Dhikr

Al Ghazali Club

Rutgers University

Register Now
Flyer for the Third Annual Legacy of Light Conference, The Hadith Tradition, hosted by the Al-Ghazali Club. Saturday, September 26, 2026, 12:30 PM to 6:30 PM, at the Rutgers University Livingston Student Center Multi-Purpose Room. Speakers: Shaykh Murabit Benavidez, Mufti Muajul Chowdhury, Mawlana Yousuf Ghouse, and Dr. Mateen Khan. Open to all. Register at bit.ly/rulegacyoflight. The flyer shows the green dome of the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah torn through an antique map, set on cream with deep green and gold lettering.

Legacy of Light Conference III

Join us for our annual Legacy of Light Conference!

Open to Everyone, Not Just Rutgers Students!

See event details and speaker information below.

Register Now or Purchase Tickets Directly Below

A mock search bar over a photograph of a mosque at dusk. The query reads “What is al Ghazali club’s legacy of light conference and why i should go,” and the answer card below it says: The LLC is an annual gathering hosted by the Rutgers Al-Ghazali Club, highlighting the most urgent challenges facing the Muslim community and illuminating the timeless wisdom found in our tradition.

Get to Know Our Speakers!

Open a volume

  • Shaykh Murabit Benavidez

    Shaykh Murabit Benavidez was born in Fremont, California, and raised in a Catholic, Mexican household before embracing Islam at nineteen. His desire to seek sacred knowledge took him to Syria shortly thereafter, where he began his study of Arabic and the Islamic sciences. In 2002 he continued in the deserts of Mauritania, studying Arabic, Fiqh, ‘Aqīdah (Islamic theology) and Taṣawwuf. Among the eminent scholars he studied under are Murabit al-Hajj, Murabit Hadamin bin AbdurRahman, Abdullah bin Ahmad Fal, and Murabit Ahmad Fal bin Ahamadna.

  • Mufti Muajul Islam Chowdhury

    Mufti Muajul Islam Chowdhury began his Islamic education in his home state of New York, at the Astoria Islamic Center, with the memorization of the Quran. Having completed it, he pursued his passion for Quranic recitation by studying the various modes of recitation (Qirā’ah). His desire for a broader education in the Islamic sciences led him to Madrasah Arabiyyah Islamiyyah in Azaadville, South Africa, where he enrolled in the Alim course. On graduating from that rigorous six-year program he went on to the Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah in Durban, specializing in the issuing of legal verdicts (iftā’) under Mufti Ebrahim Desai (may Allah have mercy on him). He has since returned to New York, where he serves in various capacities at Masjid al-Ikhlas in Astoria.

  • Mawlana Yousuf Ghouse

    Mawlana Yousuf Ghouse grew up in the United States, often wondering how starkly different life was for those mired in poverty with little hope for the future. He knew he wanted to help; he did not know how. After an undergraduate degree in mathematics and economics at the University of Illinois at Chicago, he spent a number of years studying the Islamic sciences at Darul Uloom Zakariyya in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he came face to face with people from all over the world and with the lived experience of poverty. That, together with his late mother’s unyielding desire to leave a positive mark, became the catalyst for the Brighter Futures Foundation. He has since led its work alongside teaching at DarusSalam Seminary in Lombard, Illinois.

  • Mawlana Dr. Mateen Khan

    Dr. Mateen Khan is a distinguished emergency physician who has also pursued extensive training in the Islamic sciences. After successfully completing the esteemed Dars Niẓāmiyya curriculum at Darul Uloom Canada and receiving ijāzāt (scholarly authorizations) in a range of classical disciplines, Dr. Khan relocated to New Jersey in 2014. Over the past decade, he has been actively involved in issuing formal jurisprudential responses, engaging in scholarly writing, and delivering lectures on various Islamic topics. He has taught numerous courses, including weekly sessions on ‘Aqīdah (Islamic theology) and Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) at Rutgers University as part of his work with the Al-Ghazali Club. This year, he is teaching the club’s weekly Fiqh class, working through the rulings that come up in day-to-day life.

Legacy of Light III The Hadith Tradition

Tickets

Why should Muslims study Hadith? How do the sayings and actions of the Prophet ﷺ shape our daily lives through Fiqh? And how has the Sunnah been preserved across generations?

