Step One: Essentials Certificate Open to the Deaf Community at SeekersGuidance Toronto

SeekersGuidance’s vision is to make reliable Islamic knowledge accessible to everyone, anywhere in the world. As such, SeekersGuidance has partnered with Global Deaf Muslims Canada (GDMC), in order to make accessible the Step One: Essentials Certificate to the deaf community.

Each week, an interpreter will be present to interpret the entire lesson to deaf students. Alhamdulillah, the first class was an absolute success! Watch the following video as Zohaib Qureshi, the Executive Director of GDMC, describes his experience at the first class of the Step One: Essentials Certificate.

Zohaib invites the wider deaf Muslim community to take advantage of this offering and attend the classes. (The video is also close captioned.)

If you are in Toronto and want to learn more or register to the Step One: Essentials Certificate, click here.

Full Transcript of the Video

Zohaib: Assalamu Alaikum. GDMC and the Hub (Toronto) are working together on something very exciting. We will ask some questions. Would you like to introduce yourself to us?

Yasmin: Yes, my name is Yasmin Taher. I’m one of the team members here at SeekersGuidance Toronto. I’m very happy to be with you all Alhamdulillah (Thank God).

Zohaib: I showed up for this class, I was curious about it and I learned so much. I don’t want to learn by myself, I want everybody else to come. I wanted to ask you a few questions about the organization. What does the organization do? How does it benefit people? Do you have to register? Do you have to pay? If you can just explain a little bit more about the curriculum and about the course, so that people
get a better understanding of it.

Yasmin: Perfect, yes. SeekersGuidance is a non-profit charity. It’s main aim really, insha’Allah (God willing), is to spread knowledge: to spread Islamic knowledge to everyone everywhere around the world. And alhamdulillah (thank God) everything, absolutely all the programing that is being offered at SeekersGuidance
is free. Anybody can join, anybody can walk in, ask their questions, sit and learn from the scholars. So
alhamdulillah (Thank God), it’s a very open space.

We’re very excited to launch this particular curriculum. It’s called the Steps curriculum. And it’s very exciting because it’s a curriculum that introduces Islam and Islamic knowledge in a step-by-step format. So, it’s a curriculum where you are able to receive a certificate after completion. And this first step is a one-year program and you only come Sundays from 1 pm to 4 pm. Insha’Allah (God willing), you’ll benefit from the teachers, you’ll get to ask your questions, and you do receive a certificate of completion at the end of it.

Zohaib: Ok, is there an age limit for this. Or is there a minimum age for people to attend?

Yasmin: Absolutely not, we saw today, masha’Allah (with God’s will), a huge turnout for our first class. We
had, actually, a gentleman who was, I believe maybe 10 years old, and another boy who was about 7
years old or so joining. And we have aunties and uncles as well.

So, there is absolutely no age limit, minimum or maximum. The only thing is that person coming, wants to learn, they want o commit and take this seriously and learn about their religion and be able to benefit themselves insha’Allah (God willing) and their families and friends.

Zohaib: That is really amazing! Masha’Allah (with God’s will). It’s a great opportunity. Make sure you don’t miss out on that. Will there be an interpreter provided, going forward, for the classes?

Yasmin: Yes Alhamdulilah (Thank God), we plan to have an interpreter every class here. And so, I really encourage everyone to come out and benefit insha’Allah. And there is always a dedicated time for you to ask your questions with the interpreter to the teacher and to be able to clarify any points.

Even if it’s before class, we can schedule time and there are sessions during the classes where you are able to have that conversation and discussion and questions with the teacher and the interpreter present to clarify
any points taught in class.

Zohaib: That is amazing masha’Allah (with God’s will). Well, it was first time to join it and I thought I would take a look at it. And I was amazed. It is a great opportunity and it is good knowledge and Allah (God) will reward you and insha’Allah (God Willing) benefit us and benefit future generations to come.

For the kids, I had a question, if there are going to be Deaf children attending and if hey are not understanding something, would the Imam be willing to show up here at the location maybe half an hour before or if someone lives far away or close, would they have to come here, or do you have different locations as
well?

Yasmin: We only do have this one location, which is in Mississauga. We are located in a central area in Mississauga. Dixie and Eglinton is the main intersection. So, the teacher inshallah when required can be here a little bit before class to help clarify and answer questions here in person. As well, we do have a course forum where you are able to ask questions online ahead of time and we are able to take it up in class as well.

Zohaib: For anyone who lives far in the West end or East end, they would be able to take it online correct?

Yasmin: There’s also this program, the Steps program, being offered online, yes, that is correct.

Zohaib: Alhamdulilah, masha’Allah. We’ve been working together with SeekersGuidance and GDMC and we want to make sure it’s successful. Thank you for your time. Do you have anything else you want to add?

Yasmin: Alhamdulilah, we are very happy to be working with GDMC and we really hope to see more of the community come out and learn and really be able to show everyone else, you know, that you’re able
to sit here and learn in classes with teachers as well. So, don’t be shy, come to drop by even to just look.
And insha’Allah (God willing), we get to see more of you.

Zohaib: Insha’Allah, I look forward to seeing more of you here, not only myself. And so that afterwards we can have discussions and study groups. So be ready for that. Assalamu Alaikum.