SUMMER SĪRAH FAMILY RETREAT
DĀR AL-ISLĀM · ABIQUIU, NEW MEXICO
WELCOME & ORIENTATION
This page will afford you full access to the retreat resources.
This page is private and may not be shared.
The required reading for this text is Martin Lings’ seminal treatment of the sīrah, which is the most eloquent presentation of the life of the Prophet ﷺ in the English language. Its chapters are short, and we have included a tab with a reading timetable so you may complete the book ten days before our retreat begins. Be sure to read through the book and bring your questions to Dār al-Islām. You may purchase your copy via THIS LINK.
Salām ʿalaykum. We warmly welcome you to our Summer Sīrah Family Retreat. Your presence among us is an invaluable blessing and we look forward to hosting you all at Dār al-Islām in New Mexico. Please use this document as a reference for all the links and resources you will need to gain full access to our program. The details below are private and must not be shared with anyone who has not registered for the program. Please read carefully, as the answers to frequently asked questions are herein provided.
- Complete our Flight and Shuttle Form in the next 24 hours via THIS LINK.
- Join our New Mexico, 2023 WhatsApp group in the next 24 hours via THIS LINK in order to receive important notifications before and during the program, including potential modifications to the program schedule. This will be our primary mode of communication as opposed to email.
- The required text for our adult program is “Muhammad: His Life based on the Earliest Sources” by Martin Lings, which you can purchase via THIS LINK.
- All those 19 and older are required to watch our preliminary recorded session that historically paves the way for the advent of the Prophet ﷺ via THIS LINK.
- Sign up to participate in our communal khatm via THIS LINK.
BE SURE TO READ THROUGH EACH TAB CAREFULLY
TRAVEL
Flying – Prepare to arrive at Albuquerque airport (ABQ) on Tuesday, July 25 for afternoon check-in at Best Western Airport Albuquerque Hotel (2400 Yale Boulevard Southeast, Albuquerque, NM 87106). Lanturna has arranged hotel accommodations on Tuesday, July 25 for all attendees who indicated their intent on our Flight/Shuttle Form. Upon retrieving your luggage at the airport, head to the “hotel shuttle” pickup area and take the Best Western shuttle. Confirm with the driver that you are headed to Best Western at 2400 Yale Blvd. Upon arrival at the hotel, proceed to the front desk and provide the name you used to register for the retreat to retrieve your hotel room key.
Transport from the hotel to Dār al-Islām will be provided at 9:30 AM on Wednesday, July 26 after breakfast. Attendees who arrive after will be responsible for arranging their own transportation to Dār al-Islām (2 hours and 15 minutes away). Registration does not cover flights.
Driving – Prepare to arrive at Dār al-Islām by 1 pm on Wednesday, July 26. The address is 342 Co Rd 155, Abiquiu, NM 87510. Please note that GPS may not work the last ten minutes of the trip, so be sure not to turn it off nor to reset your phone 15 to 20 minutes prior to your scheduled arrival in order to maintain your GPS connection..
PREPARATIONS
- Qur’an and notebook
- The required text, “Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources” by Martin Lings
- Bedding (compact sleeping bag or blanket, twin mattress sheet, small pillow)
- Towels
- Soap
- Toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste)
- Flashlight
- Hiking shoes
- Water bottle
- Sunblock (average highs of 85 in July/August)
- Light sweater (average lows of 55 in July/August)
- Vitamins and medicines
- Granola bars or light snacks
LODGING AND MEALS
Registration includes hotel stay on the night of Tuesday, July 25, 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. Separate accommodations will be made for large families. Reach out to us if you require special lodging accommodations.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be provided throughout the program on-site.
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 at 8 am on Wednesday, August 2 to Albuquerque airport (ABQ) in shāʾ Allāh. Be sure not to schedule your return flight before 1 pm.
Our teachers remind us to expose ourselves to the gentle breezes of our Compassionate Lord تعرضوا لنفحات الرحمن. We recommend the following to glean the greatest benefit from this program:
- Layered Intentions – Pen your intentions in order to best orient yourself to receive the knowledge that will be conveyed in the book and in each session.
- Lustration – Attend each class in a state of wuḍūʾ (ritual purity), for seeking knowledge is worship that radiates brighter when the soul is bathed in light.
- Devotional Practices – Throughout the program, commit to praying immediately as the time for each prayer enters, perform all your voluntary prayers, and recite Sūrat Yā Sīn by morning and Sūrat al-Mulk by evening. Perform qiyām al-layl (night vigil) at least one of those nights. And recite Sūrat al-Kahf Friday eve. These were among the consistent practices the Prophet ﷺ.
