Course Descripton
This course spans more than two thousand years of Muslim history in East and North Africa as well as Arabia. It looks at the pivotal and widespread presence of Black Muslims (of both African and Arab ancestry) in preserving, embodying, enriching, disseminating, and protecting the Way of Islam through the ages. We will also learn how their legacy of resilience and resistance can help us become better human beings and live more meaningful lives today. We shall focus on narrations in Imam Ibn al-Jawzi’s Tanwir al-Ghabash fi Fadl as-Sudan wa al-Habash (Illuminating the Darkness Regarding the Excellence of Black people and Ethiopians), one of twelve classical texts, mostly written by non-Black Muslim scholars over the course of one thousand years, regarding the excellence, trials, and triumphs of Black people. By reading, discussing, and internalizing this largely unknown knowledge, students will address important questions about the role of religion, race, and classical scholarship in shaping our historical and contemporary understandings of Black people and their presence in Islam, and will challenge their hearts and minds to truly value all people for the content of their character, rather than the color of their skin.
Example Curriculum
- Class 1: An Introduction to the Genre & About Imam Ibn al-Jawzi (74:25)
- Class 2: Author’s Introduction to the Text (101:08)
- Class 3: The Origin of Black People (137:19)
- Class 4: The Cause of Black Skin Color (93:51)
- Class 5: Jesus Christ صلى الله عليه وسلم brings Ham bin Nuh to life by God’s Power (99:45)
- Class 6: Kingdoms and Virtues of Black People (122:24)
- Class 7: Virtues of Black People & Black Objects (114:04)
- Class 8: The White Person is not Superior to the Black Person Except by Piety
- Class 9: Review of Assignment On The Ṣaḥābah (60:41)
- Class 10: Negus Ashamah ibn Abjar Protecting the Companions - Part 1 (104:07)
- Class 11: Negus Ashamah ibn Abjar Protecting the Companions - Part 2 (133:18)
- Class 12: Negus Ashamah ibn Abjar Protecting the Companions - Part 3 (115:09)
- Class 13: Letters Between Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم and Negus Ashamah (111:55)
- Class 14: The Ethiopians who Visited Rasulullah ;صلى الله عليه وسلم , Their War Dance in the Mosque & Words in the Qur’an Which Conform With the Ethiopic Language (125:14)
- Class 15: Those About Whom it has been said were Prophets Among Black People (peace be upon them) (91:57)
- Class 16: In Mention Of The Major Kings Of The Habash (126:35)
- Class 17: In Mention Of One Of The Major Abyssinian Kings (84:02)
- Class 18: In Mention Of The Esteemed Blacks Amongst The Companions: Bilal bin Rabah Part 1 (91:49)
- Class 19: In Mention Of The Esteemed Blacks Amongst The Companions - Bilal bin Rabah Part 2 (131:28)
- Class 20: In Mention Of The Esteemed Blacks Amongst The Companions - Bilal bin Rabah Part 3 (105:55)
- Class 21: In Mention Of The Esteemed Blacks Amongst The Companions - Bilal bin Rabah Part 4 (105:12)
- Class 22: Freed to Serve God: Lessons from the Lives of Bilal ibn Rabah, Mihja', Usamah ibn Zayd, and Abu Bakrah (131:03)
- Class 23: Lessons from the Life of Abu Bakrah (134:14)
- Class 24: Lessons from the Lives of Aslam Al-Aswad & Mughith the Husband of Barirah (98:40)
- Class 25: Ustadh Mustafa Briggs: Beyond Bilal (114:39)
- Class 26: Sa'd Al-Aswad & Yasar al-Aswad (Imam Dawud Walid) (126:56)
- Class 27: Julaybib & An Abyssinian Companion (115:03)
- Class 28: A Black Companion (112:10)
- Class 29: Noble Black Female Companions: Umm Ayman (106:13)
- Class 30: Noble Black Female Companions: Umm Zufar (135:39)
- Class 31: Ata' ibn Abi Rabah (94:14)
- Class 32: Habib ibn Abi Thabit, Yazid ibn Abi Habib, Makhul al-Shami & Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdl ibn al-Mansur (99:46)
- Class 33: Islam and Blackness: On Illustrious Scholars and Master Poets from Black People (Chapters 19 -20) (73:54)