Scholars will introduce the foundations of Hadith studies and the rigorous methodology by which the Sunnah has been kept: its structure and terminology, its place in the Hanafi and Maliki schools, and the answers to modern critiques of it.

Hadith is not merely a historical discipline. It is a living source of guidance, meant to shape our character, our worship, and our relationship with Allah.

When
Saturday,
Time
12:30–6:30 PM
Where
Livingston Student Center MPR

Trouble with the form? Open it on Zeffy.

Who we are

About Al Ghazali Club

Rutgers Ghazali Club was founded with the goal of providing Rutgers students an avenue to learn the deen in the same traditional manner that it has been taught for centuries, instructed by local scholars.

At the heart of the club is our weekly hour-long Wednesday class, designed to teach you everything you will need to live the rest of your life as a Muslim.

The weekly class

Four years, in order

That Wednesday hour is one syllabus, taught over four years. These are its three stages.

  1. Year one Aqidah

    Creed — what a Muslim believes, and why

  2. Years two & three Fiqh

    Rulings — worship, and dealings between people

  3. Year four Tazkiyah

    How to practically live a fulfilling and spiritually enriched Islamic life

College might be one of the last chances many of us get to formally learn our religion,

so we implore you avail this opportunity to work towards not only your worldly life, but to prepare for the afterlife as well.

Three ways in
Taught in person

The scholars

Our courses give students the unique ability to connect with local scholars and build personal relationships with them.

Its own class

For sisters

We also have sisters’ only class taught by female scholars, focusing on women specific matters of Islam, and the ability for sisters to connect and form relationships with them.

Through the year

One-time events

We also host one-time events on specific topics.

Now meeting

Classes This Semester

Course poster on cream: Fiqh for Life, a two-year study of worship, relationships, finance, family, and daily life. Wednesdays, 5PM at LSC201. A pen-and-ink drawing shows a student in a kufi and thobe, backpack on, walking a winding path past five signposts reading Worship, Relationships, Finance, Family and Daily Life. The Al Ghazali Club emblem sits in the lower corner.

Fiqh for Life

What does Islam say about investments? Travel? Relationships?

Join us for our fiqh classes with Shaykh Mateen as we explore Islam within our daily lives.

Brothers & sisters

Wednesdays, 5–6 PM at LSC 201 — two weeks elsewhere

From , with Shaykh Mateen

  • 01 Worship
  • 02 Relationships
  • 03 Finance
  • 04 Family
  • 05 Daily Life

Fiqh for Life — session dates & rooms, all in the Livingston Student Center

  1. LSC Room201AB
  2. LSC Room202AB
  3. LSC Room201AB
  4. LSC Room201AB
  5. LSC Room201AB
  6. LSC Room201AB
  7. LSC Room201AB
  8. LSC Room201AB
  9. LSC Room111
  10. LSC Room201AB
  11. No class
  12. No class
  13. LSC Room201AB
  14. LSC Room201AB
Class flyer on deep maroon over a photograph of an open Qur’ān, a tablet with handwritten notes and a glass of tea: Al-Ghazali Club presents Sisters’ Tajwīd Classes with Alimah Mushinah. Gold Arabic calligraphy reads wa rattil al-Qur’ān tartīlā, and below it the translation “and recite the Qur’ān clearly with tartīl (in a distinct and measured tone)” cited to Surah Al-Muzzammil, 73:4. A weekly online class, Tuesdays 6 to 7 PM, starting Sep 15th. Registration required. The handle @rutgersghazaliclub sits at the foot.

Sisters’ Tajwīd Classes

وَرَتِّلِ الْقُرْآنَ تَرْتِيلًا

“and recite the Qur’ān clearly with tartīl (in a distinct and measured tone).”

