City of Knowledge

[Shahbaz Aslam]

Bismillah

Some scholars from Birmingham UK are setting up an Islamic school. They are looking for donations and/or loans. Please contribute if you are able. Below is from a document they produced. Please look at the oathes they took to see their sincerity and dedication. And please look at their teachers to see their calibre. Shaykh Aslam and Shaykh Qamar both studied at the ma'had al fath in Damascus with some of the greatest scholars alive, with Shaykh Aslam graduating 3rd in his year.

[Shahbaz Aslam]

Dedicated to:

Our Master, the Best of creation, Messenger, Prophet and beloved of Allah, Sayyidna Muhammad Al Mustafa (peace be upon him), His blessed family, companions, true, sincere, honest scholars of Islam
most notably our teachers, our parents and the entire Ummah of Islam.

The City of Knowledge Academy
Est. Monday 12th Rabi’ al Awwal 1430H, 9th March 2009

Set up by:
Shaykh Mohammed Aslam & Shaykh Mohammed Qamar
sons of Haji Abdul Qayum s/o Shaykh Hafiz Mohammed Yusuf,
Graduates of Al-Fath Al-Islami College for Arabic & Islamic Sciences,
Damascus, Syria

With the help of:
Students of the Islamic Sciences at the Academy
and concerned members of the community.

THE CITY OF KNOWLEDGE ACADEMY

“Place the needs of the generality of the Muslim community before your own personal needs”

The Name

The Messenger of Allah, Sayyidna Muhammad Al Mustafa Peace be upon him said: "I am the City of Knowledge and Ali is its door"

The Motto

“Place the needs of the generality of the Muslim community before your own personal needs” Shaykh Muhammad Saleh Al Farfour, Founder of Al-Fath Al-Islami College for Arabic & Islamic Sciences, Damascus, Syria.

Dedication

We, at the Academy, dedicate all of our efforts and endeavours to Our Master, the Best of creation, Messenger, Prophet and beloved of Allah, Sayyidna Muhammad Al Mustafa peace be upon him, His blessed family, companions, true, sincere, honest scholars of Islam most notably our teachers, our parents and the entire Ummah of Islam.

The Final Oath

“In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious the Most Merciful. All praise is for Allah, Lord of the worlds. Salutations and regards upon our Master Muhammad, upon his family, his companions and all those who were guided with the instruction of their guidance and followed their path until the final day.
As calling to Allah most high was the sole pursuit of the Prophets and Messengers and then after the inherited nature of the sincere, honest, practicing scholars and the best of deeds after faith in Allah and His Messenger... I take a pledge with Allah Most High in the following:

1. Acting upon that which I have learnt,
2. Adopting the noble characteristics of Scholars,
3. Pursuing the obligation of calling to Allah Most High with truthfulness and sincerity as far as possible,
4. Place the needs of the generality of the Muslim community before my own personal needs,
5. To be wholeheartedly eager in acting in accordance to Allah’s saying exalted is He,

“Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good, commanding what is right, and forbidding what is wrong; they are the successful.”

As far possible in acting in accordance to the above mentioned, I pledge my promise to Allah most High. And All Praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds.”

This was the final oath taken by the Great Scholar of Islam, Reviver of Sacred Knowledge in our times, Shaykh Muhammad Saleh Al Farfour upon awarding his students certificates of graduation in the Arabic and Islamic Sciences. This award was to mark the beginning of a lifelong endure in
studying, teaching and being true embodiments for the inherited prophetic nature of the noble scholars. The legacy of this oath continued through his students to thousands thereafter until Allah graced both myself and my brother Shaykh Mohammed Qamar to take that noble oath at the hands of our teachers, most notably The Great Master of the Islamic Sciences, teacher of thousands, vessel of knowledge and wisdom, embodiment of Muhammadan character, Hafiz of the Qur’an in the 7 famous recitations , Jurist and Noble friend of Allah Shaykh Abdul Razzaq Al Halabi and Our Master, the great theologian, jurist and humble friend of Allah Sayyidna Shaykh Adeeb Al Kalas (d.2009 may Allah have mercy upon his soul). We were honoured to have studied under such great scholars of the day through the du’a of our parents and instruction of our teacher, the Mufti of the Ahl-us-Sunnah Wa-al-Jamma’ah, hafiz of the noble Qur’an and teacher of sacred knowledge Shaykh Muhammad Akbar Zeerak (may Allah thank them all).
To fulfil the above pledge within the community that we returned to, after sitting at the feet of the great scholars of Islam, observations and evaluations were made which made us realise that it is the desperate need of our community to rise up to the challenges of the fast moving materialistic and technological world which disconnects human life from the soul. We saw the young growing up without their religious affiliation to Islam being cared for. Suitable environments that catered for their educational, social and recreational needs can hardly be found in our communities. This frightening scene is not alien to any parent, guardian, carer, teacher or community member but unfortunately to the detriment and loss of our children a blind eye is casted. The result of which has been deprivation in education and misconduct in social ways. Muslim girls and women have been the biggest bearers of this neglect.
These daunting facts were nothing but challenges in the path of us standing up to the responsibilities that our teachers passed onto us and their high expectations of us. They continuously reminded us that our endure is the direct offshoot of prophecy. The Prophet, Messenger and Beloved of Allah Our Master Sayyidna Muhammad Al Mustafa peace be upon him said, “Scholars are the inheritors of prophets”. Prophets and messengers did not leave gold or silver behind rather they left jewels and gems of knowledge and wisdom which descended from the heavens to create angelic and heavenly characteristics in human beings whilst treading upon the earth. The Most Knowledgeable of Allah’s creation Sayyidna Muhammad Al Mustafa peace be upon him said, “I was not sent but as a teacher”.

