Shifa Summer Intensive Program

What is Shifa?

It seems that in the modern world, just about everything is causing damage to the mind, body, and soul. What we all are in need of is a cure from the myriad amount of ailments that permeate all aspects of our being. With this in mind, Dar al-Tawfiq launched the Shifa Summer Intensive program in 2009. Shifa, which means “cure” in Arabic, is a unique educational program that will focus on providing some essential remedies to free you of ailments that prevent one from attaining the higher spiritual states that humans were endowed with the ability to reach.

The first step towards purifying oneself is to break away from the norms that you have become accustomed to. This is done through several steps. The first step is simply to travel and get away. Allah says in the Qur'an:

“Do they not travel through the land, so that their hearts (and minds) may thus learn wisdom and their ears may thus learn to hear?”

The best traveling of course is to one for knowledge which has been a tradition of Muslims since the time of the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallim) who told us, “He who treads a path in search of knowledge Allah will direct him to tread a path from the paths of Paradise. The Angels lower their wings for the student of knowledge in approval of what he does.”

Thus, traveling to a Muslim environment for knowledge can be quite therapeutic for the soul of those trying hard to establish Islam in their lives. The soul rises with each prayer call that fills our ears with the glorious call to worship. Each step to and from the mosque is joined with Allah's forgiveness and mercy descending upon us. Each group prayer multiplies our worship manifold. Each word we write of sacred knowledge engulfs our limbs and eyes with nur. Each remembrance of Allah whether alone, with your fellow students, or with your teacher opens the heart.

Day by day, step-by-step, and breath-by-breath the mind, body, and soul become cured from the heedlessness that was pushed on us before.

Why Shifa?

It wasn't too long ago that English speaking Muslims had hardly any opportunities for studying even the basics of our deen in English. A few programs were offered here and there but it was difficult to find something continuous and comprehensive. Over the past few years we have been blessed to see many programs develop to fill the need for teaching the basics. Unfortunately it seems that not much has been done to go beyond that. Once you learn the basics you were left in the dark again. Shifa plans to solve this shortcoming.

The Shifa program is unique in many ways. Most programs focus only on either Arabic or the basics of the deen but not both. Shifa offers you the opportunity to learn both, and much more by providing additional optional courses for you to chose from.

[Program Dates: June 20 - August 20] Most other programs have a small rigid number of courses for only one level of knowledge. For many programs it's the same level year after year. Shifa offers multiple levels of learning from basics taught in English to advance subjects taught in Arabic which ensures plenty of opportunities for growth, semester-after-semester, year-after-year. This growth is further supplemented with SunniPath's online courses and accredited programs. Shifa's courses are certified by SunniPath, allowing you to progress in your degree quite rapidly during the Shifa program and then continue once you return home by studying online.

Most other programs inundate with lot of information over a very limited time period without any any followup. Students are left in the dark afterward because they are not provided the means to continue their studies. Just as quickly as they learned, they forget. You won't have to worry about losing knowledge you gained at Shifa because you will have access to SunniPath material after completion of the program allowing you plenty of time to review if you need it, ensuring that your learning doesn't end when the program does.

Shifa promises you a summer learning experience like no other.

Location

Amman is the perfect place to study sacred knowledge during the summer time. It is ideally situated in the heart of the Muslim lands at the southern edge of the Levant (Sham) which is one of the most blessed lands on the earth. This area was a popular trading route for those wishing to escape the excessive heat of the gulf from pre-Islamic times and continues to be now.

[Image of Petra] Jordan also has numerous historical and religious sites such as the famous battle site of Muta', the breath-taking buildings of Petra (recently selected as one of the 7 Wonders of the World), the Dead Sea, numerous graves of prophets and Sahaba, and beautiful valleys for those looking to do some trekking. It is considered to be the safest and friendliest Middle Eastern country and is situated right between several popular countries for those looking to do some traveling before or after the Shifa program. Whether it be a Ramadan Umrah to Mecca after the Shifa program or visits to historical sites of Egypt, Syria, Palestine, or Turkey; Jordan offers the ideal location for you to do your traveling from.

The classes are located at Dar Al Tawfiq which is situated in the neighborhood of Kharabsheh where you will find a bustling community of Western Muslim expats. In relatively close proximity you will find the Zawiya of Abul Hassan Shadhili where Sheikh Nuh Keller gives his classes, SunniPath, Bab al-Qurb, Qasid, and the offices of several creative, bustling Islamic companies serving the western Muslims such as Andalusian Arts, Oriscent, Shukr, Uns, and more.

[Ping Pong Image] There are plenty of activities that are held in the community that you can partake in such as martial arts, soccer/football, singing, hiking, picnics, and community meals. And if you have some free time between classes you can always stop by the SunniPath office and play some ping pong (table tennis) or darts and enjoy a cup of tea.

If you are very careful with the food you eat than you'll be happy to know that about 50 steps away from Dar Al Tawfiq is where you'll find Awn Al Barakah, a local grocery shop that not only sells organic and pesticide-free fruits, vegetables, and groceries; but also provides catering and home-made sweets to nourish your body with wholesome food.

Whatever your needs are you will find it nearby, insha'Allah.

