Western Sunrise: Testimonials and Ambiance

[Ilhan Omar]

Western Sunrise - Islamic History of Africa, Andalus and America: Testimonials and Ambiance

Originally Posted by Muhammad Alshareef

Bismillah.
One thing I have found is that when a new course comes to town, volunteers have a mini hurdle trying to get a 'feel' for a new seminar ... and this effects the enthusiasm by which they encourage others.

The hurdle that then happens is that 'after' they have attended the first weekend, they brag to their friends about how awesome the course was ... but by that time it's too late. People keep missing the train because they get pumped up 'after' the train has left the station.

So ... I would like to make the testimonials and ambiance thread in each course folder. Simply type up your testimonials and what you thought was awesome about the course. Then, those new Qabeelahs that get this course ... all they have to do is come and view this thread, reading it top to bottom, and then they will have the motivational fuel they need to believe in what they encourage people to attend... BEFORE the seminar and not after.

Bismillah ... tell us what you loved about the Western Sunrise seminar, and it's ambiance:

[Rizwana]

Absolutely Amazing. It really is a journey that the Shaykh takes you through and facts that you have heard of for the first time. Deconstructing History to see the truth. What made it even more enjoyable was the fact that the Shaykh had his own amazing pictures of the places that he visited and then the documentary in Timbuktu!!! I thought my mum used to make that place up! But there is a very rich scholarly culture and presence prevalent there. A MUST go to course...if you thought you didnt like history well then you will after taking this course.

[Abd As Samad]

Deconstruct history...


Ask yourself where did spaghetti and meat balls come from

[Ilhan Omar]

Bismillah,

What can I say about Western Sunrise? Alhamdulillah the sun truly shone on Qabeelat AlShams when we were blessed with this seminar, and moreover with Shaykh Abdullah Hakim Quick delivering it! As a regular attendee of AlMaghrib courses, naturally I signed up to this one too, plus it's not everyday Shaykh Abdullah comes to the UK so it would have been a monumental folly to let this seminar slide!

When I signed up I was more excited about the content of the first weekend - Islamic history of Africa and Andalus. Learning about the Murabitun of North Africa as they revived the deen, and Islamic civilisation in it's Golden Age in Al-Andalus can only revive that sense of 'izza within yourself! Though I was looking forward to learning about history of Islam in the America's, I couldn't really connect with it as I had no idea what to expect nor do I have any ties with America. But the second weekend came and subhanAllah it blew me away. History was well and truly deconstructed! Learning about the presence of Muslims in early America, and that a number of slaves from the slave trade era were not only Muslims, but fully fledged scholars! It was truly an eye opening experience - they don't teach you this kinda stuff in history class!

Each AlMaghrib seminar has it's own 'vibe' and personal lessons to extract but Western Sunrise was a unique experience hence it had a whole vibe of it's own! The course content was fresh, all too often we as Muslims don't study our history in depth, and when we do, we sometimes tend to get stuck in the past rather than living in the present. It wasn't just a delivery of historical facts, but rather Shaykh Abdullah would challenge us to reflect, and extract lessons that we can apply in our lives today by seeing where those before us went wrong, and what they did right.

Another thing that stood out was Shaykh Abdullah's use of various mediums for teaching purposes which brought the 'ilm to life. After connecting what we had just learnt with the photographs and documentaries, it really helps to cement it as you have a mental image. After taking this course, I intend to travel to Timbuktu, this powerhouse of 'ilm in sha Allah, I pray Allah enables me to go.
Also on a side note I loved how our Q&A sessions were called a "town hall meeting" ma sha Allah! Is this an American thing?

Overall, this course is enlightening - as if you were viewing world history wearing glasses that haven't been cleaned for years then Shaykh Abdullah comes along and cleans those lens up for you. Result = a new perspective. Akin to stepping out of the 'Matrix'. On a personal level this course will revive your spirit of Islam and only increase your desire to learn more about Islamic history. On a community level, it makes one realise a paradigm shift is needed if we want to return to the days of 'izza. We need to see history from our perspective as well as others.

In the words of Shaykh Abdullah Hakim Quick himself:

"If you don't know your past, you will be confused about your present and won't be able to project yourself in the future."

(see I threw a gem in too )


In brief, this seminar was DEEP.

[fa ayna tadhaboon?]

As salaamu 'alaikum wa rahmatullah,

I don't think we in the West understand the monumental importance of learning about the history of Andalus today. In this class, you guys are going to be learning about the end of the Visigothic empire to the Fall of Granada in 1492. To my knowledge, the period after the Fall of Granada is not covered even though Muslims lived in Andalus for almost two hundred years after the Fall. However, from my own reading, as Muslims living in the West today, under Non-Muslim rule, the latter period is even more important to learn!

What happened to the Muslims after the last ruler of Granada (Abu Abdullah the 12th) surrendered the keys of Granada to the Spanish Crown of Castille and thus ended the shining glory that was known as Al Andalus? What were the agreements that took place between the Muslims and the Christian rulers? Did they abide by these agreements? Were the Muslims able to practice their religion in its entirety? What was the opinion of the 'ulema at the time? Did they command the Muslims of Andalus to move to Morroco, or did they allow them to stay and live under non-Muslim rule? Were the Muslims living as free human beings or were they treated as second-class citizens? What are the factors that led to the Inquisition and consequently the complete termination of Islam and Muslims from Andalus?

