Ihsan Circle
Ihsan Circle

Life at Ihsan Circle · حياة

Ten years, in photographs

Not a highlight reel — the ordinary evidence. Circles on masjid floors, whiteboards mid-lesson, archery at dusk, and the meals that ran long. Hover a word to see that part of the work.

The Halaqah

The weekly circle — the same faces, the same floor, for years.

Students setting out food and supplies at a table before a gatheringStudents seated in a circle during an Ihsan Circle sessionStudents seated in a large circle for an evening halaqahRoughly thirty-five young men sitting in a circle on a masjid floor during a halaqahA wide circle of youth seated on the carpet of a large masjid prayer hallStudents and a teacher sitting on a blanket for an outdoor halaqahStudents gathered on the floor of a prayer hall in conversationIrslan laughing warmly with a student in ChicagoA study circle gathered around a presentation screenA wide masjid hall with students gathered in circles under warm wooden beamsIrslan teaching a standing circle of teenage students in SachseA large group of teenage students posing together in a classroom

In Class

Seminars, whiteboards, and texts worked through together.

A packed living room of teenage students gathered for a lessonAttendees seated facing a presentation screen during a workshopA seminar-style class with an instructor at the frontStudents sitting on the floor listening and laughing togetherA full community gathering — men and women seated on the floor of a large hall, listening to a speaker at a podiumA full hall of students seated for an adab classStudents at a community outreach table, talking with visitorsA room packed wall to wall with young people seated on the floor for a programA packed masjid hall gathered for a talkA large university lecture hall filled for a talkA grid of students and their teacher together on a live online class callA student being tossed in the air by classmates in celebration

Qur'an

Recitation, memorization, and the book held open together.

Two young boys reading from the Qur'an on the carpet of a grand masjid hallStudents leaning over an open book together, working through a questionA row of teenage boys praying together outdoors on a fieldIrslan holding a trophy at a Qur'an recitation competition in an Islamic School of Irving shirtIrslan walking toward the stage at an Islamic School of Irving Qur'an competitionA young student holding an open mus'haf, smiling toward the cameraAn older student sitting on the floor facing three younger boys seated on cushions during a circleA cohort of Ihsan Circle students posing togetherStudents crowded together at a MIST competition in Houston, 2015A group of young students posing together after an activityIrslan with a friend in Irving, 2016Portrait of Irslan, 2022

Brotherhood

The part no curriculum schedules — meals, jokes, and staying late.

Three students smiling together at an eventA mentor and a crowd of laughing boys crammed into a selfie over boxes of snacksStudents sharing a meal together, plates set out on the floor of a hallYoung men standing together on the carpet of a masjid hall after fajrStudents posing together with their teacher in Eid clothingThree friends in traditional dress together after Eid prayerA post-fajr circle selfie on the masjid floorStudents sharing a late-night meal together at a pizza shopA group of students laughing together in a candid selfieStudents laughing together after a sessionTwo students laughing together during a one-on-one sessionIhsan Circle students and mentors on a group outing

Outdoors

Archery, picnics, fields — a circle that leaves the room.

A circle of students sitting together outdoors at a park under a wide skyBoys lined up along the fence of a track field on a bright day outStudents shooting bows at an archery outing in Plano, 2019A cohort of young men dressed for Eid gathered outside the masjid with their teachersA row of young men standing shoulder to shoulder in prayer in an open fieldStudents posing together outside a masjid in Eid clothingA student reading his phone outdoors in the evening lightFour students standing together against a clear skyInstructors and students posing together outside a buildingA cohort of teens gathered around their teacher outdoors on a summer afternoonIrslan standing outside with two of his studentsIrslan with two friends in traditional dress posing outdoors

Da'wah

Campus tables, open questions, and the people who walked up.

Students studying together around a long cafe tableA congregation standing in night prayer beneath a green-lit mihrabA group of students posing together outdoors on a campus greenA group of student leaders gathered around a table at nightStudents working through Arabic texts around a study tableStudents at a community outreach tableTwo young men in thobes standing together on a university campus on EidIhsan Circle's founder sharing a meal with students at a tableNew Muslims introduced to the congregation inside the masjidYouth leaders filling a long restaurant table at a meetupYoung people seated at tables in a community hall during a workshop, a large screen behind the speakerA student speaking at a podium during a formal event

Mentorship

One guide, one student, and the years that make the difference.

A large group of students and mentors gathered in a banquet hallA young scholar in a cap and blazer, smiling mid-conversationA teacher seated on the floor with a circle of young students, books open between themIrslan with a group of young men and an elder at an EPIC Masjid eventA teacher in a thobe speaking with two students at a table, a book open between themA hall of attendees seated for an evening program, seen from the backStudents sharing a meal together at a restaurantIrslan teaching, seated in front of an Al-Hirz Institute bannerThree men in quiet conversation seated on the floorA group of students sharing a meal at a restaurantA large formal group photo outside a masjid for EidIrslan at a community outreach table event

84 Photographs · A Decade

Every one of these was a Tuesday

None of it was staged for a website. It is what a decade of showing up looks like — and the next ten years are being photographed in Chicago right now.

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Want the story behind the photographs? Read the founding story.