Unique Partnerships

Shifa is a holistic and inclusive program. In order to make it so we have partnered with some of the most highly-recognized scholars and institutes in Jordan to bring you a program that utilizes masters from different disciplines. Our 3 primary partners have developed special courses specifically for Shifa students:

1. WISE University:

The largest and most respected Islamic University in Jordan has already granted SunniPath to accredit SunniPath for it's Associate degree.

2. ITIAA - Institute of Traditional Islamic Arts & Architecture:

One of the world's most respected Islamic Arts institutes is partnering with Dar Al Tawfiq to offer a choice of 4 optional weekend workshops for Shifa students - each workshop focusing on a unique subject in traditional Islamic arts. These courses are 6-week programs consisting of 48 hours of instruction that are held in workshop format which is great for teaching the arts in a hands-on fashion. As additional courses, they will be conducted on ITIAA's campus and will not be covered by Shifa's flat program fee but have been heavily discounted for Shifa students.

Dar Al-Tawfiq will continue to work with other institutes to provide our students the most comprehensive learning experience available.

The Curriculum

The core of the Shifa Summer Program is our curriculum. This curriculum has been developed by SunniPath Academy over several years with consultation of some of the greatest scholars and institutes from all over the Muslim world. It has been praised by many in both the Academic and traditional circles as well as our students who are progressing through it for the changes they have experienced.

This curriculum was developed specifically for bringing English-speaking Muslims from the absolute basics to becoming certified in teaching the classic Islamic manuals in Arabic. This mastery of classical texts is the goal of our curriculum programs. In order to do so you must progress through our Islamic and Arabic tracks.

The bulk of the Shifa courses are chosen from SunniPath's Arabic and Islamic degree tracks to help you progress quickly to the next level. By the time you are done with the program you will have taken a complete leap forward in your degree track and will be ready to move on to the next level once you get back home by continuing your studies at SunniPath, insha'Allah.

The Courses

The courses are split up into 3 different categories: core, secondary (optional) and weekend. Both the core courses and secondary courses run from Monday thru Thursday. You are required to select at least one core course and fill up the rest of your six-hour a day schedule with other core courses and/or secondary courses, which are all covered by the cost of your flat-fee program tuition.

The weekend program offers many unique courses that take place on Saturday and Sunday. Though the courses are not free, we advise the students to take these courses to further benefit from the Shifa program. Some courses require placement exams or the passing of a prerequisite at SunniPath or Dar al-Tawfiq.

Core Courses:

Arabic:

Shariah:

Tajweed:

Secondary Courses:

Course Packages:

WISE University-Partnered Courses:

Weekend Courses:

Full SunniPath Courses:

Minicourses:

ITIAA-Partnered: Islamic Arts Workshop Seminars:

For more information about these courses, please visit the Shifa Courses page. Besides these courses we plan to offer a few other courses/events for Shifa student, insha'Allah.

Cost & Travel

We want serious students of knowledge at Shifa who want to maximize their time in Jordan. We also want to provide a flexible and reasonable course offering for students. In order to do this we are offering early bird special flat fee of $1475 USD for our primary weekday program for those students who sign up and pay before December 31, 2009. Otherwise, the flat fee will be as follows:

Regular Registration Period (Until March 31, 2010) $1650 USD
Late Registration Period (From April 1, 2010) $1650 USD (Late Fee waived)

This tuition fee covers:

Core package of full-time weekday instruction (Mon-Thurs)
Free courses (To be announced)
Course material
Free activities including sightseeing tours
Student advising
Breakfast during school hours from Monday through Thursday

Optional weekend courses are not included in the price.

We will also provide optional housing for students. The fee for this is separate from the main program fee.

Traveling to Jordan is generally a very easy process. We will provide all students information to help them make the traveling process smooth and easy, insha'Allah. We recommend that you book your flights as early as possible since the summer months in Jordan are a tourist season.

Room & Board

When you travel the world seeking sacred knowledge, the last thing you want to waste your time and energy on during the beginning of your studies is searching around for a place to stay. For students who need assistance finding housing, we can help make your arrangements. Housing arranged by Shifa Program will be shared with other students. Each apartment will house between 5 and 8 students.

Shared housing fees are as follows:

	in US Dollars
Single Room (Not shared)	1200 900
Double Room (Shared between 2 people)	750 600

Housing is a furnished apartment that includes a kitchen, Internet, and a building caretaker. Utilities other than the Internet are not included; these costs will depend on usage but average around 15-25 USD per student per month.

If you need information about family housing, please e-mail us at shifa AT daratawfiq D0T com and we will provide you with contact information.

For lodging refund requests after June 1st, please note that 500 US Dollars will be deducted from the refund. There will be no refund after June 15th.

Application & Registration

The first step you have to take is to apply into the program. There is a $5 (US Dollars) non-refundable fee for reviewing and processing the application. Once accepted into the program you will be given access to our registration system where you will be able to select the courses you would like to register for as well as housing.

Contact Us

If you would like further details please use this form to contact us. Someone from our Student Services team will follow up with you soon after to help you with all your concerns, insha'Allah.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 08 June 2010 21:25