Praying with Excellence | Shaykh Yahya Rhodus & Ustadh Amjad Tarsin

Shaykh Yahya Rhodus & Ustadh Amjad Tarsin give comforting spiritual insights about Imam al-Ghazali's "The Mysteries of the Prayer and Its Important Elements" from Ihya' 'ulum al-din (The Revival of the Religious Sciences).

Handout: "Excellence in Prayer: An Abridged Seminar: https://mcceastbay.org/excellence-prayer
More Shaykh Yahya: http://mcceastbay.org/yahya
More Ustadh Amjad: http://mcceastbay.org/amjad
Talks & Sermons on Salah: http://mcceastbay.org/salah

Session 1: The Merit of Prayer | Ustadh Amjad Tarsin (03:58)
The merit of the adhan 08:45
The merit of the obligatory prayers 16:23
The merit of the congregational prayer 34:27
The merit of prayer in the mosque 35:44
The merit of prostration 37:45

Session 2: The Six Inner States of Prayer To Give Life to Prayer | Shaykh Yahya Rhodus (55:03)
Presence of heart (ḥuḍūr al-qalb) 01:04:21
Understanding (tafahhum) 01:08:38
Exaltation (ta‘ẓīm) 01:19:29
Reverential Awe (hayba) 01:25:17
Hope in refuge in God's Mercy (rajā’) 01:28:03
Shame (brokenness) in embarrassment for sin before Allah (ḥayā’) 01:34:28

Session 3: Reverence (Khushū‘) and Presence of Heart (Ḥuḍūr al-Qalb) in Salah | Ustadh Amjad Tarsin 02:11:31
The merit of reverence (khushoo) 02:12:27
Outward distractions and their treatment 02:39:51
Inward distractions and their treatment 02:50:27
Cutting down the tree of desires 02:11:31

Session 4: The Inner Meanings of Prayer | Shaykh Yahya Rhodus 03:04:17
Adhan (Call to Prayer) 03:05:38
Purification (Wadu) 03:09:14
Cleaning impurities from the body, clothes, and place of prayer 03:10:28
Covering the body 03:11:06
Facing the qibla 03:13:55
Iqāma 03:15:05
Standing 03:15:55
Intention 03:17:13
Takbīra al-iḥrām (saying “Allāhu Abkar”) 03:18:25
Opening supplication (du‘ā’ al-istiftāḥ) 03:18:58
Ta‘awwudh (saying “I take refuge in Allah from the accursed Devil”) 03:24:13
Recitation of the Fātiḥa 03:25:25
Recitation of Quran 03:29:45
Rukū‘ (bowing) 03:32:17
Straightening up (‘itidāl) 03:32:58
1st sujūd (prostration) 03:33:36
Sitting between the two prostrations 03:34:27
2nd sujūd (prostration) 03:34:34
Tashahhud (testification of faith) 03:35:10
Sending prayers upon the Prophet (PBUH) 03:37:19
Supplication 03:40:04
Taslīm (saying “as-salāmu ‘alaykum”) 03:40:23
After the Prayer 03:41:02
Questions & Answers (Q&A) 03:44:13

This abridged weekend seminar on Book 4 of the Iḥyā’ ‘Ulūm al-Dīn was sponsored by San Ramon Valley Islamic Center (SRVIC), Islamic Center of Livermore (ICL), and Muslim Community Center (MCC East Bay) on May 28, 2022.

About Sidi Yahya
One of the most well-respected Muslim scholars in the Western world, Shaykh Yahya Rhodus has spent the best part of two decades studying at some of the most prestigious learning institutions in the Muslim & Western world.

Having embraced Islam at the age of 19 in Santa Clara, California, he immediately began his study of the Islamic sciences with Shaykh Hamza Yusuf and visited Mauritanian scholars, such as Shaykh Khatri Wuld Bayba, and Shaykh Abd Allah Wuld Ahmadna. Shortly thereafter, he traveled to Mauritania to pursue a full-time course of study where he was able to learn from one of Mauritania’s greatest scholars, Murabit al-Hajj. Following an interim period of study in Damascus, Syria, Shaykh Yahya went on to spend the best part of seven years in Tarim, in the Hadramawt Valley of Yemen. There, he studied at the reputable school, Dar al-Mustafa, with the renowned scholars Habib Umar bin Hafiz and Habib Ali al-Jifri.

He is the Founding Director of al-Maqasid where he is a full-time scholar and teacher. Al-Maqasid's mission is to cultivate holistic learning environments rooted in knowledge & community programs.

About Ustadh Amjad
Ustadh Amjad Tarsin was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and spent his early childhood there. He has also lived in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, growing up within diverse cultures. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts at the University of Michigan in English Literature and Islamic Studies. It was during his university years that Amjad developed a deeper connection to his faith, studying the Islamic sciences with teachers locally and internationally, and became actively involved in community service and youth engagement. After spending a transformative year studying Islam abroad at Dar al-Mustafa, Yemen, Ustadh Amjad returned to America to start his studies at the University of Michigan Law School. Yearning to fulfill his calling to community building, spiritual development, and service, Ustadh Amjad changed career paths and enrolled in Hartford Seminary’s Islamic Chaplaincy program. While completing his degree, Sidi Amjad worked as a part-time Muslim chaplain at Fairfield University, Connecticut. Ustadh Amjad continues to study and teach on a regular basis at SeekersHub Toronto. He currently resides with his family in Toronto.