Walking Tall Event Beautiful with Full House

by Noor H. Salem

Almost 200 attendees gathered at the Islamic Center of Detroit banquet hall for an intensive, yet heartwarming event IlmNight: Walking Tall, on Dec 8.Walking Tall is a three-hour intensive course developed by Al-Maghrib Institute, and is taught by none other than Imam Wisam Sharieff.

It’s an interactive experience that focuses on Qur’an recitation, and secrets that help students advance their recitation on their own. Rules of tajweed, without complexity and technical terms, as well as the key to taking recitation to a higher level, were discussed. This collaborative seminar was applicable for both non-Arabic and Arabic readers alike, which in fact, left many quite impressed. The crowd looked astonished at Ustadh Wisam’s unique methods of teaching; even the youngest in the crowd, a nine-year-old boy, Ahmad, was interacting and constantly asking questions. Ustadh Wisam’s recitation of Qur’an was simply breathtaking, leaving many in awe, and many more in tears.

One student I caught walking out in tears at the conclusion at the event, mentioned how, “I’m so blessed to have come.”

Imam Wisam Sharieff specialized in retention and recitation of Qur’an, and has a Bachelor in Arabic Grammar and minor in Arabic Literature. He is a certified radiology technician, and has completed his Ijaza of Qur’an. He leads the Qur’an Revolution program, a year-long program designed to revolutionize students to read, recite, retain, reflect, and memorize Qur’an. He has taught more than 25,000 students worldwide, both in person as well as online. He transformed the entire field of tajweed to be digestible concepts for children, woman and men, and is a remarkable teacher.

Qabeelah Ittihaad Michigan, Al-Maghrib’s chapter of Southeast Michigan, was founded in 2005. Respect, integrity, manners, optimism, and helpfulness are all qualities of Qabeelah Ittihaad volunteers. As of today, the Qabeelah has hosted more than 68 seminars and one-day seminars. Their mission is to help their communities by providing them with opportunities to seek Islamic knowledge in a fun, engaging, and extraordinary way. It’s more than just sitting in a classroom and taking notes- bonds are built, memories are made, and seeds of friendship are planted. They’ve had more than four students complete the Al-Maghrib degree audit to its entirety, two of which are now Al-Maghrib instructors themselves. The Qabeelah hosts seminars on various topics, covering Qur’anic Tafseer, pillars of faith, beautiful patience, Fiqh of marriage, modesty and clothing, ethics and manners in Islam, history, and many more heart-warming courses. Other than hosting seminars several times a year, Qabeelah Ittihaad’s volunteers get together to put their knowledge into action: they give back to their community. Of the many projects conducted, they’ve made more than 300 personal hygiene packages, brought hot food to a homeless shelter, helped pack clothing for the needy, and much more. They work as a team, strive as a team, and experience the incredible fruit of their efforts as a team, alike.

My-ICD Youth, the youth of the Islamic Center of Detroit, is a team of more than 40 hardworking members. They have been conducting community events of various types, including mental health awareness workshops, art classes, lectures, qiyams for the youth, visiting the elders, and more. For the two teams to collaborate, was simply a great step forward. The audience consisted of students from Farmington Hills Dearborn, Ann Arbor, and Bloomfield, all gathering for the same purpose.

All in all, it was truly an extraordinary evening, filled with laughter, tears, and a serene recitation of Qu’ranic verses. It seemed like many were ready to walk away, and walk tall.