Invitation to Sunnah I’tikaf
This Ramaḍān 1436H/2015, the Honorable Shaykh Mufti Kamaluddin Ahmed (db) will be sitting for Sunnah I’tikāf in the Stanger Jaamia Masjid for the last ten days inshaAllah. Following in the tradition of the luminous scholars, a structured programme has been arranged for the 10 days of I’tikaf. The programme will be conducted in English and includes training on drawing closer to Allah, following the Sunnah, learning dhikr and curing spiritual diseases of the heart.
The Sunnah I’tikaf programme is open to all men.
Venue:
Jaamia Masjid, Stanger [Kwadukuza], Kwazulu Natal, South Africa
Dates:*
Monday 6th of July (Enter I’tikāf between ‘Asr and Maghrib salah)
Thursday 16th of July (End I’tikāf after Maghrib – night of ‘Eid al-Fiṭr)
This is an extremely blessed occasion which we should try our utmost to avail.
*Note: these are estimated dates for planning purposes and subject to change by +/- 1 day. The exact dates will be confirmed when the month of Ramadan commences inshaAllah around mid-June.
History
The Jaamia Masjid of Stanger has been blessed to host many great Mashayikh for Sunnah I’tikaf in the past. Most notably, the great Friend of Allah, Hazrat Shaykhul Hadith Mawlana Muhammad Zakariyya رضي الله عنه performed Sunnah I’tikāf in this Masjid during Ramadan 1401H/1981, accompanied by many scholars and pious men of the time. It is well-known that Shaykh Zakariyya رضي الله عنه, in the latter portion of his life, made it his singular mission to revive the effort of Islamic Spirituality within the Ummah. More recently, other Mashayikh performed I’tikāf at this Masjid including Hazrat Mawlana Yunus Patel رضي الله عنه and Hazrat Jee Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad Naqshbandi (db).
Since 1999, Shaykh Zulfiqar (db) has been conducting the Sunnah I’tikaf program in Lusaka, Zambia where leading ‘Ulama and Mashayikh of our time accompany him. In 2002, Shaykh Zulfiqar (db) asked our beloved Shaykh Mufti Kamaluddin Ahmed (db) to accompany him to the I’tikaf each year in order to guide English speaking seekers. Thereafter, in 2014, Shaykh Zulfiqar (db) directed Shaykh Kamaluddin (db) to conduct Sunnah I’tikaf in Stanger Jamia Masjid, Durban, South Africa.
The audio of last year’s I’tikaf may be heard here.
Shaykh Kamaluddin Ahmed
Shaykh Mufti Kamaluddin Ahmed is a qualified Islamic scholar and university academic in the field of Islamic studies, specializing in Qur’an, Hadith, Law, History, Spirituality, and Ethics. Born and raised in Manhattan, he has travelled extensively and spent many years pursuing an intensive full-time study of the classical disciplines of Islamic learning and was awarded formal certifications as an ‘Alim and Mufti.
For over 20 years, he has consistently remained in the close company of the Honorable Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad and in 2002 was authorized by him as a Shaykh of spiritual purification and development (tazkiyah). Since then, he has formally guided seekers on the spiritual path of becoming closer to Allah (SWT) and regularly delivers talks and offers courses at masjids, madrasahs, universities and institutions of learning in countries across the UK, Europe, and South Africa.
In addition to this, he holds a Bachelors from the University of Chicago and a Masters from the University of Oxford. Currently he is serving as a Doctoral Fellow in Islamic Intellectual History at the Berlin Graduate School.
The Shaykh has established academies offering free education in classical Islamic learning and spirituality through both live and online courses for men and women around the world. In 2009, the Shaykh with his respected wife Alimah S. Ahmed, founded Zaynab Academy Online – the first all-women’s online Islamic educational institute. Visit www.zaynabacademyonline.org to learn more. Also, many of the past recordings and live lectures of the Shaykh can be heard at www.islamicspirituality.org
Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad
The Honorable Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad (db) is one of the leading shaykhs of Tasawwuf in the present era and was formally granted authorization (ijāza) in the Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi spiritual path (tarīqah) by Shaykh Ghulam Habib رضي الله عنه.
A hāfiz of the Qur’ān, Shaykh Zulfiqar studied classical disciplines of Islamic learning alongside his university education. Trained as an electrical engineer, the Shaykh went on to become the General Manager at one of Pakistan’s leading industrial groups, only to retire at the age of forty to devote himself entirely to the service of Islam. He regularly travels throughout the world, transforming the lives of people and drawing them closer to Allah (SWT). Countless institutes of Islamic learning and spiritual development have been established globally under the guidance and patronage of the Shaykh.
It is a testament to his deep love for Allah and his uncompromising dedication to the sunnah of the blessed Prophet 
(sharī’ah) that thousands of religious scholars and students of Islamic learning are amongst his students (murīds). The Shaykh has written dozens of books, many of which have been translated into several languages. Many of the past recordings, live lectures and written works of the Shaykh can be accessed via his website www.tasawwuf.org
