RIS - Reviving The Islamic Spirit 6th Convention (Dec. 28-30, 2007)

Tentative outline of the program is as follows. Please note, the program can change without prior notice.
DAY 1 - Friday, December 28th, 2007
12:30 PM	Salaatul Jumu’ah Adhan: 12:30 p.m. Khutbah: 12:45 p.m. Imam Zaid Shakir Imam Zaid Shakir will jump-start this year’s RIS by delivering a khutbah on the implications of the many Quranic references to “Bani Adam” – the “Children of Adam.” Imam Zaid will elucidate the meaning of the term and explain how those who believe in the message of the Quran can utilize it to foster a spirit of inter-faith and civic harmony without compromising on the unique dimensions of their faith.
2:00 PM - 2:15 PM	Quran Recitation Qari Sheikh Abdelkarim Edghouch
Session 1 2:15 PM – 3:30 PM	“The best among you are those who are best to their families” Shaykh ‘Abdallah Bin Bayyah Translator: Shaykh Hamza Yusuf The theme of this year’s conference was inspired by the Prophetic narration that we have chosen as the title for the opening session. The speaker will offer a commentary of this narration by taking us on a journey back in time to the home of the blessed Messenger and offering concise examples to demonstrate why he was the most perfect father, grandfather, father-in-law and husband.
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM	Salatul Asr
Session 2 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM	Reflections on Sura Hujarat (Part 1) Ustadh Yahya Rhodus Sura Hujurat (named for the Apartments of the Messenger of Allah) warns against the human propensity to disputations, anger, hate and rumormongering. In this Sura, God admonishes us to take the lofty path of nobility instead of the path that leads to social chaos. Addressing mankind, God says He created us from a male and female and made us into nations and tribes that we may get to know one another. “The noblest of you in the sight of God are those who are most God-fearing.”
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM	Salatul Maghrib & Dinner
Session 3 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM	Arranging a Marriage by Choice Mufti Muhammad Ibn Adam The Most Eligible Muslim Bachelor: Searching for Mr. or Mrs. Right Shaykh Yasir Qadhi Highly educated and successful, this current generation of Muslim men and women born and raised in the West, have rejected and banished the concept of an ‘arranged marriage’ from their vocabulary. Paralyzed, mom and dad, sit by hoping and praying that someone suitable will drop from the sky and whisk away their lovely daughter or son away. Worry no more or perhaps worry even more. Here comes Naseeb.com, Shadi.com and a slew of Muslim matrimonial websites catering to all kinds of ethnic flavors. So, instead of having their parents introduce them to suitable partners bachelors have instead embraced the anonymity of websites designed by no other than an unknown ‘web auntie or uncle.’
Session 4 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM	Spiritual Traits of a Beautiful Family Shaykh Mokhtar Maghraoui It is often said that a family that prays together stays together. Spiritual beauty is not about how nice our clothes are or how tasty the meal we eat, it has to do with comportment –adab - the refinement of our manners, the treatment of our neighbors and guests, even those who happen to be total strangers. Beautiful families are often magnets in society at large and as is often the case, they are almost always deeply spiritual. Who’s the Boss? Reconciling Power and Authority in the Muslim Family Dr. Abdal Hakim Jackson Disputes within Muslim families over who is the boss, is a recurring problem in our society. Men believe God has given them ‘a degree’ over women and they almost always translate ‘daraja’ to mean ‘power and authority’ over all members of their household. Muslim wives complain that their husbands refuse to share in the housework because they view housework as ‘unpaid’ service. A few decades ago Chase Manhattan Bank calculated the fiscal worth of housework by valuing it at $257.53 per week X 52 X the number of housewives in America. The total value was approximately $650 billion, half the GNP at the time and six times higher than the military budget. If it were calculated today it would be 272 per cent higher. Is the man’s position of authority in the Muslim family written in stone or should it be viewed as a negotiated authority – a give and take between two adults who ought to accept that for authority to make any sense in a family, it has to be shared?
