Every day in every rak'ah of every prayer every one of us recites the first chapter of the Qur'an Al Fatiha (The Opening). "Guide us through the straight path" is something we ask from Allah countless times a day as we turn to Him in our recitation of the Fatiha. This key chapter and "Opening" of the Qur'an contains a number of key lessons for us to understand how we should be turning to Him.
In You and the Fatiha: The Opening to a New Experience, Shaykh Sohail Hanif will not only explain the verses of the Fatiha, but demonstrate how through this chapter, we can learn the proper manners of supplicating. The first half of the Fatiha demonstrates the importance of having hope and fear of, neediness towards, and reliance on Allah Most High. The second half of the Fatiha relates to our slavehood to Him and the need for asking for the greatest gift, namely guidance. The Fatiha also shows us how to manage interactions with Allah, with the universe, and with our fellow men.
This course will consist of both recorded and live online sessions. Live sessions will be focused on expanding the recorded lessons through drawing inferences, as well as having a chance for you to ask any questions. Material is based on notes compiled by Shaykh Ali Hani, a book on selected Qur'anic chapters by Dr Fadil al-Samurai, and Imam Ghazali's Ihya Uloom al-Deen.
By the end of this course, insha'Allah, you will be able to develop a closer relationship with Allah through knowledge of the Fatiha. You will know how to turn to Him and ask Him. You will also have a deeper understanding and commitment to the notion of slavehood.
In the end, your life is all about you and your relationship with Allah. This is the point and purpose of our existence, so we should take every mean to strengthen this tie.
Start your journey to a new experience in your prayer. Spaces are limited.
Features:
- Pre-recorded lessons and weekly live sessions will be conducted by Shaykh Sohail Hanif.
- Course slides will add structure to lessons.
- Discussion questions will strengthen your understanding of course concepts.
- All live sessions will be recorded, so that you can hear lessons that you may miss or review key concepts.
- You can post questions and engage in discussion in the course forum.
- The instructor will hold weekly office hours.
Live Session Schedule:
Saturdays: January 10, 17, and 24 at 5:30pm GMT which means:
- 9:30am PST - LA, San Fransisco, Seattle, Portland, Phoenix, Vancouver
- 10:30am MST - Denver, Salt Lake City, Edmonton
- 11:30pm CST - Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas, Houston, Minneaopolis
- 12:30pm EST - NYC, Philadelphia, D.C., Atlanta, Miami, Boston, Toronto, Columbus
- 5:30pm - London, Dublin, Casablanca
- 9:30pm - Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Moscow
- 4:30am (Monday) - Sydney, Melbourne
| April 30 | Summer Financial Aid Notification |
| May 18 | Summer Semester Begins |
| June 4 | Summer Late Registration Ends |
| June 4 | Last Day for Transfer/Withdrawal |
| August 22 | Summer Semester Ends |
| View entire academic calendar |