— Surah Al-Muzzammil, 73:4

Sisters only

Tuesdays, 6–7 PM · Online

From , with Alimah Mushinah

Class flyer on a dark brown scrim over a photograph of a mosque arcade of carved stone columns: Before You Marry — What Every Muslim Man Should Know. A semester-long series to prepare for marriage—with Islamic knowledge, real-world wisdom and honest discussions. Taught by Mufti Niaz Hannan. Starting Sept 14, every other Monday at 6 PM in BSC 122. Dates: 9/14, 9/28, 10/12, 10/26, 11/9, 11/23, 12/7. The Al Ghazali Club emblem sits in the upper corner and the handle @rutgersghazaliclub at the foot.

Marriage in Islam

Before You Marry

What every Muslim man should know. A semester-long series to prepare for marriage—with Islamic knowledge, real-world wisdom and honest discussions.

Brothers only

Every other Monday, 6–7 PM at BSC 122

From , with Mufti Niaz Hannan

Before You Marry — session dates & rooms, all in the Busch Student Center

  1. BSC Room122
  2. BSC Room122
  3. BSC Room122
  4. BSC Room122
  5. BSC Room122
  6. BSC Room122
  7. BSC Room122
Class flyer over a photograph of two gold wedding rings on a wooden table with blurred flowers behind: Half Our Deen, Whole Our Faith. A semester-long series discussing what every Muslim woman should know before “I do”. Taught by Alimah Safiyah. Every other Monday, 6-7 PM. Held in LSC Room 111. Starting Sept 14. Dates: 9/14, 9/28, 10/12, 10/26, 11/9, 11/23, 12/7. The Al Ghazali Club emblem sits in the upper corner.

Marriage in Islam

Half Our Deen, Whole Our Faith

A semester-long series discussing what every Muslim woman should know before “I do”.

Sisters only

Every other Monday, 6–7 PM at LSC 111

From , with Alimah Safiyah

Half Our Deen, Whole Our Faith — session dates & rooms, all in the Livingston Student Center

  1. LSC Room111
  2. LSC Room111
  3. LSC Room111
  4. LSC Room111
  5. LSC Room111
  6. LSC Room111
  7. LSC Room111

The archive

Previous Classes

  1. Class poster over a dark red archway in a mosque: Al-Ghazali Club Presents, Foundations of Faith — The Tahawi Creed, with Shaykh Mateen Khan. Wednesdays at 5PM starting Sept. 10, Livingston Student Center Room 201AB.

    Fall 2025

    Foundations of Faith

    The Tahawi Creed

    Taught by
    Shaykh Mateen Khan
    When
    Wednesdays at 5PM, from Sept. 10
    Where
    Livingston Student Center Rm. 201AB
  2. Course poster over a mountain sunrise: Al-Ghazali Club Presents, Reviving the Heart — Exploring Imam Ghazali’s Ihya, with Shaykh Mateen Khan. Wednesdays at 5PM starting Sept. 11, Livingston Student Center Room 202AB.

    Fall 2024

    Reviving the Heart

    Exploring Imam Ghazali’s Ihya

    Taught by
    Shaykh Mateen Khan
    When
    Wednesdays at 5PM, from Sept. 11
    Where
    Livingston Student Center Rm. 202AB

    A transformative course designed to guide you on the path to living a fulfilling and spiritually enriched Islamic life. Through the timeless wisdom of Imam Ghazali, we will delve deep into the teachings that harmonize the mind, heart, and soul, uncovering practical insights that can be applied to our daily lives. Whether you seek to deepen your spiritual practice or find balance in your life, this course will provide the tools and understanding needed to align your inner and outer worlds in harmony with Islamic principles.

  3. Class poster over a pale photograph of a minaret: Al Ghazali Club Presents, Essentials of Fiqh — Halal Handbook, Fiqh Guidelines for Daily Affairs, with Shaykh Mateen Khan. Livingston Student Center, every Wednesday 5 to 6 PM.

    Spring 2024

    Essentials of Fiqh

    Halal Handbook

    Taught by
    Shaykh Mateen Khan
    When
    Every Wednesday, 5–6PM
    Where
    Livingston Student Center

    Fiqh guidelines for daily affairs.

  4. Class poster over a washed-out photograph of the Registan in Samarkand: Al-Ghazali Club Presents, Essentials of Fiqh — topics Hajj, Marriage, and the Halal and Haram, with Shaykh Mateen Khan. Livingston Student Center 201AB, every Wednesday 5 to 6 PM.

