Ascension of the Believer; Uplifting Event in Farmington

by Noor H. Salem

A full house gathered March 24 at the Islamic Cultural Association of Farmington Hills for the first ever workshop, Ascension of the Believer. The workshop is provided my Miftaah Institute, and aims to share the remarkable and divine link of prayer.

Audience ranged from youngsters to the elders, all as attentive and tuned in to such an incredible speaker, Shaykh Abdullah Waheed.

Shaykh Abdullah Waheed covered how prayer is the second pillar of faith, is a light for the believer, and is a means of relief of distress and grief from worldly matters. He shared remarkable gems and reminders that left audience in awe, and possibly remorse in not continuously perfecting prayer previously. The lecture walked the audience through the virtues of prayer, and how much joy it can shower into one’s life when it is done with utmost perfection and effort.

It was an incredible reminder that prayer is the first thing the believer will be asked about on the Day of Judgment, and if it is good then all other matters following will be good, and if it’s not then all other matters asked about thereafter won’t be either. One must not rush prayer for other things, which are in the Hands of the one you are rushing to turn away from. Prayer is the ultimate purpose of our life; mankind was not created except for the purpose of worship. While it’s easy to be swallowed by the glam and glitter of this worldly life, all advertising and chasing materialism, one must constantly remember these things stay behind when death approaches. No one doubts death will come, and one should approach constantly remembering their purpose the same way.

Miftaah Institute aims to preserve the practice of the Prophet ? and his beloved companions: to teach and learn Ilm in a sacred manner.Their unique name, Miftaah, means key in Arabic. They came to the conclusion of this name based the following. The Prophet ? said: “Glad tidings to that individual who becomes a key miftaah towards good and a lock towards evil.” (Sunan Ibn Majah). Their main goal is to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to learn or teach so they can become a key and medium towards spreading divine knowledge and goodness in their communities.

Sheikh Abdullah Waheed was born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit, MI. Sheikh Abdullah commenced his studies at the age of 10 in Toronto, Canada where he went to memorize the Quran.  He completed the complete memorization of the Holy Quran by the tender age of 12 and then went on to study in the 7-year extensive Shariah program in Toronto, Canada. Sheikh Abdullah then continued his research and studies which took him to countries across the world such as Pakistan, Kuwait, and England. Sheikh Abdullah specialized in the Tafseer of the Quran. Understanding and Mastering the language of Holy Quran was always the primary goal.

Therefore, Sheikh went on to spend years to study the details and beauty of our Holy book. He is serving as an Instructor at Miftaah institute and is also the director of Islamic Affairs at Flint Islamic Center. Sheikh Abdullah also travels across North America for khutbas, workshops, and seminars. He is known for his motivational and enthusiastic style of speaking which leaves the audience focused and learning.

Although it was a short lecture covering something as deep and profound as prayer, Shaykh Abdullah Waheed sure did a remarkable job touching the hearts of the audience with his eloquent speech. Incredibly, they are bringing their first ever conference to town mid-April, with Shaykh Omar Suleiman and many other speakers. More information can be found on their website.

Noor H. Salem is an author, speaker, and Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, from Michigan. Noor works with clients in better understanding their bodies and healing with natural foods through her wellness practice, Holistic Noortrition. She presents various workshops, school lectures, group coaching classes, and community lectures on the topic of holistic health. Noor recently published her book, SUNNAH SUPERFOODS, a culmination of life-changing recipes and remedies, with a foreword by Dr. Waleed Basyouni. Her book consists of prophetic hadith, modern research, and delicious recipes, and is in the process of being translated into other languages.