As many of you, Sh. Faraz Rabbani departed from SunniPath a few months ago and started up SeekersGuidance.com:
They recently updated the site with their courses taught by Sh. Faraz himself. I summarized the courses currently offered with the title, duration and price. Prices vary depending on length with the cheapest at $60 for 6 lessons and with the expensive at $190 for 24 lessons. I am assuming based on the description of the courses on the website that each lesson is a recorded MP3 that will be available for download. Textbooks are most likely sold seperately (similar to university/college courses). I am also guessing you can tune in live to the lectures as well.
Islamic Beliefs for Seekers: Dardir’s Kharida Explained
12 lessons in 12 weeks
$120
Islamic Law for Seekers: Mawsuli’s Mukhtar Explained: Worship
24 lessons in 24 weeks
$175
Islamic Law for Seekers: Commercial Transactions 24 lessons in 12 weeks
$190
Money Matters: The Importance of Islamic Finance 11 lessons
$120
Absolute Essentials of Islam: Beliefs & Worship 11 lessons
$120
Transformative Qur’anic Recitation 6 lessons
$60
Proper Qur’anic Recitation: A Clear Introduction to Tajweed 13 lessons
$60
Regarding the title of this post, I am in no way shape or form saying SunniPath is done or anything negative. I am simply staying that Sh. Faraz left and started Seekers Guidance.
Due to irreconcilable differences, I’m no longer associated with SunniPath in any way (as of early May 2008). I do not answer questions there, nor do I teach any courses there.
In my honest and humble upon, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani = SunniPath. With him gone, SunniPath will be different. Who are the other fulltime scholars of SunniPath? I mean I can’t think of any of the top of my head sadly. I’d have to go to their website and check the listings. I remember getting many emails from SunniPath listing the courses and almost everytime Sh. Faraz Rabbani’s name was on 3/4’s of the courses. The popularity of Sh. Faraz and SunniPath were a combined effort and they both were branded together.
For example you have Shaykh Hamza Yusuf and Imam Zaid Shakir who are synonymous to Zaytuna Institute. Shaykh Muhammad Alshareef and Shaykh Yasir Qadhi who are synonymous to Al-Maghrib Institute. Shaykh Faraz Rabbani was synonymous to SunniPath but as you can see I will have to rid that thought from my mind.
It’s sad to hear this about SunniPath’s booting of Sh. Faraz and/or vice versa. Sh. Faraz said it was due to “irreconcilable differences”. My vocabulary is extremely low (May Allah increase it!), but to dumb it down for people like myself, that basically means SunniPath was no longer feelin’ Sh. Faraz and/or vice versa. They weren’t compatible. Different understanding? Different beliefs? Well, we won’t really know. We only know that it was “irreconcilable differences”.
Sh. Faraz has started his own store called Seekers Media and it appears he is now part of the newly created Razi Institute, which has upcoming events in Toronto, Canada and Deleware, USA.
May Allah (swt) give success to all efforts that is pleasing to Allah. Ameen!
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf and Dr. Khalid Blankinship (Temple University)
April 27, 2008
New York, NY
The Great Hall
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
30 Cooper Square
New York, N.Y. 10003-7120
212-353-4196
I got it as an email. It’s not on the website yet (Correction: it is on the site, inshaAllah I’ll post more details as soon as I get them. This is going to be awesome! InshaAllah!
was a Sufi in the Naqshabandiyya tariqa via ‘Abd al-Rahmin al-Saqqaf. Also possible affiliation with the Khalwatiyya.
was born in Pakistan, moved to Madinah and studied there.
studied under:
Abi al-Hasan Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Hadi al-Sindi, ‘Abdallah ibn Salim al-Bagri, Hasan ibn ‘li al-’Ajami, and Abi al-Tahir Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Kirini.
2 were Hanafi and 2 were Shafi
six lines linking Muhammad Hayyat with al-Qashash
Muhammad Hayyat had at least eight lines of connexion with al-Biibili
Shaykh Muhammad Hayyat al-Sindi was the teacher of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab (alleged founder of Wahhabism). He taught Sh. ibn Abdul Wahhab “rejection of popular religious practices associated with ‘ saints ‘ and their tombs”. I guess this shows Sh. Muhammad Hayyat al-Sindi wasn’t an extreme Sufi.
Sh. Muhammad Hayyat had 20 students including Sh. ibn Abdul Wahhab:
Twelve of them were Hanafi
Five were Shafi
One was a “Sufi recluse”
Two Hanbalis (including Sh. ibn Abdul Wahhab).
Out of the 20, 12 were directly connected to Sufism
7 identified with major Sufi tariqas
3 taught or wrote Sufi texts
1 was a Sufi miracle worker - the “Sufi recluse
5 of them were Sufi Shaykhs
So in other words, from what I understand in the article, these 20 brothers, scholars, students of knowledge were the classmates of Sh. ibn Abdul Wahhab. Regardless of what the students, followers of Sh. ibn Abdul Wahhab have to say about Sufism, it is clear that his classmates, teachers, friends, brothers, and people who he most likely “hung out” with were madhab-following sufis.
Basically the pledge can be summarized into no condemning and “takfir’ing” of the different creeds, no attacks on scholars of different views from creed to fiqh to anything in Islam. In other words just love your Sunni brother and khalas! Imam Suhaib has added the list of scholars and activists who have signed it, so I’d like to make a list of all the Muslim bloggers around the world who endorse this pledge. Comment if your blog supports this pledge!
The story of the Pledge: How did it start?
There was a conference with a number of scholars in Wales in which Sh. Abdullah bin Bayyah was giving some lectures and presentations. After it was over the scholars including the above mentioned decided on what to do. The pledge idea came up and all the individual scholars thought of some points and it was compiled by Imam Zaid Shakir. It was then expanded with a mailing list and more scholars gave feedback and then it went public.
What you can do to help spread “The Sunni Unity Pledge”?
Zaytuna Institute’s new Distance Learning program provides communities and students around the world affordable access to the sacred knowledge being taught and preserved at Zaytuna Institute through the use of the latest in cutting-edge multimedia and Internet technology.
