Story Night Isn’t Only for Children

By Noor Salem and Adil James, TMO

Audience members listen intently to Mr. Khan.

About 1000 people gathered on Friday May 3rd to hear Nouman Ali Khan present a “story night” at the Tawheed Center Banquet Hall in Farmington, MI.

Parking was so full in the newly extended parking lot that dozens of cars were double parked preventing exit by people who tried to leave before ‘Isha, creating what was perhaps the best attended event TMO has attended in the past eight years.

And a few moments in teh room with Mr. Nouman Ali Khan showed why.  Mr. Khan spoke with in depth knowledge of Qur`an, presenting his listeners with the fruits of his hours of thought and study on the Holy Qur`an.

What made this “story night” so extraordinary was that it wasn’t just for kids-but also for adults! The majority of the attendees were indeed adults, sitting and listening attentively with their children on their knees to the heartwarming stories Khan told of Sayyidina Musa (as) and his birth, and insights into the Qur`an’s explanation of the events surrounding his birth and his meeting his future wife.
These were not the same old fairy tales of a locked up princess or good versus evil. Instead the stories were deep and intense reflections of our prophets. Khan went in depth about the many parallels between the stories of Sayyidina Yusuf and Sayyidina Musa, who both went to Egypt but under different circumstances.

He took the typical stories we all heard as Muslim children and gave us a scoop of background information and depth we would never have imagined. He gave many gems for the youth, to be strong and inspired, encouraging them to realize and understand that Muslims have faith that is so strong and is so correct that to outsiders and non-believers it simply seems insane and detached from reality.

He explained that a believer might refuse to do drugs, or refuse to party with members of the opposite sex, confident in the knowledge that his Lord will provide better for him, and meanwhile his peers might literally say that he is crazy as they run off to destroy their bodies and their minds at parties with drugs and alcohol.

This amazing event did not end Friday night. Nouman Ali Khan is hosting the same story night in Chicago and various cities, with the help of the Bayyinah institute.
Unfortunately Mr. Khan will be limiting his future similar events because he will now be doing more work to reform the manner by which children are taught Qur`an.
For more information about Story Night or Nouman Ali Khan in general like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.

https://www.facebook.com/noumanbayyinah?fref=ts

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