Better together.

About

Suhbah MARRIAGE PREP – STRONG COUPLES is an online certified Islamic Pre-Marital Training curriculum that brings together the best of two of the top premarital education curricula (Prepare/Enrich & SYMBIS) and is infused with Islamic principles and Fiqh of Marriage to prepare couples with skills and education to create sustainable, healthy, strong marriages.

The sessions utilize fun and engaging activities where couples not only learn tips from the leading marriage researchers and sunan of Rasulullah (S), but they also actively solve real conflicts with their partners, in real time, during the discussion sessions.

Certification

The SUHBAH pre-marital curriculum has been certified and verified by the state of Texas’s Healthy Marriage program, which means that anyone in Texas who takes the SUHBAH course can request an official Pre Marital Training certificate which waives $60 off their marriage license and no 72-hour waiting period as long as they complete the full course. Residents outside Texas are also welcome to take the course. 

The Need

The divorce statistics in the the Muslim community are at over 33%, and even though Allah tells us in the Quran to seek help from mediators when the husband and wife are facing trouble (Surah Nisa, ayah 35) we STILL don’t seek help. We have to fight the stigma in our community before the statistic rises and More families are torn apart!

Instead of allowing couples to dive into the deep end hoping they don’t drown – in regards to something that Rasulullah (S) called “half our faith”, we should proactively educate and train couples so they are empowered and equipped with the skills to make good decisions in this beautiful – yet difficult – union of marriage.

Online Logistics

ONLINE COURSE 

The Strong Couples Online Course is a pre-recorded, self-paced program that consists of over 6 hours of content taught by Imam Mahad and Ustadha Safiya. The course covers marriage from the Islamic and Counseling perspectives. The course is filled with discussion activities and prompts for the couple to help improve their understanding and strengthen their relationship.

We encourage couples to watch the videos together or plan to watch them at the same time so that they can effectively complete the activities with one another.

LIVE COUPLES COUNSELING SESSIONS

When registering for the course, couples can opt for a 50-minute private couples counseling session online – at a reduced rate – with one of our Suhbah Ihsaan Counselors – to be completed after the course. Couples who require more than one session can avail our 4 counseling session bundles. Fees at the bottom of the page.

COURSE EXPIRATION

The course videos are available to be viewed within 6 months or 8 months of enrolling. After 6 or 8 months, video access will expire. If you need an extension, let us know at info@suhbah.com!

CERTIFICATION

As a registered and officially verified curriculum with the Texas county clerk pre-marriage department (Texas Twogether), couples who complete SUHBAH pre-marital training can request an official state of Texas Pre Marital Training certificate, which waives $60 off their Texas marriage license fees, and the 72-hour waiting period for the marriage license will be waived.

INSTRUCTORS

Mahad Qamar and Safiya Ravat lead the 6-hour content. They are the co-founders of SUHBAH Institute and have been married over a decade. Both hold degrees in Islamic Fiqh and Usul al Fiqh (Islamic Law and Jurisprudence) from the International Islamic University of Malaysia and a Masters in Pastoral Counseling in Marriage and Family Therapy from Virginia. They’re currently the lead instructors at the Suhbah Seminary in Houston, Texas. Suhbah offers Islamic seminary courses, avenues for singles looking to get married, as well as pre-marital training for engaged couples and newlyweds. They are certified pre-marital training facilitators through PREPARE/ENRICH and SYMBIS.

 

Breakdown of the Seminar

STRONG COUPLES: Suhbah Marriage Prep seminar will include:

  • 8 hour curriculum (6 hours of content, 1-2 hours of couples discussion) 
  • Integrates two certified pre-marital curricula (PREPARE/ENRICH and SYMBIS) as well as Islamic principles and marriage fiqh
  • Interactive activities and skill-building discussions that help foster communication and conflict resolution skills for couples
  • Main topics covered:
    • Islamic Rights And Responsibilities In Marriage
    • Breaking Down Marriage Myths
    • Communication Skills
    • Conflict Resolution Skills
    • Marital Intimacy
    • Family History Influences
    • Relationship Roles And Responsibilities
    • Personality Types and Differences
    • Languages of Love & Distress

Fees

  • OPTION 1: $275 – Strong Couples (Course Only)
  • OPTION 2: $300 – Strong Couples Course + 1 Couples Counseling Session
  • OPTION 3: $600 – Strong Couples Course + 4 Couples Counseling Sessions

Fee is per couple, not per individual.
Financial aid available – email info@suhbah.com before registering to avail financial aid.

