El Hajj Malik Shabazz Program
“Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.” - El Hajj Malik Shabazz
There is no greater example for the potential a person whose journey to Islam began in a prison than Malcolm X. He is a man who is well known and is in no need of an introduction. Merely reading his life story through his autobiography is a major influence for many people to choose Islam.
There are many people within the prison system that have and are following in his footsteps by serving Islam and humanity. There are even more people that have the potential to be like him. We, as a community, must dedicate ourselves to assisting them to gain access to material that will greatly enhance their study and understanding of Islam.
Our Goal:
To provide inmates with a course of study that will give them a solid foundation in the knowledge needed to practice the free exercise of Islam according to the People of the Prophetic Tradition and Congregation (ahlul sunna wa jama’ah). The goal is to develop knowledge, formation and character development that enables them to make mature decisions in prison and in society.
They will know their religious essentials, have a competent command of Arabic language, such as, recitation, memorization and meaningful reflection for spiritual development. They will be taught this under the care of trained educators that refine their moral, intellectual and spiritual development needed for every Muslim as traditionally taught. The method of instruction includes audio CDs, MP3s, DVDs and correspondence through the mail. In addition to producing our own courses and material, we are also working with other institutions who have allowed us to use courses that they have developed. We will package these courses in a manner that will allow them to be utilized in prisons. Organizations that we are working with include:
Seekers Guidance (http://seekersguidance.org/)
ZamZam Academy (http://www.zamzamacademy.com/)
Al Haqq: Illumination through Education, Love and Compassion (http://alhaqq.com/AlHaqq/)
Rawdah (http://therawdah.com/)
The subjects that will be covered throughout the various levels of this course are:
- Religious essential knowledge (Fard ‘Ayn)
- Iman- The study of theology (aqida)
- Islam- The study of jurisprudence (fiqh)
- Ihsan- The study of spirituality (tazkiyya)
- Quranic Studies
- Development of the Quran
- Proper recitation (tajwid)
- Memorization (hifdh)
- Explanation of the meanings of verses (tafsir)
- Hadith Studies
- Technical vocabulary used in Hadith studies (mustalah)
- Study of abridged collections of hadith
- Arabic Studies
- Grammar (nahw)
- Vocabulary (lugha)
- Reading and comprehension
- Character refinement (adab)
- History (sira)
- The Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) biography and (sira)
- Physical description (shamail)
- The companions (sahaba)
We are working with Imams and chaplains who have extensive experience in working with inmates to ensure that our programs have the most benefit to the participants as well as adhering to the all federal, state and local guidelines in working with incarcerated individuals.