The Women's Mosque of America

"The Four Effects of the Holy Qur'an On Us As Human Beings" Pre-Khutbah Bayan by Hafidha Soheyla Aryan (5/19/17)

Hafidha Soheyla Aryan delivers the pre-khutbah bayan (talk) for The Women's Mosque of America on May 19th, 2017. In her bayan, Soheyla analyzes the 57th verse of the tenth chapter (Surah Yunus) of the Qur'an and discusses how the Qur'an impacts the souls of people in their daily lives.

Bio:
Hafidha Soheyla Aryan was born in Iran, spent most of her childhood in Europe, and attended the latter half of her schooling in the United States. She received her Master's in Midwifery from both the USC School of Medicine and UCLA. Brought up in a family that was not particularly religious, the only connection Sister Aryan had with God was through daily salat.
It was not until much later in her life, when she was a firsthand witness to one of God's signs, that her heart and eyes were opened to God's undeniable presence in her life. It was thus with a joyful heart that she set out to learn about this new love of her life, gleaning every morsel of God's beauty and guidance. Imam Ali's Nahjul Balagha was the first book God brought into her life, and from there, she graduated into studying the Holy Qur'an. Seeking God through God's word has been her life ever since. Sister Soheyla now teaches Nahjul Balagha classes at Al-Zahra Mosque and Qur'an classes to students of all ages in the greater Los Angeles area.

Q&A with Hafidha Soheyla Aryan and Gail Kennard (5/19/17)

Q&A Discussion Circle with the Imams -- Khateebahs Hafidha Soleyla Aryan and Gail Kennard answer congregants' questions about how best to prepare for Ramadan and also how to develop a closer relationship with the Qur'an on May 19th, 2017 at The Women's Mosque of America.

Adthan by Mahasin Shamsiddeen (5/19/17)

Mu'adthinah Mahasin Shamsiddeen returns to call another beautiful adthan for The Women's Mosque of America on May 19th, 2017.

"Ramadan Survival Strategies" Khutbah by Gail Kennard (5/19/17)

Just in time for Ramadan, returning khateebah Gail Kennard delivers a khutbah on May 19th, 2017 on some of the challenges people face during this blessed month and offers practical advice on how to feel spiritually nourished while acknowledging the difficulty of abstaining from physical nourishment.

Bio:
Gail Kennard was raised in Los Angeles and learned about Islam as a high school student when she read the autobiography of Malcolm X. She accepted Islam while in graduate school at UC Berkeley, and she has been active in the Muslim communities of San Francisco, San Diego, Atlanta, and Los Angeles.
 For the past 20 years, Gail has been president of the architectural business founded by her late father, Robert Kennard, in Los Angeles. The firm designs public buildings, transit and utility infrastructure projects. The company, Kennard Design Group, is the oldest African-American-owned architectural practice in the western United States.
Gail earned her undergraduate degree in Communications from Stanford University, a master’s degree in Journalism from UC Berkeley — and for the past 60+ years, she has been struggling to earn her post-graduate degree in this life under the guidance of Allah, subhanna wa ta’allah.

Q&A with Heba Khan (4/21/17)

Q&A Discussion Circle with the Imam -- Khateebah Heba Khan surprises our congregation with a revelation about the man she spoke of in her khutbah! She also answers important questions about how we as Muslims can make sense of difficult tests like pain and sickness. April 21st, 2017 at The Women's Mosque of America.

"Some Cuts Run Deep: A Bodily Approach to the Spiritual" Khutbah by Heba Khan (4/21/17)

In this powerful khutbah, khateebah Heba Khan poses a unique question to the congregation when she asks us to consider the spiritual impact our bodies have on our souls, rather than the usual framework of looking at the soul's impact on the body. She reminds us that the relationship between body and soul is described as a "marriage" in the Qur'an. Finally, she meticulously unpacks the hadiths surrounding the Prophet Muhammad's (p) profound transformative experience when the purifying of his soul was described through the imagery of angels washing his heart. Be sure to listen to the Q&A to find out a special revelation about the man she speaks of in her khutbah! April 21st, 2017 at The Women's Mosque of America.

Bio: Heba Khan is Staff Editor at the Journal of Feminist Economics, Rice University. She holds an MA in Religious Studies from Rice University. Her research interests focus on the Islamic tradition and include comparative religion, mysticism, poetry, and gender. She has presented widely among communities and organizations in the greater Houston area on the topics of Islam, gender, and religious tolerance.

2nd Adthan by Jessika Kenney - Javanese Recitation Style (4/21/17)

2nd Adthan -- Mu'adthinah Jessika Kenney returns to deliver another amazing adthan in the Javanese recitation style for The Women's Mosque of America on April 21st, 2017.

1st Adthan by Jessika Kenney - Javanese Recitation Style (4/21/17)

1st Adthan -- Mu'adthinah Jessika Kenney returns to deliver another amazing adthan in the Javanese recitation style for The Women's Mosque of America on April 21st, 2017.

“Spiritual Elevation Towards God During Ramadan” by Shabnam Dewji - 2nd Annual Co-Ed Iftar & Qiyam

In this deeply inspiring and spiritually invigorating talk, Khateebah Shabnam Dewji shares her wisdom on how to achieve closeness to God, and she unfolds a beautiful metaphor on the concept of asking God for forgiveness. Sister Shabnam was the first Shi'i khateebah to speak at The Women's Mosque of America when she gave her khutbah on November 11th, 2015. -- On the evening of July 2nd, 2016, The Women's Mosque of America held its second annual co-ed iftar & qiyam during the holy month of Ramadan, featuring all women speakers and a chance for the greater public to benefit from the spiritual insights of Muslim women leaders.

Bio:
Sister Shabnam Dewji is a Senior Operations Consultant providing strategic and tactical assessments to large and medium size businesses. Until recently, she was the Vice President of Operations for the West Region at Time Warner Cable Media, overseeing the technical and master control operations for ad insertion; IT and software development for all media tools and applications; traffic and inventory management supporting sales; and regional engineering support for product implementation.

Sr. Shabnam has a business management background with a degree from the London School of Accounting and in 2010 completed an Exectuve Leadership Development Program at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. She was the recipient of the 2011 LEA (Leadership, Education and Advocacy) Awards where she was honored as Woman of the Year by Women in Cable Telecommunication (WICT). Shabnam was born in Zanzibar, Tanzania and grew up in Dubai. She lives in Orange County, CA with her husband and three children and has been an active member of her Muslim community for the past 28 years, having served as Treasurer and Vice President of SIIJLA, a local Islamic Center in Pico Rivera.

Sr. Shabnam Dewji is currently in her 12th year as the principal of the Huseini Sunday School and has been a teacher for 25 years. In June 2015, she received her certification in Neuropsychology of Learning to ensure that the teaching methods at the schools shift to student centered learning. She is also active in the Social Interfaith group to promote interfaith and intrafaith understanding in the Orange County area and works closely with Chapman University’s Fish Interfaith Center under the leadership of the Dean, Dr. Gail Stearns.

Q&A Discussion Circle - 2nd Annual Co-Ed Iftar & Qiyam

During the banquet portion of the night, the floor was opened to a Q&A discussion circle, giving the men and women in attendance a chance to speak to the group and share their reflections and questions. One congregant in attendance shared how she took shahada at The Women's Mosque of America and why the mosque was such a crucial ingredient in her journey to Islam. -- On the evening of July 2nd, 2016, The Women's Mosque of America held its second annual co-ed iftar & qiyam during the holy month of Ramadan, featuring all women speakers and a chance for the greater public to benefit from the spiritual insights of Muslim women leaders.