Ilm Summit 2009: A Day in the Life

Two nights in a row now, I've awoken at 4am sleep-babbling nonsense to my wife only an Ilm Summit student would understand.  Though I've returned home, my unconscious mind is still attuned to what can only be described as an immersion experience that doesn't simply leave an impression (that was Ilm Summit 2008), but literally re-wires your emotional and spiritual DNA while testing your physical and mental faculties to their utmost limit.

I'm still standing, but just barely.  Others didn't fare as well – I've read messages online of individuals literally balling as they boarded their flights homes, received texts about not returning to the program because of the magnitude of sorrow and emptiness after having left, and for some, the mere mention of the question, “So how was Ilm Summit?” causes spontaneous crying.

And that's just the brothers.

“This Year's Ilm Summit Will Be Much More Intense” – Shaykh Yasir Qadhi

Whereas last year's Ilm Summit began at 8:30am with a daily half-hour dose of akhlaq, this year's classes kicked off immediately after Fajr salaah with tajweed and continued until breakfast arrived at 7:30am.

Our instructor was Wisam Sharieff of Bayyinah Institute, whose flamboyant teaching style was not only a breath of fresh air, but an absolute must for classes so early in the morning.  Gone were the idghaams of yesteryear's traditional tajweed instruction, replaced by “light vs heavy” letters, and “this cat feels awfully cool”.  If that doesn't make sense, here's the lowdown – the basic premise was to remove the technical jargon surrounding tajweed education and replace it with practical, simple terminology so that students would progress faster in their perfecting their recitation.

For a sample, check out the following clip where you can watch me getting schooled on my kasras:

But that wasn't enough Qur'aan for this Ilm Summit – a week later, the ante was upped with the addition of Shaykh Uthman Khan of the Shatibiyyah Institute, a man with 20 ijaazahs, and a chain between himself and the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam that's no longer than 31 people, and from what I understand, the shortest possible.  Check out this interview with him at Ilm Summit:

“Prepare to push yourself physically, it's only 2 weeks – don't have regrets like many of last year's students” – Shaykh Yaser Birjas

Although we began with tajweed as our first class, our day often began at 5:00am, and not just because we were chasing qiyaam ul layl – we were also chasing front row at the fajr salaah, giving the fajr adhaan, and getting front row seats in the classroom.  The first group to wake up and come downstairs could take most, if not all of those honors for themselves, and often it was the same group of people who did so.

Had this been last year, I would have been the person in the back row taking notes and simultaneously cracking jokes with others, and as much as I benefited from Ilm Summit 2008, I regretted not being a better student.

This time around, no matter how late the night (and often that was sleeping at 3am and then waking at 5:30am), myself and others made a startling discovery – sleep was a highly overrated luxury that the aspiring student of knowledge simply had to do without.  Of course, we all had our freshly brewed Starbucks coffee crutch to keep the wheels grinding (bid'ah!) and many a student kept a pillow in the last few days for power-napping between breaks.

“Your Instructors Researched and Prepared Over 100 hours Worth of Material for each Class” – Ustadh Wisam Sharieff

Without a doubt, this year's Ilm Summit was far more academically advanced than last year's.  Here's a sampling of what was covered:

1. Al-Qawaa'id al Fiqhiyyah:  Maxims of Fiqh (14 sessions)
2. The Reality of Iman  (14 sessions)
3. Fiqh al Adhkaar (12 sessions)
4. Usool as-Sunnah (10 sessions)
5. Heresiology (14 sessions)
6. Fiqh us-Siyaam (12 sessions)
7. Tajweed (14 Sessions)

And that doesn't include the wild card sessions (every night), nor does it include sessions with special guests which spanned over 25 sessions of their own.

Whereas Ilm Summit 2008 was challenging in content, it was more of a hodge-podge of classes that had no obvious connection with one another.  In contrast, this year's lineup was a well-orchestrated symphony that sliced and diced through various cross-sections of our Ummah's political and intellectual history, providing a perspective in which the student could examine the dynamics at play shaping the birth and propagation of different movements and ideologies, both those that remain with us as well as those that have long since departed, yet still affect us to this day.  The courses didn't stop at being informational, however – beyond that, we were taught how we deal with all of this on a practical, day-to-day level, dealing with the average Moe (hammad).

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi touches on this in the Back Stage Access video when he discusses his approach to teaching Iman (if you watch the whole video, you can see Shaykh Yasir Birjas singing poetry as well):

“Keep Control of Your Hands” – Shaykh Yaser Birjas

Another new activity this year was helping up-and-coming da'ees hone their speaking skills.  After every dhuhr and 'isha salaah, a student was scheduled to give a 10 minute khatirah on a topic of their choosing, followed by either Shaykh Yaser or Yasir publically critiquing them for both the good points of the speech as well as improvements the speaker should focus on.

