Knowledge Retreat 2011 - Journey to Allah

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani is a researcher and teacher of the Islamic sciences, specialising in Islamic Law. He is the Educational Director of SeekersGuidance, and a partner and legal advisor with StraightWay Ethical Advisory. 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.)

Shaykh Faraz was raised in Canada and obtained a Bachelor's in Economics & Commerce from the University of Toronto in 1997. Subsequently, he spent ten years studying and teaching Islamic sciences in Damascus, Amman and Karachi under leading Islamic scholars including Shaykh Adib Kallas, Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi, Shaykh Muhammad Jumuah, Shaykh Akram Abd al-Wahhab, Shaykh Nuh Keller, and Mufti Mahmud Ashraf Usmani. He currently lives and teaches in Toronto, Canada, with his wife and three children.

Born and raised in California, Shaykh Usama Canon embraced Islam in 1996. Since then, he has had the honour of studying various Islamic Sciences both at home and abroad under some of today's foremost scholars. Currently, Shaykh Usama Canon serves as an Instructor at Zaytuna Institute and as a Muslim Chaplain for the State of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Ustadh Usama Canon is the Founding Director of Ta'leef Collective. He is one of the most dynamic Muslim speakers in the West who is founded on a deep understanding of Islam through the love of The Word of Allah and His Beloved Prophet. His firm understanding of the context of living in today's world with varying challenges makes him one of the most lucid commentators and advisors to the global citizen, informed by the Principles of Mercy and Wisdom advocated by Islam. He maintains an active role in various facets of outreach and education, concentrating on issues facing Muslim youth, assisting converts, and developing support systems for Muslim ex-offenders.

Imam Afroz Ali is the Founder and President of Al-Ghazzali Centre for Islamic Sciences & Human Development based in Sydney, Australia. His studies in Islamic Sacred Knowledge have taken him from university-based Islamic University- Madina, Saudi Arabia then moving towards Traditional Scholarship in Yemen, United States and Mauritania, spending considerable time to learn and has received licences to teach from the most esteemed Rightly Guided Islamic Scholars of our time, and continues to be a student of Sacred Knowledge. He has also travelled to Cairo, Egypt for further studies in Islamic Jurisprudence with Scholars at al-Azhar University and is on the Board of Advisors at Markaz Aleem in Cairo, Egypt.

He is also a corporate trainer in personal leadership and provides training on Team building, Personal Leadership, Change Management, Business Strategy Development and Corporate Ethics. Further, Imam Afroz utilises his corporate training skills to mentor and train community organisations in Community Sustainability Programs, Personal Leadership and Interpersonal Skills, Spiritual Development, Motivation and Goals Setting. He has initiated philanthropic as well as sustainable environment projects in Australia and abroad, and continues to advocate for peace, acceptance, justice and interpersonal rights.

Imam Afroz is an instructor at SeekersGuidance. He is a founding member of the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change. He is also the recipient of the International Ambassador for Peace award and is an Australian Ambassador for the Charter for Compassion.

Haji Noor Deen Mi Guang Jiang is a renowned master of Arabic calligraphy. Born in 1963 in Shangdong province, China, he brings an immense learning in traditional thought and Islamic art to a modern audience, juxtaposing them in a new calligraphic style all his own, both Eastern and Western.

The Chinese and Arabic calligraphic traditions have often been compared as the two of the world's finest manifestations of the written word, but never likened; indeed, they are at once opposites and complements. When combined the result is an artistic piece that is a work of incredibly unique beauty, and a testimony to man's synthesising genius.

Haji Noor Deen's extraordinary mastery and genius along with his unique ability to spectacularly deliver his craft to an audience has brought him lecture and workshop invitations from some of the most renowned and prestigious institutions around the world, including: Harvard University, Cambridge University, University of California-Berkley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Bukhari Institute and many others. He currently lectures Arabic calligraphy at the Islamic College in Zhen Zhou, China and the Zaytuna Institute in California, and continues to be a visiting scholar in arts to Al-Ghazzali Centre.

Nader Mohammed Khan is a Canadian Muslim singer, songwriter, and social activist. He is the Founder and Programs Director of ReliefWorks, a unique initiative that promotes local relief efforts through Islamic music, arts, and youth engagement.

Over the last 15 years, he has toured and performed across Canada, USA, UK, Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore in solo performances, and on tours with other internationally renowned artists such as Dawud Wharnsby, Zain Bhikha, Maher Zain, Native Deen, Hamza Robertson, Aashique Al Rasul, Idris Phillips, Mesut Kurtis, and Khaleel Muhammad.

His recent performance at the International Islamic Song Festival in Selangor, Malaysia was graced by the attendance of Malaysian Royalty. He has also performed by invitation at private zikr gatherings in the homes of many community leaders, and distinguished scholars such as Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, and others.

Nader incorporates English poetry of contemporary Islamic scholars such as Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Imam Zaid Shakir, and Shaykh Abdul Hakim Murad into songs, which he has performed across the globe to popular acceptance. He is planning to release studio versions of these songs on his next album, insha'Allah.

Nader's first album was produced under the “ReliefWorks” label, and was released in Canada and USA in December of 2008, and in the UK and Australia in November of 2009. He sings in English, Urdu, Arabic, and some Farsi and Punjabi. More information about his albums, performances, and upcoming projects can be found at the news page.

One of the premiere reciters of Singapore, the Singapore Haqqani Ensemble, in collaboration with SimplyIslam, will be at the Retreat reciting Mawlid, Qasidas and Nasheeds under the southern stars of Australia for the first time. They have led recitations for some of the most honourable Scholars of our time, including Shaykh Habib 'Umar bi Hafiz, Shaykh Hisham Kabbani, Shaykh Afeefuddin al-Jilani and Shaykh Yahya Rhodus to name a few.