ibn Masud School (Include check with application form and mail or hand-deliver to organizers) MONEY ORDER (Include check with application form and mail or hand-deliver to organizers) PAYPAL (Register online through PayPal account: ims@muslimknoxville.org) CREDIT CARD CREDIT CARD INFORMATION Full Name on CC: Card Type: Visa MasterCard American Express Discover CC Number: Expiration Date: Billing zip code: Three digit security code (CVS): DONATIONS Tax Exempt: You will receive a Tax Exempt Receipt from the Muslim Community of Knoxville Donations will primarily be used in the area specified, if funds in the specific area mentioned have been met, we will use them in other areas where it is needed SCHOLARSHIP FUND FOR STUDENT DONATION $ SPONSOR A TEACHER $ SPONSOR MARKETING CAMPAIGN $ GENERAL DONATION TOWARDS THE RETREAT $ Method of Donation: CHECK: Payable to MCK Ibn Masud School (Include check with application form and mail or hand-deliver to organizers) specify donation area in memo MONEY ORDER (Include check with application form and mail or hand-deliver to organizers) CREDIT CARD (We will use the same CC info as above) PAYPAL (make donations to PayPal account: ims@muslimknoxville.org) 9

10 AGREEMENT I confirm that the information listed in this application is current and accurate to the best of my knowledge. I understand that any false information presented in this application may result in my dismissal from the program without any refund of tuition payments. All information in this application is confidential and will not be shared with anyone outside the SeekersGuidance Retreat committee. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND RELEASE I have read and understood the information packet attached to this application. I understand that the student is expected to take this program seriously and abide by the given information and the rules of the SeekersGuidance retreat. I understand that any student who fails to abide by the rules, disrupts the retreat, and/or endangers the safety or wellbeing of others may be asked to leave the retreat without a refund of registration payment. I also understand and agree that SeekersGuidance, the Muslim Community of Knoxville (MCK), as well as the Teachers, Staff or Volunteers of the mentioned organizations and retreat will not be held liable for any accidents, injuries, damages, or other loss that may occur during the student s participation in the SeekersGuidance retreat, including during travel to or from the airport, to or from the retreat location, or to or from any other locations during the retreat. In the event of any medical emergency, I authorize SeekersGuidance, MCK, and/or retreat staff or volunteers to authorize medical assistance on site or at an appropriate medical facility. (Any student who is under 18 years of age must have a parent or legal guardian sign below to verify permission to attend the retreat and acknowledgement and agreement to the above.) Student Signature: Date: Parent Signature (if student is under 18): Date: 10