This program intends to provide an intellectual foundation and the paradigmatic tools and frameworks to reading Islamic classical texts for students of sacred knowledge. It focuses on the three core sciences as mentioned in the seminal hadith of Jibril, namely iman, islam and ihsan. These dimensions correspond to the Islamic traditional disciplines of Usul al-Din, Fiqh and Tasawwuf. Additionally, the ancillary disciplines of Usul al-Fiqh, Mustalah al-Hadith, and the disciplines of the Arabic language, Nahw (grammar), Sarf (morphology), and Balagha (rhetoric), will be studied in support of the core disciplines.
Our pedagogy is decidedly traditional. This consists of close readings of texts in Arabic with teacher exposition and commentary. Students will be taught how to read and understand classical texts and contextualize them for our time. The expectation at the end of the program is that students will have a firm grounding in each of these disciplines to the degree that they may pursue more advanced studies and benefit others inshallah.
The program will span across two years with approximately 30 weeks of instruction per year. Classes will be held three times a week on a live virtual platform. The program will also include a week-long, in-person intensive held during the summer session, with exact date and location to be determined at the outset of the program.
This is an introductory program available for anyone interested in gaining a basic understanding of the three core sciences of the Islamic Faith, namely, iman, islam and ihsan.
The program will span one academic year, approx. 30 weeks, with one live online class per week and 10 classes for each of the core sciences.