Women & Men Around the Messenger

• For every Muslim who desires to know more about the "best generation"
• Understand something of the lives and uniqueness of these great individuals, from the servants in the Prophetic Household to notable female Companions
• Reflect on how the Prophet, peace be upon him, interacted and lived with them, and how they changed and flourished under the light of his guidance
• Learn from their example on how to bring the light of submission and Divine love into our own lives
• Students of all ages are encouraged to enroll.

• There are no required prerequisites, but a basic understanding of the Seerah and the milestones in the life of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is extremely helpful.
• Estimated Commitment Per Week: 4 hours for core requirements
• Learn how to make sure your computer is ready.

• LESSON 1
  Introduction to the Course
  • Absolute love and its proof
  • The Companions
  • Innermost circle: the Household of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him
• LESSON 2
  Mothers of the Believers (I)
  • Sayyida Khadija
  • Saudah
  • Aisha
  • Hafsa
  • Zaynab bint Khuzayma
  • Umm Salama
• LESSON 3
  Mothers of the Believers (II)
  • Zaynab bint Jahsh
  • Juwaiyriya
  • Umm Habiba
  • Safiya
  • Maymuna
  • Mother and son: Mariya and Ibrahim
• LESSON 4
  The Children
  • Zaynab and Umayma
  • Ruqayah
  • Umm Kulthum
  • Fatima al-Zahra'
  • al-Qasim and Abdullah
  • al-Hasan
  • al-Hussain
• LESSON 5
  Extended Family
  • Adopted members
  • Elders
• LESSON 6
  The Rightly Guided Caliphs (I)
  • The Ten Promised Paradise
  • Rightly Guided Caliphs
  • Abu Bakr al-Siddiq
  • Umar ibn al-Khattab al-Faruq
• LESSON 7
  The Rightly Guided Caliphs (Part II)
  • Uthman ibn Affan, Dhul Nurain
  • Ali ibn Abi Talib, Asadullah
• LESSON 8
  Completion of the Ten
  • Talha ibn Ubaydullah
  • al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam
  • Sa'ad ibn Abi Waqas
  • Sa'id ibn Zayd
  • Abdul Rahman ibn Awf
  • Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah
• LESSON 9
  The Ansar
  • Yathrib and civil war
  • Aqaba I and II; Hijra
  • Qualities of the Ansar
  • Welcome and brothering
  • Badr
  • Battle of the Trench
  • Hunayn
• LESSON 10
  The Best of Women
  • Difference between Makkah and Madinah
  • Sumayya bint Khabbat
  • Asma bint Abi Bakr
  • Fatima bint Asad ibn Hashim
  • Umm Ruman bint 'Amir
  • Umm Sulaym Rumaysa bint Milhan
  • Umm Haram bint Milhan
  • Umm Umara Nusayab bint Ka'b
  • Woman of Bani Dinar
• LESSON 11
  The Scholars
  • Abdullah ibn Masud
  • Zayd ibn Thabit
  • Mua'dh ibn Jabal
  • Abdullah ibn Umar
  • Abdullah ibn al-Abbas
• LESSON 12
  The Inheritors
  • Scholars are the inheritors of the prophets
  • Preservation of Revelation and sacred knowledge
  • Lineage of transmission
  • New sciences: biographies, dictionaries and so on
  • al-Imam al-Azam: Abu Hanifa
  • Imam Dar al-Hijra: Malik ibn Anas
  • Women scholars; science of hadith; unique honor
• LESSON 13
  Summary and conclusion
  • Theme is love and salvation
  • Prophetic concern for his Ummah, his "brethren" peace be upon him
  • Honor of the Ummah that our Prophet peace be upon him went before us to prepare the way
  • Meeting place is the Hawd
  • Intercession and everlasting bliss — "you are with the one you love"

Allah Most High says in the Quran: "Allah was well pleased with the believers when they swore allegiance unto thee beneath the tree, and He knew what was in their hearts, and He sent down peace of reassurance on them, and hath rewarded them with a near victory" [48:18]. According to the consensus of the Qur’anic exegetes, the believers that Allah is pleased with and referred to in this verse are the Companions of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The Prophet also testified to their great standing when he said that: "The best of my community are my generation, and then those who follow them, and then those who follow them" [related by Imran ibn al-Husayn in Bukhari].

There are numerous other Qur'anic verses and hadiths testifying to the high rank of the Family and Companions of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and give him peace. They are the best of creation after the prophets and the best community of people that have ever lived. Allah Most High honored them by choosing them to be the family and friends of His beloved, peace be upon him. They were also the ones chosen to carry the Prophet’s message after his death.

