Islamic Studies Curriculum

Level: One

Instructor: Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Course Overview

The Prophet said that, “Whoever travels a path to seek knowledge, Allah facilitates for them a path to Paradise.” (Muslim) This course is the first step in your pursuit of religious knowledge. It explains what your religion is; what you must know about it; and how you should learn it.

This course covers what every Muslim must know about the basic guidance of Islam in its three dimensions: (1) beliefs (iman)—and how to have sound belief in Allah, His Prophets, and the Hereafter; (2) submission (Islam)—how to make your purification and prayer valid, sound, and proper; and (3) spiritual excellence (ihsan)—by looking at key sins and vices to avoid, and key virtuous actions and traits to uphold, in seeking closeness to Allah.

This course is taught according to the Hanafi school. If you would like to learn it according to the Shafi‘i school, take this course instead.

About the Text

This course is based on The Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and The Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School, by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani (White Thread Press).

This book covers what every Muslim must know about the basic guidance of Islam in its three dimensions: (1) beliefs (iman)—and how to have sound belief in Allah, His Prophets, and in transmitted beliefs; (2) submission (Islam)—by looking at the daily devotional obligation of ritual prayer; and (3) spiritual excellence (Ihsan)—by looking at key sins and vices to avoid, and key virtuous actions and traits to uphold in seeking closeness to Allah.

“I know of no other manual of Islam that presents the essentials of the Hanafi school and basic Islamic belief so reliably, concisely, and elegantly as The Absolute Essentials of Islam. Faraz Rabbani is to be commended for producing a work from which the new Muslim can learn, the practicing Muslim check his fiqh, or the student merely curious about the practice of Islam see how it all fits together. It is likely to serve the Ummah, Allah willing, as long as there are English-speaking Muslims in it who want to know their din. This book works.” – Shaykh Nuh Keller, Jordan

Who is This Course For?

• This is the first course in Level One.

• This course has no prerequisites.

• Any student who wants to learn about the basics of belief and worship and wants to start their journey of gaining sacred knowledge should start with this course.

Learning Outcomes

• Understand how to seek religious knowledge

• Learn the basics of Islamic beliefs: so you know what we believe about Allah, His Messengers, and the Hereafter—and why

• Learn how to make your daily worship—purification and prayer—valid, sound, and proper

• Learn how to worship Allah Most High with sincerity

• Learn essential guidelines for living a faithful, upright life

Course Outline

Lesson 1: Introduction

Lesson 2: Belief (Part 1)

Lesson 3: Belief (Part 2)

Lesson 4: Rulings of the Shariah

Lesson 5: Purification (Part 1)

Lesson 6: Purification (Part 2)

Lesson 7: The Prayer (Part 1)

Lesson 8: The Prayer (Part 2)

Lesson 9: The Prayer (Part 3)

Lesson 10: The Prayer (Part 4)

Lesson 11: Zakat & Fasting

Lesson 12: The Path to Salvation

About The Instructors

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani spent ten years studying with some of the leading scholars of recent times, first in Damascus, and then in Amman, Jordan. His teachers include the foremost theologian of recent times in Damascus, the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas (may Allah have mercy on him), as well as his student Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi, one of the leading Hanafi fuqaha of the present age. He returned to Canada in 2007, where he founded SeekersGuidance in order to meet the urgent need to spread Islamic knowledge–both online and on the ground–in a reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible manner. He is the author of: Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School (White Thread Press, 2004.) Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been named one of the 500 most influential Muslims by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center.

Level: One

Instructors: Ustadh Tabraze Azam & Ustadh Sufyan Qufi

Course Overview

Allah Most High says, “I have not created jinn-kind nor mankind for any purpose other than to worship Me.” (Qur’an, 51:56) Take this course to get comprehensive and knowledge-based answers to all of the questions that you are likely to face in your worship

Allah Most High, all in light of a formal textbook of in Hanafi law that students like you have used for centuries. This course covers the detailed rules of Purification, Prayer, Fasting, Zakat, and Hajj. This course is taught according to the Hanafi school. If you would like to learn it according to the Shafi’i school, take this course instead.

About the Text

This course is an explanation of Ascent to Felicity (Maraqi al-Sa‘adat) a concise primer on the rules of worship, slaughtering, sacrifice, and hunting according to by a leading authority of the Hanafi school, Abul Ikhlas Hasan al-Shurunbulali (d. 1069 ).

The author is best known for his more detailed introduction to the rules of worship, Nur al-Idah, and its detailed commentary, Maraqi al-Falah, which are both an essential part of every traditional syllabus in Hanafi jurisprudence. Ustadh Tabaraze Azam comments on the back cover of the book’s translation that it is “an excellent primer in Islamic beliefs and worship. . . more useful as a first complete text for those seeking understanding of the fiqh of worship than the more commonly-studied Nur al-Idah.”

Who is This Course For?

• The Absolute Essentials of Islam (Hanafi) course is a pre-requisite for this course

• Those who have taken The Absolute Essentials of Islam (Hanafi) course

• Any student who wants to take level two courses in Islamic Studies Curriculum 

Learning Outcomes

• Understand slavehood to Allah Most High and why it is important

• Learn the rules of purification and prayer that you are likely to encounter in your daily life

• Memorize the most important rules of wudu, ghusl, prayer, fasting, zakat, and Hajj

• Appreciate the rigour of the science of Sacred Law (fiqh)

Course Outline

Lesson 1

1A: Introduction to Sacred Law (fiqh) and Imam Abu Hanifa

1B: Introduction to the Author & Text

1C: Water (miya)

1D: The Ritual Ablution (wudu)

1E: The Ritual Bath (ghusl)

1F: The Dry Ablution (tayammum)

Lesson 2

2A: Wiping over Footgear (khuffayn)

2B: Wiping over Bandages (jaba’ir)

2C: Menstruation (hayd), Post-Natal Bleeding (nifas) & Irregular Bleeding (istihada)

Lesson 3

3A: Filth (najasa)

3B: Wells (abar)

3C: Leftover Water (as’ar)

3D: Cleaning after Relieving Oneself (istinja’)

Lesson 4

4A: Prayer Times (awqat al-salat)

4B: The Call to Prayer (adhan)

Lesson 5

5A: The Conditions (shara’it) of the Prayer

5B: The Integrals (arkan) of the Prayer

5C: The Necessary Actions (wajibat) of the Prayer

5D: The Sunna Actions of the Prayer

5E: The Proper Manners (adab) of the Prayer

5F: The Supplications (ad‘iya) of the Prayer

Lesson 6

6A: The Invalidators (mufsidat) of the Prayer

6B: The Disliked (makruhat) Actions of the Prayer

6C: The Permitted (mubah) Actions of the Prayer

6D: Breaking (qat‘) & Abandoning (tark) the Prayer

Lesson 7

7A: Praying on a Riding Mount (dabba)

7B: The Traveller’s Prayer (salat al-musafir)

7C: The Sick Person’s Prayer (salat al-marid)

7D: Being Absolved of the Obligation of Prayer & Lifting One’s Dues (isqat)

Lesson 8

8A: The Witr Prayer

8B: The Sunna Prayers

8C: The Night Prayers of Ramadan (salat al-tarawih)

8D: Prayer inside the Ka‘ba

Lesson 9

9A: The Makeup Prayer (qada’ al-fawa’it)

9B: The Congregational Prayer (salat al-jama‘a)

9C: The Prostration of Forgetfulness (sujud al-sahw)

Lesson 10

10A: The Prostration of Recitation (sajda al-tilawa)

10B: The Prostration of Gratitude (sajda al-shukr)

10C: The Friday Prayer (salat al-jumu‘a)

Lesson 11

11A: The ‘Eid Prayer

11B: The Eclipse Prayer (salat al-kusuf/al-khusuf)

11C: The Rain Prayer (salat al-istisqa’)

11D: The Prayer of Fear (salat al-khawf)

Lesson 12

12A: The Funeral Prayer (salat al-janaza)

12B: The Burial (al-dafan)

12C: The Rulings of Martyrs (shuhada’)

Lesson 13

13A: Fasting: Definition, Types & Intentions

13B: Sighting the Crescent (ru’yat al-hilal)

13C: Things that Invalidate the Fast (mufsidat al-sawm)

Lesson 14

14A: The Permitted & The Disliked (mubahat/makruhat)

14B: Exemptions (‘awarid) from Fasting

14C: The Spiritual Retreat (i‘tikaf)

Lesson 15

15: Zakat: Definition, Nisab & Calculation

Lesson 16

16A: Eligible Recipients of Zakat (masarif al-zakat)

16B:  Charity at the End of Ramadan (sadaqat al-fitr)

Lesson 17

17A: Hajj: Definition, Integrals & Necessary Acts

17B: The Conditions (shurut) which Obligate Hajj

Lesson 18

18: The State of Pilgrim Sanctity (ihram)

Lesson 19

19A: The Hajj Described: Arrival in Makka

19B: The Hajj Described: Days 8, 9 & 10 of Dhu’l Hijja

19C: The Hajj Described: Days 11, 12 & 13 of Dhu’l Hijja

Lesson 20

20: The Lesser Pilgrimage (‘umra)

Lesson 21

21A: Expiations for Ihram & Rite Violations (jinayat)

21B: Expiations for Hunting Violations (jinayat)

Lesson 22

22: The Ritual Sacrifice of ‘Eid al-Adha (udhiya/qurbani)

Lesson 23

23A: Ritually Slaughtered Animals (dhaba’ih)

23B: Animals unlawful for Consumption

Lesson 24

24: Hunting (sayd)

About the Instructor

Ustadh Tabraze Azam was born and raised in Ipswich, a small town on the east coast of England. He memorized the Qur’an in his youth and has led congregations in tarawih prayers at home and abroad. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Management from the University of Leicester, serving as the head of the university’s Islamic Society. Shortly thereafter, he moved to Amman, Jordan, to study the Islamic sciences full-time with a variety of distinguished traditional scholars. He is now an experienced teacher himself, answering religious questions regularly, and teaching students of knowledge privately and online. Presently, he is pursuing advanced studies and specialization in Amman where he resides with his wife and children.