    Fall 2023

    Essentials of Fiqh

    Taught by
    Shaykh Mateen Khan
    When
    Every Wednesday, 5–6PM
    Where
    Livingston Student Center Rm. 201AB

    Hajj, marriage, and the halal and haram.

Previous Events

  • Flyer over a dark brown brushed background: Legacy of Imam Ghazali. April 14, 5PM, BSC Center Hall. Food will be served. Come learn about the great scholar Imam Ghazali, with speakers Dr. Shadee Elmasry and Mufti Niaz Hannan. Rutgers Ghazali Club.

    Legacy of Imam Ghazali

    2026

  • Flyer in pearl and champagne with starbursts: Traces of Radiance — Lessons From the Lives of Pious Women. A three part Monday series with ‘Alimah Safiyyah, 6 to 7PM, Livingston Student Center Room 202 C. Sisters Society with Al Ghazali Club.

    Traces of Radiance

    2026

  • Flyer in blue, black and grey with a drawing of ice skates: Ice Skating Event, $15, 6PM Thursday 1/29 at the Roosevelt Ice Skating Rink, Edison, NJ. Al Ghazali Club with Brothers Social.

    Ice Skating Event

    2026

  • Flyer in caramel and tan with soft brush shapes and dried eucalyptus: Sisters Social x Ghazali — Leading with Legacy, following the footsteps of notable women in Islam. December 8, 7 to 9PM, with Mu’allimah Shamsun, LSC 111. Come for an insightful talk, blessed suhbah, and tasty sunnah snacks.

    Leading with Legacy

    2025

  • Square flyer over a pink and blue sunrise on a snow-capped mountain: Al-Ghazali Club presents Anchored in Faith — Navigating the -isms, a brothers’ only session on ideology, identity and conviction, with Mufti Tofael Nuruddin. Wednesday Nov 19 at 4:45PM, Livingston Student Center Room 201B.

    Anchored in Faith

    2025

  • Flyer in blush pink with tulips: Sisters’ Janazah Workshop, a hands-on interactive workshop with ‘Alimah Safiyyah. April 11th, 4PM to 5PM, Cook Student Center Room 202A. Register with the Google form in our bio.

    Sisters’ Janazah Workshop

    2025

  • Flyer in sage green with gold lanterns and stars: Sisters Social x Ghazali — Iftar & Halaqa. March 11, Tuesday, at 6:30PM, Ludwig Learning Center, Douglass Campus. Event capped at 80 people, RSVP required. Sponsored by Douglass.

    Iftar & Halaqa

    2025

  • Flyer on dark brown: Brothers Tajwid Class, a Ramadan special with Mawlana Yusuf Shaikh. Improve your recitation of the Quran. 4 to 5PM on March 4th in LSC 111, March 6th in BSC 117, and March 11th and 13th in LSC 111. Al Ghazali Club with Brothers Social. Photographs of an open Quran on a wooden rehal.

    Brothers Tajwīd Class

    2025

  • Square flyer on textured paper around a photograph of the Umayyad Mosque courtyard in Damascus: Islamic Legacy of Levant, with Chaplain Kaiser Aslam & Mufti Niaz Hannan. BSC Center Hall, 6:30PM, Tuesday 02/04. MPRC x Al-Ghazali.

    Islamic Legacy of Levant

    2025

  • Square flyer in pale green with strings of pearls around the book cover of Pearls in the Deep: How the Qur’an Transforms the Problem of Evil by Naz Hassan, with portraits of Ustadh Naz Hassan and Dr Shadee Elmasry. 12/3 at 6:15pm, Cook Student Center 202 ABC, book sale after. Rutgers Muslim Student Association x Al Ghazali Club x Safina Society.

    Pearls in the Deep

    2024

  • Square flyer in deep burgundy with a gold filigree border: Sisters Social x Al Ghazali Club — Influential Women in Islam, talk by Mu’allimah Shamsun. Tuesday, October 29th at 6:00pm, Livingston Student Center MPR.

    Influential Women in Islam

    2024

  • Square flyer over a photograph of a bombed arcaded building: Islam & Western Civilization II, a two part series with Mawlana Muhammad Chowdhury. Wednesday, October 2nd, BSC Center Hall 6:45 to 9PM. Al Ghazali Club.