Questions

CAN A WOMAN STAY IN THE MASJID DURING MENSES?

CLICK HERE for video response.

The scholars’ 2 OPINIONS:
1) NO SHE CANNOT STAY IN THE MASJID UNLESS PASSING BY FOR A NEED (MAJORITY)

Evidences:
-The junub (sexually impure person after intercourse) is told explicitly in the Quran (Nisa: 43) not to stay in the masjid. And the junub, by analogy, is similar to the menstruating women because they both have an impurity that requires ghusl.
– Rasulullah (S) said to tell all women (menstruating and not) to come to the Eid prayer, but he said “let the menstruating women avoid the prayer place.”
-Rasulullah (S) in said, “The mosque is not permitted for menstruating women or anyone who is in a state of janabah (sexual impurity).”

2) YES SHE CAN STAY IN THE MASJID
(minority opinion held by Ibn Hazm, Al-Muzani a scholar of the Shafi’I madhab, Dawud Ad Dhaahiri, and modern day scholars such as Shaykh Yusuf al Qardawi and others)

Evidences:
-The hadeeth mentioned above (“The mosque is not permitted for menstruating women or anyone who is in a state of janabah (sexual impurity).”) was classed as da’eef (weak) by Shaykh al-Albaani as well as other scholars, so it is not permissible to make a ruling of fiqh based on a weak hadth.
– The ayah talking about the junub cannot be applied to the menstruating women because they are not analogous.
When Aisha is on her period during Hajj, Rasulullah (S) told her “do everything but don’t do tawaf of the kabah” which indicates she could stay at the Kabah and do worship, dua, etc.
-A slave woman who was freed set up a tent and lived in the masjid. And Umm Mihjaan (the caretaker of the masjid) would regularly take care of the masjid, and was not told to avoid it during menses.
-Therefore, these scholars are of the opinion that if it were really impermissible for a woman to not stay in the masjid, there would be an authentic direct hadith or ayah about it, as women around the messenger regularly had their period. The evidences brought by the majority are not strong enough to make it haram upon her to stay in the masjid.

CAN A WOMAN TRAVEL BY HERSELF?

CLICK HERE for video response.

Did you know that the wives of the Prophet (S) traveled together WITHOUT a Mahram from Madinah to Makkah to make Hajj?

In short – there are two opinions on the matter. 1) No, she has to have a Mahram. 2) Yes, she can, as long as her safety can be ensured, and that she uses safe public transportation where others are around.

CAN I DO 6 SHAWAL BEFORE MAKE UP FASTS?

CLICK HERE for video response

Rasulullah (S) said “Whoever fasts during the month of Ramadan and then follows it with six days of Shawwal will be (rewarded) as if he had fasted the entire year.” [Muslim]

So CAN I DO 6 SHAWAL BEFORE MY RAMADAN MAKE UP FASTS?

2 Opinions of the scholars:

1) NO, FINISH RAMADAN FASTS FIRST: Some scholars, amongst them the Hanbalis, say that one must finish the obligatory fasts of Ramadan first before you do any other voluntary fast, as obligations are more important than voluntary fasts and because the Hadith says “Whoever FASTS Ramadan and follows it up with 6 of shawal…” indicating one must finish all 29/30 of Ramadan first and foremost. Some of this group say, if one cannot do all of Ramadan make up fasts in Shawal, then they can complete their 6 Shawal in the next month (Dhul Qa’dah).

