About the text: An introduction to the formal study of Islamic beliefs through a traditional manual of Islamic theology. Take this course to understand the basic methods of Islamic logic and how to use them to gain evidence-based conviction in Allah Most High, His attributes, His messengers, and the afterlife. This knowledge that you will learn in this course is the context that will give your life its purpose.
The course is an explanation of al-Kharida al-Bahiyya (“The Lustrous Pearl”), an introduction to the science of Islamic theology by the great theologian, spiritual master, and foremost Maliki jurist of al-Azhar, Shaykh Ahmad al-Dardir (d. 1201 A.H. / 1786 C.E.). The Kharida is a 71-line didactic poem that, in its own words, is “slight and small in size, but great in knowledge.”
For hundreds of years, it has been studied and memorized by beginners of Islamic theology, and is frequently quoted by students and teachers alike because of its pithy expressions. A downloadable copy of the course text in both English and Arabic is provided as part of the course materials.