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Study circles (majalis al-'ilm)

مجالس العلم

Study circles are gatherings in which people come together to receive religious knowledge, in a mosque or elsewhere. Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy holds that the heart cannot do without them, since the Friday sermon alone is not enough to sustain it through the week, and that tapes and channels are no substitute for attending.

Depth

At a glance

Region
Global / Diaspora
Review

Education

Summary

Study circles are gatherings in which people come together to receive knowledge. Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy holds that the Friday sermon is never enough to give the heart a charge of faith that keeps it at its level all week, so the heart needs a study circle. 1 2

No tape or channel replaces them

He says that some people stop attending study circles and make do with a recorded tape, the radio or television channels, and that this never replaces attending the circle. 2

Their merit in the Sheikh's words

He speaks of the merit of one who purifies himself at home and then sets out for one of the houses of God, says that the angels surround a study circle, and likens their lowering of their wings for the seeker of knowledge to the carpet rolled out for an honoured guest at an airport. 3 4 5 6 He counts his own lesson on the Hikam as one of these gatherings, in which the heart finds rest in the remembrance of God. 7

Connections

Explore the connections

Subject of
Sharh al-Hikam al-'Ata'iyya (lecture series)

People and things also explored

Asking people for help (al-masala)· The soul (nafs) and the spirit (ruh)· Arham (kinship ties)· Suhba (companionship with the Prophet: who is a Companion, how companionship is proved, the uprightness of all Companions, and the ruling on insulting them)· Remembrance of God (dhikr)· The world (dunya)· Ghadd al-basar (lowering the gaze)· Forbearance (hilm)

Sources

  1. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Sharh Al Hekam Al Ataeya, episode 1, at 00:01:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  2. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Sharh Al Hekam Al Ataeya, episode 1, at 00:02:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  3. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Sharh Al Hekam Al Ataeya, episode 2, at 00:03:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  4. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Sharh Al Hekam Al Ataeya, episode 2, at 00:03:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  5. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Sharh Al Hekam Al Ataeya, episode 2, at 00:04:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  6. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Sharh Al Hekam Al Ataeya, episode 2, at 00:05:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  7. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Sharh Al Hekam Al Ataeya, episode 4, at 00:08:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Study circles (majalis al-'ilm)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/majalis-al-ilm/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-11-01.

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Ideas

Beliefs, concepts, sciences and schools, explained in plain words. Related

Asking people for help (al-masala)

Asking people for help (al-masala) means asking others for gifts. In Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy's account of the Prophet's teaching, poverty is not a trade a person follows; Islam gives the needy their right to help, not the honour of poverty; asking is lawful only in cases of real need; and complaint is made to God, not to people.