"The strong believer is more beloved to God than the weak believer, but there is goodness in both." - hadith
Riverburst is about helping us become stronger believers. Learning from our scholars. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Barbell Lifts. Outdoorsmen. Firearms proficiency.
Handgun Instruction
We offer Basic Handgun instruction for self-defense and appropriate use of force. We are strict in following the many laws in California relating to gun ownership, concealed carry, storage, and transport. We only train responsible law-abiding citizens who will make our local communities safer.
Learning from traditional scholars
We believe in learning from local Islamic scholars who have formally trained at respected institutions.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Training in effective fighting arts such as wrestling, BJJ, Muay Thai, and Boxing are important for being able to defend yourself, your family, and your community. We recommend BJJ for everyone.
Outdoorsmen
Backpacking and outdoor survival skills allow us to enjoy the outdoors and appreciate the beauty of the God’s creation. We learn self-sufficiency, comfort in discomfort, and technical skills for living on the trail.
Barbell Lifts
While strength training can be done in many ways, we recommend barbell lifts as the fastest way to get strong and big.
F.A.Q.
This section provides more detailed guidance on becoming stronger believers, as well as answers to common questions.
Handgun Instruction
Riverburst offers Basic Handgun training that is based on, and improved upon, the NRA Basic Handgun curriculum. On occasion, I also organize Intermediate level classes, please email me at info@riverburst.com for that. The information below is for beginners.
I look to train serious students and only train those who are handgun owners. I am an NRA-certified and professionally-insured handgun instructor, as well as an NRA-certified range safety officer.
I offer private and semi-private classes by arrangement, in North Orange County. These typically consist of a two-hour classroom session – in your home or mine – and then one or more one-on-one range sessions. I generally charge $80/person, per session. Ammunition and range fees are paid separately by the student, and typically run $70 for two boxes of 9mm, $10 for .22LR, and $22 in range fees and targets, plus tax. Tuition and material fees all together, our 90 minute private range lesson costs approximately $180.
Between the classroom session and the one range session, I focus on gun safety, provide a general overview of striker-fired handgun operation, the fundamentals of shooting, and drills to address stoppages and performing reloads. Fundamentals of shooting is taught with a focus on decreasing anticipation and consistently getting 1.5 inch groups of 5 shots at 10 feet using a .22, before moving on to the 9mm Glock 19.
Other topics such as legal gun ownership, storage, transport, CCW in Orange County, and a general legal framework for use of lethal force are also reviewed in the classroom session.
I am currently on medical leave following surgery and will not be teaching before 11/15/21.
Please email me at info@riverburst.com to schedule future lessons.
Learning from Traditional Scholars
“Come as you are, to Islam as it is.” – Shaykh Jamaal Diwan, quoting Imam Zaid Shakir.
We are welcoming, and encouraging, of all seekers of sacred knowledge. At Riverburst we learn from local scholars of our religion who are formally trained in traditional, respected, institutions and individuals.
An example of a current Riverburst class offering (registration full) :
Riverburst LLC is honored to offer a course on the fiqh rulings relevant to those who will be leading prayer, especially those who will be leading prayer in our masaajid.
Instructor: Shaykh Mustafa Umar of California Islamic University
Course Title: “Fiqh topics relevant for leading prayer”
Target Audience: This Hanafi fiqh class is developed for our youth who have completed memorization of, or are actively memorizing, the Qur’an and inshallah will be leading prayer in our community, both boys and girls. However, all who meet the requirements below are welcome. Space limited to 20 students.
Number of classes: Six 1-hour Zoom sessions
Class size: 20 maximum
Time and Day : Six Sundays 12-1pm, starting 8/29 through 10/3.
REQUIREMENTS:
1. Ages 8 and 18. Those over age 18 should email me at adam@riverburst.com to be on the adult waitlist, as registration priority will first be given to our youth.
2. has at least one juz’ of qur’an memorized.
3. has excellent tajweed.
4. has previously taken a structured Islamic studies class, OR has completed memorization of the Qur’an, OR is memorizing the Qur’an every day.
Note this is an interactive class, and students will be asked to respond to questions and may be asked to recite to the group, so please take the requirements seriously.
Cost: $60 *No one will be turned away for lack of funds, subject to verification of need.
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Titles of previous talks organized by Riverburst include, “Our relationship with the fleeting life of this world.”
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Riverburst recommends life-long training in effective fighting arts such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) , wrestling, Muay Thai kickboxing, and Boxing. Specifically, we recommend BJJ. Riverburst has offered seminars to bring together our community members who already training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) and also to introduce community members who are new to BJJ. Please look to your local BJJ schools and find one that has a schedule of classes that you are able to attend. For residents of Orange County, Riverburst suggests you check out our partner school Empire Training Grounds in Buena Park, owned by world-class competitive BJJ black belt competitor and instructor Omar Sabha who has taught numerous Riverburst seminars.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Gym-Physical-Fitness-Center/Empire-Training-Grounds-110192630839528/
Outdoorsmen
Riverburst Backpacking and Outdoorsmanship
At this time, we do not offer group courses for Backpacking and Outdoorsmanship. For our California friends looking for instruction or guided trips, for we recommend Dust and Tribe, International Alpine Guides, TSX Challenge, and Coyne Survival Schools:
https://www.dustandtribe.com
https://www.internationalalpineguides.com/california-hiking
https://tsxchallenge.com/
https://www.californiasurvivaltraining.com/our-courses.
