Dear Students, 

Isolation and Disconnection. Two dangerous states when in action together is like fuel and air. Only a spark is required to start a raging fire. Such is life with the advent of the coronavirus pandemic. We are forced into isolation, but it is your CHOICE to stay CONNECTED.

Stay CONNECTED with Shaykh Ahmad Sa’ad Al Azhari, director of Ihsan Institute as we host a Free Webinar entitled

 “Witnessing Wisdom in Pandemic, A Servant’s Focus in Times of Panic”

Join Shaykh Ahmad as he guides viewers to have a deeper understanding of what should be a servant’s focus while navigating through times of uncertainty and misinterpreted reality.

The webinar will be held on  ‘Zoom’.

Register here, bit.ly/ihsan_webminar_6Apr

With Love, 

Ihsan Institute International 

"Where knowledge is for perfection"

To recognize challenges in contemporary times and avoiding decadent traits and upholding praiseworthy ones.

Rudyard Kipling wrote the poem If in 1896, inspired by a military action undertaken by an English nobleman. A closer look into Kipling’s life; a roller coaster of achievements and tragedies could have perhaps contributed to the wisdom presented in this particular work. Nevertheless, this poem has provided a rich array of advice that was not only pertinent to life in the 1900s but also to current times whereby individualism and self-entitlement have become both celebrated and necessary human traits.

The supposedly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) have made these traits and their likes shamelessly exalted by Man. Beyond the worldview of man himself; ironically associated with imperialism and Orientalism, this poem is most beneficial to those who approach it with the wisdom of the Arabic saying: Observe the spoken, not the speaker.

This 2 hour session therefore will be using Kipling’s If as a premise to appreciate and subsequently inculcate within one’s self, praiseworthy traits already enshrined in the Qur’an and Prophetic Traditions that has increasingly become diluted by the increasingly selfish pursuits of Man.

Main references from:

1. Rudyard Kipling’s If

2. Al Nubdhah Al Sughra by Al Habib Abu Bakar Al Adni Bin Ali Al Mashur translated by Shaykh Ahmad Saad Al Azhari

3. Shaykh Ahmad Saad’s lecture: Imam Ghazali’s Formula on How to Take Your Life Back (2018) Shaykh Ahmad Saad’s lecture: Holding Onto Something: The Pillars of the Time (2019)

4. Shaykh Ahmad Saad’s lecture:Too Soon to Despair: Reflections on Tawbah in the Age of Attractions (2019)

Limited seats available. Book yours today. https://ihsansg-vuca.eventbrite.sg/

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Ustaz Mohammad Hafiz Kusairi is also responsible for overseeing the provision of beneficial educational content for those attending Ihsan Institute’s programs. Having benefitted from scholars who are able to connect the richness of traditional approaches to sacred knowledge and manifesting its values in the increasingly volatile world such as the late Kiayi Kassim and Syaikh Ahmad Saad Al Azhari, Hafiz sees the pertinence for Muslims to be consistently active in the pursuit of beneficial knowledge and striving to illuminate society with praiseworthy actions in their respective capacities.

When not teaching modern Southeast Asian history in a local institution, enggaging with youths through various movements or organizations or delivering talks, Hafiz spends his time reading books on modern history or teaching pedagogies, catching a film online or writing short stories and commentaries for publications who do not mind his honest opinion.

Always wanted to learn Arabic but find it too difficult? Or perhaps you’ve been learning it but have never been able to understand what you listen from the Quran, supplications or conversations?

In this 1-day workshop, we invite you to experience the Arabic language,

• by showing you how easy and interesting it can be,

• build your motivation and interest in learning,

• train your reflex when listening to Arabic speech (be it in conversation or the Quran), through hands-on and interactive activities,

• instill your confidence in speaking Arabic, and show you that you can actually do it, insyaAllah!

Taught by Ihsan Institute’s Ustaz Haziq Halim who is most passionate about the Arabic language, this workshop is open to all age and background.

Limited seats available. Book yours today. https://arabicworkshop0202.eventbrite.sg/

The above workshop will lead to the following upcoming series:

Arabic (Fusha) Level 1 - 10 sessions in total,

• 17 Feb - 20 Apr 2020

• Every Monday evening

• Fee: $300 (for 10 sessions)

• Registration $20 + Textbooks $50

To register for Arabic (Fusha) Level 1, https://www.eventbrite.sg/e/arabic-level-1-tickets-90108261235

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Ustaz Muhammad Haziq bin Abdul Halim who has completed his Diploma studies in Teaching the Quran, has an insurmountable passion for languages; especially Arabic (in addition to Malay, English, Thai and Mandarin).

This started taking root since his days in the NUS Centre of Language Studies. Excelling in Cambridge’s Arabic Advanced Level Exams further spurred him to pursue the mission of reconnecting the Muslim community with the Arabic language which becomes the window to appreciating the Qur’an and Prophetic traditions.

An extension of his passion for Arabic is his interest in Jawi (Arabic script for writing Malay) scriptures. It is of no surprise that he has founded and is currently managing Ihsan Learning Centre which is an Arabic Learning Centre.

When not managing Che Ani’s Chicken Rice, an F & B outlet which he owns, Ustaz Haziq busies himself by teaching the Qur’an and listening to Arabic poetry.

Regardless of your sinful past or neglectful present, the gates of Tawbah are always open. The only one wrong decision you should never make is to despair. Through stories from the tradition of people with heavy past, analysis of reasons of why people decide to despair and give up, practical tips to overcome barriers, this lecture’s main aim is to open hearts and alert the minds to the importance and urgency of connecting to Allah regardless of one’s state in life or his/her past.

Limited seats available. Book yours today. https://ihsansg-fri20sep19.eventbrite.sg/

The word ‘traditional Islam’ sounds like a fashion, is it really so? Is traditional Islam a different Islam? The reality is ‘tradition’ refers to the very fact that Islam has been handed down through generations of authentic scholarship. Traditional Islam strengthens our relations to our societies, blends in with our culture, encourages us to be proud of who we are. It looks holistically to the life of a Muslim in terms of practice, beliefs and ethics. It is a no-stranger to our parents as it should not be to us. Being traditional means to have roots and to bear fruits. This lecture explores these themes.

Limited seats available. Book yours today. https://ihsansg-wed18sep19.eventbrite.sg/

Lecture on empowering people to hold onto families, morality, certitude and spiritual truths at times when doubt and confusion overshadow tradition and the basics of our existence and feeds frustration and hopelessness. Stemming from the hadith of the Prophet, “If you have safety in your home, healthy in your body, and the food of your day, all the world is in your hand”, people are encouraged to be positive and to see day-to-day challenges as an incentive rather than destructive. Religion in general and Islam in particular gives us tools to be hopeful and positive like remembrance of God, understanding the reality of life, living with the contentment and holding fast onto these tools helps achieve that goal of spiritual health.

Limited seats available. Book yours today. https://ihsansg-mon16sep19.eventbrite.sg/