The World Federation of KSIMC in partnership with Africa Federation (AFED), the Council of European Jamaats (CoEJ), the North American Shia Ithna-asheri Muslim Communities (NASIMCO), Federation of Australasian Communities (FAC), India Federation, Pakistan Federation and Dubai Jamaat are providing an exceptional opportunity for youths to receive spiritual guidance and undergo an experience that will change their lives.
If you are a young adult aged 18 – 25 years and want to have an extraordinary spiritual experience in the Holy Cities of Najaf and Karbala, then our Madinah Al-Ilm short course is just for you.
This course, which has been running successfully for 18 years offers insightful lectures, visits to Maraje, Ziyarat tours and cultural activities. Participants on the course will achieve a balance of intellectual and emotional upliftment, which is essential to lead an Islamic life.
The course runs from 18th December 2022 – Sunday 1st January 2023 in Iraq. Apply before the deadline date 10th October 2022 to avoid disappointment.
Dates:
18th December 2022 – 1st January 2023
Participants are expected to arrive in Najaf by 17th December and depart from Najaf by 2nd January 2023
Age-Group:
18 to 25 years
Separate courses for Ladies and Gents.
Medium of Instruction:
English
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Participants will have the opportunity to acquire knowledge, gain spiritual enlightenment, perform Ziyarah, and meet great personalities while visiting the holy cities of Najaf, Kadhmain, and Samarrah and have unique experience of being the Guests of the Holy Shrines of Imam Husayn (a) and Hadhrat Abbas (a) in Karbala.
The bulk of the learning will take place in Najaf Al-Ashraf – home to the Shrine of the Door of Knowledge Ameer al-Momineen Ali ibn Abi Talib (a) and the centre for religious learning, it is ideal for the academic program of the course. The participants will be accommodated and will study at the Mujammah al-Alawi, which is the biggest Hawza-e-Ilmiyyah in Najaf, under the Grand Ayatollah al-Udhma Sayyid Sistani.
The course has a challenging and interesting curriculum, and will be led by experienced tutors and knowledgeable guides such as:
1. Shaykh Muhammad Khalfan – Senior Scholar and Author, Director of Imam al-Sajjad (as) Institute and a part of the Academic Board of The World Federation’s Hawza Online.
2. Shaykh Mohammad Mahdi Musayyebi – Hafidh of the Holy Qur’an, Nahjul Balagha and Sahifa al-Sajjadiyyah.
3. Shaykh Afzal Merali – Manager of the Islamic Education Department of The World Federation.
4. Shaykh Nadir Jaffer – Head of the External Tableegh Department of The World Federation.
5. Sister Razia Batool Najafi – Author, Former Principal of Jamia Al-Zahra Islamabad 1994-1998 and renowned Aalima, daughter of Sh. Mohsen Najafi of Pakistan.
6. Sister Naajiya Jaffery – Senior Scholar of the Hawza Ilmiyyah and a very successful teacher at our previous Madinah and Bab Al-Ilm Courses.
Sessions will be interspersed with an itinerary that includes the Ziyaraat of the Ahlul Bayt (a) in Iraq including:
– Imam Ali (a), Imam Husayn (a), Imam al-Kadhim (a), Imam al-Jawad (a), Imam al-Hadi (a) and Imam al-Askari (a) and Hadhrat Abbas (a).
– Najaf: Masjid-e Kufa, Masjid-e Sahla, Masjid-e Hannana, House of Imam Ali (a), Shrines of Hadhrat Maytham al-Tammar and Hadhrat Kumail Ibn Zyad, Waadi al-Salaam and the graves of the great Prophets (as) and Ulema within the graveyard as well as inside the Holy Shrine.
– Karbala: All Atraf Ziyarats including Khaymagah and Maqam of Sahib al-Zamaan (atfs).
– Kadhmayn: Ziyarats of the Kadhmiyyah Holy Shrines and Ulema buried there.
