COURSE CLOSED

Prophetic Virtues Off the Page

Balancing Sunna in Our Lives

This course consists of four live, 90-minute sessions, hosted on Zoom.

Dates: Saturdays, September 7, 14, 21, 28 (Rabiʿ al-Awwal 1446)

Time: 8 am LA・11 am New York・4 pm London・7 pm Dubai・11 pm Kuala Lumpur.

How should we operationalize and balance Prophetic virtues in our lives and relationships, especially when faced with competing values and needs?

When we learn the biography of the Prophet Muhammad (saws), we’re uplifted and inspired, but we may also feel that its lessons are unattainable or difficult to implement in our lives. The notes we take live in our notebooks and rarely make it off the page.

When we try to implement what we’ve learnt, we encounter situations where various values and needs appear in tension, or seem paradoxical, making it difficult to know how to operationalize the Sunna in our lives, families, and communities.

For instance, how do we both forgive and set boundaries to reduce harm? Should we conceal sin or hold perpetrators of harm publicly accountable? How do we implement the core Islamic teaching of enjoining the good and forbidding the wrong in our times? How can we be grateful and rely on Allah while asking Him for increase and striving to achieve more?

Through an exploration of the life and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (saws), this course will demonstrate how he wisely balanced competing values and needs. We’ll learn practical lessons for embodying Prophetic virtues in our lives and draw out principles to guide us to determine the best course of action in diverse domains of life that enable us, our families, and our communities to flourish.

Prophetic Virtues Off the Page: Balancing Sunna in Our Lives
$85.00
One time

Join Dr. Mariam Sheibani and a community of women in an online course exploring the Prophetic virtues and how to realize them in our lives.

✓ 6 hours of live classes across 4 sessions
✓ Live event with access to recordings
✓ Be in community with like-minded women

Course Outline

The course will begin with an introductory session on the Prophetic virtues and how we can become imbued by these virtues in our relationship with Allah and with one another.

We’ll then explore three core topics that seem to pose a tension between competing values. For each topic, we’ll explore how the Prophet Muhammad (saws) exemplified wisdom and balance when faced with competing imperatives.

Together we’ll draw lessons and principles from the Prophetic model then apply them to common scenarios in our personal, professional, and communal life.

  • Our first session will explore the exemplary virtues of the Prophet Muhammad and what it means to 'acquire' these traits.

    We'll review the Islamic tradition's theory of character formation and transformation to gain clarity on how our life experiences are daily opportunities to become imbued by Prophetic virtues in our relationship with Allah and with one another.

  • Our second session will explore the very common tension between the teachings of forgiveness and sin concealment, on the one hand, and seeking justice, setting boundaries, and reducing harm, on the other. Some of the questions we'll explore include:

    • What is the model of Prophetic forgiveness and how can we balance it with seeking justice and interpersonal boundary setting?

    • How do we forgive and let go while processing hurt or when harm is ongoing?

    • How do we realize the value of concealment of sin in situations of harm or potential harm to others? 

  • The teaching of "enjoining good and forbidding evil" (al-amr bi-l-maʿruf wa-l-nahy ʿan al-munkar) is core to the Muslim faith and practice. However, common understandings and applications in the Muslim community today appear to be intrusive, rejective if not harmful, and push people out of community.

    This session will explore the Prophetic framework for enjoining good and forbidding evil (i.e.: Who does it? Regarding what? When? How?) and how to apply it in our families and communities today. We'll explore:

    • What considerations should we make when determining whether and how to intervene to correct the behavior of others? 

    • What role can each of us play in being “keys that open good and locks that shut down evil” - as the Prophetic parable praises - in the various domains of our lives?

  • The final session will explore the seeming tension between cultivating gratitude and reliance on Allah while also praying for increase and striving to achieve more. Some of the questions we'll explore include:

    • How did the Prophet (saws) exemplify both reliance on Allah and strategic planning in various domains of life: religious and worldly, personal and collective?

    • How do we practically entrust our affairs to Allah while continuing to strive to attain our objectives? And how do we know when we've "done enough"?

    • How can we both cultivate gratitude while asking Allah for increase?

Course Description

The course will be an engaging and dynamic communal experience. Participants are strongly encouraged to attend live with their cameras on and ready to actively engage with the community of women learners. You’ll be invited to ask questions, contribute your reflections, and pose scenarios for discussion.

By the end of the course, you will:

Understand the Prophetic virtues in theory and action, and how to carry them into 21st century living.

Gain new insights into the principles behind the wise balance of the Sunna and how to apply them to real-life scenarios.

Deepen your relationship with the Prophet Muhammad (saws) through appreciating the mercy and justice that his Sunna exemplifies.

Reflect on the Prophetic virtues in community and identify misunderstandings and misapplications common today.

Apply the principles you learn to your day-to-day relationships and communities.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Is the course open to everyone?

    The current offering of the course is for women only. Some future courses will be open to both men and women.

  • Are there any resources provided for the course?

    The course will include engaging live sessions with reflective learning activities. Participants will receive session slides and a few recommended readings.

  • Will recordings be available?

    Yes, the recordings will be made available to registered participants within 24 hours of the live session. Enrolled participants will have access to the course content until the end of November 2024.

  • What is the expected commitment for the course?

    Creating community for collaborative learning and reflection is a core feature of Dr. Mariam’s work. The recommended engagement in the course entails:

    (1) Attendance of the live weekly session is the core commitment. While we anticipate that participants may have challenges attending live from time to time, we strongly encourage live attendance of the sessions. Recordings will be made available for those unable to attend live.

