al-fityān
a coming-of-age journey for boys and young men.
The Muslim young man today is in a state of psychospiritual crisis.
While the close-knit Islamic societies of yesteryear provided all of the structures and services he needed to adopt proper akhlaq (Islamic moral character), learn a suitable trade, and seek higher spiritual guidance, today his like is constantly berated by a multitude of often irreconcilable callings.
Pressures from school plus responsibilities at home and in the community clash with disruptions from social media, phone and internet abuse, social campaigns, competing ideologies, videogames, etc. Pontiffs on both sides of the contemporary political spectrum lock him in a tug-of-war for his absolute loyalty. What results are many young men growing up missing a sense of place and belonging in the world and, namely, the Ummah of Rasulullah ﷺ.
Higher rates of apostasy, drugs, crime, and suicide are frequently cited on his behalf, but the world continues to look the other way from any holistic return to our roots as human beings as a solution.
For too long, our communities have responded to increasing rates of Muslim male risk behaviors with reactionary measures that don’t move us forward. It is high time that we proactively create structured tarbiyah programs that will not only build resilience against falling into these traps, but ready today’s youth to become tomorrow’s community servants and leaders.
Our Responsibility
Mihraab Foundation has designed a holistic and traditionally-based initiative to fill the gap left in the wake of modern individualistic ideologies. We believe that no such endeavor is worthwhile unless it adheres to the Sacred Law of Islam and supports the priorities and methodology of the pure and purifying Sunnah. It is also important to contextualize the program with the societal conditions our children are growing up in, providing practical guidance for adopting a resilient Islamic lifestyle in both facilitative and troubling times.
The mission of this new endeavor, Al-Fityān, is to prepare young men to live a self-sufficient, Sunnah-oriented life by actualizing the Vitues of Futuwwah.
Who are the Fityān?
In the classical Islamic tradition, scholars have exhausted efforts to define the essential characteristics of Futuwwah, or virtuous conduct. Such are the defining characteristics of those labeled fityān (s. fatā), such as the young men described in Surah al-Kahf in the Qur’an, or the most virtuous of youths in the Prophetic sīrah, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (may Allah be pleased with him).
Mihraab Foundation has gone to lengths to identify the most important characteristics of fityān today, and design a mentorship program around the inculcation of these virtues.
Courage: “To always say and do what is truthful and right.”
Altruism: “To give without expectation, and to prefer others’ needs over your own.”
Loyalty: “To sacrifice other interests for Allah and His Messenger ﷺ and practicing citizenship within the Ummah.”
Gratitude: “To give back for even the smallest of blessings.”
Modesty: “To practice self-discipline and to be content with one’s means.”
Dignity: “To remain clean, courteous, calm, and practical in all situations.”
Compassion: “To treat the creation equal to or better than one expects to be treated.”
Resilience: “To be patient and prepared in all situations.”
Program structure
Weekly Majlis
The focal point of the Al-FItyan program is the weekly majlis (gathering). Once a week (usually a weekday evening). Usually held on a weekday evening, the group convenes weekly to develop skills, worship together, and gain valuable suhbah (companionship) with their elders. Whenever possible, the majlis is held in an outdoor location, often braving weather and darkness whilst learning important skillsets and exercising the nafs.
Adventure awaits
Becoming competent outdoors is a component essential to connecting to human nature and thereby realizing one’s potential as a Muslim man. Every month, Al-Fityan hosts a weekend adventure for its members to build these crucial skills and imprint upon each young man palpable and spiritually-informed experiences.
Adventures are all-weather and frequently include the following:
Hikes
Campouts
Service projects
Craft intensives
Hunt camp (ages 14+)
Learning to change brake pads and rotors on a weekday evening
Happiness upon completion of their first ten-mile hike
A fireside archery competition
Program features
The number forty in the Islamic tradition resonates with meanings of completeness, maturity, divinely-accepted effort.
The centerpiece of the Al-Fityan program is forty learning modules, all of which are underpinned by a Sunnah-oriented methodology and which collectively are designed to initiate the transformation from boy to virtuous man.
These modules include a wide range of outdoor skills, crafts and trades, and essentials for modern life.
Upon completion of each module with its requirements, youth will be awarded an Ihsan Emblem signifying their achievement.
These emblems are stamped in a passport-like book to record their progress within the program. Our ranking system recognizes each youth’s accumulation of Ihsan emblems and completion of Islamic educational goals, including Qur’anic recitation, Islamic jurisprudence and creed.
Some of our program features:
Wilderness survival
First aid
Financial management
Hunting & fishing
Automotive maintenance
Archery
Entrepreneurship
Ummah citizenship & civics
Calligraphy
Horsemanship
Woodworking
Da’wah
Swimming
Who is eligible to participate?
Boys ages 11-17 may register as a youth participant. If the applicant is ten years old but will be eleven by the end of the calendar year, their application will be considered.
Adult males eighteen years or older may apply to become a registered volunteer if they meet the eligibility requirements.
We believe the return of single-gender bonding experiences between adults and children is an important step towards reunifying with our Divine-oriented purpose. For this purpose, while this program caters to the needs of boys and young men specifically, its success may in the future inspire a future program for young Muslimahs.
This program is by registration only, as its success requires consistency on behalf of the participant, coordination between leadership and parents, and financial and administrative resources to keep up with participant advancement, skills, and outings. Youth participants are required to maintain 66% attendance of meetings and attend most outings.
