Seminary – Suhbah: Companionship, Fellowship, Mentorship

SUHBAH SEMINARY

SUHBAH FOUNDATION IN COLLABORATION WITH THE ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF GREATER HOUSTON (ISGH) IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE SUHBAH SEMINARY ONSITE IN HOUSTON, TX & ONLINE

FALL 2020 FULL TIME & PART TIME SEMINARY
5-month Program: August 10, 2020 through December 19, 2020
Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings
and/or twice a month weekend intensives
ONSITE and ONLINE options available

Please read through thoroughly before applying. Applicants will be interviewed and assessed to determine their acceptance.

Fall 2020 Seminary Application DEADLINE: July 26, 2020

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 is an 11-month part-time and a concurrent 5-month, full-time Arabic, Quran, Islamic studies and leadership program in Houston, TX that aims to equip students with Arabic language, Tafseer and the foundational Islamic sciences and leadership skills so that they may go back and better benefit their communities. Students will primarily study Classical Arabic and Quranic tafseer with secondary studies in Fiqh, Seerah, Hadith, Women studies, counseling skills leadership training and other disciplines. Students will be trained to teach the course material to their peers throughout the program so that they are prepared to give back to their communities by re-teaching the curricula to their local masajid, sunday schools, youth groups, etc once they return. 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, mentors, and/or part-time Imams.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Suhbah Institute offers partial scholarships to students in financial need who are interested to give back to the community. Sponsored seminary graduates will agree to fulfill 100 volunteer/internship hours with Suhbah Institute over the course of 2 years (graphic design, volunteering at programs, organizing programs, taching, marketing, etc.). If you are in need of a scholarship, 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?

PART TIME VS FULL TIME SCHEDULE & FEES

PART TIME OPTIONS

Students can choose from Part Time Track 1, Part Time Track 2 or Full Time Studies:

PART TIME TRACK 1: Quranic Arabic and Tafseer ONLY

SCHEDULE: Monday, Wednesday & Friday, 9:30am-12:00pm CST
TUITION: $250/month

PART TIME TRACK 2: Islamic Studies ONLY

SCHEDULE: 2 Weekends a month, Saturday and Sunday 10:30am-2:00pm CST
TUITION: $150/month

FULL TIME OPTION

Students who wish to do full time studies will attend both Track 1 and Track 2.

FULL TIME: Quranic Arabic and Tafseer & Islamic Studies

SCHEDULE: Monday, Wednesday & Friday, 9:30am-12:00pm CST
2 Weekends a month, Saturday and Sunday 10:30am-2:00pm CST
TUITION: $350/month

ONLINE & ONSITE OPTIONS

Students can choose to attend the seminary ONLINE or ONSITE (if health circumstances allow).

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

Due to the uncertainty of the pandemic, the program will be fully accessible online to all students with onsite options if the situation betters. Online video and PowerPoint recordings will be available each day after class on a learning management system. Homeworks and exams will be conducted online as well.
Click HERE to see an example of the online LMS (learning management system) we are using for current students.

We hope to be able to offer the seminary class onsite at the Suhbah Center as well if the circumstances and safety of students can be maintained using CDC classroom health precautions (currently: 6 foot distancing and masks).

Currently, the Suhbah Center allows for approximately 24 students to fit comfortably 6 feet apart, with one student assigned to each of our 6 foot long tables. If by August the situation is still unsafe, all students will be online. However, once the situation allows for onsite class, we will open onsite as an option for students who wish to join in person. An update will be sent at the end of July inshaAllah.

CURRICULUM

Students will primarily study Classical Arabic (Bayyinah Dream Curriculum) and Quranic Tafseer with secondary studies in Seerah, Aqeedah, Fiqh, Hadith, Women’s Fiqh, leadership training, counseling skills and other disciplines.

ARABIC AND QURAN TAFSEER STUDIES:

The 2 primary focuses of study concentrate on Quranic Arabic (Classical Fusha Arabic) and Quranic tafseer (explanation) and tadabbur (reflection) of selected chapters and verses of the Quran.

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)
Morphology (Sarf)
Basics of Arabic rhetoric (Balaaghah)

QURAN TAFSEER: Students will also study the tafseer of several surahs of the Quran in depth from classical and contemporary sources, aiming to reflect over the ayaat in interactive discussion circles in order to glean the Quranic lessons that are applicable to their daily lives.

APPROX: 135 CLASS HOURS

ISLAMIC STUDIES & LEADERSHIP TRAINING:

The 3rd focus of the program is multi-dimensional and consists of a rotating roster of core Islamic sciences, leadership training, counseling skills and teacher training.

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

Seerah, life of the Prophet (S)
Ulum ul Quran (Sciences of Quran)
Ulum al Hadith (Sciences of Hadith)
Aqeedah and Answering Atheism
Intro to Fiqh and Usul al Fiqh (Islamic Law and Jurisprudence)
Fiqh Of Worship
Contemporary Fiqh Issues
Women’s Fiqh and Women In Islam
Spirituality – Diseases of the Heart
Controversial Topics and how to answer them (hudud, feminism, gender issues, ayaat about violence, modernity, etc.)
Counseling Skills
Leadership Training
Teacher Training

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: 80 CLASS HOURS

REQUIREMENTS

Student MUST be able to read Arabic.
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 are pursuing their Master’s in Pastoral Counseling in Marriage and Family. Mahad and Safiya lead the Islamic Pre Marital and Marital Enrichment training for ISGH, and Safiya currently serves as the Female Religious Director at ISGH Maryam Islamic Center. To see their classes, videos or articles, you can find Mahad and Safiya at Facebook.com/MahadandSafiya or Facebook.com/SuhbahInstitute