Firm Foundations Retreat 2012 Reflections
After almost a year of preparation, SeekersGuidance welcomed students to the first ever Firm Foundations retreat last month. The 5-day retreat was held in the beautiful San Bernardino mountain region of Southern California.
The aim of the retreat was to provide students with firm foundations in their knowledge, and students said “I learned more than I had in the last 2 years about Islam” and “attending the retreat was truly a blessed experience. I feel that I was blind and have been given sight.”
Each morning, students took advantage of the calm and quiet time after Fajr, by dedicating themselves to the recitation of the Qur’an. Guided by qualified instructors, students were able to improve their recitation and were encouraged to maintain their daily recitation after returning back home.
Days were filled with informative and inspiring classes with teachers Shaykh Yahya Rhodus, Imam Tahir Anwar and Shaykh Muhammad Mendes, and nights were ended with the singing of moving poetry, designed to stir hearts and direct them to Allah.
Everyone benefited from the close company of the teachers and one student commented that “ I felt like the teachers made a point to make themselves available to the students. They connected with us on a personal level as well.”
The retreat attracted students from around North America, from college students to their parents, from new converts to long time seekers of knowledge looking to ensure their foundations were firm.
A welcome and rare sight for many of the attendees and teachers, was a day of snow. The snow soon cleared to sunny days with teachers taking their classes outdoors.
“I can’t help but talk about the retreat to everyone I know, but no matter how much I describe it this is something one has to experience on their own.”
“Couldn’t hold back tears when it ended.”
Looking for the next SeekersRetreat? Click here to find out about our upcoming retreat in Knoxville, USA, June 25-30 2012.
