RIS-5 going strong!!!!TORONTO Dec.22-28

[StarGazer]

Assalamu Alaikum,

 

http://www.revivingtheislamicspirit.com/convention/

 

Oh my goodness, God willing, this will be my 4th one

 

Ok you know the deal....respond if you're going, thinking about going, or why you simply love this blessed convention.

 

Oh the line up this year........where do I begin.

 

Also, I'd recommend the retreat, Insha Allah I'll post more thoughts from last year.

 

http://www.revivingtheislamicspirit.com/knowledgeretreat/

 

Ok am I the only one excited about it???????

[Miriam1]

Nope ur not. So am I. But the funny thing is Tami your all the way from the US and ur coming and I met some people who live in the city heard about year after year and never once considered going...all thier exuses (on the girls side) that there is free-mixing between men and women and that some of the shiekhs are not proper sheikhs..is just weird...by the way these folks are somalis...I mean could this be due to the fact that most of the organizers are Pakistanis/arabs and there is abit of hidden discrimination there.

 

All that aside..It should be the funnest( is that a word?) year ever!!!!!

I can't wait to hear Tariq Ramadan and Khalid Yasin both for the first time

[Ameen]

Thats werid, Khaid Yasin is going to there? Wasn't he not allowed entry into the country for the MSA held event, that took place a few weeks ago? In regards to the Somali "excuses" that we tend to hear, dont you think that free mixing between the genders and not so "qualified speakers", are excuses that could be considered ligit. Have you heard this year newest excuse and just in case you haven't here it is, "the Shaari'a makes it clear that we (as muslims, who follow the Sunnah) should not sit nor listen to the people of innovation, and in saying that, the next question I ask them is, who are the people of innovation that you (as the individual)are speaking about? and they respond by saying..."you know, the Sufi's and those muslims who dont share the same creed as those Pious Imaams who lived before us". So, what do you think I should say, that will convince them that the RIS, despite the free mixing, is not so bad?

Your brother in Islam

[Aaliyyah]

asalaamu alaikum,

 

There is nothing wrong with the Conference being mixed; it all depends on your intentions? If you are there to increase your knowledge then Allah Swt will facilitate that. If you guys see people using such excuses ask them don’t they attend school?? Lectures?? Meetings? And many other public gathering aren’t they mixed? Why do ppl use excuses whenever it serves them? Tell them to keep their gaze down, and attend there for the sake of Allah swt. Insha-allah I am looking forward to the RIS, I remember looking forward to it last year, but other things have come up. Insha-allah this year no matter what other things that I have to do; I will neglect them to attend this conference. We should be blessed that the conference is taking place in Toronto, others have to travel from states and Lord knows where else.

 

Wa salaam

[Miriam1]

First and Foremost. If your using the excuse of free-mixing between genders as an excuse. I would suggest you define the term exactly.

RIS has seprate seating for Men, Women and Family Groups. So would free mixing occur while ur getting food and going to the bazar?

Does that not occur while ur in school, going to buy groceries...I don't get the excuse...

 

Ya I heard the one about the ligit status of the Imaams...I only have to ask, Gosh Ya Allah why are people so judgemental..half the people who use that excuse don't even know who the speakers are!!

 

I am still sticking to my idea that they are just discriminating against the organizers..

 

Ameen..I am not even sure how to approach people who use that excuse, when I heard it the first time, I simply told them to not base thier knowledge on what other people told them, make the investment and decide..but I doubt it worked.

[Aaliyyah]

Ameen brother I have watched couple of tapes of Khalid Yasin, and many other shiekhs. Masha-allah I am yet to hear anything that contradicts our islamic beleives.

 

Wa salaaam

[x_quizit]

Tami, you are not the only one who's excited, I know a number of sisters who cannot wait and are as excited as kids awaiting presents, myself included. Mine comes in the form of Khalid Yasin, provided he's allowed entry,which inshallah he will.

 

I agree with Hayam and Aaliyah. Those ppl that use lame excuses can throw themselves off a bridge for all I care. They are the same ones attending weddings, jams, lectures in school with both genders present as you guys mentioned, "free-mixing" miraculously didn't enter their psyche, but when told to attend a legitimate islamic conference,the shaydan in them has a list of excuses of why not to.

Like Hayam said, on the left is the brothers section, in the middle is the family section and on the right its the sisters section. How ppl conduct themselves while they are there shouldn't reflect on the organizers as they did their job. Lastly, it's one thing to not want to attend, it's another to attack sheikhs, who from all the years I attended, have not said anything that contradicted Islam, be they rumored to be sufi or not.

 

P.S.- did you guys already buy your tickets?

[StarGazer]

X-quizit....Salaams sis!!! Hope all is well with you.

Tickets? no, not yet, I'm waiting for the retreat registration to open up first.....gosh It's taking forever!!!!

 

Hayam, Toronto is my native city....and I'm always visiting (ok it went down to once a year now). Plus, I don't live that far

 

 

Well brothers and sister, the way I see it is to use your God given intellect and heart and you be the judge of it. I don't care what kind of lecture/workshop/seminar/halaqa you attend, if something doesn't feel right to you, use your intuition (Btw, this is a personal advice from Sh.Zaid Shakir to moi , more on that later Insha Allah). We need to rise to the occasion personally if we desire to see any real changes happen in our communities. So forget the haters and do what you're suppose to do.......well in my case I need to get rejuvinated and inspired to pursue my dream of becoming a better muslim to serve humanity!! The convention is nothing more than a reminder for us, it's not an instituion of knowledge.

