Houston

SEEK AND YOU SHALL BE FOUND

Memorial Day, May 26 · Houston, TX
An Intimate One-Day Retreat
(ages 14 and older)

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Join us for a line-by-line analysis of:

the prayer seeking absolution
sayyid al-istighfār سيد الاستغفار

the prayer seeking goodness
duʿāʾ al-istikhārah دعاء الاستخارة

the prayer seeking succour
duʿāʾ al-ṭāʾif دعاء الطائف

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Wednesday, April 30

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PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Lanturna invites you to an intimate one-day retreat in Houston, in which we will cover three prayers of the Prophet ﷺ, three articulations of the heart when its circumstance may be overwhelmed with disrepair. Allah says ادْعُوا رَبَّكُمْ تَضَرُّعًا وَخُفْيَةً “Call upon your Lord, broken, whispering” (al-aʿrāf 7:55). Our beloved Prophet ﷺ was made to endure arduous circumstances to evoke timeless prayers that would abide with his ummah until the Day we drink from his noble hand. Join El-Hajj Hisham Mahmoud and Ustadh Saad Omar for a line-by-line analysis of سيد الاستغفار sayyid al-istighfār (the prayer for absolution), دعاء الاستخارة duʿāʾ al-istikhārah (the prayer for goodness), and دعاء الطائف duʿāʾ al-ṭāʾif (the prayer for succour), orisons to deliver us from disfavor, disarray, and disadvantage, respectively. Seek and you shall be found.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

MONDAY, MAY 26
0930
 Arrive in a state of wuḍūʾ at the residence of our host family (address provided upon registration)
0945 – 1000 Ḍuḥā and sūrat yā sīn
1000 – 1100 Session I | Introduction
1100 – 1130 Rings of Light (ḥizb no. 53)
1130 – 1200 Break
1200 – 1315 Session II | sayyid al-istighfãr
1315 – 1330 Ẓuhr
1330 – 1415 Lunch
1430 – 1545 Session III | duʿāʾ al-istikhārah
1545 – 1615 Announcements
1615 – 1700 Circle of Light
1700 – 1715 ʿAṣr
1715 – 1745 Rings of Light (ḥizb no. 54)
1745 – 1900 Session IV | duʿāʾ al-ṭāʾif
1900 Concluding remarks

Allah! You are my Lord. No god has the right of worship except You. You created me, and I am Your servant. I am seek to fulfill Your covenant and pledge as best I must. I seek Your protection from my evildoing. I acknowledge the favours that You have bestowed upon me, and I confess my sin. So forgive me, for You, alone, forgive sins.

اَللّٰهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ خَلَقْتَنِيْ وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ وَأَنَا عَلىٰ عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ أَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ وَأَبُوْءُ بِذَنْبِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوْبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ

allāhumma anta rabbī lā ilāha illā ant khalaqtanī wa ana ʿabduka wa ana ʿalā ʿahdika wa waʿdika ma-staṭaʿt aʿūdhu bika min sharri mā ṣanaʿtu abūʾu laka bi-niʿmatika ʿalayya wa abūʾu laka bi-dhambī fa-ghfir lī fa innahū lā yaghfiru dh·dhunūba illā ant

Allah! I seek of You the best outcome by virtue of Your knowledge, and I seek Your facility by virtue of Your power, and I ask of You by virtue of Your vast bounty—for You are possessed of power and I am thereof dispossessed, and You are possessed of knowledge and I am thereof dispossessed, and You know the imperceptible realms. Allah! If Your knowledge is such that this affair is better for me vis-à-vis my religion, livelihood, and circumstance, then decree it for me and facilitate it for me, then bless me therein; and if Your knowledge is such that this affair is worse for me vis-à-vis my religion, livelihood, and circumstance, then distance it from me, and distance me therefrom. But decree for me what is meet wheresoever it may be, and grant me contentment therewith.

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بـِعِلْمِكَ وَأَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بـِقُدْرَتِكَ وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْعَظِيمِ فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلَا أَقْدِرُ وَتَعْلَمُ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوبِ اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ خَيْرٌ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ وَاقْدُرْ لِي الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِي بِهِ رواه البخاري

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allāhumma innī astakhīruka bi ʿilmika wa astaqdiruka bi qudratika wa asʾaluka min faḍlika l-ʿaẓīm. fa inmaka taqdiru wa lā aqdiru wa taʿlamu wa lā aʿlamu wa anta ʿallāmu l-ghuyūb. allāhumma in kunta taʿlamu anna hādha l-amra khayrul lī fī dīnī wa maʿāshī wa ʿāqibati amrī faqdurhu lī wa yassirhu lī thumma bārik lī fīh. wa in kunta taʿlamu anna hādha l-amra sharrul lī fī dīnī wa maʿāshī wa ʿāqibati amrī faṣrifhu ʿannī waṣrifnī ʿanhu waqdir li l-khayra ḥaythu kāna thumma arḍinī bih.