2) YES, YOU CAN DO 6 SHAWAL BEFORE RAMADAN MAKE UPS:
The other opinion of scholars (amongst them the Hanafi, Shafi, Maliki madhhab) is that the obligation of finishing off Ramadan is an obligation that is given an extended amount of time to fulfill. So since it is given a wide time of 11 months to finish the Ramadan fasts, it should NOT be limited to finishing them off in the very next month (shawal). Shawal is a limited amount of time, and Ramadan is given a long time, and therefore it would be permissible to fast 6 shawal first as long as the Ramadan fasts are accomplished throughout the next 11 months. This is from the mercy of Allah in giving us a long time to make up all the Ramadan fasts.

The precedence that we have in the seerah, is that of Aisha (R) who said that she regularly made up her Ramadan fasts in the month of Shaban, which is the month right before Ramadan. But it is also known that she did many voluntary fasts throughout the year. Scholars conclude that she thererfore saw it acceptable to do voluntary fasts, EVEN though the Ramadan make up fasts had not been completed yet.

It is also very difficult for women to make up Ramadan fasts (maybe 7-8 days) & finish shawal (another 6 days) within one month – because obviously her menses will come (maybe 7-8 days). That almost requires her to fast another WHOLE month minus her period just to accomplish Shawal. And that is definitely a great difficulty.

**Majority of scholars say you cannot combine Shawal and Ramadan make up fasts with one intention. They should be separate intentions and separate days.

NOTE: Know yourself! If you find it difficult to make up your fasts, PRIORITIZE Ramadan fasts over Shawal fasts, because an obligation is like a debt!

May Allah allow us all to fast the 6 of Shawal to get the reward of an entire year! Ameen

CAN WOMEN READ/TOUCH THE QURAN DURING MENSES?

CLICK HERE for video response.

RECITING QURAN – there are 2 opinions:
1) She CANNOT read/recite the Quran.
Most scholars prohibit women from touching the Quran based on the hadith “The menstruating woman and the one who is in a state of sexual impurity (janaabah) should not recite anything of the Qur’aan.”

2) She CAN read/recite the Quran.
This is the opinion of Ibn Taymiyyah, ibn Qayyim, Imam Malik, Bukhari, and one opinion of Imam Ash Shafii as well as many other scholars. Their argument is that the hadith mentioned above is Daeef (weak). In fact, the hadith is considered weak by almost all scholars of Hadith and therefore cannot be used in order to make a fiqh ruling. So women may recite or read the Quran, either from memory or from the Quran mushaf (book) itself.

TOUCHING THE QURAN

Scholars of fiqh agree that someone who is not purified CANNOT touch the Quran because Allah says in the Quran “None shall touch it except the purified” (Waqiah: 79). This includes the junub (sexually impure), the menstruating woman, as well as someone without wudhu.

So how can she read the Quran?
1) Use a barrier (glove, towel, pen) so that her hand doesn’t directly touch the Quran
2) Read it off of a tablet or phone as these are not considered the Quran, but rather devices that have the Quran in them.
3)Read a book which has Tafseer/translation in it – as that is not considered the Quran mushaf (book) either. Even if it contains the Arabic, if half is tafseer/translation, it is permissible for an impure person to hold.

WOMEN’S FASTING FAQ

CLICK HERE for video response.

Q:If you fast all day, and your period starts a few minutes before Maghrib, do you have to make that day up?
A: Yes.

Q: If I didn’t make up all my fasts before next Ramadan, what do I do?
A: If you had no excuse, you have to pay the penalty, Fidya as well as make them up later. (Fidya: feeding a poor person a full day’s meal per day that you missed).

Q: Do pregnant and breastfeeding women have to fast?
A: They are exempt if they fear for themselves or the baby. However, if they feel well enough, they can fast, after consulting a doctor.

Q: How do pregnant/nursing moms make up those fasting days if they have years of make ups?
A: There are multiple opinions of scholars:
1- make them all up over the years (majority opinion)
2- pay the fidya only (opinion of Ibn Abbas and Ibn Umar (R))
3- pay the fidya AND make them up over the years

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