Level: One

Instructors: Shaykh Abdullah Misra & Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Course Overview

Having godfearingness (taqwa) is a prerequisite for being able to benefit from the great guidance of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). Take this course to learn how to have godfearingness in most of the everyday situations that you are likely to encounter in your life, such as eating  halal food, proper dress, interacting with the opposite gender, guarding your gaze, and guarding your tongue.

Course Outline

Lesson 1: Introduction to the Halal and Haram

Lesson 2: The Importance of One’s Food and Drink

Lesson 3: The Etiquette of Dress and Adornment

Lesson 4: Gender Interaction

Lesson 5: Social Duties

Lesson 6: Social Relationships

Lesson 7: The Tongue

Lesson 8: The Sins of the Tongue

Lesson 9: Sins of the Limbs

Lesson 10: How to Avoid General Sins

Lesson 11: Blameworthy Traits

Lesson 12: Conclusion of the Course

Learning Outcomes

• Appreciate the importance of the quality of godfearingness

• Memorize how to have godfearingness in dozens of everyday situations

• Improve your religious practice by keeping good company and making frequent repentance

About The Instructors

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani spent ten years studying with some of the leading scholars of recent times, first in Damascus, and then in Amman, Jordan. His teachers include the foremost theologian of recent times in Damascus, the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas (may Allah have mercy on him), as well as his student Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi, one of the leading Hanafi fuqaha of the present age. He returned to Canada in 2007, where he founded SeekersGuidance in order to meet the urgent need to spread Islamic knowledge–both online and on the ground–in a reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible manner. He is the author of: Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School (White Thread Press, 2004.) Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been named one of the 500 most influential Muslims by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center.

Ustadh Abdullah Misra was born in Toronto, Canada in 1983. His family hails from India and he was raised in the Hindu tradition. He embraced Islam in 2001 while at the University of Toronto, from where he completed a Bachelor of Business Administration. He then traveled overseas in 2005 to study the Arabic language and Islamic sciences in Tarim, Yemen for some time, as well as Darul Uloom in Trinidad, West Indies. He spent 12 years in Amman, Jordan where he focused on Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith Sciences, Prophetic Biography and Islamic Spirituality while also working at the Qasid Arabic Institute as Director of Programs. He holds a BA in Islamic Studies (Alimiyya, Darul Uloom) and authorization in the six authentic books of Hadith, and is currently pursuing specialized training in issuing Islamic legal verdicts (ifta’). He holds a certificate in Counselling and often works with new Muslims and those struggling with religious OCD. He is an instructor and researcher in Sacred Law and Theology with the Seekers Guidance The Global Islamic Seminary, and currently resides in the West Indies with his wife and children. His personal interests include Indian history, comparative religion, English singing and poetry.

Instructor: Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Course Overview

Ibn Habib al-Halabi’s Mukhtasar al-Manar is a clear, concise, and precise summary of a central primer (matn) of Hanafi legal methodology, Imam Nasafi’s Manar. Legal methodology (Usul al-fiqh) looks at the inner workings of Islamic law, showing how the imams of the Hanafi school established principles for textual interpretation and then derived rulings from the primary texts of the Quran and Sunna.

This Level Two course of the Seekers Islamic Studies Curriculum provides an introduction to the science of usul al-fiqh and serves as a clear first step on a student of knowledge’s journey in building their understanding of this critical science.

Students will learn about the importance of usul al-fiqh; the four primary sources of Islamic law; how textual understanding and interpretation works—and why it matters; and issues related to independent legal judgment (ijtihad), and principled following (taqlid).

About the Author

The author of this text is Tahir ibn Habib al-Halabi (Allah have mercy on him). He was born in Aleppo after the year 740 AH and he studied in Damascus and Cairo. He passed away in the year 808 AH.

Ibn Habib was a noted expert of the Arabic and Islamic sciences, but his most lasting legacy is this abridgement (Mukhtasar) of Imam Nasafi’s seminar primer in Usul al-Fiqh, al-Manar.

Who is This Course For?

• This course is for adults.

• It is particularly beneficial for students of the Islamic Studies Curriculum.

• This is a Level Two course and is for students who have already studied at least one Level Two book in the science of Fiqh.

• This course can also be taken by anyone who is interested in understanding how rulings are derived, how the Hanafis acted on the Quran and Hadiths, and more.

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course, students will be able to :

• Understand the wisdom of legal rulings.

• Develop a deeper understanding of the vocabulary of the jurists.

• Appreciate how the Hanafis understood the commands of the Quran.

• Appreciate how the Hanafis understood the commands of the Sunna.

• Understand how the Hanafis ascribed rulings to different actions.

About the Instructor

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani spent ten years studying with some of the leading scholars of recent times, first in Damascus, and then in Amman, Jordan. His teachers include the foremost theologian of recent times in Damascus, the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas (may Allah have mercy on him), as well as his student Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi, one of the leading Hanafi fuqaha of the present age. He returned to Canada in 2007, where he founded SeekersGuidance in order to meet the urgent need to spread Islamic knowledge–both online and on the ground–in a reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible manner. He is the author of: Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School (White Thread Press, 2004.) Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been named one of the 500 most influential Muslims by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center.

Instructor: Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Course Overview

In this course, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani covers the legal rulings related to trade and transactions according to the Hanafi school. This course serves to provide a proper understanding of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) of commercial law.

About The Instructor:

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani spent ten years studying with some of the leading scholars of recent times, first in Damascus, and then in Amman, Jordan. His teachers include the foremost theologian of recent times in Damascus, the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas (may Allah have mercy on him), as well as his student Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi, one of the leading Hanafi fuqaha of the present age. He returned to Canada in 2007, where he founded SeekersGuidance in order to meet the urgent need to spread Islamic knowledge–both online and on the ground–in a reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible manner. He is the author of: Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School (White Thread Press, 2004.) Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been named one of the 500 most influential Muslims by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center.

Level: Two

Instructors: Shaykh Faraz Rabbani 

Course Overview

Gain a deeper understanding of worship according to the Hanafi school of jurisprudence.

About the Course Text

This is the first course in the Islamic Law (Hanafi) for Seekers series. The students will gain a necessary and detailed understanding of Islamic Jurisprudence (fiqh) related to the acts of worship, i.e. prayer, zakat, fasting, and the pilgrimage. The course is based on Imam al-Mawsuli’s great primer on Hanafi fiqh, al-Mukhtar, and its commentary, al-Ikhtiyar li-Ta’lil Masa’il al-Mukhtar. This expansive course will cover all the chapters on worship in al-Mukhtar. This intensive course serves to provide a proper understanding of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) of worship within the Hanafī school based on Imam Mawsuli’s al-Mukhtar. Imam Mawsuli’s influential book is one of the four relied upon primers of the Hanafi school of law, which summarize the original positions of the founder of the school: Imam Abu Hanifa, may Allah have mercy on him, and the transmitted position of the madhhab. This course is intended for seekers of knowledge and is an excellent preparation for the study of more advanced texts in jurisprudence such as Imam al-Marghiyani’s al-Hidaya. An English translation of al-Mukhtar will be provided, along with the full Arabic text of Imam Mawsuli’s own commentary: al-Ikhtiyar li-Ta’lil Masa’il al-Mukhtar. Imam Mawsuli’s commentary focuses on the differences of opinion within the Hanafi School and the legal discussion between Imam Abu Hanifa and his two students. The English lessons are based on al-Ikhtiyar and other leading Hanafi works. Imam Abdullah bin Mahmud bin Mawdud al-Mawsuli al-Hanafi (599-683AH) was born in Mosul in Northern Iraq and studied Hanafi fiqh — among others — with Imam al-Hasidi in Damascus. He was known as the most distinguished Hanafi scholar of his age. He was a judge (qadi) in Kufa and later taught at the mosque of Imam Abu Hanifa in Baghdad, where he is also buried.