– Samarrah: Ziyarats of the Askariyan Holy Shrines and the Holy Sirdaab.
– Balad: Visit to the Shrine of Sayyed Muhammad (a).
– Meeting with Maraje including (but not limited to) Grand Ayatollah al-Udhma Sayyid Sistani.
The costs for the course are Heavily Subsidised by the World Federation and Regional Federations. Please contact your Regional Federations for more details.
Please note: The above costs are excluding Visa Costs.
– For European, American and Australian passport holders – Visa will be on arrival. Participants can get their passport stamped and pay for their visa directly at the airport. The estimated cost would be around US $75 /per person.
– For African, Indian, and Pakistani passport holders – Visa process is in two steps:
– An approval letter required from the Ministry; and
– Stamping of the visa at the Airport.
The WF will assist in obtaining the approvals for the final participants, for which the process takes approximately 4 to 6 weeks. WF will also sponsor the visa approval process, and the participants can pay for the second step, i.e. getting their passport stamped at the airport. The estimated cost would be around US $55 /per person.
Deposit Fee:
A Deposit fee of US $100 / CA $130 / £90 must be paid immediately after submitting your application form, in order to reserve your place.
*The deposit will be refunded if your application is unsuccessful.
Places are extremely limited so book your spot early – if you have met the selection criteria, places will be allocated on a first come first serve basis.
Your application will not be considered unless we have the following:
- A scanned copy in JPEG format of your passport photo page. Your passport must be valid until at least July 2023.
- Passport sized photograph in JPEG format, taken in the last 6 months. Please note – female applicants must be in full hijab.
- Deposit fee
Please make sure you read the terms & conditions and the FAQ’s before applying.
Shaykh Muhammad Khalfan was born in Mombasa, Kenya. Having completed his secondary education, he attained a Bachelor’s degree in Islamic Studies. He then spent more than a decade on various tableegh activities, after which he did a Master’s degree. He is currently completing a PhD on Islamic Mysticism at the University of Religions and Denominations.
Shaykh Khalfan has served the community in various capacities; he was a tutor at Al-Muntazir Islamic Seminary in Dar-es-Salam, Tanzania; Director of Hawzat al-Muntazar (aj) in Antananarivo, Madagascar; Head of Islamic Religious Education at Jaffery Academy, Mombasa; and Head of the Middle Eastern Section at the Islamic Institute for Post Graduate Studies in Damascus. At present, he runs the al-Imam al-Sajjad (a) Foundation and is part of the academic team of WF’s Hazwa Online.
Shaykh Mohammad Mahdi Musayyebi from early childhood had a passion for the Holy Qur’an. He memorised the whole Qur’an at the mere age of 8 years and went on to memorise Nahjul Balagha and Sahifa Sajjadiya as well. He holds a master’s degree in Philosophy of Religion and is currently working on his PhD thesis on the same subject.
He has participated in numerous local and international competitions and holds both, national and international ranks in Qur’an competitions and national ranks in Nahjul Balagha and Sahifa Sajjadiya competitions. Throughout the years, he has taught and guided numerous students for the memorisation of the Holy Qur’an and Hawza studies.
Shaykh Musayyebi is a teacher at various reputed institutions including Karimah of Ahlulbayt Quran and Hadith Center and Darul Quran Academy (UK). He also teaches private courses and is a member of Ask An Alim team and has prior experience with the Madinah and Bab Al-Ilm Course as was part of the course in 2015.
Shaykh Afzal Merali is the Manager of the Islamic Education Department of The World Federation, where he oversees internal tableegh within the Khoja and English speaking world, digital tableegh, research work, translations and publications .
