PRE-REGISTRATION IS ESSENTIAL

Accompanying lecture notes can only be provided to those who pre-register by downloading the registration form and emailing it to events.unityfamily@gmail.com

Venue: Glasgow, Al-Meezan
Date: Saturday 18th Dec
Time: 2pm - 9pm
Cost: £25 (employed), £20 (full-time student/registered unemployed)

Venue: Edinburgh
Date: Sunday 19th Dec
Time: 10.30am - 6pm
Cost: £25 (employed), £20 (full-time student/registered unemployed)

Venue: Dundee
Date: Saturday 29th Jan
Time: 10.30am - 6pm
Cost: £20

For many years you may have heard general talks on marriage, however, marriages are still falling apart. In the UK the highest divorce rate is amongst the late 20’s category and the average marriage lasts 11 years. The Muslim community has also seen a surge in divorces in recent times. Imams and community leaders up and down the country are complaining at the alarming rates of divorce in the community.

Although many people spend a lot of time and money on preparing for their wedding day, they don’t prepare for their married life. As a result, people make many mistakes prior to marriage and in the first years of marriage which ultimately leads to unhappy marriages or divorce. If children are involved the consequences can be even more devastating.

This course is essential for anyone who wants a happy, successful and sustainable marriage

The course has been put together by a specialist in Islamic family law who deals with marital problems in the Muslim community. Thus, this course combines sound scholarly knowledge and advice with real-life practical experience, making it very unique and effective.

“I am constantly dealing with couples who have serious marital problems very early on in their marriages. People make easily avoidable mistakes early in the marriage which then snowball into major issues. I am stunned at the number of people who are so unprepared for such a life-changing event. Islam teaches us to prevent a problem from happening, whereas people allow the problems to happen and then try to find a solution. A little preparation prior to marriage could avoid years of anguish”
Shaykh Amer Jamil

Some of the topics covered:

1. How to find a partner
2. Asking the right questions before marriage
3. Avoiding early mistakes
4. The issue of compatibility
5. Forced, arranged and love marriages
6. The period of engagement
7. The marriage contract
8. Understanding the opposite sex
9. Getting it right on the first night
10. Q&A on everything you wanted to ask about marriage but where to shy/afraid to ask

NB: This course has been designed specifically for anyone who is 16+ and is not married, whether engaged or not, and looking to marry or not. This course is not intended for people who are already married.

About the teachers:

Shaykh Amer:

Shaykh Amer has been described by the Sunday Herald as Scotland’s leading Islamic scholar and one of the country’s most prominent and respected Muslim thinkers. He was born and brought up in Glasgow, and has a law (LLB) degree from Strathclyde university and a BA (Hons) in Islamic studies from the University of Wales. In total he has spent ten years studying the Arabic language and Islamic Sciences including six years with renowned scholars in the Middle East (Syria and Yemen).

He has teaching licenses (ijaza) in various Islamic subjects which he studied. He has studied with numerous distinguished scholars from a range of different schools of thought. His balanced studies in both the secular and religious give him a combination of sound scholarship with a profound understanding of society.  Shaykh Amer's field of interest is primarily Muslim family law; an area in which he has studied in depth having studied all four schools of Islamic jurisprudence (Hanafi and Hanbali schools- Syria, Shafi and Maliki schools– Yemen). Currently, he is conducting a PhD research study on the way forward in dealing with the modern challenges of contemporary Muslim family law in modern day Britain. He also has a counselling skills certificate certified by COSCA (Scotland's professional body for counselling and psychotherapy).

He is the author of the Reminder series - a series of community leaflets. www.the-reminder.co.uk

A freelance consultant and researcher on Muslim issues, he is currently involved as a Family Support Consultant at Unity Family Services and an Islamic Family law consultant for a local Scottish law firm. www.unityfamily.co.uk

He is also the co-founder of the Solas Foundation. www.solasfoundation.org.uk

Ustadha Nazia:

Ustadha Nazia was born and brought up in Lanarkshire, Scotland. After graduating from Glasgow University with a BA Hons in Accountancy, she worked in industry for 2 years. She then left Scotland to study the Arabic language and Islamic Sciences for six years. After studying Arabic and Islamic studies in Wales, she spent four years studying with renowned scholars in the Middle East (Syria and Yemen).

In Syria she graduated from the prestigious Abu Noor Institute (Damascus) with a diploma in Islamic Studies and also gained teaching licenses (ijaza) in various Islamic subjects such as tajweed. She then continued her studies in the illuminated city of Tarim (Yemen) where she both studied and taught at the Dar al-Zahra institute for women.

In Yemen she taught Tajweed, Arabic and the Fiqh (jurisprudence) of Menstruation. Currently, she runs regular courses on tajweed and Fiqh (jurisprudence) of Menstruation.