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2018 notes by R on Quran 15 years – (actual note(s) from student(s))

(actual note(s) from student(s)) Last class we began our discussion about the Quran. The...

2012 Sep – GISLA IS looking for for a few good goats not not many sheep

ASA WRB The GreenStairs Islamic Leadership Academy (GISLA) is looking for a FEW GOATS...

2018 Sep – class objectives

LEVEL TWO OBJECTIVES   ISLAMIC PRACTICE Test out on Level 1 page every week Learn 10 new...

Concept 10 – numbers 1, 5 and 6 have signficance

We believe in ONE GOD We have a minimum of two cycles in Prayer We have 5 pillars...

Concept 13 – points for Mothers day

Nothing should be taken for granted. Allah (SWT) has the power to take anything away...

Concept 11 – Can you stay on for 8 seconds as they do in Rodeos

(Gisla Student observation) We tried out a new exercise in class where we tried to visit...

0011 Actual Class Notes – Our Visit with Hindu guest

Lately, we’ve had a couple visitors from India join our class to learn about Islam...

0012 Actual Class Notes – What did the Jewish students teach us

Recently, we got a visit from the Jewish students from their Sunday school to ours. The...

Leading from Behind: Why True Leaders Lift Others First

By Yusuf A. ·  Grade 10

The greatest leaders I know are the ones nobody talks about. They arrange chairs before the halaqah and make sure everyone has a seat before they take one themselves.

March 2025

The Weight of Knowledge: What We Owe Our Community

By Fatima K. ·  Grade 1

My teacher once asked: if you know the right path and stay silent, are you still a leader? That question has stayed with me since the day she asked it.

February 2025

Climbing My Own Staircase: A Reflection on Personal Growth

By Amira S. ·  Grade 9

I used to think leadership was a destination. GreenStairs taught me it is a staircase — each step earned through effort and intention, each one built on the last.

January 2025

The Ummah as a Body: Why One Limb's Pain Is Everyone's

By Omar D. ·  Grade 10

The Prophet ﷺ described the believers as one body. That metaphor hit differently when I watched my masjid community respond to a family in crisis.

December 2024

When No One Is Watching: The Real Definition of Integrity

By Zahra M. ·  Grade 12

Integrity is easy when people are watching. It is what you do in the dark — in the moment when no one would ever know — that defines who you truly are.

November 2024

The Compass in the Storm: Keeping Values in Difficult Times

By Ibrahim K. ·  Grade 11

In the hardest moments, a map is useless — the roads have changed. Only a compass pointing to true north can guide you through a storm.

October 2024

A Candle Loses Nothing: On Generosity and Shared Light

By Nour A. ·  Grade 10

Every time I share a skill, I expect to feel less capable. Instead I feel more connected. The candle metaphor finally made complete sense to me this week.

September 2024

Standing in the Valley: Lessons from My Lowest Semester

By Bilal H. ·  Grade 9

GreenStairs did not save me from my valley. It gave me language for it — and the courage to believe the climb was coming, even when I could not see it.

August 2024

Leading from Behind: Why True Leaders Lift Others First

The greatest leaders I know are the ones nobody talks about. They arrange chairs before the halaqah and make sure everyone has a seat before they take one themselves.

The concept of leadership as service has always been present in our deen — but it did not feel personal to me until recently. I grew up watching elders lead from the front, commanding attention and authority. I thought that was what leadership looked like.

GreenStairs challenged that assumption in the very first session I attended.

Our instructor asked a simple question: “Who in this room has ever been led without knowing it?” Every hand went up. Then she asked, “Who was leading?” Nobody could answer. That silence taught me more than any lecture could.

True leadership, I now believe, is less about being seen and more about ensuring that others grow. It is found in small, consistent choices — not grand performances. And it starts, always, with showing up.

“The best of people are those who are most beneficial to others.”

— Prophet Muhammad ﷺ