Course Outline

Lesson 1 (Introduction to the Course and Purification)

    • Lesson 1a - Introduction to Book and Author

    • Lesson 1b - Author's Introduction

    • Lesson 1c - Introduction to Purification & Wudu

    • Lesson 1d - Sunnas of Wudu

    • Lesson 1e - Nullifiers of Wudu

Lesson 2 (A Look at Water, Wells & Tayammum)

    • Lesson 2a - Introduction to Water

    • Lesson 2b - The Rulings on Well Water

    • Lesson 2b - The Rulings on Well Water

Lesson 3 (The Ruling on Khuffs and an Introduction to Hayd)

    • Lesson 3a - The Ruling on Khuffs

    • Lesson 3b - Introduction to Hayd

    • Lesson 3c - Continuation on Hayd

Lesson 4 (Continuation on Istihada, Nifas and the Definition of Najasa)

    • Lesson 4a - Istihada

    • Lesson 4b - Purification from Filth (Part 1)

    • Lesson 4c - Purification from Filth (Part 2)

Lesson 5 (Review Session)

    • Lesson 5a - Review of Purification

    • Lesson 5b - Recommendations

    • Lesson 5c - The Etiquette of Seekers

Lesson 6 (Introduction to Prayer)

    • Lesson 6a - Introduction to the Prayer

    • Lesson 6b - Prayer Times

    • Lesson 6c - The Disliked Times for Prayer

    • Lesson 6d - The Adhan for Prayer

Lesson 7 (The Conditions & Integrals of the Prayer)

    • Lesson 7a - The Conditions of Prayer (Part 1)

    • Lesson 7b - The Conditions of Prayer (Part 2)

    • Lesson 7c - The Integrals of the Prayer

Lesson 8 (The Description of the Prayer)

    • Lesson 8a - Description of the Prayer (Part 1)

    • Lesson 8b - Description of the Prayer (Part 2)

    • Lesson 8c - The Witr Prayer

Lesson 9 (Congregating for Prayer)

    • Lesson 9a - On Prayer Recitation

    • Lesson 9b - Congregation for Prayer (Part 1)

    • Lesson 9c - Congregation for Prayer (Part 2)

Lesson 10 (Actions to Avoid in Prayer & Supererogatory Prayers)

    • Lesson 10a - Disliked Actions in Prayer

    • Lesson 10b - Actions Which Invalidate the Prayer

    • Lesson 10c - Missed Prayers

    • Lesson 10d - Sunna & Nafl Prayers

Lesson 11 (Forgetfulness in Prayer and the Tarawih Prayer)

    • Lesson 11a - The Tarawih Prayer

    • Lesson 11b - The Forgetfulness Prostration

    • Lesson 11c - Forgetting in Prayer

Lesson 12 (Prayer of the Sick, the Traveller, & the Prostration for Recital)

    • Lesson 12a - Prostration for Recital

    • Lesson 12b - Prayer of the Sick

    • Lesson 12c - Prayer of the Traveller

Lesson 13 (The Friday Prayer & the Eid Prayer)

    • Lesson 13a - The Friday Prayer

    • Lesson 13b - The Eid Prayer

Lesson 14 (The Fear Prayer and Prayer at the Kaaba)

    • Lesson 14a - The Fear Prayer

    • Lesson 14b - Prayer at the Kaaba

Lesson 15 (Regarding the Funeral Prayer and Burial Practices)

    • Lesson 15a - Funerary Practices

    • Lesson 15b - The Funeral Prayer

    • Lesson 15c - The Burial

Lesson 16 (Introduction to Zakat)

    • Lesson 16 - Introduction to Zakat

Lesson 17 (The Rulings on Mining)

    • Lesson 17a - Gold & Produce

    • Lesson 17b - Mining & Treasures

Lesson 18 On Giving Zakat

    • Lesson 18a - Outlets for Zakat

    • Lesson 18b - Zakat al-Fitr

Lesson 19 Introduction to Fasting

    • Lesson 19a - Introduction to Fasting

    • Lesson 19b - Moonsighting

Lesson 20 Invalidating One's Fast & Excuses for not Fasting; A Brief Look at I`tikaf

    • Lesson 20a - Invalidating the Fast

    • Lesson 20b - Excuses for not Fasting

    • Lesson 20c - I`tikaf

Lesson 21 Journey of a Lifetime: Hajj (Part 1)

    • Lesson 21a - The Duty of Hajj

    • Lesson 21b - Entering Ihram

    • Lesson 21c - Entering Mecca

Lesson 22 Journey of a Lifetime: Hajj (Part 2)

    • Lesson 22a - Safa and Marwa

    • Lesson 22b - Obligatory Tawaf

    • Lesson 22c - A Brief Look at Umra

Lesson 23 Journey of a Lifetime: Hajj (Part 3)

    • Lesson 23a - Tamattu

    • Lesson 23b - Qiran

    • Lesson 23c - Contraventions (Principles)

Lesson 24 Journey of a Lifetime: Hajj (Part 4)

    • Lesson 24a - Contraventions (Rulings)

    • Lesson 24b - Hunting Contraventions

    • Lesson 24c - Preventatives from Hajj

Learning Outcomes:

• Water, wells, and dry ablution

• Menstruation, bleeding, their types, and rulings

• Prayer, its integrals and conditions

• Prayer in congregation and supererogatory prayer

• Actions to avoid in prayer, forgetfulness, tarawih

• The prayer of the sick and the traveler

• The Friday and Eid prayers, the prayer of fear, and prayer at the Ka’ba

• The funeral prayer and burial practices

• Zakat and its rulings

• Fasting and its rulings

• The Hajj and its rulings

About The Instructors:

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani spent ten years studying with some of the leading scholars of recent times, first in Damascus, and then in Amman, Jordan. His teachers include the foremost theologian of recent times in Damascus, the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas (may Allah have mercy on him), as well as his student Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi, one of the leading Hanafi fuqaha of the present age. He returned to Canada in 2007, where he founded SeekersGuidance in order to meet the urgent need to spread Islamic knowledge–both online and on the ground–in a reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible manner. He is the author of: Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School (White Thread Press, 2004.) Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been named one of the 500 most influential Muslims by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center.

Instructor: Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Course Overview

Allah Most High says, “I have not created jinn-kind nor mankind for any purpose other than to worship Me.” (Qur’an, 51:56) Take this course to increase your knowledge of the questions that worshippers face in their purity, prayer, and fasting, all in light of a comprehensive textbook of Hanafi law that students have used for centuries. 

Who This Course For?

• This is a Level Two elective course.

• Before taking this course, take The Absolute Essentials of Islam (Hanafi) and/or the Essentials of Worship courses

Course Outline

Lesson 1: Introduction the Hanafi school and the text

Lesson 2: Author's Opening & Types of Water

Lesson 3: Exercising One’s Judgement, Wells, and Cleaning the Private Parts of Filth (Istinja’)

Lesson 4: Integrals of Wudu and Opening Sunnas

Lesson 5:  Remaining Sunnas, Disliked Actions, and Legal categories of Wudu

Lesson 6: Nullifiers of Wudu

Lesson 7: The Major Ablution (Ghusl)

Lesson 8: Dry Ablution (Tayammum)

Lesson 9: Wiping Footgear and Casts; Basics of Menstruation

Lesson 10: Menstruation, Chronic Excuses, and Physical Impurity

Lesson 11: The Basis and Categories of Filth

Lesson 12:  Filth and Its Removal

Lesson 13: Introduction to Prayer and Its Times

Lesson 14: Disliked Times and the Adhan

Lesson 15: Obligations of the Prayer (1)

Lesson 16: Obligations of Prayer (2)

Lesson 17: Necessary Elements of the Prayer and Opening Sunnas

Lesson 18: Sunnas, Adab, and Description of Standing

Lesson 19: Completion of the Prayer and Conditions of Congregation

Lesson 20: Congregational Prayer

Lesson 21: Invocations after Prayer and Invalidators

Lesson 22: Additional Invalidators and Introduction to Disliked Acts

Lesson 23: Disliked Acts (1)

Lesson 24: Disliked Acts (2) and Breaking the Prayer

Lesson 25: Witr and Sunna Prayers

Lesson 26: Voluntary Prayers and Praying on Modes of Transport

Lesson 27:  Prayers in Exceptional Situations, Tarawih, and the Traveller

Lesson 28: Prayer of the Sick Person, Expiation, and Make-ups

Lesson 29: Catching the Congregation | The Forgetfulness Prostration

Lesson 30: Prostration of Recital and the Friday Prayer

Lesson 31: Sunnas of Friday; Eid and Eclipse Prayers

Lesson 32: Prayers for Rain, Fear, and Funerals

Lesson 33: Details on the Funeral Prayer, Carrying the Body, and Burial

Lesson 34: Visiting Graves, Martyrs, and Fasting

Lesson 35: Intention, Moon Sighting and Invalidators of the Fast

Lesson 36: Completion of Fasting and the Devotional Retreat (two segments; 3 h 30)

What You Will Learn:

• Understand slavehood to Allah Most High and why it is important

• Learn the rules of purification that are generally encountered

• Memorize the detailed rules of wudu and ghusl, tayammum, removing filth, and the basic rulings of menstruation.