Allah! I complain to You my lack of strength, my scarcity of means, my insignificance in the eyes of others. O most clement of those who show compassion, You are the Lord of the meek, and You are my Lord. To whom shall You give me over: to some distant person to look upon me with contempt, or to some enemy to whom You shall give authority over my affair. So long as You are not displeased with me, it concerns me not, but Your relief is easier upon me. I seek refuge in the light of Your countenance—by which every crevice of darkness is illumined and by which every affair of this life and the hereafter is made whole—that Your wrath overtake me not, nor your displeasure descend upon me. I confess to You my shortcoming until You are content. There is no strength or power except with You.

اللَّهُمَّ إِلَيْكَ أَشْكُو ضَعْفَ قُوَّتي وَقِلَّةَ حِيلَتي وهَواني عَلى النّاسِ يا أَرْحَمَ الرّاحِمينَ أَنْتَ رَبُّ الْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ وَأَنْتَ رَبِّي إِلى مَنْ تَكِلُنِي إِلى بَعِيدٍ يَتَجَهَّمُنِي أَمْ إِلى عَدُوٍّ مَلَّكْتَهُ أَمْرِي إِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ بِكَ عَلَيَّ غَضَبٌ فَلا أُبالِي غَيْرَ أَنَّ عافِيَتَكَ هِيَ أَوْسَعُ لِي أَعُوذُ بِنُورِ وَجْهِكَ الَّذِي أَشْرَقَتْ لَهُ الظُّلُماتُ وَصَلُحَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْرُ الدُّنْيا والْآخِرَةِ أَنْ يَحِلَّ عَلَيَّ غَضَبُكَ أَوْ أَنْ يَنْزِلَ بِي سَخَطُكَ لَكَ الْعُتْبَى حَتَّى تَرْضَى وَلا حَوْلَ وَلا قُوَّةَ إِلاّ بِكَ

allāhumma ilayka ashkū ḍaʿfa quwwatī wa qillata ḥīlatī wa hawānī ʿalā n-nās; yā arḥama r-rāḥimīna anta rabbu l-mustaḍʿafīna wa anta rabbī; ilā man takilunī ilā baʿīdin yatajahhamunī am ilā ʿaduwwin mallaktahu amrī; in lam yakun bika ʿalayya ghaḍabun falā ubālī ghayra anna ʿāfiyataka hiya awsaʿu lī; aʿūdhu bi nūri wajhika l-ladhī ashraqat lahu ẓ-ẓulumātu wa ṣaluḥa ʿalayhi amru d-dunyā wa l-ākhirah an yaḥilla ʿalayya ghaḍabuka aw an yanzila bī sakhaṭuk; laka l-ʿutbā ḥattā tarḍā wa lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā bik.

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

 
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HAJJ HISHAM MAHMOUD

El-Hajj Hisham Mahmoud studied theology, hadith, legal theory, jurisprudence, ethics, Qur’an recitation, and Arabic with scholars in Morocco, Mauritania, and Egypt. He taught for more than a decade at Yale, Princeton, and Harvard, then left the Academy to institute Lanturna, an educational initiative that intends to establish learning collectives to carry forward the legacies of our greatest luminaries. He continues to read with scholars and students in the United States and abroad.

 
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USTADH SAAD OMAR

Ustadh Saad Omar graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in English and a Masters in Nonprofit Management. He has studied Islam and Arabic in Mecca, Jordan, Turkey and across the United States. He is a published poet and songwriter and the founder of several nonprofit organizations that bring together spirituality, art, and entrepreneurship. He is currently laying the foundation for a holistic Muslim village in Fairfax, Virginia.

FAQS

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All are welcome to attend, regardless of family status.

Upgraded housing is located in the lodge and conference center. It is still camp housing but more comfortable and has bathrooms at a closer proximity. Families with children up to two years of age should contact us via hussein@lanturna.com if they would prefer to stay in one of our limited family rooms.

Our detailed schedule will be updated soon in shāʾ Allāh.

All sessions will accord with local Mountain Time.

All sessions will be uploaded after each session to a private YouTube playlist for convenient viewing later.

Lanturna is committed to never turn anyone away due to financial constraint, and partial scholarships are available for those who apply. Request a scholarship above.

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.

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.

The registration fee will appear in the window that opens when you click the “Register” button.

Your inquiries are welcomed at info@lanturna.com.

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.