بسم هللا الرحمن الرحیم

The 1st Couple Course 2013

The World Federation of KSIMC

Islamic Education - Qum Office

Introduction

It was the first time, couple course has been organized, where couples from UK, Canada,

Tanzania and Qatar spent ten days in the Islamic Republic of Iran attending various classes and

cultural activities along with the Ziyarat. The first successful couple course has led a firm

foundation that this course should be organized every year

Mosque of Jamkaran

Objectives

The course aims to serve as a post-Madrasah education initiative; integrating academic Islamic

scholarship with an experience of the cultural relevance of Islam in the modern age. It is

packaged along with a sense of enhanced self-knowledge and understanding leading to higher

levels of spirituality; as an end result it inspires the participants to a greater service to humanity

and their communities back home.

The course objectives could be described as follows:

To enable participants to discuss various challenges they face and to seek advice and

guidance on these issues

To provide participants an overview of Islamic Family Ethics.

To seek academic and authoritative responses to the various ideological questions on

Islam.

To share the rich experiences of participants with experts and specialized teachers in the

Islamic Seminary.

To achieve spiritual upliftment through a number of spiritual programmes and ethical

discussions.

To meet and interact with some renowned scholars & Maraje

To Interact, exchange ideas, and to network with like-minded individuals

To perform the Ziyarat of Imam al-Ridha (as) and Sayyida Fatima al- Ma’sooma (sa)

Course Preparation

This being the first year, the World Federation of KSIMC’s Qum Office had the honor of hosting a group

of 5 couples - 10 participants from four continents and from a variety of academic, familial, geographic

and linguistic backgrounds. The course planning began couple of months prior to the arrival of the

participants in Iran and was backed up by the constant and selfless administrative and logistical support

of the WF Islamic Education department.

Venue

The first week of the course was almost set in the spiritually charged city of Qum al-

Muqaddasah, where the couples resided in hotels in the proximity of Haram of Bibi Fatima

Ma’sumah (sa). During their stay in Qum, they participated in many activities within the city and

at the suburbs, where they visited historical, natural, pilgrimage sites and Islamic institutions

and Scholars. The remaining days of second week was spent in the Holy city of Mashhad, with a

half day trip to Nishapur in the middle, visiting the holy shrines and holy places. The

participants resided in a hotel nearby Haram which resulted into the most beneficial ziyaraat of

our beloved 8th Imam (as) and shopping; while on the other hand benefitted from scholars who

accompanied the participants from Qum.

Course and Participants’ Details

Dates : 15 April 2013,Monday – 26 April 2013, Friday

Participants:

Two couples from Dares Salam

One couple from London

One couple from Toronto

One couple from Doha

Shabbar & Suhaila from Dar es Salaam

Sarfaraz & Alina from Toronto

Aqil & Muhaddesa from Dar es Salaam

Zohair & Zahra from Doha

Rizwan & Zahra from London

Arrivals

All the couples arrived Qum on time by 15th April except two couples from Tanzania, who faced

some visa problems but they also managed to arrive a day later, i.e. on 16th April.

The participants were welcomed by Qum Office Volunteers. Although tired from the long trip,

they were eager for their classes to get started. The first day was mostly spent resting and

settling into rooms. As the hotel was very near to the Haram of Sayyida Fatima al-Ma’sumah

(sa) and the participants were also keen for the ziyarat, they grabbed every opportunity to

perform ziyarats. In the evening the couples went to Dar al-Zahra (sa) for the opening ceremony

which included welcome speech by Sheikh Kumail; the students were briefed about the goals

and expectations of the course and were advised on health and logistical tips for the duration

of their stay in Iran, the schedule was also discussed and suggestions were taken to make the

course more flexible and better. The programme ended up with dinner.

Course Outline

The course was aimed to bring a hawza experience to the participants and its timetable was

founded on a balance between Islamic education, spirituality, and cultural as well as

recreational activities. But as all the participants were enjoying the classes and wanted the

maximum from Ziayarat, they decided to drop the field trip to Isfahan and waterpark

programme in Mashhad.

Qum – Education Programme

The education component of the Course engaged the minds of the participants and was

designed to provide participants an overview of Islamic Family Ethics and inspire them to

furthering their study of Islam. In Qum, this programme consisted of classes everyday on a

variety of different topics, including Tawheed, Akhlaq, Child Upbringing………etc. Informal

question and answer sessions, debates as well as discussion circles on various topics also took

place.

