Testimonials

"Allah has blessed Shaykh Amin with great legal and spiritual acumen. With deep and inclusive insights that are firmly grounded in our sacred tradition, Shaykh Amin uses remarkable wisdom and judgment while dispensing his knowledge to the Chicago community so that we can apply the teachings of Islam in a natural, consistent and meaningful manner. May Allah protect the Shaykh and continue to bless us all with his presence."
J. Zubairi, Lawyer

"Shaykh Amin's eloquence combined with his mastery of traditional Islamic Sciences penetrates to the core of Muslims who grew up under a Western influence. His experiences and knowledge give him a unique ability to comprehend the needs of the American Muslim. Shaykh Amin's Fiqh classes are indispensable for Muslims living in the West. His advice and opinions encompasses the context of our daily lives without compromising on the principles."
S. Ghouse, Engineer

Assalamu 'Alaykum. I've known Shaykh Amin for a little over five years, mostly from classes I've attended, and continue to attend, at Darul Qasim. Shaykh Amin is an extremely insightful man of knowledge, MashaAllah. I believe we in Chicagoland are very blessed to have him in our midst. He has this down-to-earth manner of communicating his thoughts that just enlightens the heart and makes your day-to-day problems diffuse into the rightly challenging chores they were meant to be, so you leave feeling like life isn't over if you get fired from your job, or if your car gets totalled... He once said that before the magnificence of Allah, all creation is equal, leveling our existence with everything else that breathes life at whatever level - the leaf wafting down from a tree, the chipmunk perched upon a rock, everything...good or bad. That whole idea is just so empowering to me. But when he says it, it just makes a deep impact on your heart. His depth of analysis is astounding. I had no idea how it really felt to witness someone reading an Ayah of the Quran and gleaning meanings from it real-time. I only heard of stuff like that, but it is amazing to actually be a part of it. His lecture on Isra and Mi'raaj where he laid emphasis not only on the actual ascension, but on what happened between the Prophet's (SAWS) departure from the Haram-shareef until the moment he ascended...such as the vivid attention to detail regarding how the congregation of Prophets at the Masjid Al-Aqsa deferred to each other out of courtesy and love to lead the prayer until the ball was passed to the Messenger of Allah, who really had no one else to pass the ball to, and so agreed to lead the congregation that comprised exclusively of the most revered of humanity. Now I already knew that the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) led the congregation of Prophets at Al-Aqsa, but just hearing about the story of how each Prophet had the opportunity to lead, but out of inherent modesty deferred to his neighbor...that just increased my love for them and for the Messenger of Allah (SAWS). That beautiful three-minute discourse gave me goose bumps as I sat that day at Schaumburg's Masjid Al-Huda. Well, I know I am working hard to get into a position to support Darul Qasim attain its goals. May Allah bless the Shaykh and keep him and his, and prolong his grace upon us for many many decades...Aameen.
J. Chida, Programmer

I have been coming to Darul Qasim for almost 3 years now although I do not actually live in Chicago. I have been so impressed with Shaykh Amin as a scholar and Darul Qasim as an institution that it has been my pleasure to travel the hours needed to attend lectures and participate in special events. My experience there has been most enjoyable and benefited my spiritual life in incalculable ways. I envy Chicagoland Muslims who have access to this center of learning on a daily basis for, in my circumstances, because of my lack of proximity, I usually can only visit Darul Qasim once a month. I have never regretted a single visit. Shaykh Amin is a special scholar who joins together 3 critical characteristics that are rare to find both in this country as well as Muslim scholarship all around the world. He is a man that has both the raw knowledge of the Shariah and a solid intellectual understanding of his environment. He understands American society and what it means to live in the west. Thirdly, he is a skilled educator. He doesn't talk above his students nor attempt to dazzle them with scholarly issues and themes that have no use to their lives at the present moment. The language he uses as an educator is simple and eloquent, using vivid examples, and even at times humor, to express Islamic ideas and concepts that are needed at the present. Having a background in philosophy, I have been most impressed with the combination of these three elements within Darul Qasim. The ability to know the Shariah in such a profound way, combined with familiarity of his non-Muslim environment, coupled with a very refined intellectual plan of education, makes him a very valuable asset indeed for any Muslim in the Chicago area desiring both inspiration and understanding of their religion. I attended last fall at Darul Qasim a series of four lectures Shaykh Amin gave on spirituality in prayer. These lectures have especially affected me and my understanding of Islam, for I have taken away from them punctuated points of wisdom that still ring in my mind and probably will for as long as I live. It is a sign of a great educator that he is able to bring across deep meanings to his students and at the same time represent them with simple phrases that encompass those deep meanings within the student's mind in a way that will be remembered for a lifetime. In the lecture series the Shaykh repeated the phrase “prayer is not about you” several times. This very simple statement stuck out for me the very first time he said it. At first it seems like a very strange thing to say, it seems to signify a disconnect between a Muslim and the practice of his or her religion. This intrigued me to think more deeply about the statement, connecting it to what the Shaykh has been saying throughout his lectures. Often, as Muslims living in an egocentric society, we manifest that sense of ego even in places that we should not, most notably our religion. It is too common in this country for Muslims to express their personal discomfort with things in our religion and then rely on that to raise questions, acting as if it is a legitimate scholarly point supported by divine proofs. In a statement as simple as “prayer is not about you, it is about Allah” it serves as a vivid and dynamic reminder that it is we who are the servants. Our job is to conform ourselves to the Master, Allah the Exalted, not to negotiate with Him like we would at a market for goods. I have spent my whole life reading about Islam, attending lectures of various scholars, and engaging in very fruitful discussions with friends and even strangers. Never have I come across such a simple statement that expressed for me so much. A Muslim may live his or her whole life and never truly understand what it means to be a servant in Islam. I am extremely grateful to Allah for guiding me to a Shaykh that I now realize has put me on the path to servitude, even though that path may only be at its beginning stages.
Mohamed El-Tayash
Islamic Studies Teacher
Al-Amal Islamic School, Fridley, MN

