New Beginning at SeekersGuidance Toronto
New Beginning at SeekersGuidance Toronto
On Saturday April 2nd, SeekersGuidance Toronto welcomed a new beginning with a grand opening event for their stunning new location. With a large open plan space, a mother’s room, a father’s room and multiple instruction areas, the new SeekersGuidance Toronto is truly breaking barriers to sound Islamic learning. Watch the full recording on the SeekersGuidance Youtube channel.
Here’s a look into some of the highlights of the night, and what this move means for Muslims around the world.
Preserving Prophetic Guidance
Ustadh Amjad Tarsin opened the event by talking about the importance of preserving sound Islamic scholarship.
“We need to strive to preserve the Prophetic teachings in this day and age,” he said. “Alhamdulillah, the steps are being taken to build a fully-functional seminary that really represents the light of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, that transforms people’s lives and benefits them in the Hereafter and in the life of this world.”
He then went on to explain how the impact of courses taught on-ground is amplified globally.
SeekersGuidance Toronto provides free courses on-ground in Mississauga, Ontario, but the benefit does not stop there. These courses become recorded lesson sets for students in over 130 countries, offered four times a year, free of cost.
Ustadh Amjad summarized the sentiment in the room beautifully: “This is a centre that we can support, that we can stand by, and that we can benefit from.”
Realizing Aspirations
The night continued with lively nasheed performances by Mouaz al Nass, Ibrahim al Nass, and Nader Khan, and addresses from the various teachers in attendance.
Ustadh Nazim Baksh, who is the fountainhead of many blessed projects in the West, spoke about how historic this moment in time is.
Just 45 years ago, the mosques around the Greater Toronto Area would not come near filling up for Eid prayer. Yet, here we find ourselves opening a seminary for full-time students of knowledge to learn and serve their communities locally.
“All my kids are born in Canada. All my grandchildren are born here. So, we’re moving in that direction. We have to figure out how we’re going to keep the Prophetic tradition alive,” Ustadh Nazim implored.
“My advice to you is to deeply consider the physical space, the beauty, the accommodation, and the wonderful knowledge that is going to be disseminated here. But [think about] “me”, personally: how am I going to be benefitting, affected by what I’m hearing and what I’m seeing?”
A Firm Step In The Right Direction
“Why did we move to this Hub? There’s a need underlying it.”
Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, founder and executive director of SeekersGuidance, explained the urgency in establishing an Islamic seminary.
“The work we do at the Hub here in Toronto is part of a global effort to spread Prophetic guidance. And one of the aspects of that locally, here, in Toronto, is that the mandate that we have is not simply to teach general community classes… Right from the get-go, one of the things that was instilled in us by our teachers… is that the most urgent duty, the most pressing responsibility, is that we train future generations of scholars.”
SeekersGuidance Toronto is home to six full-time students of knowledge, and is building capacity for more. Now, communities in the West can have teachers and leaders who understand their challenges, and are grounded in traditional Islamic teachings.
Join us
“There was no graduation,” Shaykh Faid Muhammad Said said passionately. “The Sahaba were learning, and they were teaching. And sometimes they had learned something very small!”
The way of the pious predecessors was to take Islamic knowledge and spread its benefit as far and wide as possible.
With classes nearly every day of the week, on a number of different topics, SeekersGuidance Toronto strives to open the door of learning for everyone.