Barbell Lifts
Riverburst Barbell Lifts for Beginners
Location: Empire Training Grounds in Buena Park, Orange County. Private Lessons by arrangement.
We believe barbell lifts are the best general approach to strength training for our youth and men.
We are pleased to offer private and semi-private lessons on the major barbell lifts – squat, bench, deadlift, overhead press, and rows – and to provide exercise programming, and related knowledge such as nutrition, recovery, and sleep. Note that we look to train serious students, and require you to have a plan for your future workouts for you or your child before we schedule lessons, your future workouts can be at a gym that has a barbell rack/cage, or you may choose to set up a home gym at the cost of approximately $1300.
Riverbursts’ is honored to have “Abud” Albakri as an instructor for Barbell lifts. He is a physician and a competitor in powerlifting, who has been passionate about powerlifting since 2011. In 2018, he competed in the Colorado State Championship, setting the state record for deadlift (600lbs) in the drug-tested 100kg division. He taught and coached the basics of proper powerlifting methodology to his fellow medical students, and created a smart lifting spreadsheet so his classmates could have a productive pastime aside from studying. Additionally, he has coached athletes at powerlifting meets, including a world record deadlift attempt. Since then, he has attempted to integrate the deadlift into the healthy lifestyle of family, friends, and patients.
Please email me at info@riverburst.com to schedule lessons.
Service
There are many good ways to serve. Consider this. Muslims are a part of the fabric of our communities, and also underrepresented in the areas of fire authority and law enforcement. While many of us have already chosen our careers, for those here in OC, the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) is seeking qualified individuals to become reserve (volunteer) firefighters. Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) have a variety of reserve units such as Search & Rescue, harbor patrol, and uniformed patrol. If you are interested in speaking to Muslims who are firefighters, LEOs, or EMS to see what it’s like, please contact me.
https://www.ocfa.org/Residents/ReserveFirefighters.aspx
https://www.ocsheriff.gov/commands-divisions/investigations-special-operations-command/special-operations/mutual-aid-bureau-0
Testimonials
“ I have some testimonials in my email, I need to find them put them in this colorful box.”
Mr. Adam
F.A.Q.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do we need to do to raise stronger boys and men?
Riverburst General Recommended Areas of Focus for building strong Muslim boys and men.
These are lifelong, continuing efforts worthy of our time. The below is simplified to give you something useful, there are many ways to do this and below is just one way.
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Islamic studies and mentorship at least once a week. The right teacher is important, someone who is a good role model; preferably includes fiqh. We believe in traditional scholarship.
Worship. Work up to regularly praying Fajr and Ishaa’ at the masjid and regular tahajjud.
Daily Qur’an. Learning to recite properly, then memorization, review, and teaching.
Nutrition. Healthy habits require the whole family – starting with moderating quantity, then replacing starches and sugars with more vegetables, and decreasing processed foods.
Barbell lifts. 3x a week (starting age 14). Requires – initially – instruction on the lifts; and access to a squat cage, barbell, bumpers/olympic plates, and a bench. Around $1200 for a home gym.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. 2-3x a week (starting age 8). After lessons, conditioning with prowler/weighted sled and air bike such as Rogue Echo Bike. At age 16, consider switching to striking like boxing or Muay Thai for 2-3 years, the serious kind with sparring, not cardio kickboxing.
Backpacking and outdoorsmanship. May be seasonal, goal is comfort in discomfort, appreciation of the nature, self-sufficiency, and technical aspects of living on the trail. Can start with car camping, enjoyment of the campfire, and progressively longer day hikes. Ultimately, work up to rucking a pack uphill for hours.
Basic Firearms Proficiency. Start with basic safety, operation, addressing stoppages and reloading drills. Then move onto accuracy, speed of presentation, and combined with movement. Start with handgun, then move to long guns. Start with iron sights and then to red dot sight or other optic.
Academics. This already receives overemphasis in much of our community and requires no special comment. Academic performance and education should obviously not be ignored, part of empowerment and self-sufficiency is financial strength, though this is a tricky topic given the pervasive culture of consumerism and materialism in our modern world. “Verily , every umma has a trial (fitna) and the trial of my ummah is money.” – hadith
Are you saying that all boys and men should be training in these activities?
Yes. We believe there is such great benefit in these activities that all muslim boys and men would do well to pursue these activities at some level. Not necessarily as a hobby, but as a life skill the way schools require all children to take a foreign language. We lead busy lives and are often occupied with schooling and career. But we can and should make time to do the above, which can be done in the place of spending time on social media, video games, or other sedentary pastimes.
We realize that the above activities are NOT the most important elements of becoming strong believers, that should be obvious. “The strong man is not the good wrestler; but the strong man is he who controls himself when angry.” (hadith, Sahih Bukhari). We recognize the primary importance of strong faith, correct belief, good character, worship, and learning our religion. But the above activities help foster strength in ways that are authentic to the deen and to the early believers, but have not been emphasized in our modern day community.
Okay, I like what I'm seeing here. But exactly what are you selling?
I’m selling an idea, the idea that being strong is good, wholesome, and part of our deen. This is not about profit, even if Riverburst LLC is a business. I am a physician. For residents local to Orange County, I can offer guidance on local resources for training in the above subjects (see above). For everyone else, I hope to encourage you to seek local resources to train. I am available for phone consultation to discuss how you can integrate these into your lifestyle and that of your children, email me at info@riverburst.com to talk.