And, the activity was not just for brothers – it was for sisters as well.  And yes, the brothers faced forward, and the sister giving the khatira would stand in front of and address the sisters, so we would hear, but we would not see the speaker.  Watch the following video to hear the khatirah given by sister Shirien (aka Egyptian Gumbo for all you bloggerazzi peeps):

Another excellent khatirah, from the brothers' side by Mohammad Mana', the only Arab I know who sings Junaid Jumshed (urdu naats):

After brother Mohammad's speech, the two Shaykh Yasirs commented separately on what they hope to accomplish with the khatirah training program and what to expect next year, insha'Allah.

“We'll provide you with quarters and detergent for your dirty lundry” – Haytham Soliman

Where Ilm Summit 2008′s logistical snafus were the stuff of legend, this year's logistics ran so smoothly it was downright boring.  Instead of food delivered in 200 styrofoam boxes, the hotel's chef catered all three of our 100% zabiha meals daily, and we basically could have as many portions as we liked.  Instead of collecting our laundry and taking it over to yay local washateria (that's texas-speak for laundramat), get this – we had a washer and dryer to wash our own clothes, and AlMaghrib provided the quarters and detergent.  How awesome is that?

However, the absolutely most critical amenity provided this year – unlimited Starbucks coffee and Splenda sweetener.  Now, I admit, I'm a Dunkin' Donuts man myself, but when you're running on 3 hours of sleep every day (and those missing hours from the previous night are simply adding up), it's critical that you get the maximum caffeine boost possible, and 5 – 8 cups daily of Starbucks is just what the doctor ordered.

All-in-all, an a-mazing job and an immense step-up from last year's experience.  We gave Haytham mad appreciation at the event (though we still teased him about shady halls), and someone made a Haytham tribute video, so if you see him and want to hug him on our behalf, feel free (if you're a brother, or a mahram female relative):

Of course, while Haytham was the face of the volunteers, many others contributed, such as sister Julie Lowe who ran the sisters side, and other brothers and sisters who ran interference while we were oblivious to it all.  Big jazakallaahu khayran to all of you for making this event possible.

“So that PX9 workout is working for you?” – Shaykh Yasir Qadhi

With the frenetic schedule we were running, it's hard to imagine that there was time for anything else, let alone physical fitness, but where there's a will, there's a way.  The workout facility was good for a decent workout, so many of the brothers got on the treadmills and ellipticals during dinner break.  One brought his own kettle ball and did his own kettle ball workout.  Myself and a number of others often set up a laptop and did the P90x Workout.  Some brothers went swimming, and of course,  the infamous ping pong table made it's return with both shaykh yasirs wielding professional paddles (for gaming purposes only).  The sisters were also given better access to the ping-pong table and had one hour reserved exclusively for them to use the hotel gym.

And of course, there's nothing like having in-class exercises when everyone has been pushed to their physical limits, so Shaykh Yasir had us exercise before starting one of his classes.  Here I am leading the class through the classic, “YEAH!” breathing exercise (make sure to turn down the volume, very loud).

Unfortunately, no one recorded our previous exercise, a heavily requested P90x warmup that had everyone groaning =D

Some who attended last year may remember the push-up competition which brother Muhammad Ouyoun won – this year was no different, as Muhammad got on the mic and called out everyone, and then proceeded to clean everyone's clock while claiming to be “out-of-shape”.  What's unique about Muhammad is that he's physically handicapped and doesn't have the use of his legs, yet he swims (I still can't), regularly beats out the brothers in push-up  competitions, and he loves Islam and seeking Islamic knowledge.  And oh yeah, he's still in high school.  He's an immense inspiration to all of us, and it was awesome having him again for this Ilm Summit (did I mention that this rock star kid is from our very own QWasat, Chicago qabeelah?).

And if that wasn't enough, Shaykh Yaser Birjas was out there challenging everyone to do his “special” backbreaker pushup, which he seems to do without issue.  Most people could not do it, and those of us who pulled off (there were 3 of us who were able to do it) came back with back strains and pains.  You can just hear the, “Yaa Jama'ah,” given in a questioning tone, asking, “What's wrong with you younger guys?”

“No question goes unanswered at Ilm Summit” – Shaykh Yasir Qadhi

Perhaps the most amazing benefit (and maybe even fitnah) of Ilm Summit is having access to our teachers virtually 24/7, and when I say 24/7, I mean 24/7.  Both last year and this year, it wasn't uncommon to find two or more instructors out at 2 or 3am in the morning, answering questions, sharing knowledge, and benefiting the students.  With the additions of brother Wisam and Shaykh Uthman, the Ilm Summit experience was jacked to a whole new level, as the halls of the hotel reverberated with the melody of the Qur'aan throughout the day, and especially the night.

Want have a discussion over lunch with your favorite instructors on the merits and demerits of maqaam recitations?  This is the place to do it:

You may also see a member of AlMaghrib HQ being interviewed by Cookie Monster – never mind that.