• Learn the rules of prayer that are generally encountered

• Memorize the obligatory, necessary, and sunna  elements of prayer at a higher level of detail

• Learn the conditions, sunnas, and rulings of congregational prayer

• Memorize a list of nearly twelve dozen invalidating or disliked actions in the prayer.

• Appreciate the rigor of the science of Sacred Law (fiqh)

Learn the details of prayer and fasting that are generally encountered

• Learn the rulings of witr and the sunna prayers

• Learn the rulings related to prayer when travelling or sick

• Learn the rulings related to the prostration of forgetfulness and the prostration of recital

• Memorize the conditions for the validity and obligation of the Friday, Eid prayers, as well as the conditions for the khutba.

• Learn the nullifiers of the fast and their practical consequences

• Learn about the rulings related to vows and devotional retreat

• Gain a grounding in the method and application of the Hanafi school

About the Course Text

This course is an explanation of Nur al-Idah (Light of Clarity), a detailed introduction to the rules of purity, prayer, and fasting authored by a leading authority of the Hanafi school, Abu’l-Ikhlas Hasan al-Shurunbulali (d. 1069 AH/ 1659 CE ). This text covers nearly every issue that arises in the course of these three acts of worship in a clear and comprehensive manner. It is for this reason that Nur al-Idah, along with its commentary Maraqi al-Falah, forms an essential part of nearly every traditional syllabus in Hanafi jurisprudence.

About The Instructor:

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani spent ten years studying with some of the leading scholars of recent times, first in Damascus, and then in Amman, Jordan. His teachers include the foremost theologian of recent times in Damascus, the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas (may Allah have mercy on him), as well as his student Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi, one of the leading Hanafi fuqaha of the present age. He returned to Canada in 2007, where he founded SeekersGuidance in order to meet the urgent need to spread Islamic knowledge–both online and on the ground–in a reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible manner. He is the author of: Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School (White Thread Press, 2004.) Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been named one of the 500 most influential Muslims by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center.

Level: Two

Instructors: Shaykh Faraz Rabbani & Ustadh Sufyan Qufi

Course Overview

Gain an in-depth understanding of commercial transactions and Personal Law according to the Hanafi school of jurisprudence. The students will gain a necessary and detailed understanding of Islamic Jurisprudence (fiqh) related to personal law (i.e. marriage, divorce, and related matters) and commercial transactions, including sales, leasing, or hire. The course is based on Imam al-Mawsuli’s great primer on Hanafi fiqh, al-Mukhtar, and its commentary, al-Ikhtiyar li-Ta’lil Masa’il al-Mukhtar. This expansive course will cover all the chapters on personal law and commercial transactions in al-Mukhtar. [Below fold] This course serves to provide a proper understanding of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) of personal law and commercial transactions. 

About the Course Text

This course is based upon Imam Mawsuli’s al-Mukhtar. Imam Mawsuli’s influential book is one of the four relied upon primers of the Hanafi school of law, which summarizes the original positions of the founder of the school: Imam Abu Hanifa, may Allah have mercy on him, and the transmitted position of the madhhab. This course is intended for seekers of knowledge and is excellent preparation for the study of more advanced texts in jurisprudence such as Imam al-Marghiyani’s al-Hidaya. An English translation of al-Mukhtar will be provided, along with the full Arabic text of Imam Mawsuli’s own commentary: al-Ikhtiyar li-Ta’lil Masa’il al-Mukhtar. This commentary explains the legal reasoning underlying the issues and rulings in al-Mukhtar. Imam Mawsuli’s commentary focuses on the differences of opinion within the Hanafi School and the legal discussion between Imam Abu Hanifa and his two students. Imam Abdullah bin Mahmud bin Mawdud al-Mawsuli al-Hanafi (599-683 AH) was born in Mosul in Northern Iraq and studied Hanafi fiqh — among others — with Imam al-Hasidi in Damascus. He was known as the most distinguished Hanafi scholar of his age. He was a judge (qadi) in Kufa and later taught at the mosque of Imam Abu Hanifa in Baghdad, where he is also buried.

Learning Outcomes:

• Sales, recession, contracts, and rulings

• Interdicted, trust, and forward sales

• Interest rulings and monetary exchange

• The corrupt hire, collateral, division, and judgeship

• Coercion, claims, and acknowledgments

• Witnessing, agency, and guarantees

• Marriage: Its rulings, pillars, and conditions

• The contract, the guardian, suitability, and the dowry

• Marriage to non-Muslims

• The types of divorce and their rulings

• The waiting period after divorce and establishing lineage

• Expenses/provision and custody

Course Requirements:

• Knowledge of Arabic would help but is not required. Previous study of fiqh is highly recommended but again not a requirement.

About The Instructors:

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani spent ten years studying with some of the leading scholars of recent times, first in Damascus, and then in Amman, Jordan. His teachers include the foremost theologian of recent times in Damascus, the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas (may Allah have mercy on him), as well as his student Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi, one of the leading Hanafi fuqaha of the present age. He returned to Canada in 2007, where he founded SeekersGuidance in order to meet the urgent need to spread Islamic knowledge–both online and on the ground–in a reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible manner. He is the author of Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School (White Thread Press, 2004.) Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been named one of the 500 most influential Muslims by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center.

Level: Two [Elective]

Instructor: Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Course Overview

This class explores intermediate Islamic beliefs through a close study of Imam Sawi’s commentary on Imam Laqqani’s Jawhara al-Tawhid — a poem that covers mainstream Islamic beliefs about Allah Most High, His messengers (peace be upon them), and the Hereafter. Imam Sawi unpacks the expressions of the poem, making accessible the beliefs that we are all obligated to affirm while keeping in context the spirituality that is at the heart of our religion.

The study of this text is an essential gateway into deeper studies of Islamic Theology. Students will be introduced to key concepts, terminology, and definitions of this science, preparing them for further study. Students will learn what is necessary, possible, and absurd to affirm for Allah Most High, His messengers (peace be upon them), and key beliefs of the Hereafter.

This class is for students of knowledge with the ability to read and understand classical Arabic and prior study of Islamic beliefs, worship, and practical spirituality.

About the Text

Imam Laqqani’s poem Jawhara al-Tawhid has been broadly accepted by the scholarly community as a summary work representative of mainstream Islamic beliefs. In the hundreds of years that have passed since its authorship, this work has attracted dozens of commentaries and super-commentaries. Imam Sawi’s commentary is an excellent introductory work on science and is widely taught. In it, he unpacks the terse expressions of the poem and couches technical discussions with essential context as to how these beliefs relate to our relationship with Allah Most High.

Learning Outcomes

• Key concepts, terminology, and definitions of Islamic Beliefs

• What is necessary, possible, and absurd to affirm for Allah Most High

• What is necessary, possible, and absurd to affirm for His messengers (peace be upon them)

• Key transmitted beliefs of the Hereafter

Course Outline

Lesson 1: Introduction

Lesson 2: Faith, Submission, and Moral Responsibility

Lesson 3: Divinity - The Personal Attribute

Lesson 4: Divinity - The Negative Attributes

Lesson 5: Divinity - The Affirmative Attributes

Lesson 6: Divinity - The Attributes of Meaning and the Relationships of the Divine Attributes

Lesson 7: Divinity - Closing Investigations

Lesson 8: Prophethood - Attributes of the Prophets

Lesson 9: Prophethood - The Ranking of Creation

Lesson 10: Prophethood - Closing Investigations

Lesson 11: Transmitted Beliefs - The Afterlife

Lesson 12: Transmitted Beliefs - Closing Investigations

About the Instructor

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani spent ten years studying with some of the leading scholars of recent times, first in Damascus, and then in Amman, Jordan. His teachers include the foremost theologian of recent times in Damascus, the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas (may Allah have mercy on him), as well as his student Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi, one of the leading Hanafi fuqaha of the present age. He returned to Canada in 2007, where he founded SeekersGuidance in order to meet the urgent need to spread Islamic knowledge–both online and on the ground–in a reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible manner. He is the author of: Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School (White Thread Press, 2004.) Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been named one of the 500 most influential Muslims by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center.

