Seminary – Suhbah: Companionship, Fellowship, Mentorship

SUHBAH SEMINARY

SUHBAH FOUNDATION IN COLLABORATION WITH THE ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF GREATER HOUSTON (ISGH) IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE 2 CONCURRENT SEMINARY PROGRAMS IN HOUSTON, TX & ONLINE

PART TIME – 11-month Program: February 2020 through December 2020
(alternating weekends and once a week online. ONSITE & ONLINE-ONLY Option available)

FULL TIME – 5-month Program: August 2020 through December 2020
(weekday mornings and once a month weekend intensives)

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

Part-Time Seminary Application DEADLINE: February 1st, 2020
Full-Time Seminary Application DEADLINE: June 1st, 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.

ISGH COLLABORATION AND SCHOLARSHIPS

SCHOLARSHIPS

The Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH) is a proud sponsor of Suhbah Seminary. ISGH aims to invest in its future by offering Suhbah Seminary scholarships to students interested to give back to the community. If you would like to be sponsored by an ISGH Masjid, please indicate this on the SCHOLARSHIP portion of the application form. Sponsored seminary graduates will fulfill a 100-hour internship with the sponsoring ISGH masjid over 2 years.

For questions, email info@suhbah.com

SPONSOR

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

SCHEDULE & FEES

PART TIME CLASS

SCHEDULE: February 2020 through December 2020 – 11 MONTHS
-2 Weekends each month – onsite at Ilm Academy campus
-Alternate Weekends 9:30am-2:00pm
-AND Every Wednesday evening – online
ONLINE-ONLY Option also Available for Part-Time
LOCATION: ILM Academy Campus – ISGH NW Spring Branch Zone
1209 Conrad Sauer Dr. Houston, TX 77043
TUITION: $300/month (financial aid/scholarships available)
$200/month (ONLINE-ONLY for out of towners)

FULL TIME CLASS

SCHEDULE: August 2020 through December 2020 – 5 MONTHS
(onsite at Center for Quran and Soul – adjacent to ILM Academy)
- Monday through Thursday, 9:00am-2:00pm
- AND one weekend intensive each month (Saturday & Sunday 9:30am-2:00pm)
LOCATION: Center for Quran and Soul (weekdays)
1109 E Conrad Sauer Dr. Houston, Texas 77043
AND ILM Academy Campus (one weekend/month)
1209 Conrad Sauer Dr. Houston, TX 77043
TUITION: $600/month (financial aid/scholarships available)

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)

APPROX: 110 CLASS HOURS (Part Time) AND 140 CLASS HOURS (Full Time)

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: 75 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: 100 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