Letter from the President

All praises are due to Allah (swt) and may peace and blessings be on the Prophet Mohammed, his family and all those who followed his path.

No community can improve or change its situation without knowledge, action and focusing on transforming people from within. Allah (swt) says:“Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.” (13:11)

This primarily requires building a generation of leaders with knowledge, intellect, understanding and moderate views without any extremism, exaggeration or negligence.  This composition of students of knowledge must be characterized by good character, diligent work, sincerity, as well as concern for and mercy upon others.

Developing such people is not possible without building institutions of thought and universities that graduate these scholars and righteous men and women. Allah (swt) says: “And your Lord would not have destroyed the cities unjustly while their people were reformers.” (11:117). The righteous reformers are the safety valve of the Muslim nation who will preserve its interests, advance its mission and unite its works.

The motto of Manara Institute for Islamic & Arabic Studies is based on the verse of Allah in the Holy Quran: “Only those fear Allah, from among His servants, who have knowledge.” (35:28) The goal of the Institute is to develop and prepare a generation of male and female students and scholars whom Allah and His angels will applaud. They will work to preserve the faith while building bridges with all of mankind based on the ideals of unity, love of humanity and cooperation towards righteousness, piety and the public interest. God willing this will achieve justice and all the benefits intended by Islamic Sharia.

Manara Institute promises to deliver an ambitious, far-sighted, long-term and hopeful message with clear goals, means & a path towards protecting the Islamic faith and its adherents. This must be built on principles of brotherhood, sisterhood and cooperation within the community and its institutions towards a shared vision and reward & recompense from Allah. God willing future generations will be able to inherit the religion in its purest form, without the influence of evil-doers or the interpretation of the ignorant.

Abu Darda’ (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whom so ever seeks a path towards knowledge Allah will make easy for him a path toward heaven. Verily, the angels will lower their wings before a seeker of knowledge in approval of his work. And on his behalf, the scholar will attain calls of forgiveness to Allah from all that which is in the earth and the skies, including the whales in the water. The preference of the scholar on the worshiper is the same to the preference of the moon over other planets. The scholars are the successors of the prophets. Verily, the prophets do not pass on gold and silver coins, but rather they only impart knowledge.

President of Manara Institute