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STATEMENT OF FAITH

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OUR aqeedah - Creed

Tawheed (Allah's Oneness)

We believe in the Oneness of Allah according to the belief of prophet Muhammad and the first three generations. We are Athari. (textualists). That means we take our creed from Primary Sources (Quran, Sunnah, consensus of the Companions). We affirm what Allah affirmed for himself literally. We don't ask how, we don't deny and we don't interpret his Attributes. We remain silent where the prophet and his companions  remained silent. 

Quran & Sunnah (The method of the Prophet Muhammad)

We believe the Quran is the uncreated Speech of Allah and the Sunnah is its authoritative explanation. The Quran is the final authority and the authentic hadith explain it in detail and it is binding.

OUR manhaj - method

Spentem is a portmanteau for Spirituality, Enterprise, and Empathy. Through Spentem, we practice Restorative Islamic Pedagogy which restores the person by first restoring their identity in relation to Allah, then cultivating their agency to strive, then repairing their capacity for empathetic responsibility. 

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SPIRITUALITY — Identity & Connection to Allah

  • Trauma processing through tawakkul

  • Qur’an as mirror, not hammer

 

Pedagogical method: Storytelling + reflection

 

ENTERPRISE — Striving & Personal Development

  • Ikhtiyār (conscious choice)

  • Striving as worship

  • Small, consistent actions over grand gestures

 

Pedagogical method: Micro-goals + accountability

 

EMPATHY — Relationships & Accountability

  • Restorative accountability vs. punitive shame

  • Repairing the web of relationships

  • Muru’ah (chivalry) purified

 

Pedagogical method: Circle work + service

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who spentem is for

- Muslim men system-affected by incarceration, poverty, policing, foster care, addiction, reentry,  displacement and are ready to be vulnerable and share their experiences for the purpose of growth

- Converts / Reverts  rebuilding identity, family and / or Deen after major mistakes and setbacks 

- Educators, chaplains, imams who want tools to teach, counsel or lead with wisdom and not just rules

who spentem is not for

- Muslims who want to argue about aqeedah, manhaj or sects 

- Muslims who want to learn Islamic sciences or need to learn how to pray, or make wudhu. We do not teach aqeedah, fiqh, Arabic, Quran or hadith

- Individuals or organizations who want our stories, labor or access to communities without reciprocity 

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