Originally from Tanzania, he moved to the UK at a young age. Starting from the age of 16, he has been doing Hawza studies for almost two decades and is fluent in seven languages. He studied in the Hawzas of Lebanon, reaching the level of Bahth Kharij in Islamic Jurisprudence and its principles, whilst also specializing in Quranic sciences and Tafsir, and the methodology of Tabligh. He has a Master’s Degree in Islamic Studies (Middlesex University), where his thesis was titled: “Muslim Minorities: The Ideal Community Centre.”
Shaykh Afzal also has vast experience in the Media, in which he worked for six years. He has been an active muballigh globally for the past ten years in English, Arabic and Gujarati, and is a teacher at the Hawza Ilmiyya of England.
Since his appointment as IE Manager in 2021, a new five-year IE strategy was formed, and the department has witnessed an exponential increase in activities in digital tableegh through the Blessed Tree Media SM Channel, publications, courses, and soon the establishment of the IE Research Centre.
Shaykh Nadir Jaffer is originally from Madagascar and migrated for Hawza studies at the age of 17. He has specialised in Islamic Philosophy and Gnosis.
He speaks 8 languages and has travelled to around 50 countries.
Shaykh Nadir has been working with of The World Federation (WF) for 8 years between 2007 and 2017. He was also involved in the set-up of WF Najaf Office and currently is the Head of WF’s External Tableegh Department since 2018. In just 4 years as the Head of Department for External Tableegh, he has managed to expand Tableegh activities in 66 countries across 4 continents and has established good relations with our communities worldwide.
Shaykh Nadir has comprehensive experience in leading youth courses as he has led 10 of the previous Madinah and Bab Al-Ilm courses, 2 Couples’ Retreats and the WF’s Medical Retreat that was held in Najaf in 2018.
Additionally, Shaykh Nadir also specialises in Tibb and the different therapies used in alternative medicine and attends to a lot of consulting patients who visit from far away just to seek his expertise and guidance.
Sister Razia Najafi is a charismatic and famous Islamic scholar and speaker who is affiliated with the Hawza for over 25 years as a student, a researcher, an academician, and a contributor. Authoring over 10 books, her Goal is the empowering and changing of the personal and professional lives through the teaching of the Quran and the Ahlul Bayt (a).
Sister Razia Najafi is the daughter of Mufassir e Quran, HIWM Mohsin Ali Najafi, who has been given the title ‘Mohsin-e-Millat’ in acknowledgement of his countless services to the community.
Her exceptional facilitation and interpersonal skills are evident in the various workshops she offers for youth, families and university students on relevant topics such as time management, personal development, finding internal peace, strengthening relationships, spirituality and more. As a speaker, she has a distinct style to connect to her audience at a personal level with the help of Quranic verses and lessons taken from the lives of exceptional female personalities in Islam. But what makes her distinct from other religious speakers is her integration of the Quran, the teachings of Ahlul Bayt (a) and the social aspect of a human life, that serves as a package deal with successful practical tips and advice on how to attain maximum nearness to God and Ahlul Bayt (a)!
She is fluent in English, Arabic, Farsi and Urdu. When she is not lecturing, learning or travelling, Sister Razia Najafi enjoys spending time with her family and trying out new adventures having reached the summit Mt. Kilimanjaro and Nanga Parbat.
Sister Naajiya Bhimji/Jaffery was born and raised in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. After graduating her A-levels in 2002, she left for university to pursue her career in economics. In the process she changed her course of studies and did her MA in Islamic philosophy.
Sister Naajiya has had multiple opportunities of serving a vast community of the Shia Ithna Asheri.
She is the founder of Madrasah al-Zahra (s) in Dar es Salaam, worldwide counselor, lecturer, teacher, motivational speaker, runs www.askanalim.org, has been an effective teacher.
Her passion is to work and learn from the youth. She believes that together we can work and lay the foundation for the reappearance of the Imam of our time, Imam Mahdi (aj) InshaAllah.
The Madinah Al-Ilm course is heavily subsidized and is only possible through the kind donations of our supporters. Please donate generously and earn eternal reward for you and your beloved Marhumeen.
