Respect Graduate School

# A Faith-Based Journey to Love & Marriage

Premarital Preparation Course

Course Date: April 11-19, 2026

Marriage isn’t just a milestone — it’s a journey that begins with intention. Premarital Preparation Course is a faith-based educational program designed for singles, engaged couples, and newlyweds to explore love, marriage, and lifelong partnership through the lens of Islamic guidance, spiritual reflection, and practical relationship tools.

What Our Students Say

This course created a safe and soul-nourishing space. The openness and real-life examples gave me clarity, confidence, and trust in my journey toward marriage. Appreciated the honest take on the common topics like sexual intimacy & finances too.

Alhamdulillah, the program was insightful and engaging. I looked forward to class every week, and the chaplains made learning warm and interactive.

I came in hesitant but left encouraged and positive. The course gave me tools, questions, and strategies to truly prepare for marriage and address obstacles with confidence.

The teaching style was warm, engaging, and deeply personal. I didn’t feel lectured at - I felt spoken to. The lessons stayed with me all week, building on each other, helping me reflect and grow.

I especially valued the conflict resolution tips and the ‘cultural backpack’ exercise. It gave me practical ways to understand myself and others in the marriage process.

Bağış Yap
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Course Overview

Premarital Preparation Course is an interactive and spiritually reflective 4-week (16 hrs) journey designed for singles, engaged couples, and newlyweds to explore the path of marriage through the lens of Islamic guidance and lived wisdom. Our team of dynamic and experienced instructors (Chaplains, Therapists, Imams, Educators) will lead engaging live sessions grounded in Qur’anic principles, Prophetic teachings, and evidence-based relationship tools. Together, we’ll build the foundation for resilient, loving, and purpose-centered relationships in a way that’s meaningful and relevant to today’s contemporary landscape. Let’s explore how to cultivate a resilient marriage that is God-centered, and deeply anchored in peace (sakeenah), love (mawaddah), and compassion (rahmah).

Course Outcomes

Articulate the spiritual and practical purposes of marriage in Islam and apply that understanding to personal decision-making and relationship readiness.

Practice reflective self-assessment to identify personal values, life goals, and relationship expectations for better compatibility with a potential partner, or with your current partner in a new/ongoing marriage.

Improve communication skills, understand cultural influences (with special attention to multi-cultural and multi-religious families), and be exposed to approaches to navigating crucial conflict.

Engage in meaningful conversations around finances, roles, and responsibilities in the marriage, relationships with parents/in-laws and extended families, that reflect mutual respect and shared purpose.

Balance elements of holistic wellbeing (physical, sexual, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual), and increase awareness of their influence on each other.

Understand the basic legal, religious, and procedural aspects of Islamic marriage contracts and related paperwork.

Participate in a learning community that fosters mutual support, accountability, and spiritual growth through experiential learning opportunities.

Develop spiritual resilience and a mindset of intentional growth to navigate the evolving nature of marriage with faith, flexibility, and mutual care.

Course Objective

Are you ready to build a relationship grounded in purpose and emotional strength? This dynamic course supports singles, engaged couples, and newlyweds in preparing for a God-conscious marriage that flourishes across all aspects of life—spiritual, emotional, and relational. Through timeless Islamic wisdom and relevant, practical guidance, you'll gain greater clarity and confidence as you navigate love and commitment with intentionality. With a focus on both inner growth and shared connection, the course offers a holistic, values-based approach to building strong, enduring partnerships.

Join us on a journey toward a marriage rooted in faith, and enriched by peace (sakeenah), love (mawaddah), and compassion (rahmah).

Course Schedule

Premarital Preparation Course holds its lessons on Zoom over two weekends from April 11 - April 19, 2026, between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm New York time (EST). The course consists of 8 modules delivered over 2 weeks by 4 instructors, and concludes with a final session of personal group discussion and mentoring. You can click here to check the time difference between your local time zone and New York, and even add your city to the list.

