Arkansas Church to Have “A Brief Intro to the Quran and the Hadith”
The Mind Stretchers Series will present "Gaining Insight Into Islam - A Brief Intro to the Quran and the Hadith" event, which will be 6-7 p.m. Jan. 17 at St. John's Episcopal Church's Ruth Skinner Building, 214 N. Sixth St.
The free event will feature guest speaker Imam Abdellah Essalki, a 2017 candidate for a juris doctor degree from the University of Arkansas - Fayetteville School of Law.
Essalki is the Imam, or religious leader, at the Islamic Center of Northwest Arkansas and will "introduce" Mind Stretchers participants to the Quran, said Pat Klahr, a member of the committee that hosts the series.
"For (the series), we decided the topics where we are most in need of experts in Islam and genetics; we called the experts and they said that they would do it," she said.
"We chose Islam because it's a very current topic and, secondly, we had no idea, really, what the Quran was," Klahr added.
The Quran is one of the world's "great holy books" that was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad [PBUH], according to the event's promotional materials.
"The series isn't specifically about Islam; it's about us learning things that we normally, as functioning adults, wouldn't have the opportunity to learn," Klahr said.
As many as 60 people are expected to attend the event, said Jeannie McCabe, a coordinator for St. John's Episcopal Church's Youth and Small Groups Ministries.
The series originated in 2014 when the members of the church's Mind Stretchers small group decided to host events that would cover timely topics and help spread awareness throughout the community, McCabe said.
The events are open to all, although organizers recommend that those attending be of high school age or older, she said.
Source: Picayune Times
