ARKAAN: Explore the True Fundamentals of Islam

Who

I am Atique Miah. A university and hospital Imam and Chaplain and have been since 2016 and 2017, respectively. In this time I have come across so many people- all on different stages of the journey of deen and dunya. I am also an Islamic Faith Consultant and have been asked to support schools- in Religious Education classes, holding assemblies and consulting on book publications. Supporting Gloucestershire SACRE in the development of an inclusive Religious Education curriculum, in Gloucestershire. I have also supported the implementation of inclusive for multi-faith prayer facilities in workplaces.

What

A little more about this series of 30min workshops.

• * Fundamentals: Atique is the guy who puts the FUN into fundamentals. No joke, you really will find this workshop useful- as have so many around the world! It is a deeper look into the roots of Islamic Faith, which come before the Salah, Fasting and Charity etc. (commonly referred to as the 5 pillars). It is my understanding that if you are finding it difficult to adhere to practices involved in the five pillars, it is because you need to work on strengthening the foundational aspects of faith (or Iman). The stronger these foundations become the more robust the pillars will become. One of the most common things people say to me right at the beginning is..."I'm not very practicing" - so my response to this is..."what do you consider 'practicing' means...?" an d it is comments like this that lead me to believe that the foundations are weak and so their pillars also become weak.

• *Salah: W e've all been there (if you're Muslim). Salah time comes and goes but I can't get the motivation to fulfil its basic 'requirements', because I feel like I am not good enough or practicing enough to stand before the The Lord of the Worlds. Anyway, what will happen if I don't complete my salah? I have been missing it all these years anyway, and nothing 'bad' has happened...plus I can't begin to think how I will ever make up all those missed salah! Why does Allah even need me to do Salah?! Allah will forgive me anyway, because he is indeed The Most Forgiving, The Most Merciful. If thoughts like this come into your mind - then you are not alone! The vast majority of us go through these kinds of thoughts. But the important thing is not to let thoughts like this to stop you from completing the daily salah- because there is a great risk of you losing hope. Losing hope in the Mercy of Allah. Or you might go to the other extreme and think - Allah is Merciful, Allah will forgive me for not doing the salah.

What about when I do find time to complete salah, I can never keep my concentration- one minute I am 100% there...the next minute I can't even remember what surah I read in the last rakah or what number rakah I was last on! It takes far too much effort and head space for me to keep concentration even for a few minutes. Plus, the risks of getting it wrong far outweigh the benefits- if by some slim chance it is even accepted?!

So, what comes before Salah anyway, I always thought Salah was the first and foremost deed? What are these fundamentals that I am talking about? Join the free workshop and you will see.

* Qur'an - Reflection like you have never done before! We will go really in-depth through the eight volume Ma'ariful Qur'an written by Mufti Muhammad Shafi. It will take time - so get ready for a long ride towards self-improvement.

• * Seerah - How much do you know about the life of Prophet Mohammed SAW? Most people talk about Rasulullah from when he was a Prophet, but you know that he was only a Prophet for 23 years? How did he spend the first 40 years of his life; without Qur'an without Islam; without Salah, and Fasting and Charity- the way we know Islam to be today? Join us on this journey of exploration of the Man who brought Islam to us, through the efforts of a 23 year Mission!

• * Recitation: It used to take me half an hour to read Surah Ya-seen, because I stumbled so much, and struggled so much, I often gave up. And because of this stumbling and struggling, I sometimes didn't even feel up to reading the Qur'an. I kept thinking...I read with so many mistakes that I'll end up getting more sins than rewards. I became fatalistic with the thought that I will do more harm then good. So I am better off not reciting. Since then, I have practiced (with the help of a teacher) a lot, and it now takes me 6 or 7 minutes! I enjoy reading and really miss hearing myself read. So I practiced- and that is exactly what I want to facilitate for you in this workshop.

• * Fasting: For years, and I mean decades- I fasted the wrong way. This short course will take a deeper look at your Ramadan and Fasting habits and help you make the most of fasting. I would go as far as to say through this workshop you will learn to master what I call...the joy of hunger! (bare is mind- people often mistake fasting for starvation- it is no such thing) Join the webinar to learn more.

• * Family Life: is hard enough at the best of times. So we have requested the expertise of a counsellor to help us navigate the maze and puzzles of marriage and bringing up children with tarbiyyah. (This does not replace therapy)

• * Poetry Workshop- one of my most favourite hobbies is writing poetry - so this particular workshop is to help you write something personal for someone special in your life. It is a much longer session and it will be much more in-depth so that we may capture a greater essence of the relationship you wish to exude through the poetry. It may take several sessions depending on how long you want the piece of poetry to be.

Why?

Far too many people have found Islam to be difficult. But it ain't meant to be!

Salah is often seen as nothing more than a chore, and a burden to get over and done with. Either that, or it is seen as something only for pious of practicing people- not for the likes of sinners or imperfect individuals like you and me.

It is my job to make you aware that this is a false notion and you must realise the value of this wonderful blessing. Imagine a child not knowing the difference between the value of a gold nugget and a chicken nugget! Sometimes, we are like that child- not knowing the true value of the institution that is Salah. For you and me to see it as something valuable and worthwhile- I have set up these workshops and webinars. Another reason for me running this course- is that I used to do my salah like a robot, just repeating the words and going through the motions without much thought into where I was standing, or what I was doing. It was nothing more than an opportunity for me to say "at least I've done my duty". I could easily have given up on salah- because for many years, it was nothing more than a set of motions.

If your feelings resonate with these reflections, then these workshops are for you.

Who are you?

You're probably a Muslim who feels they're not very practicing and might go through feelings ranging from guilt, indifference or you might just feel non-committal with your ibaadah. If you find you are speeding through the few salah you do manage to complete, you don't feel it is going to be accepted. Or you are a Revert to Islam and when you first started your ibaadah, it was full of energy and enthusiasm- but soon that fizzled away and the daily grind of life took over?

These courses are either free or significantly reduced to make them more accessible to more people, but considerable time and resources go into preparing the workshops and seminars and to that end, any contributions to support the work will be greatly appreciated. Atique has been working tirelessly to bring these workshop to you. Particularly if you find the workshop useful in your daily life. You might want to become a sponsor by setting up regular monthly contributions in small amounts to help keep his work going (recommended £10). Sponsorship will mean your organisation gets coverage during our workshop and presentations.

Please be sure to cancel if you cannot make it, but I would rather you attend and benefit in both worlds.

Jazakallahukhair and Thank you for your interest.

Your brother in Islam. Atique Miah