Session 5 9:45 PM – 11:00 PM	Family Life of Messenger of Allah Shaykh Habib Ali Al-Jifri It was a large family and made even larger by the mere fact that the private apartments of the Messenger of God was at the heart of the community and always accessible. Emotions flared and even anger was manifested during times of disputes. During all this, the Messenger of God remained in a state of hilm -- tranquil, unperturbed, patient. There was no contradiction between his private interaction with his family and his public relations with members of his community. How he spoke to his community – his love, compassion and mercy -- he embodied in public life, was perfectly reflected in his home. In many ways, the family of the Prophet of God was his entire community, the young, elder, women, men, traveler, poor, wealthy, laborer or trader. In Imam Al-Ghazali’s Ihya-Ulum-ad-Din (Kitab Al-‘Ilm) the Prophet is reported to have said “I am to you like a father to his son.” When he left this world his family would have been in the thousands. Habib Ali will end his talk with a prayer of healing for families that are going through difficulties, hardship, disputes and sickness, either of the spiritual or the physical type.
11:00 PM - 11:30 PM	Salatul Isha

DAY 2 - Saturday, December 29th, 2007
Session 6: 9:30 AM– 11:45 AM	Managing Sibling Squabbles Mufti Muhammad Ibn Adam Raising Spiritual Children Dr. Jamillah Karim / Dr. Tareq Suwaidan (Video Presentation) Reflections on Sura Hujurat (Part 2) Shaykh Yahya Rhodus At some point in the life of a family, children will inevitably quarrel, fight, stop speaking to each other, feel jealous, and show outrage or displeasure or express grievance at something or the other. What might appear to be petty or serious can quickly turn into something ugly and can have lasting implications, even leading in many cases to a complete breakdown of family ties. How can parents nip early signs of sibling squabbles in the bud and avoid the havoc it wreaks on so many families? Reflecting on the verses of Sura Hujurat, Shaykh Yahya will explain how nobility of actions can subsume the destructive emotions of resentment, anger and hatred.
Session 7 11:45 AM – 12:30 PM	Commonly Held Assumptions Pertaining to the role of women in a Muslim family Dr. Jamal Badawi Can women inherit? What are her legal rights? We does Hudud mean and why is it often invoked when in the case of women? Are women the majority in Hellfire? Are women deficient in mind and religion? Can women work and have a career outside the family? Is a woman’s role limited to domestic tasks? Are women less favored in matters of child custody? Are men allowed to hit their wives? What about polygamy?
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM	Salatul Dhuhr & Lunch
Session 8 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM	Another Way of Seeing: Images of social and spiritual ruin Pamela Paul / Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Of the seven inroads to the spiritual heart, sight is perhaps the most underestimated. The internet has opened a portal to an endless stream of pornographic images and for the first time, psychiatrists are beginning to record scores of Muslim men and women who suffer from an addiction to pornography. Pornographic addiction causes a decrease in marital intimacy, which leads in turn to infidelity and eventually to a complete breakdown in marriages. Experts, such as Pamela Paul, have noted that deeper levels of addiction are often accompanied with compulsive sexual behavior that eventually becomes abusive. This talk will focus on the harmful effects of pornography on families and will address ways in which this visual virus can be eradicated from our lives.
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM	Salatul Asr
Session 9 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM	His Beloved: Aisha’s relation with the Messenger of Allah Shaykh Mokhtar Maghraoui The love that the Messenger of Allah had for our mother Aisha has been the subject of many books and a source of inspiration for countless married couples throughout Islamic history. One day the Apostle of God said: “O Aisha, Gabriel is here and offers you his greetings.” Aisha responded: “And unto him greeting and the grace of God and His blessing.” The Messenger of Allah indicated his love for Aisha when he noted that the angel Gabriel would visit him while he was secluded with Aisha while angel would never do the same whenever he was with his other wives.
