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Spirituality: Attaining Taqwa: Birgivi's Tariqa Muhammadiyya

This course covers Imam Birgivi’s al-Tariqa al-Muhammadiyya, one of the great manuals on practical spirituality and operationalization of following the way of our beloved Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace). This course analyzes the “fiqh of taqwa”—how to truly follow the way of the Prophet in knowledge, beliefs, and embodying the mindfulness of Allah (taqwa). Included are sections on following the Qur’an and sunna, sound beliefs, innovations, and seeking knowledge—all culminating in an extensive breakdown on the unlawful traits of the heart, how to recognize them, their causes, and their cures.

This class is for students of knowledge with prior study of the essentials of faith, worship, and practical spirituality. The text is read in the original Arabic, but explained in English and is therefore suitable for a general audience.

At the end of this course, students will understand the interrelation of the various religious sciences with the science of the heart. In addition, students will be able to identify the different blameworthy traits of the heart and understand the specific ways to remove, rectify, and replace them with virtuous ones.

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Short Intro: This course covers one of the great manuals on practical spirituality. It analyzes the “fiqh of taqwa”—how to truly follow the way of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in knowledge, beliefs, and embodying the mindfulness of Allah (taqwa).
Category Featured: Yes
Show in catalog: Yes
Weightage: 0
Skill Level: Beginner
Monday: No
Tuesday: No
Wednesday: Yes
Thursday: No
Friday: No
Saturday: No
Sunday: No
Class Time: 7:30 PM ET
Class Instruction: This class is offered live in person at SeekersGuidance Canada (220 Britannia Rd E, Mississauga ON), at 7:30 PM ET, and online.
About the text:

Imam Birgivi’s al-Tariqa al-Muhammadiyya is one of the great manuals on practical spirituality — how to truly follow the way of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in knowledge, beliefs, and operationalizing mindfulness of Allah (taqwa). Included are sections on following the Quran and sunna, the meaning of innovation (bid‘a), beliefs, and a discussion on knowledge. These are followed by an extensive breakdown on the unlawful traits of the heart, how to recognize them, their causes, and their cures, drawing on the works of Imam Ghazali and others. Finally, the author discusses the sins of the other limbs, closing with a discussion on false piety.
About the Author:

Imam Taqi al-Din Muhammad ibn Pir ‘Ali al-Birgivi was a 16th century Ottoman, Hanafi, Maturidi scholar who lived during the height of the Ottoman Empire. He believed that a character distinguished by the qualities of unselfish heedfulness, sincerity, kindness, compassion, generosity, valour, and other virtues of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and his Companions were essential for all Muslims. Among other works, he wrote extensive manuals on practical spirituality and the ways to actualize the meanings of the Islamic tradition in our lives.
Learning outcomes:
  • Describe the blameworthy traits of the heart
  • Recognize identifying indicators of the blameworthy traits of the heart
  • Understand the relationships and subtle differences between the blameworthy traits of the heart
  • Describe the causes and cures of the blameworthy traits of the heart
  • Understand the implementation of the virtuous traits of the heart
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