Each usrah consists of a small group of brothers or sisters who form a tight bond with an experienced mentor from MAS. The usrah aims to apply personal, comprehensive character development for each member, a process we call Tarbiyah.

The usrah is our most important program in MAS. You can read more about it below. Please contact us if you are interested or have any questions: masyouth@masbayarea.org.

The MAS Usrah - A Program of Islamic Self-Development and Activism

One of the key concerns of a committed Muslim is how to persist on an organized, systematic path of Islamic development and how to serve Allah and work for Islam as a central priority in life. To this end, MAS offers the usrah program.

The usrah is an intensive, spiritually-focused, activism-oriented program that develops the individual and invites him or her to join hands with MAS and work for the sake of Islam as a central priority in life.

The central goal of the usrah is tarbiyah. Tarbiyah aims at rooting the faith, purifying the soul, expanding and refining knowledge/understanding, developing and refining all aspects of character, boosting commitment, building skills, and instilling the discipline necessary to conduct a successful, fulfilling, meaningful, and balanced life of learning, virtue, commitment, and service of Islam and humanity.

Tarbiyah aims at instilling the passion to worship…the desire to serve…the drive to learn, grow, and excel…the skills/character to lead…the discipline of teamwork…a burning sense of mission…an encompassing sense of responsibility.

Thus all of the above goals of tarbiyah are the goals of the usrah.

More about the Usrah

An usrah is a type of halaqah in that a group of brothers or sisters sit together to encourage and help each other on their path to Allah. Beyond that, there are several distinguishing factors.

• Once an usrah is formed, its membership stays constant. People do not arbitrarily join that usrah at a later point (analogous to a college class - people cannot join it after a few weeks). People join an usrah with an intention to commit for the duration of the curriculum.
• Usrah members give it very high priority, such that they put in a lot of emotional, spiritual and physical effort (measured not by quantity of time but quality of effort) and attend every session as possible.
• The reason for the above two is so that a deep brotherhood develops, such that people can meaningfully touch each other’s lives, and also so that clear progress is made in the curriculum with everyone on the same page rather than a diluted effect with people coming and leaving.
• The usrah is led by a murabbi: a trusted, loving mentor who seeks to guide and help the usrah attendees from stage to stage of development – basically aiding the process of tarbiyah.
• The material the usrah covers ranges widely – from very spiritual topics, to seerah, Quran, Islamic history, da’wah, modes of da’wah, etc. Additionally, there is a lot of independent reading and learning required (the material being of the attendees own choice based on needs the murabbi and the individual identify together). Presentations are then given to the rest of the usrah on the reading so that all can benefit.
• There is great emphasis and follow-up on issues of character and personal worship.
• There is emphasis on being involved in Islamic work because (1) it is a responsibility we have before Allah, and (2) It is the only way to really understand what we learn and gain wisdom from it {Those who strive in [our way], we guide them to Our paths – surat al-Ankabut}.
• The usrah meets once a week for 2 to 3 hours and weekly assignments take from 1 to 2 hours.

I would like to join

Please contact us with your interest—either by email or talk to any of us in person.

The natural process for joining an usrah usually involves attending our programs and getting to know the brothers and sisters active in MAS Youth. The committee forms a new usrah in a process that evaluates the availability of a mentor and a cohesive group of individuals.

We will honor the request as much as we can. Unfortunately our resources are limited, since each mentor can take only a group of 6-8 individuals to be effective. Please forgive us if we are not able to accommodate your request. And continue to join us for the other Tarbiyah programs we are offering (qiyams, seminars, camps, courses, etc.).