Module 1 - Introduction & Orientation, with Course Director - Chaplain Sakinah Alhabshi (10 am - 11 am EST)

- checking in, intention/expectation-setting, resources for the course, Google Classroom orientation, etc.

Module 2 - Faith as Foundation: Values & Vision, with Chaplain Usama Tuna (11 am - 2 pm EST)

- understanding your life purpose, approaching marriage as worship & service, Qur'anic & Prophetic teachings for today's application, role of consultation with people & Allah (istishaara & istikhaarah)

Module 3 - Knowing Yourself & Partner: Basics of Physical & Spiritual Love Languages, by Chaplain Sakinah Alhabshi (10 am - 11 am EST)

- connecting with your partner, yourself, and Allah, through understanding personal tendencies in communicating love/appreciation, conflict/distress, worship/ibadaat

Module 4 - Navigating Identities, Multi-cultural & Multi-faith Families, with Dr. Lyndsey Eksili (11 am - 2 pm EST)

- navigating socio-cultural-religious identities/dynamics of self, families of origin, in-laws, friends, and the new marriage, with special attention to multi-cultural/multi-religious families

Module 5 - Compatibility + Methodology of a Good Match, with Chaplain Kaiser Aslam (10 am - 12 pm EST)

- “Am I a good catch? What am I bringing to the table?", "I have a candidate, what’s next?”, “I don’t have a candidate, how do I start?”, "When/how do I involve our families?", crucial questions

Module 6 - Rules of the Household, with Chaplain Kaiser Aslam (12 pm - 2 pm EST)

- balancing roles & responsibilities, finances & agreements, gender & cultural norms, marriage-related admin prep - aqad, wali, contract/prenup, dowry (mahr)

Module 7 - Holistic Wellbeing, Sexual Health & Intimacy, with Ch. Sakinah Alhabshi, with Chaplain Sakinah Alhabshi (10 am - 1 pm EST)

- understanding the interconnectedness in holistic wellbeing, fiqh (rulings) & Prophetic guidance on sexual interactions, navigating intimacy and common sexual concerns in new marriages      

Module 8 - Q&A/Discussion Session segregated by genders, all Sisters with Chaplain Sakinah & Dr. Lindsey, all Brothers with Chaplains Kaiser & Usama (1 pm - 2 pm EST)

- final session of free-flow Q&A with your instructors, segregated by gender for more intimate discussions/reflections

Application Form

Ready to join? Clicking the 'Enroll Now' button will take you to our secure enrollment form on a trusted external platform. Please complete the form to finalize your enrollment in the course.

Tuition Fees:
-
Individual registration: $250
- Couple registration: $350 (total for both participants)

You can choose to pay in 2 monthly installments by credit card. PayPal and debit/local bank cards are also accepted, depending on your location.

Course fee for individuals:

$250

Total fee for couples:

$350

Do you have a question? Contact us: [email protected]

About the Instructors

Ch. Sakinah is the Head of English Programs at Respect Family School and the lead instructor of the Premarital Preparation Course. She also serves as a hospital chaplain at St. Luke’s Health Network and Respect Masjid, and is endorsed as a Muslim chaplain in both healthcare and community settings. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in Professional Education and Religious Leadership at the Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Michigan.

Ch. Sakinah holds a Master’s in Islamic Studies and Inter-religious Chaplaincy from the Graduate Theological Union (California), an Advanced Diploma in Islamic Studies from Arees University, and traditional certifications in Qur’an and Hadith. She completed two years of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) residency and fellowship at Stanford Hospital.

With over 20 years of experience in community leadership, she specializes in premarital coaching, spiritual development, crisis communication, and chaplaincy training. She regularly delivers lectures, workshops, and retreats for diverse audiences in faith-based and interfaith settings.

Before her chaplaincy career, Ch. Sakinah earned a degree in civil-environmental engineering from Northwestern University and an MBA from GE Leadership University, Italy. She worked for nearly a decade in the energy sector before transitioning into spiritual care and education.

