A spiritual journey through
the mystical verses of the Qur'an.
Dive into the ocean of light that the Muslim sages and mystics have always seen in the holy text.
Go deep into the inner secrets of the Qur'an, building on teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (S), as well as sages like Imam Ali, Rumi, Ibn 'Arabi, al-Ghazali, and others.
See how the Qur'an serves as a Healing, and the fountainhead of a vibrant spiritual life.
14 video-based lessons, totaling 12 hours - plus the option for monthly "Chai with Omid" sessions. Meet other seekers from around the world, ask questions and share your observations!
The course is open to everyone, of every background,
and you can go through the lessons at your own pace and time.
How to approach the Heart of the Qur'an
If you are interested in this online course, chances are that you too have been looking to grow in intimacy with the Qur'an. The great Muslim scholar, Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 1111) wrote a book titled the "Jewels of the Qur'an" in which he freely acknowledged that not all of the verses of the Qur'an have the same spiritual value. Following his advice, we will focus on two sets of passages: first, we will go over many of the verses in the Qur'an that the sages and mystics of Islam have always come back to, drawing sustenance from the word of God, and experiencing the line between our world and the unseen world growing ever so thin. Second, we will look at some of the bold, fresh, and inspiring ways in which the Muslim sages have unveiled the spiritual meaning in seemingly quite ordinary verses.
This course is a chance to dive deep into this ocean, and discover for your own heart pearls of meaning that can bring light and beauty into your own life. If you seek to rejuvenate and replenish your soul, join us on this study of the Qur'an, which has always been considered a Light and a Healing.
How can this Course bring
light to your life?
For many of the mystics, reading the Qur'an was above all else a love affair. They literally talked about the experience of reading the word of God as a sensual experience, one of "unveiling the beloved." Some, like Rumi, openly talked about how the Qur'an at first veils its full beauty from us, in order to test the reader to see who is committed to a long-term relationship with the Divine word.
Perhaps this has also been your experience. You might have started to read the Qur'an, and found yourself lost. You might have found the logic and structure of the text baffling, or even some of the passages off-putting.
Join us on this journey. Let us pull back the cover just a bit, to see the overflowing abundance of Divine love that you'll discover. Join us to see the way that the lovers of God have opened up the inner meanings of this sacred scripture.
Come and dive with us into the vast oceans of inner meaning of these mystical verses. It's as if the verse opens up from the inside, and guides you to a sacred garden. After dwelling inside, you re-emerge transformed, insha'Allah.
Why study the Qur'an with Omid?
The study of the Qur'an has always been one of the central pillars of learning in Islam. There is a whole body of literature that is devoted to commentary on the Qur'an, called Tafsir. As is the case with many of the medieval Islamic disciplines, these commentaries are brilliant, learned, profound...and at times impenetrable to many modern readers.
The classical commentaries moved through the verses of the Qur'an verse by verse. Often emphasizing the nuances of the language or theological insight, they are quite challenging to access by people outside that realm of specialized learning.
Here we are doing something different. Rather than go through the classic commentaries in that atomistic fashion, we are drawing a much wider net. Yes, we will draw from those commentaries, but also from how mystics like Rumi interpreted the Qur'an, the comments of different poets and sages. It is, in other words, the Qur'an as seen primarily by the lovers of God.
So many friends have told me that after studying the Qur'an with me, they felt like the passages of the Qur'an “opened up” to them and for them, so that they could apply it to their own life. I hope this course will do the same for you.
There are lots of books out there on the Qur'an. Some are indeed quite helpful, many are intended for narrow specialists and less for spiritual seekers.
The goal of these Illuminated Courses is not to have a mere academic discussion, but to have a real transmission of the spiritual teachings to your heart.
Go through the course
in your own time and pace.
Content & Format of the Course
In this course we will go through the Qur'an step by step. We will identify many of the verses that the mystics have always been fond of and returned to over the centuries. We will go through the verse, listen to a recitation, and then explore what different mystics and sages have had to say about them. What's amazing is the moment in which we "cross over" from the literal meaning to the vast ocean of inner meaning. It's as if the verse opens up from the inside, and guides you inside to the sacred garden. After dwelling inside, you re-emerge transformed, insha'Allah.
The course consists of 14 recorded lessons, which will take about 12 hours to listen to. You will have some of the main resources and books available on our platform also. We will also guide you to meditate on how these teachings connect to your own life, and to keep a journal where you can write down your own responses and reactions to the material, so you can really engage with it.
You will have access to all the classes and materials for 120 days from the day you sign up to gently work your way through these lessons at your own pace, and if you like, to come back and revisit those earlier lessons within that time.
Monthly online Gatherings: If you are interested in fellowship and live connection to fellow seekers, you may also sign up for our monthly online gatherings: Chai, Love & Prayer. Follow the link to sign up (not included in the registration for this course). We would love to have you join our community!
Future Courses:
This is our foundational Qur'an course. In the future, we hope to insha'allah offer at least two other courses, one focused on the stories of the Prophets in the Qur'an, and another one which goes through other Qur'anic mystical verses that are not yet covered in the "Heart of the Qur'an." So, let us begin this journey of love, together, with the first of these courses, the first of these lessons.
Registration for "The Heart of the Qur'an"
Choose what you pay:
Sign up & share the Love
Gift this course to yourself and to other friends in this community of seekers. This pay-it-forward option makes it possible for us to offer scholarship rates to those who are struggling financially during this time.
$399 one time paymentRegular Price
We are honored to have you with us. This is the standard package whereby you receive full access to all the components of the course. Welcome to the community of Illuminated Courses friends!
$299 one time paymentScholarship Rate
All members of our community are cherished & essential. This reduced rate is intended to make it easier for everyone to benefit from these courses. It is important to us and our community that you may receive these heart nourishing teachings to support you. This discounted price allows us to continue offering these courses on this platform and serving our community.
$199 one time paymentYou would like a taste of what you might get in this course?
Let us leave you with this beautiful insight for now:
Some Muslim sages speak of the Qur’an written down on paper as scripture, and a larger, cosmic Qur’an written in nature. That Qur’an of nature is sacred and written by the Divine “Author” just as the Qur’an of scripture is. These sages, like Aziz Nasafi, suggest that we have to learn to “read” the Cosmic Scripture of Nature river by river, leaf by leaf, breeze by breeze, and moonlight by moonlight. The Qur’an itself states that it is when we bring together the divine manifestations in the scripture, in nature, and inside our own souls that God becomes fully and finally “Real” to us.