- Class 34: Illuminating the Darkness Around Classical Black Poets (Antara ibn Shaddad, Suhaym, Nusayb ibn Mihjan) (104:13)
- Class 35: Illuminating the Darkness Around Classical Black Poets (Abu Dulamah) (137:43)
- Class 36: Illuminating the Darkness Around Intelligent, Generous, and Sagacious Black People (116:03)
- Class 37: In Mention Of A Group Of Discerning, Intelligent and Generous Black Men and Women (76:51)
- Class 38: Illuminating the Darkness Around Black Worshippers & Ascetics: Abu Mu'awiyah al-Aswad (90:03)
- Class 39: Nubian Alchemist Of Happiness - Imam Thun-Nun al-Misri (116:50)
- Class 40: Dhu al-Nun Thawban ibn Ibrahim Abu al-Fayd al-Masri - Part 1 (102:56)
- Class 41: Dhu al-Nun Thawban ibn Ibrahim Abu al-Fayd al-Masri - Part 2 (100:41)
- Class 42: The Worshippers and Ascetics From Amongst Them Whose Names Are Not Known (122:47)
- Class 43: In mention of the worshippers from amongst the women of the black people (117:45)
- Class 44 (120:58)
- Class 45: Remembrance of Allah, Supplications, Counsel, and Admonition (117:54)
- Class 46: Closing Ceremony (132:13)
Instructor: Imam Adeyinka Mendes
Adéyínká “Muhammad” Mendes, aka Adé, is a son of Dayton, Ohio, born to a Christian African-American mother and a theist Nigerian father in 1975. His mother is a retired attorney who fought against workplace discrimination and his late father was a physician who found immense joy in treating the sick. Respecting and appreciating diverse religions and cultures was a core value in their home.
In 1982, Adé’s parents sold their suburban home and relocated to Lagos, Nigeria. There he experienced the wisdom, elegance, and healing power of traditional African living, and witnessed people of different religions coexisting peacefully.
Adé returned with his family to Houston, Texas, in 1989 for high school. In 1993, following a life-changing journey to Jerusalem, he felt called to embrace Islam, the Way of Love and Path of the Prophets. After attending Morehouse College and the Ohio State University, he traveled around the world studying Classical Arabic, theology, sacred jurisprudence, contemplative arts, and the science of spiritual illumination from living masters in Syria, Sudan, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, and Senegal. He has been teaching these and other sacred sciences since 2001.
Adé worked as an educator and award-winning sales executive before discovering his mission to serve as an Imam dedicated to the liberation of the human spirit in 2010. He is the founder of The Nibras Foundation, the Bilal Spiritual Center for Peace and the Arts, as well as co-founder of the African-American Healing, Ancestry, and Development (AHAD) Collective. Adé speaks nationally and internationally on Quranic Spirituality, Youth and Adult Rites of Passage, Peace-building, and the healing wisdom of Black Muslim cultures and civilizations. His research interests include the political implications of mystical poetry, the history and adaptations of Islam in Black Africa and the African diaspora, and Muslim-led anti-slavery revolts in the Americas. He also translates sacred literature, teaches at retreats, and builds community.
Adé served as Imam at Masjid al-Mo’mineen and the Madina Institute Masjid in Georgia and as both Imam and Scholar-in-Residence at the Muslim Center of Greater Princeton in New Jersey. He currently serves on the advisory boards of Goodtree Institute and the Islamic Society for Holistic Education and teaches regularly with CelebrateMercy, Wasat, and the Rumi Center for Spirituality and the Arts. He is a recipient of the Center for Global Muslim Life "2020 Spiritual Impact Award" and his latest work, The Spirits of Black Folk: Sages Through the Ages, a translation of Imam al-Suyuti’s text on early Black Muslim luminaries is due to be released in 2021, God willing. Imam Mendes currently resides in New Jersey with his spouse Rukayat Yakub, a Montessori educator and award-winning children’s author, along with their seven lovely children.