Course Overview

All of the various Islamic Sciences and our very understanding of Islam itself rely on revelation. The broad ḥadith corpus, along with the Qur'ān, are the two main sources of that revelation from Allāh (Exalted is He). Understanding the importance and role of reports from the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace), the great scholars of our intellectual tradition not only strove to collect said reports but also to investigate the authenticity of any given ḥadīth. They understood the importance, power, and dangers associated with claiming that the Prophet said or did any particular thing. Therefore, they built out a sophisticated edifice and critical apparatus with many subfields that we now refer to as, Ḥadith Studies.

This course introduces the student to the basic technical terms and categorizations associated with Ḥadith Studies. Beyond that the student will be introduced to the core questions investigated in the field, as well as the critical method employed by ḥadīth scholars in testing a given report’s authenticity. Finally, the course aims to highlight the importance and place of Ḥadith Studies in the greater framework of the Islamic Studies Curriculum.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Understand and conceptualize core technical terms in Ḥadīth Studies,

2. Have a firm grasp of the scope of Ḥadīth Studies and the basic critical tools used when investigating a report’s authenticity

3. Have an overall understanding of what various subfields a scholar of ḥadīth must navigate and be trained in.

Level: two

Instructor: Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Course Overview

In this course, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani covers the chapters on financial transactions, relying on the great classical commentaries—including Maydani’s Lubab—and major reference works of the Hanafi School. Topics covered include the basic contract and transaction, conditions of the sale, the invalid and corrupt sales, options of return, interest, partnership, currency exchange, rent and hire, agency, deposits, misappropriation, and concludes with sharecropping. This course is ideal for students of Islamic knowledge. Previous study of Fiqh is recommended, but not a requirement.

About the Course Text

Imam Quduri’s full primer (matn) in Islamic law is so famous, that it is simply referred to as “The Book” (al-Kitab). For 1,000 years, it has served as the starting point for a full study of the science of Fiqh.

Who is this course for?

• This is a level two course

• Before taking this course, take The Absolute Essentials of Islam (Hanafi) and On Worship (Purification, Prayer, Fasting, Zakat, and Hajj): Shurunbulali’s Ascent to Felicity

• Take this course before any course in Level Three

Course Outline

Lesson 01: Introduction

Lesson 02: The Book of Trade

Lesson 03: Options of Cancellation

Lesson 04: Impermissible Transactions

Lesson 05: Cancellation of a Sale, the Cost-Plus Sale, and the At-Par Sale

Lesson 06: Interest

Lesson 07: Forward Sales

Lesson 08: Currency Exchange and Collateral

Lesson 09: Prevention from Transacting

Lesson 10: Admissions

Lesson 11: Hires

Lesson 12: Right of Preemption

Lesson 13: Partnerships

Lesson 14: Working Partnerships

Lesson 15: Agency

Lesson 16: Guarantor

Lesson 17: Reconciliation

Lesson 18: Gifts

Lesson 19: Endowments

Lesson 20: Misappropriation

Lesson 21: Deposits

Lesson 22: The Foundling and Returning Lost Items

Lesson 23: Hermaphrodites, Missing Person, and Runaway Slaves

Lesson 24: The Authorized Slave, Sharecropping, and Irrigation Sharecropping

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Understand the core rulings related to trade and transactions in the Hanafi school.

• Appreciate the wisdom and purpose of these legal rulings.

• Explain how legal reasoning works.

• Develop an understanding of the implementation of Divine Guidance with respect to transactions.

About the instructors:

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani spent ten years studying with some of the leading scholars of recent times, first in Damascus, and then in Amman, Jordan. His teachers include the foremost theologian of recent times in Damascus, the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas (may Allah have mercy on him), as well as his student Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi, one of the leading Hanafi fuqaha of the present age. He returned to Canada in 2007, where he founded SeekersGuidance in order to meet the urgent need to spread Islamic knowledge–both online and on the ground–in a reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible manner. He is the author of Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School (White Thread Press, 2004.) Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been named one of the 500 most influential Muslims by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center.

Level: two

Instructors: Shaykh Faraz Rabbani & Shaykh Yusuf Weltch & Shaykh Sufyan Qufi

Course Overview

Imam Quduri’s full primer (matn) in Islamic law is so famous, that it is simply referred to as “The Book” (al-Kitab). For 1,000 years, it has served as the starting point for a full study of the science of Fiqh.

In this course, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani covers the chapters on Marriage and Divorce, relying on the great classical commentaries—including Maydani’s Lubab—and major reference works of the Hanafi School.

About the Course Text

Imam Quduri’s full primer (matn) in Islamic law is so famous, that it is simply referred to as “The Book” (al-Kitab). For 1,000 years, it has served as the starting point for a full study of the science of Fiqh.

Who is this course for?

This is a level two  course 

Before taking this course, take The Absolute Essentials of Islam (Hanafi) and On Worship (Purification, Prayer, Fasting, Zakat, and Hajj): Shurunbulali’s Ascent to Felicity

Take this course before all courses in Level Three

Course Outline

Lesson 1: Introduction to the Text and Subject

Lesson 2: The Marriage Contract, Marrying Non-Muslims, and the Guardian (Wakil)

Lesson 3: Worldly Suitability (Kafa'a), Conditions of Marriage and Defects

Lesson 4: Religious Conversion Within Marriage

Lesson 5: Completion of Marriage | Nursing

Lesson 6: Divorce

Lesson 7: Completion of Divorce

Lesson 8: Taking Back One's Wife | Foreswearing One's Wife (Ila')

Lesson 9: Zihar and Mutual Imprecation (Li`an)

Lesson 10: The Waiting Period

Lesson 11: The Waiting Period and Providing for Family

Lesson 12: Providing for Family and Child Custody

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

 • Understand the core rulings related to marriage.

 • Appreciate the wisdom and purpose of these legal rulings.

 • Explain the legal reasoning and methodology used in the Hanafi school.

 • Contextualize the practical implementation of Divine Guidance.

About the instructors:

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani spent ten years studying with some of the leading scholars of recent times, first in Damascus, and then in Amman, Jordan. His teachers include the foremost theologian of recent times in Damascus, the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas (may Allah have mercy on him), as well as his student Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi, one of the leading Hanafi fuqaha of the present age. He returned to Canada in 2007, where he founded SeekersGuidance in order to meet the urgent need to spread Islamic knowledge–both online and on the ground–in a reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible manner. He is the author of: Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School (White Thread Press, 2004.) Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been named one of the 500 most influential Muslims by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center.

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he then completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then travelled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied inheritance law, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and a number of texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.

Level: Three

Instructor: Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Course Overview

This course covers a comprehensive commentary on the five acts of worship written by one of the authorities of the Hanafi school of law.

Allah Most High says, “I have not created jinn-kind nor mankind for any purpose other than to worship Me.” (Qur’an, 51:56) Take this course to increase your knowledge of the detailed rulings of prayer, fasting, zakat, and hajj.

In this course, we read an extensive commentary on the fiqh of worship, Imam Shurunbulali's Maraqi al-Falah. This course is intended for students of knowledge with solid previous study of the subject and ability to understand classical texts in Arabic. It discusses key legal details not found in shorter works, in addition to legal differences and reasoning, serving to improve the student's understanding of the subject and how to improve their worship of the Divine.

About the Text

Maraqi al-Falah is Imam Shurunbulali’s shorther commentary on his own comprehensive primer on worship, Nur al-Idah. Maraqi al-Falah supplies key legal details and reasoning for the rulings of both prayer and fasting. In addition, it provides a summarized discussion on zakat and hajj. Its author, Imam Abu'l-Ikhlas al-Shurunbulali, was one of the foremost jurists of the Hanafi school as well as a scholar of deep spirituality, making this text an invaluable resource for anyone who wishes to deepen their knowledge of the Five Pillars of Islam.

Learning Outcomes

• Master the detailed rulings of purification, prayer, and fasting

• Appreciate the rigor of the science of Sacred Law (fiqh)

• Gain an introduction to the legal reasoning underlying the legal rulings

• Gain a grounding in the method and application of the Hanafi school

About the Instructor

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani spent ten years studying with some of the leading scholars of recent times, first in Damascus, and then in Amman, Jordan. His teachers include the foremost theologian of recent times in Damascus, the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas (may Allah have mercy on him), as well as his student Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi, one of the leading Hanafi fuqaha of the present age. He returned to Canada in 2007, where he founded SeekersGuidance in order to meet the urgent need to spread Islamic knowledge–both online and on the ground–in a reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible manner. He is the author of: Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School (White Thread Press, 2004.) Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been named one of the 500 most influential Muslims by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center.

