One of
the key concerns of a committed Muslim is how to persist on an organized,
systematic path of Islamic development and how to serve Allah and work for
Islam as a central priority in life. To this end, MAS offers the usra program.
The usra
is an intensive, spiritually-focused, activism-oriented program that develops
the individual and invites him or her to join hands with MAS and work for the
sake of Islam as a central priority in life. (see
bottom to read more about different types of membership/involvement with MAS).
The
central goal of the usra is tarbiya (continual personal development at all
levels – character, spirituality, knowledge, activism).
Tarbiya aims at rooting the faith, purifying the soul, expanding and refining knowledge/understanding, developing and refining all aspects of character, boosting commitment, building skills, and instilling the discipline necessary to conduct a successful, fulfilling, meaningful, and balanced life of learning, virtue, commitment, and service of Islam and humanity.
Tarbiya
aims at instilling the passion to worship…the desire to serve…the drive to
learn, grow, and excel…the skills/character to lead…the discipline of
teamwork…a burning sense of mission…an encompassing sense of responsibility
Thus all
of the above goals of tarbiya are the goals of the usra.
The usra
is a program of the MAS Tarbiya Department. The Tarbiya department
is headed by Shaykh Basyouny Nehela who is also the Imam of the Islamic Society
of Boston – a Phd in da’wah from
More
about the Usra:
An usra
is a type of halaqa in that a group of brothers (or sisters) sit together to
encourage and help each other on their path to Allah. Beyond that, however,
there are several distinguishing factors.
-
Once
an usra is formed, its membership stays constant i.e. people do not arbitrarily
join that usra at a later point (analogous to a college class - people cannot
join it after a few weeks). Those joining the usra do so with the commitment to
remain part of it until the end of the curriculum. Of course, if you decide to
formally leave the usra, you would be free to do so but your intention when
joining should be to commit for the duration.
-
Usra
members give it very high priority, such that they put in a lot of emotional,
spiritual and physical effort (measured not by quantity of time but quality of
effort) and attend every session (of course, legitimate absence is excused)
-
The
reason for the above two is so that a deep brotherhood develops, such that
people can meaningfully touch each other’s lives, and also so that clear
progress is made in the curriculum with everyone on the same page rather than a
diluted effect with people coming and leaving.
-
The
Usra is led by
a murabbi: a trusted, loving mentor who seeks to guide and help the usra
attendees from stage to stage of development – basically aiding the process of
tarbiya.
-
The
material the usra covers ranges widely – from very spiritual topics, to seerah,
Quran, Islamic history, da’wah, modes of da’wah, etc. Additionally, there is a
lot of independent reading and learning required (the material being of the
attendees own choice based on needs the murabbi and the individual identify
together). Presentations are then given to the rest of the usra on the reading
so that all can benefit.
-
There
is great emphasis and follow-up on issues of character and personal worship.
-
There
is emphasis on being involved in Islamic work because (1) it is a
responsibility we have before Allah (2) It is the only way to really understand
what we learn and gain wisdom from it (“those who strive in [our way], we guide
them to Our paths” – surah ankabut)
-
The
usra meets once a week for 2 to 3 hours and weekly assignments take from 1 to 2
hours.
What
we would like from You:
Let us
know of your interest. Next, fill out an application. This application is one
part of the selection process. The other part is the Tarbiya committee’s
evaluation of the candidate based on its knowledge and interaction with the
candidate. The Tarbiya committee will also speak to other active, experienced
MAS members who have gotten to know/worked with the candidate. Since resources
(i.e. those available to lead the usra) are limited and an usra can have a
maximum of about 6-8 people to be effective, we may not be able to accommodate
everyone who applies. If so, we would love for those brothers and sisters to
still take part in other Tarbiya programs that MAS offers (Qiyam, Retreats,
Halaqas, ‘Ilm classes, etc) and perhaps join the usra program the following
year.
A
personal note[1]:
The usra
has been for me, by far, the single most transformative experience in Islamic
and personal development. To be sure, it is not some sort of magical pill – it
is a slow but deep and effective process. Perhaps the most important reason it
has such an effect is that it brings together such earnest, committed, capable,
good Muslims who sincerely desire to get closer to Allah and to each other and
then binds them together in a powerful way such that the effect on each member
is compounded manifold. Indeed, one of the “secret” ingredients to the amazing
story of that set of companions of the Prophets who were the giants of history,
is that the Prophet s.a.w., beginning in Makkah, bound them together in deep
brotherhood and ensured that there were always means of each companion
regularly receiving tarbiya together with his brothers. These means ranged from
the halaqaat (or usras, if you will) at dar-al-arqam (and multiple other homes
as we read about in the seerah) to the obligatory qiyaam with the Prophet
s.a.w. where Allah would literally speak to them through the Quran in a
dynamic, relevant way.
Similarly,
the usra hopes to be that regular, consistent means of tarbiya, which is essential
(as demonstrated by the Prophet s.a.w. and his companions) to those who are involved
in Islamic work as the mainstay of their lives.
If you
would like to speak to other people who are currently part of usras to have a
better understanding of it all, please do contact us and we will put you in
touch.
To apply
to the usra, please visit the following link (applications are due June 28th
and November 28th (twice a year) and usras will be started
accordingly):
.DOC File:
http://www.masboston.org/masyouth/college/usraApp.doc
.PDF File:
http://www.masboston.org/masyouth/college/usraApp.pdf
Send applications to: college@masboston.org
May Allah
accept our efforts towards Him and guide us, use us for His sake, forgive our
sins and give us jannat al firdaus. Ameen.
After the
usra program, attendees continue with the usra as a regular member in
MAS. Or they can choose to continue with other MAS programs and activities and
remain involved without becoming a regular member. Membership in MAS has
various categories depending on the level of involvement and commitment:
-
associate:
anyone who would like to can be an associate member
-
adjunct:
those would like to be involved on the usra level
-
regular:
those who choose to continue with the usra and join regular membership by a
mutual decision between MAS and the member - i.e. they choose to:
o
be
involved in a committed way with MAS such that they understand and accept its
rules, regulations and constitution
o
work
as a part of MAS in da’wah and for the betterment of society (of course while
remaining involved and working with other organizations that work for Islam or
any other cause in society).
o
work
with MAS to come to decisions regarding Islamic work and commit to abide by those
shared decisions.
-
active:
those who have been active members in MAS for more than 2 years