Along with all that, both Shaykh Yasirs set aside time to sit down and talk with students who wanted private, one-on-one counseling time.  I didn't really have any problems that I could think of, so I did what most people would do when they have no problems – I signed up to speak up with both of them to ask them what I ought to be doing with my life since, alhamdulillaah, everything was running smoothly and awesomely, and I just wanted to hang out for a bit with them on my own =D

“There's gonna be a lotta people crying at the end of this” – Siraaj Muhammad

We concluded the program with exams, a talent show, and a banquet (in a hall that really was shady).  Although I'm sure some people did cry over exams, the conclusion of the program on the last two nights brought much in the way of tears from both the students and the teachers.  As this post is concluding, you can be sure that many students are tearing up even now.

You might wonder, after such an exhausting two week ordeal, wouldn't people want to relax and go home?  It's hard to say what it is that impacts each and every student the most, so I'll explain what makes Ilm Summit special to me on a personal level.  I tend to keep a small group of close friends because even among practicing Muslims, it's difficult to find people focused on pleasing Allah consistently, who sweat the details of their personal ethics and khuluq, who compete with you in khayr amicably, who love seeking and spreading knowledge, and who hype you up and make you want to raise your own game.  I came down one night to find two brothers memorizing all the hadeeth from Bukhari that Shaykh Yasir had provided us in our Iman class – in Arabic.  And then reciting it again in English.  This was at 1am in the morning.  They didn't have to do that, but they did it anyway.   These are the kind of people I like being around because I hope to be like them one day myself, insha'Allah.

And then there's the instructors – masha'Allah, tabarakallaah, they've been blessed with so much more in the way of Islamic knowledge, but they're humble and always looking for opportunities to teach, benefit, and dare I say it, be human and hang out as one of the guys because being in Shaykh mode all the time is taxing.  Growing up, I never experienced the old school approach of, “You're not worthy to ask questions,” but I'd heard stories, and I happy to say never once has any instructor gone into hyper-arrogance mode and turned away my questions or that of others because, “we shouldn't ask”.  On the contrary, asking was encouraged, and pushing and developing our critical thinking has been one of the hallmarks of Ilm Summit, and I and others greatly appreciated it.

And a special shot out to Shaykh Waleed Basyouni, who despite his son's Yousef's battle with leukemia, balanced teaching 3 classes alongside maintaining his family responsibilities.  We ask that Allah subhaanahu wa ta'aala give Yousef a speedy recovery and keep his parents strong and patient during this ordeal, ameen.

But students, volunteers, and instructors weren't the only ones saddened for the event to end.  The last couple of days of Ilm Summit, we didn't have the banquet hall to ourselves and the hotel immediately reverted to jahiliyyah mode – there were a number of weddings and events with drunk men and women wandering the hotel.  I thought to myself, subhaanallah, I bet the hotel staff is going to miss us when they have to go back to dealing with this on a regular basis.

Sister Rana posted the following on the AlMaghrib forums, and it's telling of just how compelling an experience Ilm Summit is:

So on the last day I was saying good bye to the Hispanic workers who set up the food and such and they wanted me to share a message to all the Ilm Summitters.

They said that they were touched by everybody's kindness, by the fact that everybody was smiling and greeting them. They said they were definitely not used to this from their other customers who clapped to get their attention or snapped their fingers at them. The ladies said the Ilm Summit group really respected them for who they are and not by their profession. Also they said that now their preception of Islam changed and they no longer think of Muslim women as oppressed. They now see that Muslim women are intellectual, active, respected by their fellow Muslim brothers and are valued much more than American women. They said that Quran was so beautiful especially as they listened to Br. Wissams recitation in the morning and in the lobby, they said it definitely was something special and divine. They were so eager to read the material that Ilm Summit supplied for them and are sharing the material with their parents, siblings and children. An older woman came to me and said “You don't believe it, my father, my Catholic father picked up the Islamic book and is enjoying it.” and another one said, “everytime I go to pick up my mother I put in the Quran CD's maybe her heart with be open to the truth” Subhanallah it was as if Muslims were speaking, you can see the fitrah in these people, they were so thirsty for knowledge, so eager to learn about Islam.

And to leave you off with one touching remark one made, “I can't believe the media has so much power to distort such a great group of people, I think they are jealous because they can't be as good as you. Please pray for us, we need prayers from people like you and don't forget us for we will never forget you” And when she said that I was left in a puddle of tears…

Please keep them in your duas, Pray that Allah guide them as they were really great poeple, they touched me in so many ways and remember that Dawah is a collective effort, it's never a one man show.

More Ilm Summit Stuff Forthcoming…

You may have noticed it's not all that hard to find media on Ilm Summit 2009 this year, and that's due to Belal Khan of leechonfilms.com, who went through painstaking effort to video-archive the event in real time.

With his help and exclusive to MuslimMatters, we have two interviews for our new program, MuslimMatters Live!, one with the man, the myth, the legend Nouman Ali Khan about Optimus Prime (we're talking Generation 1 folks)  and his PhD in Uncle psychology, and we have another one-on-one interview with Shaykh Yasir Qadhi in which we talk about certain topics you've probably never heard him talk about before such as his thoughts on comments and commenters on MuslimMatters.  Along with that, I'll return with a second article on what I've gained this Ilm Summit and how it's impacted my life trajectory.

And if that's not enough, don't worry, there's more coming, so stay tuned!