Level: One

Instructors: Shaykh Farid Dingle

Course Overview

“Whoever travels a path to seek knowledge, Allah thereby facilitates for him a path to Paradise.” (Muslim) This course is the first step in your pursuit of religious knowledge. It explains what your religion is, what you must know about it, and how you should learn it. This course is taught according to the Shafi‘i school. If you would like to learn it according to the Hanafi school, take this course instead: 

Absolute Essentials of Islam (Hanafi): Getting Started With Your Belief and Practice

About the Course Text

The course is a detailed explanation of al-Risala al-Jami ‘ah wa al-Tadhkira al-Nafi‘ah (“The Comprehensive Epistle and Beneficial Reminder”), a concise manual of basic religious knowledge by the great religious scholar and spiritual guide of Hadhramaut, al-Habib Ahmad ibn Zayn al-Habshi (d. 1132 A.H. / 1720 C.E.). For hundreds of years, this book has been taught in traditional institutions of learning all over the world as the first step in students’ religious education. The author was a descendant of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and a close student of the great sage of Arabia al-Habib ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Alawi al-Haddad. A downloadable translation of the text is provided as part of the course materials.

Who is this course for?

• This is the first course in Level One.

• It is suitable for teenagers and adults.

• This course has no prerequisites.

• Any student who wants to learn about the basics of belief and worship and wants to start their journey of gaining sacred knowledge according to the Shafi`i school should start with this course.

Learning Outcomes:

• Memorize the Hadith of Jibreel (upon him be peace)

• Understand how to seek religious knowledge

• Learn the basics of Islamic belief

• Learn the basic rules of wudu, ghusl, and prayer

• Learn the basic rules of fasting and zakat

• Learn how to worship Allah Most High with sincerity

Course Requirements:

• Students are encouraged to get a copy of The Essential of Islam by Ahmad bin Zayn al Habashi, Trans. Abdul Aziz Ahmed, published by Islamic Village (al-Risalat al-Jamiah)

Course Outline

Lesson 1: Introduction to the Text

Lesson 2: Explanation of Faith & Beliefs

Lesson 3: Explanation of Submission & Islamic Jurisprudence

Lesson 4: The Different Types of Bleeding for Women

Lesson 5: Conditions, Integrals & Sunnah of the Prayer

Lesson 6: Inner Dimensions & Nullifiers of the Prayer

Lesson 7: The Friday Prayer & Supererogatory Prayers

Lesson 8: Fasting

Lesson 9: Zakat

Lesson 10: Hajj & Umrah

Lesson 11: Purification of the Heart (Part 1)

Lesson 12: Purification of the Heart (Part 2)

About The Instructor:

Shaykh Farid Dingle has completed extensive years of study in the sciences of the Arabic language and the various Islamic Sciences. During his studies, he also earned a CIFE Certificate in Islamic Finance. Over the years he has developed a masterful ability to craft lessons that help non-Arabic speakers gain a deep understanding of the language. He currently teaches courses in the Arabic Language.

Level: One

Instructors: Shaykh Jamir Meah & Shaykh Farid Dingle

Course Overview

Allah Most High says, “I have not created jinn-kind nor mankind for any purpose other than to worship Me.” (Quran, 51:56) Take this course to get comprehensive and knowledge-based answers to all of the questions that you are likely to face in your worship of Allah Most High, all in light of a formal textbook of in Shafi`i law that students have used for centuries. This course focuses on the detailed rules of purification, prayer, funeral rites, zakat, fasting, spiritual retreat (i`tikaf), pilgrimage (Hajj), trade, and marriage. This course is taught according to the Shafi`i school. If you would like to learn it according to the Hanafi school, please take this course instead: On Worship (Purification, Prayer, Fasting, Zakat, and Hajj): Shurunbulali’s Ascent to Felicity

About the Course Text

The course is a detailed explanation of Mukhtasar al-Saghir (Short Abridgment), a summary of the rules of purification, prayer, fasting, zakat, and Hajj, according to the Shafi‘i school, along with a brief introduction to the rules of trade, marriage, and divorce. The book was authored by the great Yemeni Shaykh Abdullah Ba Fadl (d. 918 A.H. / 1512 C.E.), whose works have been taught for centuries in traditional institutions of learning all over the world. A downloadable translation of the text is provided as part of the course materials.

Who is this course for?

  • This is a second-level course in Step One

  • Before taking this course, take The Absolute Essentials of Islam (Shafi‘i)

  • Take this course (or its Hanafi equivalent) before all courses in Step Two

Course Requirements: Absolute Essentials (Shafi'i)

Learning Outcomes:

  • Understand slavehood to Allah Most High and why it is important

  • Learn the rules of purification and prayer that you are likely to encounter in your daily life

  • Memorize the most important rules of wudu and ghusl

  • Memorize the most important rules of prayer

  • Memorize the most important rules of zakat

  • Memorize the most important rules of fasting

  • Memorize the most important rules of Hajj

  • Memorize the most important rules of contracts

  • Appreciate the rigor of the science of Sacred Law (fiqh)

Course Outline

Introductory Lesson

Biography of Imam Shafi’i

Lesson 1 - Introduction

  • Biography of Imam Abdullah Ba Fadl

  • The Text: Al Mukhtasar al Saghir

  • Author’s Introduction

  • Wudu - Integrals

  • Wudu – Sunnas

  • Wudu – Nullifiers

  • Wiping over the Khuffs

  • What is prohibited in ritual impurity

Lesson 2 - Purification

  • Etiquettes of relieving oneself

  • Cleaning oneself – al Istinja`

  • Ghusl – Reasons

  • Ghusl – Integrals

  • Ghusl – Sunan

  • Conditions of purification from ritual impurity

Lesson 3 - Impurities

  • Water and Impurities

  • Impurities

  • That which can be purified and that which cannot be purified

Lesson 4 - Tayammum

  • Tayammum – Integrals

  • Tayammum – Conditions

  • Tayammum – Wounds and bandages

Lesson 5 - Women's Purification

  • Menstruation

  • Lochia

  • Istihada

  • Prohibitions during Menstruation and Lochia

Lesson 6 - Prayer Times

  • Prayer – Times of prayer

  • Prayer – Prohibited times

Lesson 7 - Prayers, Rules and Conditions

  • Prayer – Obligation to pray

  • Prayer – Conditions

  • Prayer – Excused Impurities

Lesson 8 - Prayers Sunnan

  • Prayer – Integrals

  • Prayer – Sunan

Lesson 9 - Prayer Nullifiers

  • Prayer – Nullifiers

Lesson 10 - The Prostration of Forgetfulness Recitation

  • The Prostration of Forgetfulness

  • The Prostration of Recitation

Lesson 11 - Prayers

  • Those whom it is invalid to pray behind (The Imam)

  • Conditions of the congregational prayer

  • The Traveller’s prayer

Lesson 12 - Jumuah prayer

  • The Friday Prayer – The Obligation to Attend

  • The Friday Prayer – Conditions

  • The Friday Prayer – Integrals of the Sermons

  • The Friday Prayer – Conditions of the Sermons

Lesson 13 - Funeral Rites:

  • Washing

  • Shrouding

  • The Funeral Prayer

  • Burial

Lesson 14 - Zakat:

  • Conditions

  • Types of Wealth that Zakat is due upon

  • Zakat on Livestock, Agriculture, Gold and Silver, Mines, Buried Treasure, Trade Goods

Lesson 15 - Zakat al Fitr:

  • Conditions

  • Times

  • Amount

  • Deserving Recipients

Lesson 16 - Fasting:

  • Sighting the Moon

  • Integrals

  • Prohibited Days

  • Conditions for fasting to be obligatory

Lesson 17 - Fasting:

  • Nullifiers

  • Exemptions

Lesson 18 - I’tikaf

  • Conditions

  • Integrals

  • Nullifiers

Lesson 19 - Hajj and Umrah:

  • Those whom it is obligatory upon

  • Integrals of Hajj

  • Necessary acts of Hajj

  • Departing from Mina

  • Integrals of Umrah

  • Conditions and Integrals of the Tawaf

  • Conditions and Integrals of the Sa’i

  • Exiting from Ihram

Lesson 20 - Hajj and Umrah:

  • Prohibitions during Ihram

Lesson 21 - Buying and Selling:

  • Conditions and Integrals

Lesson 22 - Riba (interest):

  • Interest factors and Conditions

Lesson 23 - Cancellation of sales transactions:

  • Types of Cancellations

  • Defective Goods

  • Prohibited Sales

Lesson 24 - Marriage and Divorce:

  • Marriage: Conditions, Integrals, Sunnas

  • Divorce: Integrals and Types

  • Waiting Periods (‘Idda): Types, Duration, Prohibitions

About The Instructors:

Shaykh Jamir Meah grew up in Hampstead, London. He traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he spent nine years privately studying a range of Islamic sciences under the foremost scholars and muftis from the Ribat Tarim, specializing in Shafi’i fiqh. In early 2016, he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continues advanced studies under many of Amman’s most prominent scholars, in a range of Islamic sciences, including Islamic theology, logic, legal principles and precepts, hadith studies, grammar and rhetoric, seerah, Quranic studies and tafsir. He is also an experienced homeopath, having studied and been mentored by some of its leading practitioners.