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM	Salaatul Maghrib & Dinner
6:30 PM - 7:10 PM	Quran Recitation Qari Sheikh Abdelkarim Edghouch And a message from Islamic Relief
Session 10 7:15 PM – 8:00 PM	Muslim Family in North America: Bridging the gap between ideals and reality Dr. Abdal Hakim Jackson The topic will explore ways in which families in North American can begin to close the gap between the normative teachings of Islam relating to the family and the realities of Muslim families. The speaker will offer a brief introduction about the significance of the family from an Islamic perspective.
Session 11 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM	For the Love of our Children Dr. Abdal Hakim Murad / Imam Zaid Shakir A few weeks ago a 57-year-old Ontario Muslim father was charged with second degree murder for beating his 16-year-old daughter so severely that she died shortly after she was rushed to emergency. Based on interviews with the girl’s friends, it appears that she was at odds with her father over conforming to her parent’s code of conduct. This tragic incident raises many critical issues in relation to how Muslim parents should relate with their children during the peak years of the teenage rebellion. Muslim parents are under the false assumption that they can replicate ‘back home’ cultural practices in the West and this in turn leads to major conflicts in many homes. Authorities in Toronto attribute conflict over cultural values as the underlying cause for over half the cases of domestic violence. Beating, scolding, spanking and the hitting of children are illegal in Canada. Is it time that Muslim parents discard the adage: ‘spare the rod and spoil the child?’
Session 12 9:30 PM – 11:00 PM	“Paradise Lies at the feet of thy mothers:” A Commentary Habib Ali Al-Jifri / Shaykh Hamza Yusuf According to the United Nations an average of one in four women in the world has suffered from rape or physical abuse at the hands of a man. According to UNICEF, 60 million girls around the world are missing as a result of gender -selective abortions, infanticide or neglect. Another million girls enter the sex trade every year. In the United States (the numbers are similar in Canada) 17.6 % of women have been raped. Of these, 21.6% were younger than age 12 when they were first raped. There is nothing domestic about violence and yet it is a daily reality. The Quran has a chapter titled ‘An-Nisa’ which translates as ‘The Women.’ Maryam was the mother of Prophet Esa (Jesus) and to honor her status a chapter of the Quran is named after her. The Quran is uncompromising when it comes to the absolute love and respect that is due to mothers, not only one’s own, but by implication, all mothers. They bear you in weakness upon weakness, reads the Quran, so give thanks to them and to your Lord.
11:00 PM – 11:30 PM	Salatul Isha

DAY 3 - Sunday, December 30th, 2007
Session 13 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM	Beyond Hijab: Glimpses from the Lives of Pious Muslim Women Shaykh Muhammad AlShareef / Dr. Jamillah Karim / Shaykh Faraz Rabbani Today, the western public obsession is with outward cultural markers such as the hijab and the niqab, worn by a minority among Canada’s Muslim women. In turn, segments of the Muslim community feel they have to defend the honor of the Islamic tradition by reinforcing values around outward appearances. This is an unfortunate reaction and it has produced a mentality, mostly among Muslim men, that the outward observance of the hijab equals inward states of piety, love and obedience to God. Can we please go beyond this trivial level of discourse? Is there more to a Muslim woman than the total substance of the fabric that makes up her hijab? According to the 2001 national census, 62 per cent of all Muslim women in Canada live in this province and their average age was 27 (compared to 37 in the population at large).
Session 14 11:30 AM -12:45 PM	An Amicable Separation Dr. Jamal Badawi / Abu 'Aaliyah Surkhil ibn Anwar Sharif Divorce in the Islamic tradition is allowed, but it is disliked in sacred law. Divorce rates among Muslims in Canada today are less than half the national average. However, it is higher, much higher, among Canadian-born Muslims. The census showed that 71 per cent of them above the age of 15 were or had at some time been married, once, divorced once or twice and remarried. Incidence of divorce among Muslim women was less than one half of the national average – 7 % compared to 17 %. In 1921 there were 558 divorces in Canada – a rate of 6.4 per 100,000 people. In 1995 there were 7,636 divorces – a rate of 262.2 per 100,000 people. Divorces have lasting and traumatic effects on children and society at large. Assuming all attempts to rectify a relationship has failed, how should a Muslim man and woman go about ending their marriage in a way that produces the least amount of harm to themselves, their families and their children?
