Al salamu 'alaykum (greetings of peace)! I pray you are well! Happy Mother's
Day to all who are celebrating! :)
I am so excited for our new halaqa series that will begin next week, Saturday, 20 May at 6 pm ET, insha'Allah, entitled, "The Book of
Illuminations," which will consist of Dr. Abou El Fadl's commentaries on the book, "Kitab Al Hikam (The Book of Wisdoms)" by Shaykh Ibn Ata'illah al-Iskandari. We had to postpone the start
of the halaqa this weekend due to last minute scheduling conflicts. I apologize for any inconvenience!
Dr. Abou El Fadl often gets questions from people who want to build a relationship with and draw closer to God, but don't know how to do it.
Dr. Abou El Fadl's commentary on this text will address these questions - what we as individuals can do to take steps toward elevating to God. While Shaykh will be sharing his own journey with
the text, for the purposes of having an English translation to which we can refer, we just got this text, although there are other translations available. I wish I could say more, but I honestly
don't know what he is going to present or how. But I am sure it will be enlightening and powerful! I also just ordered two other English translations to compare. :)
As the semester and school year come to a close for many, it is exciting to be on the precipice of summer and the prospect of change. We have
been so fully immersed in the Project Illumine Qur'anic commentaries for over two years that it is good to finally take a moment to catch our breath, take stock of the journey that was just
completed, and regroup to think about what new possibilities are on the horizon. We have produced a wealth of content in the last few years that can engage us all for a lifetime. People have
written me that they can't keep up! So with the summer ahead, insha'Allah (God willing), I pray there will be more time for everyone to dig in and make progress towards completing the Qur'an
anew!
In the meantime, Dr. Abou El Fadl continues to inspire us with his powerhouse virtual khutbahs every Friday and we continue our push to
fundraise for Project Illumine II: Decolonizing the Sirah in the Age of Islamophobia, A Master Class. I am also exploring some new technology to improve the delivery of our offerings, and we have more important books and cool conversations in the
pipeline! In support of my favorite series, I am regularly nudging my loved ones for more episodes of Mido and Baba! So lots of great new developments underway but nothing ready to reveal just
yet! Insha'Allah soon! ;)
Yet as always, the learning continues. Wishing you a summer full of learning, enlightenment, and inspiration! May God guide, uplift, and
empower you always!
In Peace and Hope,
Grace