Whilst in Damascus we were invited to the house of our teacher, the great jurist, hafiz and leading teacher of the Qur’an in all its recitations, lover of the best of creation, the beloved of Allah, Sayyidna Muhammad Al Mustafa peace be upon him, Shaykh Muhammad Samir Al Nass when we took the opportunity to seek his advice on how we could benefit our community upon our return. He replied that Salah-ul-deen Al Ayubi the great (may Allah be pleased with him) lived in similar circumstances to that in which we live in today. He wanted to rehabilitate this Ummah back to its greatness and honour. He found that the best way to do this was to create schools and colleges where education was cherished. This would flower the Muslim community once again. The Shaykh concluded,” I believe this is the way forward for your communities”. In the final year of my study at the leading, prestigious, traditional institute of Islamic sciences, Al-Fath Al-Islami in Damascus, Shaykh Mahmood Beiruti, strongly remarked out of passion, “I do not want to see any of you who will be graduating this year to stay in Damascus next year! This city is rich with ‘Ulema. Your communities are in great need of you, so it is a must that you return and benefit them from the knowledge you have acquired!!”

Our Experience

Whilst serving at Lozells Central Mosque (2007-2009) as headteacher, Imam and Khateeb, I closely observed the needs of our community, its strengths, potentials, alongside the aspects in which it lacked. To overcome some of the educational, social & recreational needs of the local children and young people Summer, Winter and Spring Schools were set up to help enhance the quality of these children and young people in their free time. The result of which was felt by every mother, father, child and young person. A great sense of happiness and joy entered into the hearts of the children and young people who attended. Learning knowledge first hand was a life changing experience, as the children and young people were addressed in a language that they understood, in an environment that they enjoyed and from a people who loved them and made them fall in love with that Merciful, Generous being, who would hurry his prayer for the crying of a child, the one who would wipe his hands over the heads of children out of affection and love, and allow the young in the streets to take by his hand and accompany him to their desirable destinations in the blessed city of illuminations al Madinah al Munawarah. The thirst of these children and young people made me realise that much more needed to be done if we wanted our children to grow up loving Islam and the Prophet of Islam our Master Sayyidna Muhammad Al Mustafa peace be upon him.

‘Problem children’ they were called, ‘Street lads’ they were labelled but once they had smelt the fragrance of Muhammadan love, suddenly I saw the mosque become their first home, after it was the place they wanted to be released from if they were not already in the park ‘wagging’.
I saw grown men of business and profession who would normally be sitting behind office desks 9-5 delaying their work to attend lessons alongside young teenagers. This was a unique and encouraging experience for both myself and the students. As for myself, it was a reminder of the lessons of my teachers, where many merchants and business people were found sitting learning their deen before leaving out to the world. As for the students they saw that this deen does not disconnect people from the larger world but rather prepares them for its challenges. Women, who were affected the most by the neglect of our community, felt their dua’s were accepted in that they were able to spend time learning their deen in an appropriate environment. All of this reminded me of what we were informed of by our teacher, Shaykh Fawaz al Namir whilst he narrated an occasion which took place with our Master, the Great, Shaykh Abdul Razzaq Al Halabi upon meeting a student of his, who had graduated. The Shaykh asked him whether or not he had begun teaching in his community. The Student replied, ‘Sayyidi, there is no one to teach’. The Shaykh encouraged him by saying, ‘Open the shop and Allah will send the customers’. With Allah’s mercy, crowds of customers we have seen for the inheritance of the Noble Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, Alhamdulillah!
Two of the most moving experiences I had were, first, that of a business man, who attended the lessons, coming to me in tears saying, ‘such opportunities were not available when I was young and if anything similar was available all year round I would be willing to attend’. The other was, when I was on a trip with the young teenagers, I pointed out to them the building of a fulltime Muslim school upon which one of them cried out ‘Why can’t we have a full time school like this!?’ These were concerns which were already present in my mind and for me to see them in others further encouraged me to embark upon the project of this Academy as soon as possible.
Observations

