Greetings of Peace (al salamu ‘alaykum) dear Friends!
I pray you are well and looking forward to another night of halaqa with The Book of Illuminations tonight at 5:30 pm ET! It was so wonderful to gather together again after such a long time. The learning was priceless, especially in our times.
Also, Dr. Abou El Fadl gave us the gift of yet another incredibly powerful khutbah this past Friday entitled, “Turning Faith Into Superstition: God is Not Responsible for Gaza - We are.” You will be able to read the edited transcript in next week’s weekly email. As always, Dr. Abou El Fadl provided an unprecedented education from the Prophet’s Pulpit, illuminating how Muslims have no transparency or knowledge when it comes to the most significant events in our history, for example, the fall of Jerusalem in 1917 and the shift of control over the Hijaz to the al-Saud family. Further, Dr. Abou El Fadl points out how our own prevailing Muslim narrative often blames God for our own ignorance and inaction. It is as if we believe we can simply pray and fast and then wait for a supernatural act to come in and save us. When it doesn’t, we get angry at God and lose faith. This is what it means to turn faith into superstition. And there was so much more!
I am also pleased to present the edited transcript (below) for Shayan Parsai’s brilliant khutbah from last week entitled, “Taqwa: The Front Door to Guidance.” It was so rich with knowledge and insight about the meaning of “taqwa” (God-consciousness) and “birr” (righteousness, piety) through examples from Surah al Baqarah that it deserves time, study, and reflection. This is the fruit from our three-year journey with the Project Illumine Qur’anic Commentaries (Tafsir) by Dr. Abou El Fadl, the illuminated gift that keeps on giving, alhamdulillah (thank God)!
Let me take this opportunity to again highlight the amazing $50,000 Matching Gift Campaign that we have been blessed to receive from our dear beloved Usuli donor! As you know, we have been working hard to prepare this entire body of knowledge to be published as a multi-volume collection, our legacy project which will take a decade to finish. This is a huge undertaking, yet a priceless contribution to our understanding of God’s Book for ourselves and for future generations. Please help us complete this monumental project!
$50,000 MATCHING GIFT CAMPAIGN!
TURN OUR QUR’AN HALAQAS INTO PUBLISHED BOOKS!
Now is the chance to make the Project Illumine publication your sadaqa jariyah (a gift of charity that continues to earn blessings in perpetuity). Every donation will be matched dollar for dollar up to $50,000. Let our legacy be part of your legacy! May God bless and honor everyone who supports this important project!
As always, our most heartfelt gratitude to you for your most generous support. Please help us continue our work with a tax-deductible donation. A monthly donation helps us the most! During this most blessed month especially, may God multiply your blessings exponentially!
From everyone at Usuli, our profound gratitude. See you online soon insha’Allah (God willing)!
In Peace and Hope,
Grace