Loving the Companions is a religious duty, and in order to love them, we must know them. Thus, the goal of this course is to introduce you to some of the greatest Companions, studying both their lives and the lessons we can learn from their sacrifices for the sake of Allah. Together, we will reflect on how the Prophet, peace be upon him, interacted and lived with them, and how they changed and flourished under the light of his guidance.

There are thousands of Companions, and we cannot do justice to them all in one course. Consequently, we will look at selected Companions, beginning with the innermost circle around the Prophet, peace be upon him, and moving on to some of the scholars among the Companions, in whose debt we all remain forever. These are the people who loved the Prophet, peace be upon him, more than anything, and whom he loved in return.

The ultimate goal is to renew our faith and reawaken our desire to draw close to Allah, by learning about the best of those who ever walked in the footsteps of the Best of Creation—our Beloved Messenger Muhammad, may Allah bless him and give him peace. We will learn about their lives and their uniqueness, and then learn from their example on how to bring the light of religion and directedness to Allah into our own lives.

The instructor for this course, Ustadha Noura, has completed coursework for a Ph.D. in Islamic Thought through the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization in Malaysia. She has spent many years studying with notable scholars at Zaytuna Institute, including Shaykh Salek bin Siddina who referred to her as a dedicated student of excellent manners and character, and in Amman, Jordan, where she currently resides.

• Pre-recorded lessons and weekly live sessions will be conducted by Ustadha Noura.
• Printable course slides will add structure to lessons.
• Self-assessment journals encourage reflection on key questions.
• Assignments help you review key points.
• Final presentation project explores the significance of the lives of the Companions.
• All live sessions will be recorded, so that you can hear lessons you miss or review key concepts.
• You can post questions and engage in discussion in the course forum.
• Ustadha Noura will hold weekly office hours.

• “I would recommend this course because of the amazing knowledge you learn about the the family of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the Sahabah. Ustadha Noura Shamma has a great way of conveying knowledge in her classes.”
  Mohammed Qadry
  Doctor, Halifax, Canada

  “This course increased my knowledge about our Beloved Companions and it also increased my knowledge and love for our Beloved Prophet (sallalhu alayhi wasallam). Ustadha Noura Shamma made the material come to life and made you feel like you were there with the people at that time.”
  Amy Chiang
  Lawyer, Chicago, USA

  “This course was phenomenal and I have already recommended it to others. It was so moving and done beautifully. The lessons and how the information was presented was great. This course actually far exceeded my expectations. I just kind of took it as an extra not planning on devoting too much effort, but I ended up really focusing a lot on it, due of course to Ustadha Noura, alhamdulillah. Ustadha Noura is great, great, great! I love her teaching style and wish she taught more courses. She spoke so movingly in the lessons I was often moved to tears and were fellow students. She really motivates and the class was a beautiful experience.”
  Umm Thabit Ahmed
  Homemaker, Seattle, USA

  “I would recommend this particular course to others because, it has increased my attachment to companions and Prophet SAW. Ustadha Noura Shamma takes you to this beautiful journey and you feel as if you are part of that period.”
  Shehla Altaf
  Homemaker/Student, Marietta, USA

  “I took these two courses (Women & Men Around the Messenger and Full Moon Rising) in tandem to study the Prophet, saws, and his companions, I wanted to know how he was in his life as a person, as a messenger and in relation to other people. I feel it is important to take ideas, knowledge to a practical level, to implement them in our everyday lives so that we may be right with our Creator, our family, our community. This is the first time I studied with Ustadha Noura, I can tell she is an educator by training. She did such a great job of bringing life to these people and making the history relevant to today's world. While listening to her lectures, she made me laugh, she made me cry as I was drawn into the lives of these exceptional people. She is also very knowledgeable and is able to convey these knowledge in an effortless fashion. She's great, I would not hesitate to take other classes from her and have highly recommended her to my friends especially because I feel this particular course is so necessary for implementation of the deen and especially for converts.”
  Jamila Kosobayashi
  Psychologist, Minneapolis, USA

  “The class was excellent...mashaAllah ustadha Noura did an excellent job teaching about the companions.”
  Rima Dabdoub
  Student, Cincinnati, USA

  “I would recommend this course because it gave me an insight to the people who truly loved the Beloved Prophet (May Allah give him peace). Best course ever! Masha'Allah ustadha Noura puts life and soul into the course, not a lecture but stories beautifully told”
  Rozina Shabbir
  Fundraising, High Wycombe, UK

  “The course brought the Sahaba to life and their human side was something we could identify with and try in our minuscule way to follow.”
  Anees Masood
  Homemaker, Pittsford, USA

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