As we countdown the days to Ramadan, the month of Shabaan and the build-up to Ramadan is the perfect time for renewal. International scholars Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and Shaykh Faid Mohammad Said from SeekersHub are in South Africa this week on a public lecture tour, to provide some gems of wisdom around the theme “the keys to personal, social and spiritual renewal in troubling times.”

In Cape Town, there are two events this weekend:

Friday 12th May

Locals can join in reading the Prophetic Seera after Esha at DTI Centre, 10 Church Street Athlone

Saturday 13th May

DTI will host a workshop aimed at all students of Sacred Knowledge. The topics include the desire to attain sacred knowledge; Setting your intention as a student; Practical steps to implementing theory; Sources of inspiration; Spiritual practices to nurture the heart and mind.

This takes place from 4pm till Esha at DTI Centre, 10 Church Street, Athlone. There will be presentations by senior local scholars as well.

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani describes himself as a “global nomad”, as he spent his childhood in Canada, England, Egypt, and Spain, before returning to Canada to complete his high school and university studies. At university, he became active with the Muslim Students Association at a local and national level.

Even while completing his Bachelors in Economics and Commerce at the University of Toronto, Shaykh Faraz developed a deep interest in Islamic learning, studying with local scholars such as Shaykh Talal al-Ahdab and Shaykh Faisal Abdur-Razak. After graduating from the University of Toronto in 1997, he and his wife (Ustadha Shireen Ahmed) travelled to Damascus and then to Amman, where he studied with leading Islamic scholars, including Shaykh Adib Kallas (Allah have mercy upon him), Hanafi Fiqh list at Yahoo Groups. On the advice of his teachers, the SunniPath web site was created, which featured both a question/answer service and online Islamic courses.

After ten years overseas, Shaykh Faraz returned to Canada in the Summer of 2007. In May 2008 he founded SeekersGuidance to deal with the urgent need to spread Islamic knowledge–both online and on the ground–in a reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible manner.

He is the author of Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School (White Thread Press, 2004.) In 2009, Shaykh Faraz was named one of the 500 most influential Muslims by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center. In 2012, Shaykh Faraz has again been selected by The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre amongst ‘The 500 Most Influential Muslims’.

His personal interests include reading, both in English and Arabic. He is very interested in management, economics, environmental matters, international development, technology (especially in its social, human, and spiritual impact), law, theology, and spirituality. He loves classical Islamic poetry and singing–but cautions that moderation is needed in listening to even permissible.

VOC listeners can tune into Drivetime on Friday at 17.10pm for an instudio chat with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani. VOC