SUMMER SĪRAH FAMILY RETREAT
DĀR AL-ISLĀM · ABIQUIU, NEW MEXICO
WELCOME & ORIENTATION
This page will afford you full access to the retreat resources.
This page is private and may not be shared.
The required reading for this text is Martin Lings’ seminal treatment of the sīrah, which is the most eloquent presentation of the life of the Prophet ﷺ in the English language. Its chapters are short, and we have included a tab with a reading timetable so you may complete the book ten days before our retreat begins. Be sure to read through the book and bring your questions to Dār al-Islām. You may purchase your copy via THIS LINK.
Salām ʿalaykum. We warmly welcome you to our Summer Sīrah Family Retreat. Your presence among us is an invaluable blessing and we look forward to hosting you all at Dār al-Islām in New Mexico. Please use this document as a reference for all the links and resources you will need to gain full access to our program. The details below are private and must not be shared with anyone who has not registered for the program. Please read carefully, as the answers to frequently asked questions are herein provided.
- Join our WhatsApp group via THIS LINK in order to receive important notifications before and during the program, including potential modifications to the program schedule. This will be our primary mode of communication as opposed to email.
- Sign up to participate in our communal khatm via THIS LINK.
- All sessions will be uploaded and accessible for later viewing on Lanturna’s YouTube channel via THIS LINK.
PLEASE READ THROUGH EACH TAB CAREFULLY
Our teachers remind us to expose ourselves to the gentle breezes of our Compassionate Lord تعرضوا لنفحات الرحمن. We recommend the following to glean the greatest benefit from this program:
- Layered Intentions – Pen your intentions in order to best orient yourself to receive the knowledge that will be conveyed in the book and in each session.
- Lustration – Attend each class in a state of wuḍūʾ (ritual purity), for seeking knowledge is worship that radiates brighter when the soul is bathed in light.
- Devotional Practices – Throughout the program, commit to praying immediately as the time for each prayer enters, perform all your voluntary prayers, and recite Sūrat Yā Sīn by morning and Sūrat al-Mulk by evening. Perform qiyām al-layl (night vigil) at least one of those nights. And recite Sūrat al-Kahf Friday eve. These were among the consistent practices the Prophet ﷺ.
- Ambience – To the extent possible, set an ambience that befits hosting the greatest story ever told. You are encouraged to share your pictures to encourage others to do the same using the hashtag mentioned above.
- Personal Connection – Let us always remember that we are not merely scholastizing the subject at hand, rather, we are seeking transformation inwardly in our states and outwardly in our practice for the contentment of our Lord, Who bestows His gifts upon whomsoever He pleases without measure.
May Allah bless our intentions and grant us that intimacy with His Messenger ﷺ that will bring us life, love, and light in this world, and his companionship in the next. And may He bless and sanctify our beloved Prophet and his family and companions.
We recommend the following reading schedule at a pace of 3 chapters per day, which should average 30 minutes:
| DATE | CHAPTERS |
| Sun 6.18 | 1 – 3 |
| Mon 6.19 | 4 – 6 |
| Tue 6.20 | 7 – 9 |
| Wed 6.21 | 10 – 12 |
| Thu 6.22 | 13 – 15 |
| Fri 6.23 | 16 – 18 |
| Sat 6.24 | 19 – 21 |
| Sun 6.25 | 22 – 24 |
| Mon 6.26 | 25 – 27 |
| Tue 6.27 | 28 – 30 |
| Wed 6.28 | 31 – 33 |
| Thu 6.29 | 34 – 36 |
| Fri 6.30 | 37 – 39 |
| Sat 7.1 | 40 – 42 |
| Sun 7.2 | 43 – 45 |
| Mon 7.3 | 46 – 48 |
| Tue 7.4 | 49 – 51 |
| Wed 7.5 | 52 – 54 |
| Thu 7.6 | 55 – 57 |
| Fri 7.7 | 58 – 60 |
| Sat 7.8 | 61 – 63 |
| Sun 7.9 | 64 – 66 |
| Mon 7.10 | 67 – 69 |
| Tue 7.11 | 70 – 72 |
| Wed 7.12 | 73 – 75 |
| Thu 7.13 | 76 – 78 |
| Fri 7.14 | 79 – 81 |
| Sat 7.15 | 82 – 85 |
A DAY AT DĀR AL-ISLĀM
Our Youth program may follow a slightly different schedule.
| SCHEDULE | |
| 0445 – 0500 | Adhān & Wuḍūʾ |
| 0500 – 0515 | Fajr |
| 0515 – 0530 | Sūrat Yā Sīn |
| 0530 – 0800 | Rest & reading time (optional morning hike: 0730 – 0845) |
| 0800 – 0845 | Morning preparation |
| 0845 – 0945 | Breakfast |
| 0945 – 1000 | Ḍuḥā |
| 1000 – 1115 | Session I |
| 1115 – 1215 | Reading time & office hours |
| 1215 – 1330 | Session II |
| 1330 – 1500 | Ẓuhr & lunch |
| 1500 – 1615 | Session III |
| 1615 – 1700 | Break |
| 1700 – 1730 | ʿAṣr & Sūrat al-Wāqiʿah |
| 1730 – 1830 | Session IV |
| 1830 – 1930 | Dinner |
| 1930 – 2015 | Family Ties |
| 2015 – 2045 | Maghrib & al-Rātib al-Shahīr | Prayers of the Prophet ﷺ |
| 2045 – 2115 | Break & Bedtime for Children |
| 2115 – 2200 | Chai & Chat |
| 2200 – 2230 | ʿIshā’ and Sūrat al-Mulk |
| 2230 – 2300 | Stargazing |
| 2300 – 0445 | Sleep |
“Say, ‘If it is that you love Allah, then follow me, that Allah may love you!’” (Āl ʿImrān 3:31). Our retreat will highlight milestones from the blessed life of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to serve as signposts as we tread the paths of our own lives. Lady ʿĀʾishah once observed that she never saw anyone more keen on emulating the Prophet ﷺ than our master ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb, who was known to tread his footsteps even as he accompanied him! But he would not have been drawn to do so were it not for the emotional, heartfelt nexus he had to the Prophet ﷺ. The faithful would spontaneously confess their love to him as they sought to emulate every aspect of his supernal character, and countless would volunteer sacrificing their most precious attachments before they would posit random questions unocassioned by any need to do so. Our yearning to love the Prophet ﷺ deeper is not a leap of faith when we know him more intimately. Lanturna’s Summer Sīrah Family Retreat purposes to impart such intimate knowledge as would enliven our hearts to experience love in its greatest potentiality. Come let us tread our own paths together, by sinking our feet into the blessed traces of his, to drink from his gentle hand as we cross into our final destination.