 

Ameen, wasn't there a fatwa last year or the year before against RIS? cajeeb walaahi.

 

Btw, is Khalid Yasin an Imam, daa'ee or a Sheikh/scholar? just curious! I've heard him once in the Purpose of Life lecture.

[Iffah]

Salaams,

Good to see you girls again, I hope all is well with you. I am glad to hear everyone is as excited about this event as I am.

It's funny, the first few years, there were not many Somalis present at this event, but it was great to see our sisters really involved in the conference last yr.

 

Taamiii.... (did you notice I seem to be screaming lately...no wonder I lost my voice)

 

Instead of focusing on this paper that's due tonight, I'm here on SOL just because I knew you would have posted something about the RIS Conf....

As I've told you before, I'm soo looking forward to this conference insha allah. This event is top priority for me this year. Did I tell you I got it off? Yaay! I was just gonna attend the KR if I was unable to get the full week off, but alxamdulillah, I got my request. I can't wait for the KR...I loved it last yr! Do you still have the notes from last year? Pls do post if you do.

 

Ok, I really gotta concentrate. I'll be back mar kale I'A.

 

Take care sisters.

[StarGazer]

You can't knock down something you haven't tried yet!

[StarGazer]

Ilhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam, walahi I love you!!

I was so happy when you told me you worked out your schedule for RIS....I know how hard that must've been for you. I'm trying to reserve my energy.....eating &sleeping right. Last year was way too exhausting for me.....you remember.

 

Ok I do have some notes from the retreat...half the time I was too busy tracking down sheikhs, lol, however there's a brother who made his notes available online, God bless his soul!!!

 

http://www.hahmed.com/blog/written-work/notes-from-conferenceslectures/

(password = toronto)

 

Yalla, go do your work!!

[x_quizit]

Tami, i'm doing well, I hope you are too. As far as I know, Khalid Yasin is a sheikh, very influential and inspiring to the youth especially. I saw his purpose of life talk as well and was hooked. He is credited with converting many ppl, ex. in a lecture one yr in australia, many reverted.

 

p.s.-i'm green with envy that you got "personal" advice from Zaid Shakir, another beloved sheikh of mine.

[StarGazer]

x-quizit, it's called stalking! and I became a pro at this...Alhamdulilah he came for a small lecture in my state this past summer........almost didn't make it, but yeah I wasn't going to let him go that easily...hehehee....hey as one brother recently adviced us, stalk 'em until they say no more!

I love scholars...especially ones you connect with. I deeply love and respect shuyuukhs such as Zaid Shakir and many others.

[Ameen]

Assalam alaikum to all my brothers and sisters

Ive noticed a buzz around the city in regards to the RIS (I think its due to all this excitement thats being posted on SOL) as for Aaliyah's mentioned comment up above, it really depends on the individual's intention, whether its enjoying a daily meal or simply sitting amongst pious companions, every act can become an act of worship if our intentions are sincere to Allah (may Allah make us sincere to Him)...

As for your question Tami, hasn't there been a fatwa given for every possible issue? and if thats the case, which fatwa do we follow? Unfortunately, for us (living in this time of great fitnah) we have become victims to two types of acts. One, we tend to use the term Shiek to losely and secondly, (for most, but not all of us) we seem to be drawn to fatwa's that serves our best interest. Now, before yall jump on me due to my pervious comment, just think and if it's not you that follow your own desires, have you not witnessed many other people follow fatwa's that serve them? In regards to Khalid Yasin being a scholar or a shiek, I personally met the man and been apart of conferences where he was our main speaker. I have also got personal time with him and asked him, a few different types of question, and Subhun'Allah, Allah has given him the ability to reach out and touch the hearts of many different types of people, both Muslim or Kafirs. May Allah reward him, but...he doesn't consider himself a scholar but rather a student of knowledge. Lastly, Ive read all the posts and I have yet to notice anybody answer my pervoius question and just in case yall forgot, my question was...is not sitting with people who share another creed or aqeedah, strictly prohibited in the Shaari'a? and if so, what does that mean to us, in regards to the RIS?

Your brother in Islam

And Allah knows best

[x_quizit]

^^^"is not sitting with people who share another creed or aqeedah, strictly prohibited in the Shaari'a? and if so, what does that mean to us, in regards to the RIS?"

 

Unless you have psychic powers, none of us can know for certain what others around us truly believe, but if they profess to be muslim, then our deen dictates that we treat them as such. Why label them any names except what they profess to be? They are muslims and if you disagree with anything they have uttered or know them to say, pls illustrate it here and give facts. You're suggestion that some aren't worth hearing needs to be backed up or it would mean that you are merely backbiting. Take what you find beneficial from their talk and leave anything else you doubt or disbelieve. Simple.

 

Like I stated previously, and I am sure many of the sisters who've been attending can agree, we have yet to hear any speakers/sheikhs utter anything that directly contradicts with Islam. They go thru great lenghts to quote hadith and/or quran and not only the parts that suit them but the whole passage and its context. Tariq Ramadan was great with that when he was illustrating equity in islam when it comes to women.

 

You may also pose urself your own q when it comes to intermingling with ppl of multiple faiths in our daily lives, what does that mean to you in regards to islam? You can't pick and choose when something applies to us in islam based on a setting you may not approve of. Otherwise that would be highly hypocritical of you and not very islamic now would it?