The Academic Program
Our academic program runs over two stages:
- the 2-year introductory course
- the 4-year ‘Alimiyyah degree course
The Two-Year Introductory Course
The aim of this course is to provide the student with the level of proficiency in the Arabic language required to access the various disciplines, and to give him a sound introduction to each of the fundamental disciplines. Since any student who has successfully completed this course will have invariably gained a sound theoretical basis of the basic functions and duties of an Imam it has also acquired the title of ‘The Imamah Course’. As such upon request an Imamah Certificate is issued to those who do not wish to progress beyond this point. We recommend this course to those individuals who cannot devote themselves to six year’s of study yet want to gain an authentic understanding of the basics of Higher Islamic Learning.
First Year
The following subjects are covered in the first year:
- Arabic language
The language is approached from angles of grammar and literature.
In grammar the two fundamental disciplines of nahw (syntax) and sarf (etymology) are studied. Nahw is studied from a simplified reader, Arabic Grammar, in which the focus is placed on the most essential rules of grammar.Grammatical issues of greater complexity—and therefore of less practical value—are eschewed. Sarf is done through board exercises and memorisation of declension tables.
The study of syntax theory usually runs for the first few months only. For the rest of the year the knowledge gained from theoretical study is brought into application in the reading of graded texts such as Sayyid Abu l-Hasan al-Nadwi's Qasas al-Nabiyyin.
The objectives of the study of Arabic in this year are
to impart to the student a working knowledge of both disciplines of grammar: nahw as well as sarf
to enable him to employ theoretical grammar towards a correct reading of a diacritically unmarked text
to broaden his vocabulary
- Fiqh
In the first semester the four parts of the book al-Mabadi' al-Fiqhiyyah by ‘Umar ‘Abd al-Jabbar are read, followed by the Matn al-Ghayah wa l-Taqrib by Abu Shuja‘ al-Isfahani in the second semester.
In the first text—al-Mabadi’ al-Fiqhiyyah—the aims are:
- to familiarise the student with the language of fiqh at a basic level
- to introduce the student to the key areas of fiqh
- to acquaint the student with fundamental concepts in fiqh
- to equip the student with a basic store of fiqh knowledge
In addition to these objectives, the teaching of Abu Shuja‘s compendium incorporates the further dimensions of
facilitating a grammatically correct reading of a diacritically unmarked classical text
an introduction to basic proofs from the Qur’an and Sunnah side by side with learning fiqh
- Ma‘ani al-Qur’an
The process of familiarising the student with the Qur’an starts with the word-for-word translation of the shorter surahs of the 30th juz. The student's Qur’anic vocabulary and his familiarity with the language of the Qur’an are gradually expanded as he works his way through the systematic translation of the last 10 juz with explanatory comments added as needed.
The objectives of this component are:
to create familiarity with Qur’anic Arabic
- introduce the student to the content of the Qur’an
- to cultivate basic translation skills
- to lay the foundation upon which his further study of the Qur’an will be built
- Hadith
The hadith text read in the first semester is Imam al-Nawawi's celebrated Arba‘un, while in the second semester 500 hadith from the same author's Riyad al-Salihin are read. The former text comprises of 42 ahadith that express cardinal aspects of Islam, and the latter is a collection of essentially edifying ahadith.
This module aims at:
- introducing the student to ahadith of a specifically edifying nature
- to draw moral lessons out of hadith
- to acquaint him with the language of hadith
- to cultivate basic translation skills
- Tarbiyah
This module focuses upon spiritual and moral rectitude. The book read here is Imam al-Ghazali's Bidayat al-Hidayah. In this book Imam al-Ghazali addresses himself to the seeker of knowledge and points him in the right direction in terms of his intention, attitude and conduct. This book is read in the second semester.
The aims of the module are:
- to foster spiritual and moral rectitude within the student
- to generate the correct approach to studies
- to provide the student with a fundamental code of conduct
- Tarikh
Khulasat Nur al-Yaqin is ‘Umar ‘Abd al-Jabbar's reworked abdridgement of Muhammad al-Khudari's work Nur al-Yaqin. Its three parts cover Islamic history up to the end of the Khilafah Rashidah in a simplified and lucid style, supplemented by questions and exercises.
This module aims at:
- acquainting the student with the broad outlines of Islamic history
- providing a narrative framework upon which further study of Islamic history will build
- reinforcing linguistic ability, both written and oral
- Tajwid
Tajwid is taught theoretically as well as practically. In the first semester the basic rules of tajwid are taught from the instructor's own book, Murshid al-Qari’, in English, followed by practical application in the recitation of the second half of the 30th juz. In the second semester the basics of tajwid are repeated in the study of a simple and well accepted versified text, viz. al-Jamzuri's Tuhfat al-Atfal. This text is supplemented by the recitation of the first half of the 30th juz.
The component's objectives are:
- to produce a good understanding of the basic rules of tajwid
- to impart the ability to apply the rules of tajwid in practical recitation
- to acquaint the student with the narration of Hafs from ‘Asim via the tariq of the Shatibiyyah
Related Pages
|