Ch. Sakinah Alhabshi
Ch. Kaiser Aslam is the Muslim Chaplain at Rutgers University, New Jersey. He studied various classical Islamic sciences within the United States and abroad and holds a Masters’s degree in Islamic Studies & Muslim-Christian Relations from Hartford International University for Religion and Peace, Connecticut. He also earned a B.S. in Biology from Elmhurst University, Illinois. Ch. Kaiser has served as the Muslim Chaplain at Hartford Hospital and as a youth director at various Islamic centers, most recently at the Farmington Valley American Muslim Center. He has a decade of experience in premarital coaching - supporting couples through guidance, reflective discussions, and crucial conversations. He also officiates marriages (nikah).

Ch. Kaiser has worked with and in over a dozen educational and service-based organizations in the American Muslim Community over the last decade, including as the National Coordinator of Young Muslims, the largest Muslim youth group in North America. Ch. Kaiser lectures nationally on Islam, Muslim youth, Interfaith work, Muslim culture, and various other topics. His thesis at Hartford Seminary aimed to provide a definition of undergraduate ‘Islamic Literacy’ for undergraduate Muslim Americans. Ch. Kaiser spends his free time commenting on popular culture, consuming scientific journals, reading comics, and adventuring his way through nature. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and children.
Ch. Kaiser Aslam
Chaplain Usama is the Executive Producer for Post-Production at a non-profit organization producing programming for PBS stations in New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia. He also serves at the Muslim Chaplain at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. An award-winning filmmaker and a media producer, he has also been active as a Muslim presenter in interfaith circles for the last two decades. Leading study circles in the Lehigh Valley area university campuses, he loves to discuss real-life implications of having a faith that’s based on conviction. His interactive and reflective approach to exploring self-awareness, God-consciousness (taqwa), and spiritual development is key to the foundation and resilience of marriage. He also officiates marriages (nikah).

Ch. Usama has been working in the broadcast media industry in a variety of capacities. He is a recipient of a Vision Award from the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications and a John Michaels Memorial Film Award at the Big Muddy Film Festival. Along with industry experience, he is also an educator, having worked as an assistant professor of video production at Cabrini University, a social justice centric liberal arts college in Pennsylvania.

Along with his education in traditional Islamic sciences, Ch. Usama holds a Bachelor’s degree in Broadcasting, Telecommunications and Mass Media from Temple University and a Master’s of Fine Arts in Film from Ohio University. He lives with his wife and sons in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.
Ch. Usama Tuna
Dr. Eksili currently serves as the Editorial Director for Youth Titles at Tughra Books, where she leads the development and growth of a publishing program aligned with Tughra Books’ mission. She is also a content editor at The Fountain Magazine, where she contributes to the refinement and impact of thought-provoking articles on faith, science, and humanity. She builds strong relationships with community leaders and organizations, and gives lectures and facilitates workshops nationally and internationally for Islamic educational organizations. She also leads study circles (halaqahs) and retreats for women and youth in Virginia.

Dr. Eksili is an educational leader with over 18 years of experience across private, public, and charter school systems, with a passion for Islam and mental health. Her doctoral research focused on social emotional well-being and holistic wellness, areas she passionately integrates into her educational and coaching practise. Dr. Eksili is also certified in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), trauma, and mindfulness training. She is currently engaged in initiatives that support the integration of migrant communities into the North American landscape, emphasizing the vital role of healthy marriages and families in achieving successful and smooth transitions.

Dr. Eksili also serves as the Board Chair at Pinnacle Academy in Chantilly, Virginia. In this capacity, she provides strategic leadership and governance, ensuring the emphasis on student success. Her dedication to promoting a supportive and inclusive learning environment, fostering social emotional well-being, and holistic wellness in education is an asset to any program.
Dr. Lyndsey Eksili

Contact Us

If you need advice on our program or registration, please feel welcome to contact us.