LANTURNA NEW MEXICO
Summer Family Retreat
Dār al-Islām · Abiquiu, NM
July 26 – August 2
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Ages 19 and older · Lanturna Shamāʾil Retreat
Ages 14-18 · Lanturna Youth Sīrah Program
Ages 10-13 · True Hearts Society
Ages 4-9 · Young Dreamers Kids’ Club
Ages 1-3 · Cherished Children Care
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
TRAVEL- PREPARATIONS - LODGING
TRAVEL
PREPARATIONS
LODGING AND MEALS
Registration includes lodging and simple, wholesome meals upon arrival at the venue.
There are two separate dorm halls, one for men and one for women, with bunk beds and shared bathrooms. Two private rooms are available for students with extenuating circumstances, which will be assigned two weeks before the retreat.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be provided throughout the program on-site, and one meal on the days of arrival and departure.
Adults, youth, and children are expected to remain with their age group or with their families at all times, and all children and youth will be made to give up their cell phones for the duration of their stay at Dār al-Islām.
DEPARTURE
We will depart from Dār al-Islām on Tuesday, August 2. The bus will leave promptly at 8 am and again at 1 pm MT. All baggage must be left near the bus thirty minutes before departure.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Nestled in the quaint, picturesque mountains of Abiquiu, Dār al-Islām welcomes Lanturna’s Summer Family Retreat to an ambience conducive to devotion, study, as well as a number of family recreations amid the wondrous beauty of a New Mexican skyline.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
PROGRAM DETAILS
The program details for our family retreat will differ among age groups:
LANTURNA (19 and older) A thorough study of al-Shamā’il al-Muhammadiyyah by Imām al-Tirmidhī, his compilation of descriptions of the Prophet’s aspect, virtues, possessions, and devotions in 415 hadith, which will be read and commented upon in their entirety. Students will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the retreat. This program will be led by Lanturna’s Founder and Lead Instructor, El-Hajj Hisham Mahmoud.
LANTURNA YOUTH (14-18) A journey through the sīrah of the Prophet ﷺ highlighting the legacies of the Companions who supported him with their lives, that we may hold our heads high with hearts rooted in faith. By the light of the guiding stars of the celestial canopy of New Mexico, we hope to find in each Companion a guiding star for our own lives. This program will be led by one of Lanturna’s most seasoned instructors, Ustādh Saad Omar.
TRUE HEARTS SOCIETY (10-13) True Hearts is designed to serve the intellectual, spiritual, emotional, and social needs of our children at perhaps the most critical years of their development. True Hearts is focused on mentorship, heart-to-heart conversations, community-building games, lessons that awaken our youth’s love for God, public speaking and “teach-back” activities, and relationships between fellow youth that can last a lifetime. Our mentors will center the daily classes around the stories of twenty of our great Companions of the Prophet ﷺ. This program will be led by Misha Khan, Masters Candidate in Early Childhood Education at James Madison University, VA.
YOUNG DREAMERS KIDS CLUB (4-9) Imām ʿAlī taught us to play with our children from ages 1-7, to teach them from 8-14 and then to befriend them ages 15 and beyond. The Young Dreamers Kids Club is designed to provide holistic enrichment for this very important age group that blends Imām ʿAlī’s instructions to play and educate. Similar to our Virginia Flagship Club, the Young Dreamers will be building their own town, including a mosque, café, game house, library, school, theatre, village store, and more. Throughout the week, our children will learn how to build their own businesses, manage their “gold coins,” and give in charity. For every coin donated, real money will be given to a charity of their choice. Our Young Dreamers facilitators will center the program’s lessons around developing seven Prophetic characteristics: empathy, service, inner peace, courage, introspection, kindness, and generosity.
CHERISHED CHILDREN CARE (1-3) Lanturna’s Cherished Children Care is a special service that provides experienced childcare services to our precious young ones, whom the Prophet ﷺ once called “the flowers of heaven.” We believe that childcare should not be mere babysitting, but rather nurture the inner fiṭrah (nature) of our young ones. Activities will include, tarbiyyah (socialization) based lessons, crafts, anāshīd (poetic song), and story-telling.
DAILY TAJWĪD (4 and older) We are honored to partner with Measured Tones Institute to bring the rules of Qur’an recitation (tajwīd) to all our students. This is a rare opportunity to sit with one of the nation’s expert tajwīd teachers, Ustādh Ashir Kirk, to perfect our recitation of Sūrat al-Fātiḥah.
SAMPLE DAY SCHEDULE
A DAY AT DĀR AL-ISLĀM
Youth and children’s program will follow a different schedule.