Shaykh Amin came along at a time when I was searching for a deeper and more academic understanding of Islam than what was widely available in Mosques and the Muslim lecture circuit. Being tired of Muslim spokesmen who negated creativity and discussion of ideas that went beyond what they considered the status-quo understanding of Islam, I was drawn to Shaykh Amin because of his open-mindedness and his notion that an open exchange of ideas, a hallmark of classical Muslim culture, is sorely lacking in the contemporary Muslim world. Shaykh Amin's traditional educational background lends authenticity to his teachings and it was through him that I realized that the traditional "madrasah" Islamic learning is actually very progressive rather than stifling. Shaykh Amin is one of a very few number of people I have heard who articulates a forward-thinking yet entirely traditional understanding of Islam.
T. Mahmud, Law School Student

We live in a time where Muslims and non-Muslims struggle to define Islam, often according to the narrow dictates of their social, political or economic needs. These definitions seek to bend Islam to their will and thus pervert a word, and tradition, whose essence lies in submission to God Most High. Darul Qasim, through Shaykh Amin’s leadership, reminds us that this submission is not a fatalistic or passive process. It is an active, spiritual and intellectual process that was perfected by the Best of Creation, the Seal of the Prophets, our master Muhammad, peace be upon him. Perhaps one of the most striking comments I ever heard Shaykh Amin say is that Muslims have never been united on political issues but they have always been united, until the modern age, in their love for the Prophet (peace be upon him). This love has always expressed itself in diverse ways, so that the cultural expression of Islam in Albania is distinct from that in China, without compromising on the basic tenets of faith. This, too, Shaykh Amin would remind us, is a reflection of the creative spirit promoted by the Qur’an and the sacred traditions (sunnah) of our beloved Prophet, peace be upon him. These insights are not the product of a “loose” or “New Age” interpretation of Islam, but rather the fruits of a traditional, and rigorous, training in the Islamic sciences. These refreshing breezes of wisdom continue to blow because the inheritors of the Prophets, the traditional scholars of Islam, maintain a continuous and living link back to the City of Knowledge, the Final Messenger of God (peace be upon him). Darul Qasim’s curriculum was designed by Shaykh Amin to reawaken our connection to our rich intellectual heritage. By equipping students with the tools of classical Arabic and the biographies of the Prophets (peace be upon them), Shaykh Amin leads us to the treasure troves of jurisprudence (fiqh) and Qur’anic exegesis (tafseer). All this serves as prelude to the Muslim’s life work, best summarized in the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) statement, “I have been sent to perfect noble moral standards.” I am grateful to have found a teacher like Shaykh Amin, a scholar who loves the Prophet (peace be upon him) and inspires others to the same, who reminds us that traditional Islam is the surest path to sincerity, virtue and success in this life and the Hereafter.
U. Shakur, Medical Student

I am very surprised that a quality academic institution such as Darul Qasim could be found outside the historic lands of Islamic teaching. The comprehensive academic program designed by Shaykh Amin and his own lectures stress and foster continuity with the tradition of Islamic teaching at its best. A tradition that is always aware of, and positively engaged with, a diverse and changing world. Darul Qasim is a rare gem, and it is a true honor to learn from Darul Qasim or support its noble mission.
C. Heddouchi, Ph.D. Candidate