    (2) Engagement: Participants will be asked to fill out pre- and post-course questionnaires in which they can pose their questions before the course and evaluate their learning after the course.

    (3) Active participation in the live session is encouraged (but not required). We recognize that while some course participants learn best through discussion, exchange in community, and engaging with the instructor, others participants prefer to simply absorb the content. The course is structured in a way to support both learning styles.

  • What texts are used as a basis for the course?

    For this course, Dr. Sheibani uses a variety of exegeses (tafsir) of the Qur’an, hadith commentaries, seera biographies, and other spiritual works. These texts include the Seera, the Shamaʾil, commentaries on hadith, and Books 19, 20 and 22 of al-Ghazali’s Revival of the Religious Sciences.

  • I'd like to take the course but I can't afford the tuition. Do you provide scholarships?

    Participants unable to afford the course tuition are encouraged to apply for our limited number of scholarships. Scholarship applications close on August 25th, 2024. You will receive an email by September 1st, 2024 with a response.

    We encourage applicants to apply only when there is a cause or reason that, without a sponsorship-supported placement, would mean they are not able to attend the course or if allocating their resources to finance the course would result in a loss of essential resources. No participants will be turned away for lack of funds.

Meet your instructor

Dr. Mariam Sheibani

Dr. Mariam Sheibani is a scholar, educator, and researcher. She is a professor of Islamic thought and community educator who is passionate about engaging key issues facing Muslims and Muslim communities. Dr. Sheibani offers new paradigms and frameworks for coherently integrating religious commitment with lived experience. She empowers people to think through critical issues, co-construct solutions to shared challenges, and offer practical tools for cultivating a God-centered and meaningful spiritual life. Drawing on over two decades of traditional training in the Islamic sciences, graduate training at the University of Chicago and Harvard University, and pedagogical expertise honed from at world-class universities and hundreds of community programs, Dr. Sheibani delivers accessible, relevant, and research-based courses.

What students have to say

  • “Professor Sheibani was a great professor. She made sure we discussed the course concepts thoroughly, shared our own opinions, and raised questions on the course material. She made all the students feel comfortable and connected to one another and ensured they respected each other's opinions. I also loved how she combined both western academic sources and traditional Muslim sources to broaden our understanding with different perspectives.”

    - Student at the University of Toronto, Early Islamic History Seminar

  • “This course really showed the complexity and breadth of Sufism. The scope of what was covered in a relatively short time was incredible. The delivery was excellent and easy to follow – a good systematic and chronological treatment without being rigid. I learnt so many new things and the course really shifted my thinking. Explanations of contentious issues were very even handed and dispassionate. This was a refreshing approach because of how antagonistic discussions of these topics are in Muslim communities today.”

    -Student in What Is Sufism?, an on-demand course at Cambridge Muslim College

  • “I thoroughly benefited from the course What is Sufism? taught by Dr. Mariam Sheibani. She taught the course in a very systematic and engaging way. She connected the dots for me about Sufism through an intellectual historical perspective. The course was easy to follow and the content was very well organized. As a Learning Experience Designer by profession, I really appreciated how the content was divided appropriately into smaller segments that flowed logically. I also appreciate that it was self-paced which allowed working professionals like me to go through it at their own pace.”

    - Ateka, student in What Is Sufism?

  • “The class was immensely informative largely because Professor Sheibani has such a strong command in the expansive fields of Islamic history, Islamic law, and Islamic theology. No question was left unanswered or without a nuanced explanation from her. Excellent course.”

    - Graduate student at Harvard Divinity School, Seminar on Islamic Ethics

  • “I see this course as a defining moment in my studies at Harvard Divinity School. Professor Sheibani is an excellent instructor who utilizes a variety of pedagogical strategies to provide a holistic learning experience.”

    - Graduate student at Harvard Divinity School, Seminar on al-Ghazālī’s Thought

  • “Professor Sheibani is a gifted instructor who surpassed my expectations of a professor. She is clearly passionate and knowledgeable about her work and it's contagious to students.”

    - Graduate student at Harvard Divinity School, Seminar on Islamic Ethics

  • “Professor Sheibani is a gem! She should be nominated for teaching awards (and I am sure she will be!). She did a stellar job with every aspect of teaching and inspired each of her students - in a very diverse class - to learn more than they thought they could. I wish I had the opportunity to take more classes from her.”

    - Graduate student at Harvard Divinity School, Seminar on Islamic Ethics

  • “Dr. Mariam is an expert in Hadith sciences. But more than that she deeply cares about her students and connecting them to this science. She is a skilled educator who breaks down complex concepts and makes them digestible and applicable for all. I loved learning from her and with her. She is an incredible teacher who models sincerity, accessibility, and humility, which is beautiful to witness. She is a clear communicator, and she engages difficult subjects with grace and frankness.”

    - Rahile, student in Hadith seminar in Cairo

  • “I loved how Dr. Sheibani explored specific Islamic laws and presented the differences between the rules and the spirit or purpose of the law. There was so much compassion in law the way she taught it, even on the toughest questions. I also liked how she transitioned into therapeutic applications and made room for classroom discussions. It was always clear that things are not black and white and listening to different experiences from fellow practitioners enriched the discussion.”

    - Practitioner-student in the Cambridge Muslim College, Islamic Psychology Diploma

  • “If you want to understand Hadith, Sunnah, and Fiqh, the four sessions called ‘Holding Fast’ by Dr. Mariam Sheibani are the best video resource available online. She’s a phenomenal teacher, and I highly recommend learning from her.”

    - Abdullah Saleh