Al-Maghrib Institute

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AlMaghrib Institute.

The AlMaghrib Institute is an Islamic institution based in Canada and the United States. The Institute was founded in 2001 by Muhammad Alshareef in cooperation with Dar-us-Salaam. The Institute offers seminars throughout college campuses located in the United States and Canada. They are currently the largest Islamic institution in the United States, enrolling about 3,000 students.

1 Tribal Competition and Class Structure
2 Goals
3 Seminars
4 Instructors
5 Qabeelah Links

[edit] Tribal Competition and Class Structure

The AlMaghrib Institute has implemented a Qabeelah (Arabic for 'tribe') competition, where each location where a class is taught acts as a tribe, in competition with others. These Qabeelahs are located throughout the U.S. and Canada. A sheykh is sent every few months to each location for two weekends to teach a seminar on a particular topic (seminars that AlMaghrib Institute currently provides are shown in the 'seminars' section). The seminar takes place over two weekends beginning Friday night and ending Sunday night on each weekend. Here is a typical schedule: (example)

Friday, April 21st: 7 p.m.-10 p.m.
Saturday, April 22nd: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Sunday, April 23rd: 10 a.am. - 8p.m.

Friday, April 28th: 7 p.m.- 10 p.m.
Saturday, April 29th: 10 a.m.- 8 p.m.
Sunday, April 30th: 10 a.m.- 8 p.m.

The day is generally broken up into class sessions lasting 50-90 minutes with 5-10 minute breaks in between as well as a 60-90 minute lunch period. Class and break timings vary depending on the amount of material to be covered in the particular seminar.

The cost per seminar is $165. Each seminar a student takes will go towards earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in the Islamic Sciences from the Institute.

The Qabeelahs compete with each other and the winner is decided based on a combination of grades, the quality of newsletters and websites, as well as any other practical implementation of the material taught in the seminars.

[edit] Goals

According to the organization the goals of the AlMaghrib Institute are:

The vision of AlMaghrib Institute is to become the largest and most beneficial learning system in the history of Ummat Muhammad, sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam. We envision our learning system entering every nation of the world, and being accessible to all people who seek to gain a deeper understanding of Islam. In each place it enters, AlMaghrib Institute will build sincere, dedicated and brilliant students of knowledge who will go on to become leaders, bringing their communities to new heights. History will look back on AlMaghrib Institute's pioneering work as being the driving force that awakened the Ummah giant.

Our purpose is to provide trademark double-weekend university-style seminars carrying students toward a bachelor's degree in the Islamic Studies.

Our focus is on providing this service with on-location instruction filled with visual splendor, activities, and rich lectures prepared well in advance by AlMaghrib certified instructors.

Our standard is that with each double-weekend seminar, our students will learn more in the six days of AlMaghrib instruction than they have learned in the last six years of their own personal, independent study in that specific subject area.

Our work ethic is to demand more from our students, instructors, volunteers and staff than anyone else would.

Our method is to make higher Islamic education easily digestible and entertaining, while never sacrificing quality and depth. By these means, AlMaghrib Institute students will cherish the knowledge they attain and utilize it in the most fruitful and beneficial way.

Ultimately, the purpose of AlMaghrib Institute is to make people better Muslims and bring people closer to Allah, and thereby, equip them to service their communities and humanity at large.

[edit] Seminars

The AlMaghrib Institute offers Double-Weekend Degree Seminars, which follow a curriculum that leads to obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in the Islamic Sciences. For more information on the degree program, please go to: http://forums.almaghrib.org/showthread.php?t=11774. The cost of attending a seminar is US $165, or Cnd $165 and encompass six days (Friday evening to Sunday night on two consecutive weekends).

Four weeks after the seminar, students are required to take an exam, which determines whether or not they get credit.

Some of the seminars offered by the Institute currently include,

Seerah;: The Shepherd's Path
Route 114: Sciences of the Qur'an
The Collector's Edition: Sharh Saheeh AlBukhari
Rizq Management: Fiqh of Worship IV ~ Zakah, Siyam, Hajj
Islam Invulnerable: The Making of the Modern Muslim World
The Light of Guidance: Fundamentals of Faith 101
Fiqh of Love: Marriage in Islam
The Rules of Engagement: Islamic Code of Ethics
The Purification Act: Fiqh of Worship I
The Code Evolved: Evolution of Fiqh
Conquest: History of the Khulafaa'
Breach of Covenant; Tafseer Surat AlBaqarah
The Code of Scholars: Usool Al-Fiqh
Guiding to Allah By the Book: Fiqh ad-Da’wah

[edit] Instructors

AlMaghrib Institute only hires Instructors who have a deep understanding of classical Islamic tradition and are able to effectively communicate with an English speaking audience. All of its Instructors have degrees from Islamic Universities (four from the Islamic University of Madinah, and two from American Universities).

Currently, Al Maghrib Institute has the following full-time Instructors: