MEDIA/ PUBLISHING
Nur al-Habib Foundation began life in 2004 as one of the few Islamic media and publishing houses in the U.K. alongside its educational work, it was responsible for producing the nasheed albums of Talib al-Habib, pen-name of Shaykh Asim Yusuf. Beginning with Songs of Innocence, followed by Rahma, and then Song of the Wayfarer, the music combines beautiful melody and deeply, meaningful, and spiritual lyrics to reach to the heart of Islam’s beauty.
Soon after, the Foundation also moved into the production of Islamic books for both adults and children. Shedding Light on the Dawn is the most comprehensive study of prayer times in any languages and a genuine contribution to the scholarly tradition. Walking in Footsteps is a non-denominational guide to finding a spiritual teacher and the importance of tasawwuf.
The Soliloquy of the Full Moon by Noor Yusuf is a truly remarkable work: the only original English language mawlid (Nativity story), comprising 1000 lines of metered, poetry, Shakespearean in cadence and traditional in form. It has been called “the Burda of our times”, and was most recently presented in person to King Charles III.
Noor Yusuf has also created a series of inventive yet still classically grounded works for all the children called “Adventures with the Awliya”, which have been called “Narnia for Muslim children”, which are currently being converted into other formats such as graphic novels. All her books are available for purchase at www.nooryusuf.com
EDUCATION
Since its inception, Nur al-Habib Foundation has always placed a strong emphasis on providing traditional, authentic and contextually relevant Islamic knowledge for different levels of seekers.
The Foundation was responsible for pioneering the very first fard al-ayn course in the U.K. - a comprehensive yet accessible curriculum through which the average Muslim could learn all they needed to about their religion and their path to God. This was the Path to Salvation (PtS), which was, at one point, the largest grassroots Islamic teaching syllabus in the country.
Over the years, the Foundation has also provided highly contextual teaching in response to the needs of the modern Muslim, whether in relation to mental health, professional ethics, environmental ethics, and other such concerns.
The central educational principle of the Foundation that wisdom is the application of the ancient and timeless knowledge of revelation to the particular moment that the seeker finds themselves in.
Nur al-Habib Foundation has also pioneered a number of long form courses, which students can join at any point and which cover major lengthy works of the tradition. An example of this is the Ihya of Imam Ghazali, which has been taught for over ten years and is ongoing. Another example is the ongoing Tafsir courses, Journey through the Quran and the shorter, Discover the Quran course
Shaykh Dr Asim Yusuf is one of the most senior teachers of traditional Islamic knowledge in the UK, having been actively instructing students for over 20 years in a variety of subjects. Explore our Courses.
SPIRITUALTY
Spirituality is the central pillar of the ethos of the Nur al-Habib Foundation. This is the systematisation of one of the three central pillars of the Islamic religion: the cultivation of ihsan, or holiness – the search for beauty, goodness and truth in all things. It informs everything that we do, whether in terms of education, media production, or outreach.
Our ethos is founded on the way of the great classical tradition of Islam, specifically, the Chishti Habibi Sufi path, which arose in the Middle East, flowered in the subcontinent, was transplanted to southern Africa, and has now been brought to the UK by Shaykh Asim Yusuf, who is an authorised spiritual master in this order.
From around 2004, with the very inception of the Foundation, a weekly circle of remembrance was commenced, open to all whether men, women, children and of whatever ethnicity or religion. This has continued in an unbroken manner to this day.
In 2009, the Foundation first initiated the Winterspring Mawlid (www.winterspringmawlid.co.uk), a 12 night celebration of the Prophet Muhammad, mercy to the worlds, peace and blessings upon him, occurring at the time of the month of spring (Rabi Al-Awwal) in the Islamic calendar. Over the years, these family friendly gatherings of love and learning, poetry and song, have attracted nearly 50000 attendances, and hundreds of millions of salawat have been recited during them. They remain a feature of the Muslim calendar of the United Kingdom each year.
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ISLAMIC MENTAL HEALTH
Shaykh Dr Asim Yusuf, in addition to being a senior religious scholar, is also a full-time practising Consultant Psychiatrist in the NHS. He has been called “a leading psychiatrist“ by the Royal College of psychiatry, and is recognised internationally as an authority on Islam, spirituality, and mental health.
He is frequently hosted at venues across the country to speak on the subject of Mental Health, including at universities: Oxford, Cambridge, Cardiff as well as overseas institutes: Chicago, Michigan and Toronto. Some of these talks are available online particularly on YouTube.
He has also developed a number of bespoke courses, including:
Understanding Mental Health in Muslim Communities, which is a free four week course publicly available at www.futurelearn.com and which has been accredited by the Royal College of psychiatrists.
Additionally he has developed indigenously Islamic forms of psychotherapy, as well as a course to enable mental health practitioners to develop the understanding of Islamic concepts in relation to mental health. He currently runs a private clinic through www.imwellhealth.co.uk
TRADITIONAL ARTS SOCIETY
The Traditional Arts Society focuses on the revival of traditional arts and crafts taught by qualified artisans around the world.
The Society aims to re-introduce young people and adults to traditional forms such as calligraphy, music, archery and other activities.
PATHSEEKERS: ISLAM FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
The Foundation has always catered for younger members of the community. During adult classes, such as Path to Salvation, there has often been provision made for young children. This developed into a parallel curriculum:
PathSeekers, which educated children in the basics of Islam in a unique, highly interactive and story based curriculum.
The Foundation also has an active Youth Mentoring Program, where young people act, under supervision, as mentors to one another. We also run the highly popular Children's Choir catering for ages 5 yrs- 17yrs.
The appreciation of nature is an important aspect of the teaching of Islam, and the Foundation runs regular outdoor programs for the youth, such as nature hikes and activity retreats.
RETREATS
Since 2009, the Foundation has been hosting The Wayfarer’s Rest Spiritual Retreats – annual 3/4 day retreats with intensive teaching, outdoor activities and learning through nature for its's student population and families alike. These hugely popular retreats attract well over a hundred and fifty students each year and remain a firm favourite in our diary.
From 2015, we expanded our retreats to international destinations and began our Rihla – Overseas Retreats. Our spiritual journeys so far have included trips to al-Quds, Morocco, Istanbul.
There remains many more countries in the pipeline!
COMMUNITY & OUTREACH
The Prophet’s Hand: Our community outreach initiative focusing on supporting the homeless and needy in the local area of Wolverhampton and areas surrounding Birmingham.