12:45 PM – 2:00 PM	Salatul Dhuhr & Lunch
Session 15 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM	Family Values in the Quran Shaykh Abdallah Bin Bayyah Translator: Shaykh Hamza Yusuf At a time when the idea of a family has been declared out-dated and old-fashioned, this talk will focus on the perennial Quranic values that have inspired men and women to maintain family relations from the dawn of creation to our time. God says in the Quran: “And all things We have created a pair, that perhaps you may reflect.” And again in the Quran, God says: Our Lord, promise us the comfort of our wives and our off-spring, and make us models, leaders, for all those who have taqwa.”
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM	Salatul Asr
Session 16 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM	Playing Politics with Marriage Imam Warith Deen Muhammad / Imam Zaid Shakir Every year the United States government spends millions of dollars to promote, define and police the parameters of marriage. Many people view political meddling as a dangerous trend in a liberal democracy. They argue that it is as an attempt by the state to promote ‘marriage’ in order for the state to maintain control over its citizens. Those who are opposed to political meddling in the institution of marriage believe that eventually the state will begin to determine rules of procreation such as the number of children a married couple can be allowed to have (China) or who should be allowed to procreate. The institution of Marriage in Islam is a civil union between a man and a woman. Whose responsibility is it to preserve this institution? Is it the responsibility of the Mosque or does the State have a role to play?
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM	Salaatul Maghrib & Dinner
Session 17 6:30 PM - 7:45 PM	Love and Mercy: You can’t have one without the other Dr. Abdal Hakim Murad / Shaykh. Mokhtar Maghroui In the Quran God says that of His signs is that he created for you spouses from your own selves that you may take comfort in them and He ordained Affection (mawaddah) and Mercy (rahmah) between you. These are the twin pillars of a successful relationship. What do these terms mean and is it possible to have love and affection without mercy and compassion? Are these qualities innate in a married couple or do they have to be nurtured and cultivated? If they are qualities that require nurturing, how can couples achieve this?
7:45 PM - 8:00 PM	Quran Recitation Qari Sheikh Abdelkarim Edghouch
Session 18 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM	Achieving Happiness Together Shaykh Habib Ali Al-Jifri Some people see marriage as a tax benefit. Others see it as a long-term investment even though being single has its many obvious advantages such as choosing the furniture you like. Happiness is not achieved miraculously when couples get to the point where they have extra cash in their bank accounts that allow them to take a holiday, buy a new van, adopt a pet and create separate rooms for Karim and Fatima. What is real happiness and how can families achieve and maintain it?
9:00 PM - 9:15 PM	A final message from the organizers
Session 19 9:15 PM – 11:00 PM	Family Matters Imam Zaid Shakir / Shaykh Hamza Yusuf The World Congress of Families conference held in Poland earlier this year, reiterated the simple and profound belief that "marriage is good for society." Experts who spoke at the conference said it wasn’t difficult to prove that the institution of marriage in the West was in trouble. In the last 40 years marriage rates have plummeted, illegitimacy and divorce have surged and cohabitation has become fashionable. Prof. Brad Wilcox, a sociologist at the university of Virginia, said that “poverty, crime, depression, suicide, etc. are just some of the consequences that follow when marriage is weakened.” It is often said that the family is the basis of civilization, but what does this mean? Some see this as a convenient excuse to perpetuate a religious interpretation of marriage excluding all other possible permutations. In Canada, legislators approved same-sex marriages by first changing the definition of ‘marriage’ from “a lawful union between a man and a woman at the exclusion of all others” to “the lawful union between two people at the exclusion of all others.” This paved the way for the Canadian parliament to pass the Civil Marriage Act (2005) allowing same-sex couples to ‘tie the knot.’ As Margaret Somerville, the eminent Canadian ethicist, pointed out, no one ever bothered to consider the negative impact such unions will have on our children – our future.
11:00 PM – 11:30 PM	Salatul Isha
End.