Brothers and sisters, these are very important questions that you should be asking your selves. I've come across a truly fascinating book which covers this precise period of history. Remember your knowledge of history should not be limited to what you learn in this class. As a fellow Muslim, I exhort you all to start reading more about Andalus, and in particular start with the following book as it is history written from a Muslim perspective (as opposed to the other Oriental books regarding Andalus):

AN INCOMPLETE HISTORY

By Ibn Abi Hashim Al Muhajir

http://historyofandalus.wordpress.com/

[S Sultan]

Bismillah.

I'd like to first begin by sincerely thanking Shaykh Abdullah for traveling so far (and we know how far it really was based on the geography he taught us these past two weekends alhamdulillah) to impart extremely beneficial knowledge to the students of Qabeelat Tayybah. We are truly humbled by your taking such strides to teach us. May Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) reward you immensely for your travels, the knowledge you gave us, and the journey you took us on over the course of two beautiful weekends. You are an amazing tour guide of the history of Islam masha'Allah!

Although history has always been my worst subject in school, Shaykh Abdullah has an amazing capability of captivating his audience. His manner, his passion about the topic, and most importantly, the information itself all lend to grabbing the attention of his students. May Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) preserve him and reward him with the highest level of Jennah. Ameen.

I left this seminar with a sense of pride... it is amazing to realize what the Muslimeen achieved in the past. I also left with a sense of purpose... this seminar leads one to think, "If my brothers and sisters in the past were capable of overcoming such obstacles yet they still made incredible strides, what are we waiting for?" May Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) allow us to revive the Islamic spirit and take the positive examples of the success of the Muslimeen to heart. Ameen.

Again, barak Allahu feekum ya shaykhna. Your time with us was truly valuable and you will be missed. Please keep all of your students in your du'aas.

[Riyadh]

Bismillah

This seminar has been enlightening for myself as well as other brothers whom I have spoken to throughout the seminar. One brother from high school said this material that Western Sunrise covers encompasses the global studies subjects that they are currently studying and that this seminar provides a new light of knowledge that their teachers do not teach them. It's untold knowledge - from another perspective.

As Dr. Abdullah Hakim Quick mentioned in the seminar: "If you get a 100 on your global studies exam - congratulations - you have now been completely brainwashed!" That is true - completely brainwashed of the stories from the conquerors point of view.

But there exists an AMAZING story that no student in the Western Curriculum has ever been exposed to...and Western Sunrise takes you into a whole different world of history that you have never experienced before.

Prove your teacher wrong!
There is more to the story that you have learned in global studies!

A great seminar to invite your history professors and non-muslim guests.

[HalaTayybah]

So...this class is a MUST TAKE, ma sha Allah.

It's a great first introduction to AlMaghrib for pretty much everyone. Muslims today barely know half of these facts and non-Muslims need to learn this stuff as well, especially in times like these where we are being painted as the "others."

Dr. Abdullah at one point mentioned that he should not have to be teaching us this information; it should be readily available in every history or global studies book we picked up from first grade and onward.
He is absolutely correct. In fact, the fact that we haven't been taught these important bits of information makes one feel like they've definitely been cheated throughout their lives.

Muslims shaped the world!

And that is not an exaggeration (you'll take it as fact too, once you take the seminar, in sha Allah.)

We need to remember that and be able to share this information with those who haven't been given it before.

Dr. Abdullah's teaching style is another definite reason to take the seminar.
It's one thing to take a history or geography lesson from someone who studied the subject and can read off facts and statistics and it is a completely different thing to be taught by someone who has been to pretty much every place he mentions.

We were shown some of Dr. Abdullah's own pictures in the slides we read from and we were told anecdotes about amazing drivers on mountains and we were shown actual videos of the lands we studied.

The only way we didn't experience these lands was physically, ma sha Allah (and even that was offered by the end.....don't know if that's an ongoing thing so don't take my word for it yet.)

I don't think it matters whether you're a history buff or not.

If you don't know the significance of Timbuktu to the Islamic world,
if you don't know how far ahead of the West that Andalucia was technologically,
if you still believe Christopher Columbus discovered America,
you need to take this seminar.

Jazakum Allah khair for everything, Dr. Abdullah.
In sha Allah we see you back with us soon.

[Riyadh]

Originally Posted by wildflowers02

Western Sunrise was Great! Sheikh Abdullah Hakim Quick is so knowledgeable, Alhumdulillah.

Reposted.

Al Hamdulillah, I have come full circle. After Sheik Yasser Birjas taught how Fiqh Evolved, I asked him what did the Muslims in Africa contribute? He challenged me to find out for myself. I knew that Timbuktu played a major role in education, but now I know how far and wide its role was. Western Sunrise opened Western Eyes. I have a friend who returned to her Lord after I attended this class. She loved imam Abdullah Hakim Quick very much. We ofter talked about and listened to his tapes together. It was a joy to share with her what I learned. But now, the challenge continues. Thank You Imam for setting my feet in the right direction to begin my own research. Thank you Almaghrib for your insight bringing such a scholar to us. Thank you Allah for making it easy for me to attend this seminar.