    Islam & Western Civilization II

    2024

  • Square flyer over a photograph of sunlit classical ruins: Islam & Western Civilization I, a two part series with Mawlana Muhammad Chowdhury. Tuesday, September 24, BSC Center Hall 7 to 9PM. Al Ghazali Club.

    Islam & Western Civilization I

    2024

  • Square flyer in blush pink with magenta lanterns and paisley corners: ru msa sisters social x al-ghazali club — Preparing for the Last 10 Nights, Iftar. Tuesday, March 26, Livingston Gathering Lounge at 6:00pm. Talk by Ustadha Sumara Khan. RSVP by form link in bio.

    Last 10 Nights Iftar

    2024

  • Square flyer on white marble with a gold lattice band and hanging lanterns: Al Ghazali Club presents Ramadan Insights & Modern Lives, with Dr Ahmed Metwally & Mufti Niaz Hannan. March 5th 7PM, CSC MPR. Food will be served, in sha Allah.

    Ramadan Insights & Modern Lives

    2024

  • Square flyer over a snow-capped peak with the Darul Fath, Safina Society, Al Ghazali Club and Noor-ul-Iman School seals: Darul Fath with Al-Ghazali Club & Noor-ul-Iman School welcome you to The Provenance of Man, with Ustadh Tahseen Khan, teaching his newly published work, a Sunni apologetic of the original creation of Adam. Mar 2, 6:30 to 9:30PM, NUI School MPR, $20 admission.

    The Provenance of Man

    2024

  • Square flyer in cream and gold with an arched mihrab outline and crescent: Al Ghazali Club presents Ramadan for Women — Hayd, rulings and staying spiritual; balancing school and ‘ibaadah. With Ustadha Umme Muhammad. BSC 117, Friday Feb 23rd, 4 to 5PM.

    Ramadan for Women

    2024

  • Square flyer over sunbeams breaking through storm clouds: Divine Decree — Trusting in the Plan of Allāh, with Mawlana Muhammad Chowdhury. Tuesday, January 30th at 7:30PM, Busch Student Center, Center Hall. Food will be served, in sha Allah.

    Divine Decree

    2024

  • Square flyer over layered misty green mountains: Al-Ghazali Club presents Lessons From the Past — A Reflection on the Muslim Era in Palestine. Lecture and Q&A with Dr Shadee Elmasry and Mawlana Mateen Khan. Tuesday, November 28th at 7PM, Busch Student Center, Center Hall. Food will be served, in sha Allah.

    Lessons From the Past

    2023

  • Square flyer in bright pink with lollipops and the Palestinian and Afghan flags: Al-Ghazali Club Bake Sale — homemade cupcakes, cookies, brownies, and cake pops. All funds for Palestine and Afghanistan relief. Wednesday 11/1, 6 to 7:30PM, Livingston Student Center.

    Bake Sale

    2023

  • Square flyer in cream and gold with hanging lanterns and mandala corners: Sister’s Social x Al Ghazali presents The First Ten Days of Ramadan — The Shower of Mercy. Join us for a halaqah followed by iftar. March 28th, LSC Coffee House at 6pm.

    The Shower of Mercy

    2023

  • Square flyer in deep green with a white geometric star frame and Islamic pattern border: Preparing for Ramadan — A Spiritual Renewal, with Shaykh Kamaluddin, in collaboration with Al Ghazali Club. March 9th at 7:00PM, Busch Student Center Multipurpose Room.

    Preparing for Ramadan

    2023

Drag, swipe or use the arrows

Previous Conferences

Legacy of Light · Rutgers University

Flyer for the First Annual Legacy of Light Conference: gold display type over a sunlit white marble arcade with a chandelier and arched colonnades. Speakers Dr. Shadee Elmasry, Shaykh Tariq Ameer, Shaykh Mohammed Chowdhury, Dr. Ahmed Metwally and Dr. Mateen Khan. Open to non-Rutgers students, details at bit.ly/rulegacyoflight. Sunday Oct 20, 10:30AM to 7PM, Rutgers University Busch Student Center Multi-Purpose Room. The Al-Ghazali Club emblem sits in the lower corner.