- Ambience – To the extent possible, set an ambience that befits hosting the greatest story ever told. You are encouraged to share your pictures to encourage others to do the same using the hashtag mentioned above.
- Personal Connection – Let us always remember that we are not merely scholastizing the subject at hand, rather, we are seeking transformation inwardly in our states and outwardly in our practice for the contentment of our Lord, Who bestows His gifts upon whomsoever He pleases without measure.
May Allah bless our intentions and grant us that intimacy with His Messenger ﷺ that will bring us life, love, and light in this world, and his companionship in the next. And may He bless and sanctify our beloved Prophet and his family and companions.
We recommend the following reading schedule at a pace of 3 chapters per day, which should average 30 minutes:
| DATE | CHAPTERS |
| Sun 6.18 | 1 – 3 |
| Mon 6.19 | 4 – 6 |
| Tue 6.20 | 7 – 9 |
| Wed 6.21 | 10 – 12 |
| Thu 6.22 | 13 – 15 |
| Fri 6.23 | 16 – 18 |
| Sat 6.24 | 19 – 21 |
| Sun 6.25 | 22 – 24 |
| Mon 6.26 | 25 – 27 |
| Tue 6.27 | 28 – 30 |
| Wed 6.28 | 31 – 33 |
| Thu 6.29 | 34 – 36 |
| Fri 6.30 | 37 – 39 |
| Sat 7.1 | 40 – 42 |
| Sun 7.2 | 43 – 45 |
| Mon 7.3 | 46 – 48 |
| Tue 7.4 | 49 – 51 |
| Wed 7.5 | 52 – 54 |
| Thu 7.6 | 55 – 57 |
| Fri 7.7 | 58 – 60 |
| Sat 7.8 | 61 – 63 |
| Sun 7.9 | 64 – 66 |
| Mon 7.10 | 67 – 69 |
| Tue 7.11 | 70 – 72 |
| Wed 7.12 | 73 – 75 |
| Thu 7.13 | 76 – 78 |
| Fri 7.14 | 79 – 81 |
| Sat 7.15 | 82 – 85 |
A DAY AT DĀR AL-ISLĀM
| SCHEDULE | |
| 0445 – 0500 | Adhān & Wuḍūʾ |
| 0500 – 0515 | Fajr |
| 0515 – 0530 | Sūrat Yā Sīn |
| 0530 – 0800 | Rest & reading time (optional morning hike: 0730 – 0845) |
| 0800 – 0845 | Morning preparation |
| 0845 – 0945 | Breakfast |
| 0945 – 1000 | Ḍuḥā |
| 1000 – 1115 | Session I |
| 1115 – 1130 | Break |
| 1130 – 1245 | Session II |
| 1245 – 1345 | Reading time |
| 1345 – 1500 | Ẓuhr & lunch |
| 1500 – 1615 | Session III |
| 1615 – 1630 | Break |
| 1630 – 1730 | Session IV |
| 1745 – 1800 | ʿAṣr & Sūrat al-Wāqiʿah |
| 1800 – 1900 | Reading time |
| 1900 -2000 | Dinner |
| 2015 – 2045 | Maghrib & al-Rātib al-Shahīr | Prayers of the Prophet ﷺ |
| 2045 – 2115 | Break & Bedtime for Children |
| 2200 – 2230 | ʿIshā’ and Sūrat al-Mulk |
| 2300 – 0445 | Sleep |
“Say, ‘If it is that you love Allah, then follow me, that Allah may love you!’” (Āl ʿImrān 3:31). Our retreat will highlight milestones from the blessed life of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to serve as signposts as we tread the paths of our own lives. Lady ʿĀʾishah once observed that she never saw anyone more keen on emulating the Prophet ﷺ than our master ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb, who was known to tread his footsteps even as he accompanied him! But he would not have been drawn to do so were it not for the emotional, heartfelt nexus he had to the Prophet ﷺ. The faithful would spontaneously confess their love to him as they sought to emulate every aspect of his supernal character, and countless would volunteer sacrificing their most precious attachments before they would posit random questions unocassioned by any need to do so. Our yearning to love the Prophet ﷺ deeper is not a leap of faith when we know him more intimately. Lanturna’s Summer Sīrah Family Retreat purposes to impart such intimate knowledge as would enliven our hearts to experience love in its greatest potentiality. Come let us tread our own paths together, by sinking our feet into the blessed traces of his, to drink from his gentle hand as we cross into our final destination.
