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How Imams Can Help Couples Navigate Marriage | Islamic Council
Islamic Council

A professional development workshop for Imams

Marital support training for Imams: guiding the couples who turn to you

Thursday 26 November 2026 · 9:00am to 6:00pm
1st Floor Hall, London Muslim Centre, Whitechapel

Book your place See the programme
DateThursday 26 November 2026
Time9:00am to 6:00pm
VenueLondon Muslim Centre

When couples need guidance, they turn to their Imam

You are usually the first person a couple in difficulty comes to, and often the only one. This day is built for that moment: a practical, Islamically grounded framework for guiding a couple with wisdom, holding clear boundaries, and knowing when a case needs to go further than you. You leave with a clearer sense of what your role is, what it is not, and how to carry it well.

  • Clarity on your roleResponsible for the process, not the outcome, and clear on where your role ends and someone else’s begins.
  • A framework to followA structured way to open, guide and close each conversation with a couple, whatever it is really about.
  • Listening that is feltTechniques that help both spouses feel genuinely heard, and the common traps that stop that happening.
  • Fair to both spousesPractical ways to stay even-handed and manage your own bias when supporting both spouses.
  • Knowing when to referRecognising safeguarding, wellbeing and legal red lines, and referring with confidence rather than with reluctance.
  • Care for yourselfProtecting your own emotional and spiritual wellbeing while you carry other people's difficulties.

Grounded in the Qur’an and the Sunnah

إِن يُرِيدَآ إِصْلَٰحًۭا يُوَفِّقِ ٱللَّهُ بَيْنَهُمَآ

“If they both desire reconciliation, Allah will bring about harmony between them.”

Surah an-Nisa, 4:35

The Qur’an describes arbiters sent from both families whose purpose is reconciliation. That is the Imam’s role in a marital conversation: not judge, not therapist, but a trusted third party whose aim is islah. This day is about carrying that role with skill, in a way that is structured, practical and faithful to the Prophetic way ﷺ.

One day, four sessions

A structured journey from mindset to practice, with a real-world scenario in every session.

  1. Session 1Awareness The Imam's role: from fixer to facilitator What the role is and what it is not, the Qur'anic basis for it, listening that is felt, and how to open a conversation so it stays fair from the first minute. Led by Shaykh Farid Haibatan
  2. Session 2Discipline Ethics, boundaries and neutrality Professional boundaries in the Prophetic tradition, channels and confidentiality, staying even-handed between spouses, and the red lines that mean a case must be referred. Led by Shaykh Shaqur Rehman
  3. Session 3Diagnosis Recognising patterns, guiding conversations The conflict patterns that sit beneath most disputes, the questions that bring them to the surface, and a simple framework for steadying a heated conversation. Led by Ahmed Tomal
  4. Session 4Application Facilitation in practice, and knowing when to step back Running a full conversation from opening to close, practising it, recognising your limits, handing over with care, and looking after yourself. Led by Shaykh Fuad Abdo

The day closes with shared reflections, personal commitments and du'a.

Practical from start to finish

Each session works through an anonymised case of the kind Imams meet every week. You'll practise the skills, not just hear about them.

  • A dispute about religion that isn't about religionA couple present a disagreement over religious practice. Underneath it are isolation, pressure and a marriage under strain. How do you hold the role of facilitator rather than mufti, and hear what is really being said?Session 1
  • When support slips out of hoursHelp offered to one spouse begins to spill into private, late-night messages. Where was the line crossed, how do you reset it without shaming anyone, and what keeps it from happening again?Session 2
  • The argument that keeps coming backEvery meeting returns to the same dispute, and the dispute is never really about its subject. How do you recognise the pattern, name it to the couple, and move the conversation on?Session 3
  • The case that will not closeMonths of sessions, the same complaints, no change — and you are the one carrying it. How do you recognise that your role has reached its limit, and hand over with care and confidence?Session 4

Who it's for

Imams Leading and serving in mosques and Islamic centres across the UK, and already the first port of call for couples in difficulty.

Also open to Islamic scholars, including members of the British Board of Scholars and Imams, and to community advisors who support couples in a recognised role.

Good to know. This is a men-only professional development day for Imams and others already in an advisory role. It isn't counselling or therapy training, a legal qualification, or guidance for couples themselves.

Your trainers

Shaykh Farid Haibatan

Shaykh Farid Haibatan

Course lead · Session 1

Shaykh Farid studied Arabic and the Islamic sciences at the Islamic University of Madinah, having first graduated in Electronic Systems Engineering from the University of Essex. He has long taught Arabic and Islamic Studies, and his English translations of classical works include Fortification of the Muslim (Hisn al-Muslim). He leads this day and opens it by setting out what the Imam's role in a marital conversation is, and what it is not.

Shaykh Shaqur Rehman

Session 2

Bio to follow. Two to three sentences on training and current role, then one sentence on what he brings to Imams on ethics, boundaries and neutrality.

Ahmed Tomal

Ahmed Tomal

Session 3

Ahmed is a BACP counsellor and psychotherapist with an MSc in Psychology, and the founder of Tawfiq Therapy, an East London practice supporting Muslim individuals and couples in a culturally and religiously sensitive way. He brings that front-line experience to Imams: the conflict patterns beneath most disputes, and the questions that bring them to the surface.

Shaykh Fuad Abdo

Session 4

Bio to follow. Two to three sentences on training and current role, then one sentence on what he brings to Imams on running a full conversation and knowing when to step back.

Book your place

Places are limited to 50, and bookings close on Monday 16 November 2026.

£49

per person

The full day, lunch and refreshments, and your workshop materials.

Book your place

A member of BBSI, the East London Mosque Imam network or MRDF? Enter your organisation's code at checkout.

Unable to cover the cost? A limited number of funded places are available. Apply for a funded place

On the day

WhenThursday 26 November 2026
9:00am to 6:00pm
WhereLondon Muslim Centre
92 Whitechapel Road, E1 1JQ
Food and drinkLunch and refreshments
provided throughout the day

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Questions

Who can attend?
This is a men-only workshop for Imams who support couples in their role. Islamic scholars and community advisors already in an advisory role are also welcome.
Is this counselling or therapy training?
No. It's professional development in the Imam's facilitation role: guiding conversations with couples well, holding clear boundaries, and recognising when to refer to a specialist. It isn't a counselling, therapy or legal qualification.
I'm a member of a partner organisation. How do I book?
Members of BBSI, the East London Mosque Imam network and MRDF receive a booking code from their organisation. Enter it at checkout and your member rate is applied.
How do funded places work?
A limited number of places are fully funded for Imams who would otherwise be unable to attend. Complete the short application form; successful applicants receive a code to book at no cost. Places are limited, so please apply early.
Is lunch provided?
Yes. Lunch is provided, along with tea, coffee and refreshments throughout the day.
What should I bring?
Just yourself and something to write with. Workshop materials are provided on the day.

Join fellow Imams on 26 November

Fifty places, one day, and a clearer way of guiding the couples who turn to you.

Book your place
Islamic Council

How Imams Can Help Couples Navigate Marriage is organised by Islamic Council.