Shaykh Farid Dingle has completed extensive years of study in the sciences of the Arabic language and the various Islamic Sciences. During his studies, he also earned a CIFE Certificate in Islamic Finance. Over the years he has developed a masterful ability to crafts lessons that help non-Arabic speakers gain a deep understanding of the language. He currently teaches courses in the Arabic Language.

Level: One

Instructors: Shaykh Abdurragmaan Khan

Course Overview

Having godfearingness (taqwa) is a prerequisite for being able to benefit from the great guidance of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). Take this course to learn how to have godfearingness in most of the everyday situations that you are likely to encounter in your life, such as eating halal food, proper dress, interacting with the opposite gender, guarding your gaze, investing and saving your money, and guarding your tongue.

Who is this course for?

• This is a second-level course in Step One.

• Before taking this course, take The Absolute Essentials of Islam (Hanafi) or The Absolute Essentials of Islam (Shafi‘i)

• Take this course before all courses in Step Two. 

Course Outline

Lesson 1

  • 1. The Fruits and Meanings of Taqwa

  • 2. The Hadith of Jibril and Introduction to Halal and Haram

Lesson 2

  • 1. History of the Shafi‘i School

  • 2. Using the Lavatory

  • 3. Halal and Haram Foods

Lesson 3

  • 1. Etiquette of Eating

Lesson 4

  • 1. Guests and Hosting Part 1

  • 2. Guests and Hosting Part 2

Lesson 5

  • 1. Interacting with the Opposite Gender

  • 2. Clothing

Lesson 6

  • 1. Commanding the Right and Forbidding the Wrong

Lesson 7

  • 1. Family Relations

Lesson 8

  • 1. Backbiting

Lesson 9

  • 1. Talebearing, Lying,

  • 2. Breaking Promises, Excessive Joking, and Mocking Others

Lesson 10

  • 1. Conditions of a Valid Business Transaction

Lesson 11

  • 1. Investing, Borrowing, and Insurance

Lesson 12

  • 1. Marriage and Divorce

Learning Outcomes:

• Appreciate the importance of the quality of godfearingness

• Memorize how to have godfearingness in dozens of everyday situations

• Improve your religious practice by keeping good company and making frequent repentance

Course Requirements:

• The Absolute Essentials of Islam (Hanafi) or The Absolute Essentials of Islam (Shafi‘i)

About The Instructors:

Shaykh Abdurragmaan Khan completed the memorization of the Qur’an under Shaykh Ismail Londt at the Dar Ubaiy Institute in 2000. He then went on to graduate from the Dār al-Ulūm al-‘Arabiyyah al-Islāmiyyah in 2006, where he benefited from the school’s lecturers, specifically its founder and principal, Maulana Taha Karaan. After graduating, Shaykh Abdurragmaan served as a lecturer at the same institute from 2006 to 2015. In 2009, he established Dar al-Turath al-Islami (DTI) and continues to serve as the Director. In 2011, Shaykh Abdurragmaan co-founded the Mahabbah Foundation and was honoured to join the Fatwa Committee of the Muslim Judicial Council of South Africa in 2013. He is also an Imam at Masjid al-Rahmah, Garlendale. Shaykh Abdurragmaan received ijazah ’ammah from various luminaries, including but not restricted to: Habib Umar ibn Hafiz–a personality who affected him greatly and who has changed his relationship with Allah, Maulana Yusuf Karaan – the former Mufti of Cape Town; Habib ‘Ali al-Mashhur – the late Mufti of Tarim, Habib ‘Umar al-Jaylani – the Shafi’i Mufti of Makkah, Sayyid Ahmad bin Abi Bakr al-Hibshi, Habib Kadhim as-Saqqaf, Shaykh Mahmud Sa’id Mamduh, Maulana Abdul Hafiz al-Makki, Sh. Ala ad- Dind al-Afghani, Maulana Fazlur Rahman al-Azami and Shaykh Yahya al-Gawthani amongst others. Shaykh Abdurragmaan received ijazah in the qira’ah of Imam Kisa’i from Shaykh Idris from Malawi and is currently reciting the seven Qira’ah to Maulana Saleem Gaibie.

Level: Two

Instructor: Shaykh Muhammad Carr

Course Overview

The science of legal theory (usul al-fiqh) studies how to infer the rulings of Sacred Law directly from the Qur’an and sunna. This course will clear your confusions over (1) the role of scholarly consensus (ijma’) in preserving Islam; (2) how the Sunna of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) was preserved; (3) and the role of human reason in interpreting the Qur’an and Sunna. Since the Qur’an and Sunna are both in Arabic, some knowledge of Arabic, however, is a highly recommended prerequisite to this course. But the instructor makes every effort to explain things in a way that can be understood by English speakers without any knowledge of Arabic

About the Course Text

This course is a contemporary explanation of al-Waraqat, a primer on Islamic legal theory (usul al-fiqh) by Imam al-Haramayn Juwayni (d. 478 A.H. / 1085 C.E.). Imam Juwayni was an imam (i.e., someone who is taken as an exemplar) of the Islamic sciences in the fullest sense of the word: he authored multi-volume seminal works in Shafi‘i jurisprudence, Islamic theology, and Islamic legal theory, that became the basis for all future work in each science. His al-Waraqat is a short work that brings his vast scholarship in the science of Islamic legal theory down to the level of an absolute beginner. Ever since it was written almost a thousand years ago, students of the Shafi‘i, Maliki, and Hanbali schools have successfully used it to begin their study of Islamic legal theory. A translation of the course text is provided as part of the course materials.

Who is this course for?

• This is a first-level course in Step Two

• Complete Step One before taking this course

Course Outline

Session 1

   • Lesson 1 -Imam Juwayni and the Waraqat

   • Lesson 2 - Usul, Fiqh, and Usul al-Fiqh

   • Lesson 3 - What is Fiqh

Session 2

   • Lesson 4 - The Rulings of Sacred Law

   • Lesson 5 - Probabilistic Inference

   • Lesson 6 - What is Usul al-Fiqh?

Session 3

   • Lesson 7 - What is Speech and Why is it Important?

   • Lesson 8 - Kinds of Speech in Legal Inference

   • Lesson 9 - Literal and Figurative Speech

Session 4

   • Lesson 10 - How to Discern Figurative Speech

   • Lesson 11 - Four Examples of Figurative Speech

Session 5

   • Lesson 12 - Commands, Prohibitions, and Moral Responsibility

   • Lesson 13 - How to Fulfill One’s Moral Responsibility

Session 6

   • Lesson 14 - Who is Morally Responsible?

   • Lesson 15 - Is a Prohibited Action Also Invalid?

Session 7

   • Lesson 16 - What are Inclusive Expressions?

   • Lesson 17 - Excluding from Inclusive Expressions

Session 8

   • Lesson 18 - Excluding by the Sunna

   • Lesson 19 - Excluding by Analogy

   • Lesson 20 - Excluding by Revelatory Context

Session 9

   • Lesson 21 - The Different Strengths of Linguistic Signification

Session 10

   • Lesson 22 - The Figurative Interpretation of Probabilistic Expressions

   • Lesson 23 - Why Anthropomorphists are Mistaken

Session 11

   • Lesson 24 - Prophets are Divinely Protected from Sin

   • Lesson 25 - What can be inferred from the fact that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) did something?

Session 12

   • Lesson 26 - Prophetic Approval

   • Lesson 27 - What can be inferred from the fact that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) did not do something?

Session 13

   • Lesson 27 – What can be inferred from the fact that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) did not do something? 

Session 14

   • Lesson 28 – Abrogation is Possible and it Actually Happened

   • Lesson 29 – Abrogation of Qur’anic Commands and Prohibitions

Session 15

   • Lesson 30 – Kinds of New Rulings After Abrogation 

   • Lesson 31 – Abrogation by the Qur’an and Abrogation by the Sunna

Session 16

   • Lesson 32 – Evidentiary Conflict and Reconciliation 

Session 17

   • Lesson 33 – Scholarly Consensus of the Muslim Umma is Never Wrong 

   • Lesson 34 – Scholarly Consensus is the Impenetrable Fortress of Islam 

Session 18

   • Lesson 35 – Explicit and Implicit Scholarly Consensus 

   • Lesson 36 – Ijtihad of a Companion 

Session 19

   • Lesson 37 – Isnad is the Distinction of the Muslim Umma

   • Lesson 38 – Kinds of Transmitted Reports

Session 20

   • Lesson 39 – Mursal Hadiths 

   • Lesson 40 – How Hadiths Were Transmitted 

Session 21

   • Lesson 41 – Human Reason and the Sacred Law

   • Lesson 42 – Kinds of Legal Analogy

Session 22

   • Lesson 43 – The Initially Presumed Ruling of Sacred Law

   • Lesson 44 – The Presumption of Continuity

Session 23

   • Lesson 45 – The Precedence-Order of Legal Evidence

Session 24

   • Lesson 46 – The Conditions of Ijtihad

   • Lesson 47 – Following Qualified Scholarship

   • Lesson 48 – Is Every Mujtahid Correct?

