** Significant scholarships are available for families in need. Email info@fitrahoutdoors.com to learn more.**

This immersive 8-Week course will provide students with a pedagogically diverse and outdoor experiential understanding of the 7 characteristics Allah tells us He loves in the Qur’an. Students will familiarize themselves with these 7 Qur’anic characteristics through: 

• Outdoor Activities

• Artistic Expression

• Contemplation

• Mentorship
  

*This course is designed for students ages 11-15

*Scroll to very bottom of this webpage for photos of the program

Over the 8-week course, and drawing upon an age-appropriate understanding of Imam Fode Drame’s book, “The Seven Characteristics that God Loves and Their Opposites,” students will:

• Learn about the 7 characteristics that Allah loves, and how they manifest in nature 

• Learn the Sunnah of making wudu with a mudd of water and praying outdoors

• Go on daily hikes in a beautiful local park setting

• Learn traditional contemplative practices in nature

• Strengthen their relationship to nature

• Gain confidence navigating outdoor environments

• Create individual presentations on one of the 7 characteristics & present it on Week 8 at an outdoor community Iftar
  

Jan 14 

Tawba

• Introduction 

• Grounding / Indigenous Connections

• Overview of 7 characteristics Allah loves

• Lesson on Tawba

• Lunch

• Dhuhr

• Hiking

• Sit spot activity

Jan 21

Tahara

• Lesson on Outdoor Awareness

• Lesson on Tahara

• Lunch

• Dhuhr

• Hiking

• Sit spot activity

Jan 28

Taqwa

• Lesson on Basic Outdoor Survival

• Lesson on Taqwa

• Lunch

• Dhuhr

• Hiking

• Sit spot activity

Feb 4

Sabr

• Lesson on the Qur’an & Nature

• Lesson on Sabr

• Lunch

• Dhuhr

• Hiking

• Sit spot activity

Feb 11

Ehsan

• Art Activity

• Lesson on Ehsan

• Lunch

• Dhuhr

• Hiking

• Sit spot activity

Feb 18

Tawakkul

• Art Activity (Continued)

• Lesson on Tawakkul

• Lunch

• Dhuhr

• Hiking

• Sit spot activity

Feb 25

Qist

• Lesson on Qist

• Dhuhr

• Preparation for Next Week’s Presentation

• Hiking

• Sit spot activity

March 4

• Presentations & Family Iftar in the Park

*Please note that this is an 8-week course, with instruction provided every Wednesday 10 AM - 3 PM at Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve & Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve (Oakland / Orinda).

The program will take place on the following Wednesdays, 10 AM - 3 PM:

• Jan 14

• Jan 21
  

• Jan 28
  

• Feb 4
  

• Feb 11
  

• Feb 18
  

• Feb 25
  

• March 4

Sulayman Christopher

Originally from traditional Ho Chunk territory (present-day Madison, Wisconsin), Sulayman has decades of experience as an policy advocate, community organizer, outdoorsman, and educator. He is the founder of Fitrah Outdoors, and has taught youth in a variety of settings, both domestically and internationally. Sulayman currently lives with his wife in Berkeley, CA.

Experience as an Educator

• Founder, Fitrah Outdoors, 2022–Present

• Co-Founder, Muslim-Indigenous Circle, 2020–Present

• Executive Director, Green Muslims, 2014-2016

• Collaborator, “Protectors of the Planet,” Noor Kids Book, 2015

• Co-Founder, ODIG–Our Deen is Green Youth Outdoor Program, (2015-Present)

• Program Leader & Curriculum Developer, Putney Student Travel’s 4-week social justice program guiding 14 American high schoolers through urban and rural Cambodia, 2012

• Pre School Teacher, Bright Horizons, 2006

• Sober Activities Coordinator, Connections Counseling, facilitated 15 youth in recovery on a week-long therapeutic outdoor adventure through Colorado, 2005 
  

Learn more about Fitrah Outdoors and Sulayman:

• Wasat video highlighting a recent Fitrah Outdoors Seattle-based program with Sulayman Christopher and Sheikh Adeyinka Muhammad Mendes

• Chesapeake Bay Program article on Green Muslims, during Sulayman’s tenure as Executive Director 

• Instagram: @fitrahoutdoors

• Website: fitrahoutdoors.com

• "Fitrah Outdoors is the type of program that I have been wanting my daughter to experience; learning about nature through the Islamic lens, guided by a seasoned educator...After the first session, my daughter had hiked miles of trails, been introduced to the land’s Indigenous history, its geography and plant life, and animal tracking, and more, while being guided to reflect on the signs of the Creator in nature and connect them to our purpose, the stages of life, and the crucial importance of intention and character as Muslims, and more!
  
  She came back looking healthy and happy after five hours outdoors. That should tell you the kind of teacher Brother Sulayman is. He’s a real resource for the community, and I’m thankful my daughter has the opportunity to study -while having fun- with him and Fitrah Outdoors.

  
  -Sarah Hussein and Anya Anderson (January 17, 2026)
  
  
  
  

• “When I picked her up, she was beaming! It’s one thing to just wear kids out after 5 hours in nature, but to wear them out and see them return happy and inspired by a deeper understanding of Allah is a whole other thing…to have this kind of quality programming, where the attributes Allah loves is discussed by a knowledgeable teacher who understands young adults - in the setting Allah created for us to reflect upon Him — is priceless. May Allah reward the doers of good. May Allah fill our children, the future leaders, with the light of His deen.”
  
  

  -Umm Aicha, parent of 13 year-old participant (January 15, 2026)