| SCHEDULE | |
| 0445 – 0500 | Adhān & Wuḍūʾ |
| 0500 – 0515 | Fajr |
| 0515 – 0530 | Sūrat Yā Sīn |
| 0530 – 0800 | Rest (Optional Morning Hike: 0730 – 0845) |
| 0800 – 0845 | Morning Preparation |
| 0845 – 0945 | Breakfast |
| 0945 – 1000 | Ḍuḥā Prayer |
| 1000 – 1115 | Session I |
| 1115 – 1215 | Break & Tajwīd/Office Hours |
| 1215 – 1330 | Session II |
| 1330 – 1500 | Lunch & Ẓuhr |
| 1500 – 1615 | Session III |
| 1615 – 1700 | Break & Tajwīd |
| 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 & Tajwīd/Bedtime for Children |
| 2115 – 2200 | Chai & Chat |
| 2200 – 2230 | ʿIshā’ and Sūrat al-Mulk |
| 2230 – 2300 | Stargazing & Tajwīd |
| 2300 – 0445 | Sleep |
DESCRIPTION
Allah says النَّبِيُّ أَوْلَىٰ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ “The Prophet is more entitled to the faithful than they to their very souls” (al-Aḥzāb 33:6), and this faith can only be perfected by a deep love for the Messenger ﷺ; and that love only grows from an intimate familiarity with him ﷺ; and that intimate familiarity with him becomes all the more intimate the more one immerses himself in the shamā’il of the Prophet ﷺ, and the more he keeps the company of those who have, likewise, immersed themselves. Otherwise, one’s love for the Prophet a risks being a cursory and perfunctory notion never exceeding what is known about him superficially. So when ignorance bears this love, then one’s beloved is but an object of ascription or affiliation or a mere subscription to an identity or ideology; when ignorance bears this love, then one’s beloved is but an image he conjures up as a portrait of his own infatuation; when ignorance bears this love, then one’s beloved is but an emotional projection of his own idiosyncrasies, caprices, and impulses; when ignorance bears this love, then one’s beloved is but a mere pretense of security affording him a degree of assurance as he polices others in how best to lay their claims to piety in orthopraxy, zealous imitation, and compulsive regurgitation; when ignorance bears this love, then one’s beloved is ultimately irrelevant, for he only sees himself while impervious to the reality of the Beloved, and while resistant to any detail of the Beloved contrary to the version he has forged and supposed for himself; when ignorance bears this love, there is no beloved. The right of the Beloved ﷺ upon the lover, then, is knowledge; and the threshold of knowledge ushers to the door of intimacy; and the door of intimacy opens to the courtyard of true love. Otherwise, any claim of love is, essentially, a leap of faith! And what good is faith if not earthed in knowledge! And what good is knowledge if not donned in the garb of yearning.
TESTIMONIALS
El-Hajj Hisham presented the class with so much love as if he was talking about a very close personal friend mā shāʾ Allāh. I was able to feel the love and pain that our Prophet ﷺ went through. He made me realize how I can draw from our beloved Prophet’s ﷺ personality and attitude in times of trials and tribulations and in times of joy, providing insight into our own life issues and concerns. My three kids enjoyed this class too.
—Maimoona Rashid
The Lanturna Sīrah Retreat was such a beautiful gathering. The insights gained have changed my perceptive about how I relate to the sīrah. I feel a deep connection to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Weeks after the event I still continue some of the beautiful sunnahs we practiced.
—Khadeeja Abdullah
Lanturna’s “Years of the Beloved” Retreat was a wonderful experience for my family. El-Hajj Hisham brought the sīrah to life and helped us view the life of our dear Prophet ﷺ in an entirely different light. I’ve read multiple sīrah books before, but have never felt this close to the Prophet ﷺ. I deeply admire El-Hajj Hisham’s vision for the Muslim community in the United States. His warm, practical approach allows us to truly live the sīrah every moment of our lives. May Allah put barakah in Lanturna and allow El-Hajj Hisham’s wisdom to reach every home.
—Lena Khan
USTĀDH ASHIR KIRK · INSTRUCTOR
EL-HAJJ HISHAM MAHMOUD · LEAD INSTRUCTOR
USTĀDH SAAD OMAR · INSTRUCTOR
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
CAN INDIVIDUALS ATTEND OR ONLY FAMILIES?
All are welcome to attend, regardless of family status.
WILL ADULTS BE ABLE TO ATTEND THE SESSIONS?
Indeed, adults will be able to attend the 19 and older sessions on the Shamā’il with El-Hajj Hisham Mahmoud as detailed in the program details above.
ARE PRIVATE ROOMS AVAILABLE?
Due to limited private accommodations, the very few private rooms we do have will be assigned to our attendees who have extenuating circumstances.
WHERE IS THE SCHEDULE?
Please refer to the tab section above to access the program description and schedule, as well as testimonials.
WHAT TIME ZONE DOES THE SCHEDULE FOLLOW?
All sessions will accord with Eastern Time.
WILL ALL SESSIONS BE RECORDED?
All sessions will be uploaded after each session to a private YouTube playlist for convenient viewing later.
ARE SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE?
Lanturna is committed to never turn anyone away due to financial constraint, and partial scholarships are available for those who apply. Request a scholarship below.
CAN I SPONSOR MORE THAN ONE STUDENT?
May Allah bless you and increase His blessing upon you. You may sponsor any number of students with any amount that you have in mind.
WHEN WILL I RECEIVE AN ORIENTATION EMAIL?
A confirmation page will open once you register with all the resources you will need to access our program. Be sure to save the link on the confirmation page. The contents of this page will also be sent as a welcome email immediately upon registration. Please be sure to check your spam or notifications folders if our email does not show up in your inbox.
WHAT IS THE REGISTRATION FEE?
The registration fee will appear in the window that opens when you click the “Register” button.
WHERE MAY I DIRECT FURTHER INQUIRIES?
Your inquiries are welcomed at info@lanturna.com.
HOW CAN I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT LANTURNA EVENTS?
You may subscribe to our calendar, follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and join our mailing list. Be sure as well to join us every evening for our communal recitation of Sūrat Yā Sīn and Sūrat al-Mulk at 8:30 am and 8:30 pm ET, respectively, via YouTube.
At the dawn of revelation, the Prophet ﷺ was commanded وَأَمَّا بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ فَحَدِّثْ “And as for the blessing of thy Lord, proclaim it!” (al-Ḍuḥā 93:11). And toward the eve of his passing, he instructed those present to inform those absent. If you have found any benefit in our work, then know that it came solely from Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, and with the intention of proclaiming His bounty, feel free to share it with others.
