New Seekers of Knowledge Assistance Program
The details…
Have you ever wanted to study Islam in depth to develop a greater understanding of how rulings are made and extracted? Do you feel a need and passion to help others understand their faith and answer questions, or to give a motivating speech, but know you lack formal Islamic education? Do you have the time and will to study, but just lack the program or feel the cost is prohibitive? Do you want to understand your own faith better to properly navigate the halal and haram, wajib and Sunnah?
The Islamic Center of Pittsburgh is offering full and partial scholarships to select applicants to study Islam through either:
• Mishkah University (https://mishkahu.com/)
• Guidance College (https://www.guidancecollege.org/)
• Zidni Institute (https://www.zidni.institute/)
Al-Salam Institute of Cambridge (https://alsalam.ac.uk)
What are the conditions?
Accepted applicants will enroll at preferred Islamic seminary and pursue part or full-time degree program, and have some or all tuition paid for according to masjid offer and agreement. During the duration of the program, compensated students will assist locally at least once every fall, spring, and summer with a khutbah, appropriate dars, or group outreach session. Students will also have review sessions with Imam Chris.
What are we looking for?
Candidates may be male or female with a high school diploma and transcripts. They should be Pittsburghers of US citizenship or green card without plans to relocate for the duration of their studies. They should have excellent character and communication skills, an affinity to the ICP, and Islam above all else.
• Personal commitment to living Islam in all dimensions: worldview, worship, halal lifestyle, and beautiful character, manners and morals.
• Desire to learn Islam in depth. That includes material most might consider boring like zakaat on camels, degrees of scriptural ambiguity, or the multiple possible meanings of the particle “fī” في, or reading multiple variations of the same hadeeth, pouring over and looking up the biographies of past narrators, or seemingly inconsequential minute theological issues!
• Personal responsibility to help Muslims with awareness of their obligations, and dawah to non.
• Time to commit for studies, and a desire to help the imams and scholars teach & preach.
How to apply?
Write a 500-1000 word essay about why you believe you are a good candidate for this offering. Write about your previous studies of Islam, why you want to learn more, and how you believe you can best help the community through gained knowledge of the deen. Send your submission, along with most recent transcripts and certificate (high school or college) to imamchris [at] icp dash pgh dot org. Candidates may be subject to follow up interview.
This opportunity will be available as long as it is up. Winners will be announced periodically. The ICP is under no obligation to fund anyone’s studies with whom no agreement has been made. Submissions are not guaranteed an offering.
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Previous versions of this offering limited the study to full-time only and at Mishkah university only, for applicants between 18-40 years of age, with longer application essay, and to summer of 2024 submissions. Those restrictions have been loosened.
Please share this link among whoever you think may be interested.