 The management skills of the young brothers and sisters who set up the pre-mentioned initiatives impressed me a great deal. To see such skills, wisdom, dedication and sacrifice not being directed for the benefit of the growing generations...................
 Correct resources not being provided in general and especially for the growing generations and women...................
 Scholarly learned individuals and dedicated students to the Islamic sciences who can make a difference to our communities, due to them understanding the surroundings in which they teach and preach, being wasted...................
 People who embrace Islam not being paid attention to by being provided answers for their questions, help and support due to the sacrifices they have made...................

All of these reasons and many others forced me to leave my official post at Lozells Central Mosque. This was to embark upon the project of this Academy with the support of students of the Islamic Sciences who will become future scholars alongside concerned members of the community.

Allah said in the Qur’an Exalted is He..............
“Say are those who know equal to those who know not?” "It is only those who have knowledge among His servants that fear Allah." "Allah will exalt those who believe among you, and those who have been granted knowledge to high ranks." "And say: My Lord increase me in knowledge."
Our Master, the City of Knowledge, Sayyidna Muhammad Al Mustafa, Peace be upon him, said..............
“Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim”
“The best of you are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it”
“May Allah illuminate the face of he, who hears my sayings, understands them and delivers them as he heard them”
“Teach your children three qualities, Love of your prophet, his family, and recitation of the Qur’an”
“Love Allah for the bounties, favours and mercies that He nurtures you through, Love me for Allah’s love and love my family for my love”
“He who Allah wishes goodness for, He gives him a deep understanding of the Deen”
Our Aims
Based upon the mentioned verses of the Holy Qur’an and the sayings of the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him and many others, we have summarised our aims to the following:
 Revive schools and colleges, scholarship and studenthood where knowledge of the Qur’an, sayings of our beloved prophet peace be upon him and a deep understanding of the deen can be acquired together with loving Allah, His Messenger and adapting to their characteristics.
 Provide places which the young will happily affiliate themselves with that shall strengthen their belonging and relationship to Islam
 To stretch the potential of the young of our community to its furthest with knowledge twinned with adab and virtue
 Imparting and sharing remarkable aspects of the Islamic civilisation with the wider community we live in
 Facilitating the recreational and social needs of the young of our community by providing safe areas with culturally friendly ethos

Our Current Projects

After a long search to find an appropriate building to further extend the projects of the Academy, we have seen a premises which we thought would be a starting point. The proposed cost of this building is around £400,000. This building would be used as a full-time Secondary Islamic school where specialised studies in traditional and contextual Islamic studies would be taught alongside the national curriculum. This is to produce leaders and mindful Muslims for the future.

Your Contribution & Support

Allah Most High says in the Majestic Qur’an:
“The example of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is like that of a grain which caused to grow seven ears and in each ear one hundred grains and Allah increases more than that for whomsoever He pleases; and Allah is Bountiful, All-knowing.”
The Messenger of Allah, Our Master Sayyidna Muhammad Al Mustafa, Peace Be Upon Him, said,
“When a person dies, all his deeds come to an end except three: ongoing charity (that he has contributed to), beneficial knowledge (which he has left behind), or a righteous child who will pray for him.”
This Academy offers you all three ways of making your deeds continue after you have died. It is an ongoing charity where knowledge is the focal point. Our Aim is to then after have righteous children who pray for their parents and benefit humanity as a whole.
We also welcome people’s contribution as Qard Hassan (Qarz e hassana) as Allah Most High has praised and rewarded those who give such beautiful loans in His way by saying:
“For those who give in Charity, men and women, and loan to Allah a Beautiful Loan, it shall be increased manifold (to their credit) and they shall have a generous reward “

[Shahbaz Aslam]

Please make all cheques payable to: The City of Knowledge Academy Mailing Address: The City of Knowledge Academy, 87 Ash Rd, Saltley, Birmingham, B8 1DP. cityofknowledge@hotmail.co.uk, 07989753409

[Shahbaz Aslam]

Bismillah

The City Of Knowledge Academy