Imam Suhaib Webb in Farmington, MI for ALIM Program

By Noor H. Salem, TMO

Suhaib Webb

Imam Suhaib Webb came to the Tawheed Center of Farmington, MI Thursday night as part of the ALIM Program 2013 and gave a powerful lecture in less than one hour. About 100 adults and children sat in the audience as he spoke. He discussed the famous Arabic poem of Ibn al’Nahawi “al monfariga”, or translated The Reliever. Suhaib Webb did an in-depth translation of the meaning of the poem and spent the lecture giving us tidbits.

The ALIM Program has been going on since 1998 and is a three week long intensive summer program filled with rotating speakers and imams across the country “seeking to educate and empower Muslims with the requisite knowledge to understand their religion in the light of a changing world”. 

The main theme was hardships, and how to squint during hardships to see the hope and promise of Allah, just how during the darkest of nights we see the brightest of stars. He brings forth the famous verse of the Quran “verily with hardship comes ease” and emphasizes that ease comes WITH hardship, not after it, not before it, with it. He tells us all how while he was translating this poem the Boston Bombings took place, and how difficult the times were in Boston. He did mention though after his interview at CNN how one reporter told him he did well, and spoke in American English, as in, an understandable language to the country. He said the problem is when we speak we speak English, but not American. We need to speak American if we want to be understood.

He looked around and saw children running and reminded us to leave them to themselves and not stop them from playing. “We beat them for running around in the masjid when they are children, and when they are teenagers we question why they don’t like to come” he said as the audience laughed. He tells us that every opportunity in our life is a chance to witness the wisdom of Allah. He used the metaphor of the night over and over again, and reminds us the brightest of day is followed by the darkest of night. So after the worst of hardships comes ease. There is always hope, always a tomorrow and always an end to grief. He mentions how depression and insecurity are common among our young women and men. He then stared at the wall separating the men and women and said, and we question why our women are insecure. We make them feel like they are not valuable, when really they are. We need to take down barriers. Men are insecure and feel like they need tons and tons of money to get married, when really it’s not necessary for happiness. There needs to be change in our standards. The more hardships we face the more worship we commit. Again, relief comes but only with patience, time, and hope. The lecture ended around 9:15pm.

For more information about the ALIM program visit: http://www.alimprogram.org/programs/summer-program-overview/

For more information about Suhaib Webb or for more articles visit: http://www.suhaibwebb.com/

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