INSTRUCTORS SUBJECTS TAUGHT

Sayyed Asim al-Hashemi The keys to understanding The Holy Quran

Sayyed Aaqib Jaffery Aqaid

Sheikh Muhammad Khalfan Child Upbringing

Sheikh Tahir Ridha Jaffer Marriage in the light of Qur’an and Hadith

Sheikh Ali Azhar Arastu General topic and Q & A session

Sheikh Salim Yusufali General topic and Q & A session

Sheikh Shomali Visit to his institution

Sis Batul Arastu Ahkam related to women

Couples gaining knowledge

Paying tribute and reciting Fateh for the grave of Aga Mirza Jawad Maliki Tabrizi 9ra): Grave

yard of Sheikhan, Qum

Reciting ziyarat collectively

Books: The garden for aulam, Ansariyan Book shop, Qum

Waiting for Chelu Kababs in an open traditional restaurant in Qum

Qum Cultural/Recreational Programme

The primary aim of the cultural program was to provide the participants a perspective on ‘living Islam’

and its manifestations in our day-to-day life. This consisted of performing Ziyarats of the progeny of the

Imams (as) buried in Qum, visiting the Jamkaran Mosque of the Imam of our Time (atfs), meeting with

high-ranking scholars, gatherings in house with senior students of Hawza and also takes part in various

recreational activities such as hiking at Mt. Khidr.

Sunrise at Mt Khizr

Reciting Dua e Nudbah at Mt Khizr

LIST OF PLACES VISITED

Tour of Haram and resting place of many great Scholars & Maraje

Shaikhain Graveyard and graves of great scholars around Haram

Masjid-e-Jamkaran (Dua-e Tawassul on Tuesday)

Bait al-Noor: The worship place of Sayyida Ma’sumah (sa)

Chel Akhtaraan (Resting places of progeny of Aemmah (as))

Dua-e Kumail program in Haram (on Thursday night)

Meeting with Ayatullah Mehdi Hadavi Tehrani

Visit to International Institute for Islamic Studies - Agha Shomali

Ansariyan bookstore

Hiking at Mt. Khidr (as)

Sh Khalfan on Child Upbringing

Ayatullah Hadavi Tehrani explaining the importance of Islamic culture and heritage

Hujjat al Islam va al Muslemeen Sheikh Shumali’s lecture on Hawza and its achievements

Sh Salim and the participants

Sh Azhar Arastu having a friendly discussion with brothers at his house in Qum

Sis Batool Arastu after her class at her house in Qum

Brothers at Behisht e Zahra (sa): Tehran

Sisters at Behisht e Zahra (sa): Tehran

Qum to Tehran-Mashhad

Qum being the preparatory grounds, the couples charged with the spiritual energy finally

started their journey towards the essence of the program – Ready for more knowledge, classes

and spirituality. With a crystal clear perspective that true understanding of the religion is the

essence for gaining closeness to Allah (swt) and hoped that they will gain that closeness to Allah

(swt) by establishing a special connection with Imam Raza (as). However, before catching the

evening plane, the participants were taken on a tour of Tehran, where they visited Imam

Khomeini’s shrine, Beheshte Zahra (graveyard of the martyrs), Holy Shrine of Shah Abdul Azim

(as) followed by house of Imam Khomeini (ra) at Jamaran.

Participants at Imam Khumeini’s humble house: Jamaran

Mashhad & Naishapoor

Humble steps towards Imam Raza’s holy shrine

The five days in Mashhad were scheduled in a way that allowed participants to spend maximum

time at the haram, and gain knowledge from the Instructors who travelled all the way from

Qum for the very purpose, The programme also included a half day trip to Nishapur, visiting the

allied foot prints of Imam Reza (as), Shrine of Bibi Shateetah (as) and the shrine of Imamzadeh

Mahrooq The highlight of the Mashad trip was, of course, the Ziyarat of the 8 th Holy Imam (as).

During the Mashhad stay, they made their way to go to Naishapoor to visit the place where

Imam Raza (as) has said the golden chain tradition and the graves of Aulama and the progeny of

Ahlul Bayt(as)

Enjoying heavenly weather in Naishapoor

LIST OF PLACES VISITED

Tour of Haram and graves of scholars inside Haram

Dua-e-Kumayl

Local Shopping malls and Bazaare Imam Ridha (as)

Institute of Hayate Tayyabe Mahdaviyyat

Participants, knowing the importance of the islamic education and the golden opportunity to

gain the optimum benefits, classes and teachers were increased compared to what was

planned initially with important topics covered including Q&A session

INSTRUCTORS SUBJECTS TAUGHT

Sheikh Muhammad Khalfan Etiquettes of Ziyarat, Child Upbringing

Sayyed Shabbar Maher Shah Biography of Imam Raza (as)

Sayyed Mohammad Kazmi The goal of life

Sheikh Kumail Rajani Nafs and its stages

Sis. Najiya Shabbar Shah Child upbringing and its importance

Sayyed Shabbar describing the life and sirat of Imam Raza (as)

Sayyed Muhammad Raza Kazemi’s lecture in Mashhad

Closing Ceremony

After a life-changing few days in Qum and Mashhad, participants began to prepare to say their goodbyes

to Iran, and to the close friends they had made from around the world. The closing ceremony provided

an opportunity for participants to share anecdotes, feelings and thoughts from the course, and to thank

the organisers and teachers. …….

Receiving gifts always brings this much of smile. A small gift from Qum Office to the participants

The WF-Qum Office would like to thank and sincerely appreciate the efforts of all participants involved

to make the course yet another cherished experience, and prays for the continued progress of all

towards Allah (swt).

Sisters in Jamkaran

Brothers on the top of Mt Nabi Khizr

ربنا تقبل منا انک انت السمیع العلیم