What Can SeekersGuidance Offer You Even If You Are Comfortably Muslim? Farihah Akram’s Story
Farihah Akram came from an educated, spiritually connected family. What could SeekersGuidance possibly offer someone like her?
While growing up, Farihah Akram’s religious education began at the heart of her home: with her mother, a learned woman who is active in their local mosque and community.
“If I had a question, I’d turn to my mother first because she is so knowledgeable. If she didn’t know the answer, she knew a learned woman who did.”
A fierce believer in the education of her children, Farihah’s mother immersed her family in gatherings of learning and remembrance. As the children grew older, she encouraged them to get out there to give talks and spread their knowledge.
A Patchy History
“I realised then that whatever knowledge I had was patchy because I hadn’t systematically learned any aspect of the deen from A to Z, with order and structure. I went online to search for answers and it genuinely scared me to see how many different views and answers there were. And then, I came across SeekersGuidance.”
Structured But Not Rigid
Farihah began with a SeekersGuidance course on Hanafi fiqh. All SeekersGuidance course o come in bite-size parts and are structured but not bound by rigid schedules.
“I have really busy weekends and evenings so the SeekersGuidance option of downloading the lessons and getting through several in one sitting suits me perfectly. I am allowed to move at my own pace. I don’t grow frustrated that I am not being some kind of ideal student.”
Skepticism
Two years and several courses on, Farihah now keeps up with daily visits to the SeekersGuidance Answers section, where a panel of scholars answer the public’s questions.
“I feel really comfortable with the ethos of the scholars at SeekersGuidance. And the questions and answers make me realise I had wondered about the same things but always forgotten to seek the answers.
“My mother was initially skeptical of what benefit there might be from an online but she has changed her opinion a lot. I now summarise my SeekersGuidance lessons for her regularly and this helps me test my own understanding of what I have learnt. She’s my sounding board and she’s so pleased this has been a good influence on me.”
Seclusion Amidst Like-Minded People
As someone who loves quiet, reflective time, Farihah signed up to attend this year’s SeekersGuidance retreat in Toronto.
“Canada is a foreign country, I didn’t know anyone there and this kind of appealed to me. It offered the prospect of seclusion while surrounded by like-minded people, who are also seeking Allah and a connection to the Prophet, peace be upon him.
“My brother accompanied me – initially reluctantly because he had a 7 month old baby and wife at home but he absolutely loved it too. It was an incredible experience for us both and I now crave those kinds of connections back at home and seek to re-create them at every opportunity.”
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