Knowledge, spirituality and fellowship for the modern age.
Beneficial knowledge transforms the way we perceive, reason, feel and act. It leads to an experiential relationship with Allah and His Messenger ﷺ and refines our character and conduct.
Foundations is a unique online Islamic curriculum of sacred knowledge, spiritual practice and fellowship designed and taught by Shaykh Mokhtār Maghrāoui.
The Foundation curriculum is the core of Al-Madina Institute’s intensive, one-year Ṣuḥba Program in Istanbul and has, by Allāh’s grace, profoundly transformed the lives of over 300 students from all over the world.
To find out more, please download our prospectus here.
Instructor
Shaykh
Riad Saloojee
Shaykh Riad Saloojee is a lawyer by training and has worked in the fields of media and political activism. He studied the Islamic sciences at Dār al-‘Ulūm al-‘Arabīyya al-Islāmīyya (DUAI), a well-known Islamic seminary of higher learning in Cape Town, South Africa, where he also taught for a number of years after graduation. His teachers include Shaykh Muḥammad Emin Er (May Allah sanctify his soul), Shaykh Mokhtār Maghrāoui, Shaykh Tāha Karaan, Shaykh Muaadth Allie and Shaykh Abdurragman Khan, among others.
Course Assistant
Ustādh
Said Elkatta
Ustādh Said Elkatta graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Business Administration. While in the United States, he studied with Shaykh Yasir Fahmy, worked for The Boston Islamic Seminary, and was an active volunteer with Muslim community and youth organizations. For the past three years, he has been a dedicated and exemplary student in the Ṣuḥba Fellowship Program in Istanbul, completed introductory studies of various Islamic sciences in the program’s ‘Ulūm & Qur’ān Streams, and has also worked as a research assistant for the teachers in the program.
The module subjects provide essential and relevant Islamic knowledge that addresses the needs of both the mind and the soul and provides the foundations necessary to a life of intellectual certitude, spiritual transformation and striving for nearness to the Divine.
Why does Foundations not use a text-based study?
Each module contains a summary of decades of study of countless classical and modern texts. The intent of Foundations is not to restrict the student to one text but to acquire essential knowledge necessary for spiritual development and growth in a modern context.
Is the Tazkiyah module, and the program in general, taught through a particular tarīqah?
Shaykh Mokhtār does not call towards, teach or emphasize a particular tarīqah. He focuses on the principles and practices of the science of tazkiyah that are taught by the traditional scholars and masters in the field.
Why is uṣūl al-fiqh taught?
A basic study of uṣūl al-fiqh is necessary in modern times to regain an appreciation for our intellectual and spiritual scholarly heritage, acquire certainty in the rational foundations of our faith, and provide us with basic tools to understand a number of critical and misunderstood issues, such as bid‘ah.
Why is fiqh not taught?
Foundations focuses on foundational areas of study that are either generally neglected or not taught within a holistic intellectual, spiritual and practical paradigm. The study of essential fiqh is readily accessible through a variety of different avenues.
Is there a study of the inner dimensions of fiqh?
Many of the inner dimensions of worship are addressed in the module of Tazkiyah. Some supplemental resources are also available on the website.
Does the program teach a particular madhhab?
Foundations does not teach fiqh. The uṣūl al-fiqh module does not focus on the principles of any one school.
Why is ‘aqīdah not taught?
‘Aqīdah is not addressed as an independent, theoretical subject of study but many principles in ‘aqīdah are included in the modules through a pedagogy that emphasizes their practical and experiential application.
Why is the Prophetic Biography in Madinah not studied?
An intensive study of the Prophetic Biography in Makkah is essential to providing both the foundation necessary for spiritual growth as well as to understand the Madinan phase. We hope to add the study of the Madinan phase of the Prophetic Biography in the near future, inshāAllāh (God willing).
Director of Programming
Ustādh
Naeem Saloojee
Naeem Saloojee is the Director of Programming for the Al-Madina Institute’s family and adult programming. He left his position as CEO of a start-up company in artificial intelligence to join the Ṣuḥba Fellowship Program in Istanbul with his family. Before that, he was the Director of Operations for a successful national Islamic advocacy organization. His special interest in Islamic educational programming is to find ways to bridge, project and translate the rich, spiritual and rational legacy of Islamic teachings in ways that are practical, contextual and applicable for modern Muslims.