About twenty years ago, Dr. Choukri Heddouchi, at the time a doctoral student at the University of Chicago, decided to attend an on-campus Tafsīr session of Shaykh Amin’s. This was part of a series for Muslim students. Since highschool, Dr. Heddouchi has had a special interest in the topic. He recollects, at the time, he was independently studying the Tafsīr...
Like many students at Darul Qasim, Hussam Bteibet, 3rd year student in the Intermediate Program, balances both his professional career with his quest for more knowledge. Hussam received his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Cleveland State University in 2016. He is currently working as a cybersecurity engineer for a software company. How is he able to give time to...
Reflection delivered on April 8th, 2022 In this Friday reflection, Shaykh Amin speaks about the month of Ramaḍān as one in which the distribution of Allah’s ﷻ raḥmah (Divine Mercy) is not only huge, but also ever-present. His ﷻ mercy becomes very close to those who fast and do good. The “whole of Ramaḍān gives us access to the heavens, any...
Reflection delivered after Tarāwīh on the 9th of Ramaḍān In this reflection, Shaykh Amin reminds us that these first ten days of Ramaḍān are the days of Raḥmah (Divine mercy). “All that exists has a shade of Allah’s ﷻ Raḥmah.” This is how we understand Allah’s ﷻ generosity and magnanimity, as all-encompassing. The “fact that a thing exists is only...
Bushra Alvi, 4th year student in the Intermediate Program, glances back at the physical gates that make up the back wall of Darul Qasim’s library. Students and faculty spent countless hours here studying traditional and contemporary Islamic texts. She is asked to reflect on how walking through the symbolic gate of knowledge, that is Darul Qasim, has transformed her. Instantly...
“I see Darul Qasim as being a place that has the potential not just to transform individuals, but also society as a whole.[…] Because what we are trying to do here is […] not just teach students the bare bones, dry fiqh […] and this is what you believe… and things like that. But getting them to think about Islam...
On the first night of Ramaḍān, Shaykh Amin shared some post-tarāwīḥ reflections on the immense reward that is accessible to all during this blessed month. He reminded all who were present that Allah ﷻ is the Most Generous Being, al-Karīm, and that He ﷻ loves us to ask Him ﷻ to fulfill our needs. This month should be entered by...
“For me, Darul Qasim, more than any other institution, was able to create a dialogue with the living and a dialogue with those that are dead.” Mawlana Saaleh Baseer, a second-year Ifta student, reflects here on Darul Qasim’s illuminating and engaging approach to the acquisition of academic knowledge. When walking through this gate of knowledge there is a realization that...
What does walking through the gate of knowledge look, feel, and sound like for a female student at Darul Qasim? Sayeeda Hikmat, a 4th year student in the intermediate program, shares: “It’s never going to end…I can keep doing more and more!” Sayeeda’s excitement and dedication to the acquisition of Islamic knowledge can be felt not only in her words,...
As this blessed month of Ramadan begins, take a glimpse inside a world of learning. Join us as we share with you stories of Darul Qasim and walk through the Gate of Knowledge.
In this Pre-Ramaḍān segment, Dr. Stodolsky elucidates the Prophetic virtue of generosity as a means of reflecting upon how the Prophet ﷺ elevated this virtue in the blessed month of Ramaḍān. His reflections serve as a reminder to work on building our generosity, alongside our abundant recitation throughout the month. Dr. Muhammed Volkan Yildiran Stodolsky is the Chair in the...
