SUHBAH SEMINARY

Islamic Society of Greater Houston
SUHBAH FOUNDATION IN COLLABORATION WITH THE ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF GREATER HOUSTON (ISGH) IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE SUHBAH SEMINARY ONSITE IN HOUSTON, TEXAS & ONLINE

 

QURANIC ARABIC

WEEKENDS

WEEKENDS (SPRING 2024): ALTERNATE WEEKENDS
Every other Sat & Sun 9:30am-12:00pm & Wednesdays 7p-8:30p CST
JANUARY 13 to JUNE 2, 2024
Taught by: Ustadha Safiya Ravat and Ustadh Shaheer Syed
ONSITE and ONLINE options available

 

 

ISLAMIC STUDIES

(MODULE 2)

WEEKENDS

WEEKENDS (SPRING 2024): ALTERNATE WEEKENDS

Every other Sat & Sun 9:30am-2:00pm CST
JANUARY 20 TO MAY 26, 2024
Taught by: Ustadh Mahad Qamar, Ustadha Safiya Ravat,
Sh Joe Bradford, Ustadha Farhat Shamsi, Sh Abdullah Ashraf,
Ustadh Fahad Tasleem & Sh Ammar Alshukry
ONSITE and ONLINE options available

Please read through thoroughly before applying. After applying, we will be reviewing applications. Acceptance into the program is based upon an Arabic reading assessment (for Arabic classes only).

SPRING 2024 Seminary Application DEADLINE:  DECEMBER 31, 2023
SPRING 2024 classes begin: JANUARY 2024

SUHBAH MISSION

Suhbah means “companionship”, “fellowship” or “to accompany”. It comes from the same root letters as the word “Sahaabah” – the companions of Prophet Muhammad (S). At Suhbah Institute, our mission is to accompany and inspire individuals along their journey of growth by providing quality, nurturing and easily accessible Islamic learning that is applicable to our ever changing lives and circumstances – whether that be in our relationships with others, with ourselves, or with our Lord.

SUHBAH SEMINARY OVERVIEW

Suhbah Institute  in collaboration with the Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH) proudly presents the SUHBAH Seminary. SUHBAH Seminary offers part time studies in Quranic Arabic and Islamic studies. Students will primarily study Classical Fusha Quranic Arabic with a separate track in Islamic Studies concentrating on Aqeedah, Quran, Fiqh, Seerah, Hadith studies and other disciplines, equipping students with the knowledge to benefit themselves, their families and their communities. The mission of SUHBAH seminary is to inspire growth and learning to nurture well-rounded Muslims, grounded in foundational Islamic knowledge, aware of the ever changing dynamics of our modern world, who can serve and teach in their local communities in the position of instructors, halaqa leaders, youth group leaders, community activists, and more.

SCHOLARSHIPS

SCHOLARSHIPS

Suhbah Institute offers scholarships to all UHMSA and TAMU MSA students (at 50% off tuition) as well as financial aid to all other attendees in need of financial assistance. If you are in need of a scholarship/financial aid, please indicate that on the application form.

For questions, email info@suhbah.com

SPONSOR

Would you like to help students out by sponsoring their seminary studies?

DIFFERENT TRACKS OFFERED

Students may choose from Quranic Arabic and/or Islamic Studies Tracks. All tracks have online and onsite options. 

QURANIC ARABIC TRACK
  

Spring WEEKENDS & Wednesday evenings
DATES: JANUARY 13 to JUNE 2, 2024
SCHEDULE: 2 Weekends a month, Saturday and Sunday, 9:30am-12:00pm CST
and Every Wednesday 7:00pm-8:30pm CST 

Quranic Arabic can be taken concurrently or separately from the Islamic studies track. The class schedules do not conflict. 

Deadline to apply: December 31, 2023

Taught by: Ustadha Safiya Ravat and Ustadh Shaheer Syed

ONSITE and ONLINE options available

TUITION: $200/month

 

 

 

 

ISLAMIC STUDIES TRACK
MODULE 2

Spring WEEKENDS
DATES: JANUARY 20 TO MAY 26, 2024
SCHEDULE: 2 Weekends a month, Saturday and Sunday 9:30am-2:00pm CST

Islamic Studies (which comprises of 2 modules) can be taken concurrently or separately from the Arabic tracks. The class schedules do not conflict.

*Module 1 of Islamic Studies is NOT a pre-requisite to enroll in Module 2. Module 1 can be taken in the Fall semester and Module 2 can be taken in the Spring Semester. To see what is taught in each module, go to the Curriculum portion of this site.

Deadline to apply: December 31, 2023

Taught by: Ustadh Mahad Qamar, Ustadha Safiya Ravat, Ustadh Fahad Tasleem, Sh Joe Bradford, Ustadha Farhat Shamsi, Sh Abdullah Ashraf & Sh Ammar Alshukry

ONSITE and ONLINE options available

TUITION: $200/month

ACADEMIC CALENDAR SPRING 2024

ONLINE & ONSITE OPTIONS

Students can choose to attend the seminary online or onsite at the Suhbah Center in the Memorial area of Houston, Texas.

Onsite Location:
Suhbah Center
1111 Conrad Sauer Dr. Suite I
Houston, TX 77043

The program will be fully accessible online and onsite to all students. Onsite Classroom capacity is approximately 36 students.

 

 

Students will be provided a physical and online textbook. Online video and PowerPoint recordings will be available each day after class. Students will have access to all recordings for the duration of the semester. Homeworks and exams will be conducted online through Suhbah’s Learning Management System.

