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Dawah Power Storms Vancouver
7-16-2014
VANCOUVER – After one shahada, a two-day course, and four incredibly jam-packed days of dawah work, it is clear that Ustadh Hamza Tzortzis has left a major impact on our local ummah. Gracing us with his presence for the smash hit, weekend-intensive AlKauthar course “Dawah Power” on June 14-15 at BCIT, Ustadh Hamza walked students through an intense, hands-on program of dawah theory and practice that ultimately transformed these students of knowledge into capable and confident du’aat.
When Islam, the religion of nearly 1.6 billion people worldwide, is portrayed negatively in mainstream media outlets (leading to a significant rise of misled questions held by the general public), it can be rather difficult to answer to the call of Allah (swt), who says: “And who is better in speech than one who invites to Allah and does righteousness and says, “Indeed, I am of the Muslims.” (41:33). And it is with such confidence that Ustadh Hamza, himself an international public speaker on Islam, a writer, lecturer, instructor, intellectual activist, researcher, and a da’ee for many years who’s engaged in countless heated debates with prominent academics and intellectuals, generally approaches dawah work. This June, he taught students how to talk to someone about Islam, the strategies of giving effective dawah, how to answer difficult questions and what topics to begin with, how to respond with knowledge, confidence, and unwavering conviction when non-Muslims demand that you prove the existence of God, the divine nature of the Qur’an, and the prophets and messengers of Allah, and much more.
On the Monday following the weekend-intensive course, students were given the opportunity to practice their newly gained skills in dawah work by engaging with local Vancouverites on what Islam is and who are the Muslims, as well as dispelling any misconceptions being held about Islam. The key to dawah, Ustadh Hamza shared, is to always drive conversations of Islam to the core message of the faith: tawheed, or the Oneness of Allah (swt). Perhaps it is this principle that brought a man named Dave, who wanted to learn more about Islam, into Masjid Omar al-Farooq to watch a congregational prayer, and engage in more discussions on God, spirituality, self-discovery, purpose, and self-liberation from an Islamic perspective. And, as it is only Allah (swt) who guides, Dave eventually embraced Islam, alhamdulillah.
As Ustadh Hamza would later share once back in the UK, he advised all students of knowledge that “Dawah Power” was only the beginning; just a “window of opportunity to open a new realm of possibility to engage with our fellow human beings in an intellectual, compassionate and sincere way - with the hope that they are guided by Allah to feel peace, contentment and tranquility in this life and the hereafter. Therefore don't just learn, but be, do and then become. Simply put, do the work!”
The next AlKauthar course is “The Prophets of Allah: Their Lives and Timeless Lessons” on September 6-7 at BCIT with Sheikh Daood Butt. Study the lives of those chosen by Allah whose stories, mentioned in the Qur’an, are replete with lessons for all to reflect upon. For the betterment of conduct, beautification of character and to follow in their footsteps, enroll now! For more information on how to register for “The Prophets of Allah: Their Lives and Timeless Lessons”, please visit www.alkauthar.org or email vancouver@alkauthar.org. Early registration is encouraged, as seats are limited.
AlKauthar Institute is a pioneering academic Islamic education provider of Islamic Studies in the English language. It is currently enriching lives through knowledge in 12 countries and 5 continents across the globe. AlKauthar Institute is a program of Mercy Mission. For more information, please visit www.alkauthar.org.
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