Conversing with God: The Art of Living Duality

Course Overview

4 Session | 8 hours| Format: Lecture + Guided Meditation

WHERE: Online via Zoom

WHEN: Saturdays 5PM - 7PM

DATES:

SATURDAY MARCH 16th

SATURDAY MARCH 23nd

SATURDAY MARCH 30th

SATURDAY APRIL 6th

The sacred month of Ramadan is celebrated as a month of Quran - God’s address to the human (2:185) and prayer - the human’s address to God (2:186). While the former is often given its due space through the celebration of taraweeh (a nightly supererogatory congregation) in many societies, the centrality of prayer (dua) and its vital role in enriching our spiritual experience and empowering our spiritual intelligence in this holy month is often not sufficiently emphasized. 

Listening to God and talking to God must go hand in hand for an authentic spiritual experience. The Quran itself invites us to respond to questions it poses and turn to God in prayer asking for help, understanding, and light. 

While not everyone can understand the words of the Quran, everyone should naturally be able to converse with God through their authentic selves and in their own language. That is the meaning of the Prophetic teaching that “Prayer (dua) is the brain and heart of the human experience with the Divine.”

Even though all spiritual knowers agree that the best prayer that one could utter is the one that stems from the authentic need of one’s authentic self, they also agree that one’s spiritual intelligence could be elevated and trained to reach higher horizons through an exercise of aligning with the prayers of spiritually intelligent beings who have had deep experiences with the Divine.

To engage in this exercise of alignment with higher spiritual intelligences, to enhance our own spiritual inteliigence, and deepen our own authentic experiences of prayer, I invite you this Ramadan to join me in a meditative study of a famous prayer of one of the most illuminated and inspired souls that humanity has ever known- Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (may God continue to nourish his light and our connection to his legacy).

I believe that this prayer composed so early in the history of Islam, clearly served as a model of inspiration for all the prayers of the Muslim saints (friends of God and people of empowered spiritual intelligence) that came after it including the masterpiece of Imam Ali ibn Hussain ash-Sahifa as- Sajjadiya. I would also say it has impacted the prayers of the non-Muslim saints like St. Francis Assisi and others. Prayer after all is an universal experience that goes beyond and flies above religious identities. 

What is the story of Dua Kumayl?

Dua Kumayl is a supplication and prayer that is much celebrated and holds a significant place in many parts of the Muslim world especially in the month of Ramadan. It is attributed to Imam Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad (may God empower his light and our connection to him).  According to tradition, it was taught by Imam Ali to his friend and companion Kumayl ibn Ziyad. Kumayl was one of Imam Ali's sincere companions who stayed true to him despite the persecution the latter faced in his life. Imam Ali taught his students a prayer that if recited would "remove evils, envy and suffering" from one's life. After the gathering, Kumayl asked Imam Ali to dictate the prayer to him so he could share it with others. For this reason this prayer became known as Dua Kumayl.

Program Components

This is a two part program of 4 sessions that will include:

1. Teaching

- Reflections on the text of the famous Dua Kumayl

2. Guided Meditation:

Program Details

WHEN: Every Saturday of Ramadan from 5:00PM - 7:00PM

WHERE: ONLINE

Note: In support of the Rhoda Foundation's Ramadan 2024 Fundraising Campaign, the Ha Mim Institute will be offering classes that are accessible upon giving a suggestive donation to the Rhoda Foundation.

All fees collected for this program will be going to the Rhoda Masjid to support their Ramadan Fundraising efforts. For those in need of financial assistance for this program, please email info@rhodamasjid.org so we can facilitate your admission process. Ensuring accesibility for all to these teachings is our priority.

Registration is mandatory before attending the class.