First Annual Conference

Legacy of Light

Sunday 20 October 2024 · 10:30 AM – 7 PM

Busch Student Center Multi-Purpose Room Open to non-Rutgers students
  • Dr. Shadee Elmasry
  • Shaykh Tariq Ameer
  • Shaykh Mohammed Chowdhury
  • Dr. Ahmed Metwally
  • Dr. Mateen Khan

The first · 2024

Flyer for the Second Annual Legacy of Light Conference: Islam and the Aftershocks of Colonialism, over a sepia photograph of a bombed arcade torn through an antique map. Speakers Shaykh Ismail Bowers, Mufti Tofael Nuruddin, Dr. Ahmed Metwally and Dr. Mateen Khan. Saturday Sept 27, 1PM to 7:30PM, Rutgers University Livingston Student Center Multi-Purpose Room. Open to all.

Second Annual Legacy of Light Conference

Islam and the Aftershocks of Colonialism

Saturday 27 September 2025 · 1 PM – 7:30 PM

Livingston Student Center Multi-Purpose Room Open to all
  • Shaykh Ismail Bowers
  • Mufti Tofael Nuruddin
  • Dr. Ahmed Metwally
  • Dr. Mateen Khan

The second · 2025

The club’s namesake

Brief Bio on Imam al‑Ghazali

Iḥyā’ ‘Ulūm al-Dīn The Revival of the Islamic Sciences

Imam Abū Hāmid al-Ghazālī (1058–1111), known as Hujjat al-Islām, was one of the greatest scholars and spiritual masters in Islamic history. Born in the city of Tus in modern-day Iran, he was gifted with immense intellectual brilliance from an early age. His pursuit of knowledge began under some of the foremost scholars of his time, and he quickly mastered disciplines such as Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh), theology (kalām), logic, and philosophy. By the age of 33, he had been appointed as a professor at the prestigious Nizāmiyya Madrasa in Baghdad, where his lectures drew scholars from far and wide. His reputation as a scholar was unmatched, and he became a central figure in the academic world.

However, despite his towering intellectual achievements, Imam al-Ghazālī was not satisfied with mere outward success. Deep within his soul, he wrestled with spiritual doubts and sought the true path to attaining Allah’s pleasure. After years of internal struggle, he experienced a profound crisis that led him to abandon his prestigious post and withdraw from public life in 1095. He embarked on a decade-long spiritual retreat, seeking solace and guidance through solitude, prayer, and reflection. During this period, he traveled extensively to places like Damascus, Jerusalem, and Mecca, yearning for purification of the heart and closeness to Allah.

It was in this spiritual seclusion that al-Ghazālī authored his magnum opus, Iḥyā’ ‘Ulūm al-Dīn (The Revival of the Islamic Sciences), a masterpiece that integrated Islamic law, ethics, and spirituality. This monumental work addressed not only the external practices of religion but also emphasized the purification of the soul, sincerity in worship, and inner devotion to Allah. Al-Ghazālī’s writings became a lighthouse for those who sought to harmonize the intellect with the heart, combining deep rational inquiry with profound spiritual wisdom. His approach was not merely academic but deeply transformative, guiding people to realize that true knowledge is that which brings one closer to Allah.

Imam al-Ghazālī’s life exemplified the struggle of the nafs (lower self) in seeking the ultimate truth. His journey from worldly success to a path of spiritual enlightenment is a testament to his immense sincerity and piety. He was a man who, despite his brilliance and fame, chose to humble himself before Allah and dedicate his life to true servitude. His sincerity in both intellectual rigor and devotion to Allah makes him a timeless role model for anyone seeking to live a life in accordance with divine will.

Imam al-Ghazālī passed away in 1111, having left behind a legacy that continues to inspire seekers of knowledge and spirituality. His life reminds us that true success lies not in outward achievements but in the purification of the soul and striving to attain Allah’s pleasure. To emulate Imam al-Ghazālī is to commit oneself to the pursuit of knowledge, the purification of the heart, and the unwavering quest for nearness to Allah. His journey inspires us to seek not only the truths of this world but also the eternal truths that lead to the Divine Presence.

Register Now