CURRICULUM

Students may choose one or both of our curricula.
Quranic Arabic students will primarily study Classical Arabic (modified Bayyinah Dream Curriculum).
Islamic Studies students will go in depth into the foundational Islamic Sciences including Seerah, Aqeedah, Fiqh, Ulum al Hadith, Ulum al Quran, Women’s Fiqh and other disciplines.

QURANIC ARABIC STUDIES:

The primary focus of study concentrate on Quranic Arabic (Classical Fusha Arabic). This course is taught by Ustadha Safiya Ravat – former lead instructor of Arabic at the Bayyinah Dream Arabic program, with additional instruction from Ustadh Shaheer Syed.

QURANIC ARABIC: The SUHBAH curriculum is designed to foster an understanding and appreciation of the Quran in Arabic. Students will learn how to understand and translate the Quran by studying the Bayyinah Dream Arabic curriculum which includes:

  • 80% of Quranic Arabic vocabulary
  • Grammar (Nahw)
  • I’raab (Grammatical breakdown of ayaat) and Translation
  • Morphology (Sarf)

APPROX: 75-80 CLASS HOURS 

 

ISLAMIC STUDIES:

The Islamic Studies curriculum consists of 2 modules spanning 2 semesters. While it is encouraged to take Module 1 before Module 2, that is not a pre-requisite. The classes are multi-dimensional and consist of a rotating roster of core foundational Islamic sciences that one would find in their first year of an Islamic Studies degree.

The Islamic sciences will include foundational studies in the following subjects:

MODULE 1 (offered in the Fall):

  • Ulum ul Quran (Sciences of Quran) – Mahad Qamar
  • Ulum al Hadith (Sciences of Hadith) – Farhat Shamsi
  • Usul al Iman (Aqeedah) – Joe Bradford
  • Intro to Fiqh and Usul al Fiqh (Islamic Law and Jurisprudence) – Safiya Ravat
  • Fiqh of Worship (Taharah and Salah) – Arsalan Majid
  • Women’s Fiqh – Safiya Ravat
  • Islamic Civilization – Ammar AlShukry
  • Purification of the Heart – Khalis Rashaad
  • Shamaail Muhamadiyyah (Description of the Prophet [S]) – Abdullah Ashraf

MODULE 2 (offered in the Spring):

  • Culture Wars: Responding to Liberalism, Postmodernism and Other isms – Fahad Tasleem
  • Qawaa’id al Fiqhiyyah (Legal Maxims in Islamic Law) – Joe Bradford
  • Fiqh of Finances – Joe Bradford
  • Fiqh al Usrah (Fiqh of Marriage & Divorce) – Abdullah Ashraf
  • Stories of Women in the Quran (A Thematic Tafseer) – Farhat Shamsi
  • Seerah – Mahad Qamar
  • Contemporary Fiqh (Selected contemporary issues) – Safiya Ravat
  • The Names of Allah – Ammar Alshukry
  • Tafseer of Selected Passages – Mahad Qamar
and more…
 
  • The Islamic Studies classes will be taught in a rotating manner and will include guest instructors and scholars qualified in their respective fields inshaAllah.

APPROX: 75-80 CLASS HOURS PER MODULE

 

REQUIREMENTS 

Student MUST be able to read Arabic (for Quranic Arabic studies).
Student must be at least age 16 or older (specific exceptions can be made, email info@suhbah.com to inquire).
Student must have the appropriate immigration status to study as SUHBAH does not offer any student visas.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTORS:

MAIN INSTRUCTORS:

Mahad Qamar and Safiya Ravat are the co-founders of Suhbah Institute and the main instructors of Suhbah Seminary. They were previous head instructors of Arabic and Quranic Tafseer studies at the Bayyinah Dream Arabic program. Mahad and Safiya attained their Bachelor’s in Fiqh and Usul al Fiqh (Islamic Law and Jurisprudence) from the International Islamic University of Malaysia, and completed their Master’s in Pastoral Counseling in Marriage and Family Therapy. Mahad and Safiya lead the Islamic Pre Marital and Marital Enrichment training for Suhbah. To see their classes, videos or articles, you can find Mahad and Safiya at Facebook.com/MahadandSafiya, Facebook.com/SuhbahInstitute or in Instagram @suhbah_institute.

GUEST INSTRUCTORS: 

Safiya Ravat & Mahad Qamar

Founders & Main Instructors | Quranic Arabic, Tafseer, Seerah, Fiqh and Usul al Fiqh, Women's Fiqh, Ulum ul Quran, Contemporary Fiqh

Shaykh Joe Bradford

Instructor | Usul al Iman (Aqeedah/Faith) | Qawaid Al Fiqhiyyah (Legal Maxims) | Fiqh of Finances

Shaykh Arsalan Majid

Instructor | Fiqh of Worship, Taharah & Salah

Shaykh Ammar AlShukry

Instructor | Islamic Civilization | Names of Allah

Shaykh Anisul Haque

Visiting Instructor | Stories of the Prophets

Ustadh Fahad Tasleem

Instructor | Responding to Liberalism, Postmodernism and Other isms 

Ustadha Farhat Shamsi

Instructor | Ulum al Hadith | Stories of Women in the Quran

Imam Khalis Rashaad

Instructor | Spirituality & Purification of the Heart

Shaykh Abdullah Ashraf

Instructor | Shamaail Muhamadiyyah | Fiqh al Usrah (Fiqh of Marriage & Divorce)

Ustadh Shaheer Syed

Instructor | Quranic Arabic - Sarf Morphology

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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