Learning Outcomes:

• Explain what Islamic legal theory is and why it needs to be studied

• Learn how to interpret the Qur’an and Sunna

• Memorize the definitions of key terms in the science of Islamic legal theory

• Appreciate the depth of scholarship of all four Sunni schools of Islamic jurisprudence

• Apply the techniques of Islamic legal theory to gain clarity on contemporary religious debates about literalism, ijtahad and taqlid, and bid‘a

About The Instructor:

Shaykh Muhammad Carr has dedicated his life to studying and transmitting our beautiful faith. His studies have taken him around the globe, where he has benefitted from many luminaries. Under the guidance of his teachers - Shaykh Taha Karan, Shaykh Yaseen Abbas, Shaykh Muadh Ali, and many others - Shaykh Muhammad has grown to appreciate the beauty and benefits of diverse scholarship. He completed his memorization of the Quran at Dar al-Ulum Zakariyyah in September 1997 and received an Alimiyya Degree in 2006. He is also affiliated with Masjid Auwal in Bo Kaap, Cape Town (the oldest mosque in South Africa), where he serves as a co-imam, and Dar Al-Safa, where he has taught since 2018. As a teacher, he imparts the wisdom of our heritage and tradition by opening the door for students. As an Imam, he has the unique opportunity to serve his community in daily life. He continues to pursue traditional Islamic Sciences, possessing a keen interest in Islamic Contract Law and Finance. His contributions to SeekersGuidance are welcomed, as we strive to grow as righteous believers under the guidance of qualified scholars such as Shakyh Muhammad Carr. Shaykh Muhammad Carr is currently teaching Shafi`i Usul based on Imam Haramayn’s Waraqat and Shafi `i Fiqh based on Matn Abu Shuja.

Level: Two

Instructor: Shaykh Muhammad Carr

Course Overview

This thought-provoking and insightful intermediate (Level Two) course in Islamic Legal Theory is for anyone seeking to gain an appreciation of how Islamic Law works.

Imam Juwayni, author of the Waraqat was an imam (i.e., someone who is taken as an exemplar) of the Islamic sciences in the fullest sense of the word: he authored multi-volume seminal works in Shafi‘i jurisprudence, Islamic theology, and Islamic legal theory.

The main benefit of this course is to illustrate how Islamic law is derived from its sources and equip you with the tools required to extrapolate law from the Qur’an and sunna.

The course sets a foundation and framework for further studies in Usul (Islamic legal Theory) .

By taking this course, students will be able to locate traditional fiqh within the Qur’an and sunna and also deal with differences in society in a more cohesive manner.

About the Author

The Waraqat, a primer on Islamic legal theory (Usul al-fiqh) by Imam Juwayni (d. 478 A.H. / 1085 C.E.), is an important text that covers the integrals of Islamic legal theory namely: sources of Islamic Law, types of speech, modes of extrapolation, and the condition of the extrapolator in terms of being an original thinker or otherwise.

The text is significant due to the author and the prominence that Allah has afforded it. Imam Juwayni was an imam (i.e., someone who is taken as an exemplar) of the Islamic sciences in the fullest sense of the word. His Waraqat is a short work that brings his vast scholarship in the science of Islamic legal theory down to the level of an absolute beginner. Ever since it was written almost a thousand years ago, students of the Shafi‘i, Maliki, and Hanbali schools have successfully used it to begin their study of Islamic legal theory.

The Waraqat is taught in light of the renowned sharh (explanatory notes) provided by Jalal al-din al-Mahalli. The more extensive sharh by Ibn al-Firkah was also consulted as part of the preparation for this course.

About the Text

This book is authored by Imam Haramayn Abd al Malik b. Abd Allah b. Yusuf al Juwayni (419 A.H. - 478 A.H.). Imam Juwayni authored a great many works. In fiqh, he penned the Nihayat al-matlab regarding which Imam Subki said: The like of it has not been authored in Islam for the madhab. The Nihaya became the source for all consequent literature in the shafi’i school of thought. He also authored the Ghiyathi which is one of his major contributions.

Imam Subki described him as an ocean of knowledge, meticulous and erudite scholar, legal theorist, and theologian of repute. It is really his grace to distill from his vast scholarship, this beginner treatise for us to benefit from and access this noble science.

Imam Juwayni was well known for his contribution to Islamic theology, jurisprudence, and politics. Ibn Salah quotes a person that has seen Imam Juwayni as saying: The eyes of a person have not seen the likes of Imam al-Haramayn .

Who is This Course For?

• This course is for students of the Islamic sciences. It is particularly beneficial for students wanting to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of Islamic Law

• It is a level 2 course and a student must have finished all the level one courses.

• This course can also be taken by anyone who is interested in learning more about how Islamic Law works and those wishing to pave a career in fiqh.

Study Effort

• 3 hours weekly which includes preparation and consolidation of lessons.

• 30 Minutes for quizzes.

Learning Outcomes

• Explain what Islamic legal theory is and why it needs to be studied

• Learn how to interpret the Qur’an and Sunna

• Memorize the definitions of key terms in the science of Islamic legal theory

• Appreciate the depth of scholarship of Islamic jurisprudence

• Apply the techniques of Islamic legal theory to gain clarity on contemporary religious debates about literalism, ijtihad and taqlid.

Course Outline 

Lesson 1 -   Introduction

• Definition and analysis of the term usul al- fiqh and its various applications
  

Lesson 02 - Types of Rulings

• Definition of the term hukm, The types of ahkam and their relevant legal weight. 
  

Lesson 3 - Terminology

• This lesson covers the concept fiqh juxtapositioned to ilm as well as terminology relating to Islamic epistemology. 
  

Lesson 4 -  Literal and Metaphorical Speech

• This lesson covers the types of speech in terms of haqiqa and majaz: literal and metaphorical. 

Lesson 5 - The Command 

• This lesson covers the command verb and its legal implications 

Lesson 6 - The Command-Related Issues

• This lesson covers whether a command verb necessitates immediacy and repetition or not
  

Lesson 7 - Who Falls under the Ambit of the Command and Prohibition  

• This lesson covers the conditions that make a person morally responsible  
  

Lesson 8 - The Prohibition

• This lesson covers the prohibition verb and its legal implications
  

Lesson 9 - Aam Generality

• This lesson covers the definition of the concept aam and its instruments
  

Lesson 10 - Khas Specification and the specified 

• This lesson covers the definition of khas and its application  
  

Lesson 11 - Takhsis Remotely

• This lesson covers how a  general concept is particularised.

Lesson 12 - Mujmal 

• This lesson covers types of words like mujmal and mubayyan as well as nass and zahir

Lesson 13 - Af-al Actions

• This lesson covers the actions of the prophet (May Allah grant him peace) and their legal weight 

Lesson 14 -  Naskh Abrogation 

• This lesson covers the concept of abrogation: its definition and application

Lesson 15 - Reconciling between Apparent Differences

• This lesson covers case studies of apparently contradictory texts and how they should be reconciled

Lesson 16 -  Ijma 

• This lesson covers the concept of ijma: definition, types, and legal weight 

Lesson 17 - Akhbar Sunna

• This lesson covers the definition of khabar and the types of akhbar

Lesson 18 -Qiyas

•  This lesson covers qiyas and with all of their integrals

Lesson 19 - Default Ruling

• This lesson covers the default ruling in terms of permissibility or otherwise

Lesson 20- Apparently Contradictory Proofs

• This lesson covers how to deal with apparently contradictory proofs and how to navigate these texts. 

Lesson 21  - Mufti and Mustafti

• This lesson covers the default ruling in terms of permissibility or otherwise

Lesson 22  - Ijtihad and Taqlid

• This lesson covers the definition of ijtihad and taqlid respectively and the rules and regulations relating to both. 
  

About the Instructor

Shaykh Muhammad Carr has dedicated his life to studying and transmitting our beautiful deen. His studies have taken him around the globe, where he has benefitted from many luminaries. Under the guidance of his teachers - Shaykh Taha Karan, Shaykh Yaseen Abbas, Shaykh Muadh Ali and many others - Shaykh Muhammad has grown to appreciate the beauty and benefits of diverse scholarship. He completed his memorization of the Qur’an at Dar al-Ulum Zakariyyah in September 1997 and received an Alimiyya Degree in 2006 from DUAI (Darul Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah). He is also affiliated with Masjid Auwal in Bo Kaap, Cape Town (the oldest mosque in South Africa), where he serves as a co-imam, and Dar Al-Safa, where he has taught since 2018. As a teacher, he imparts the wisdom of our heritage and tradition by opening the door for students. As an imam, he has the unique opportunity to serve his community in daily life. He continues to pursue traditional Islamic Sciences, possessing a keen interest in Islamic Contract Law and Finance.

Level: Two

Instructors: Shaykh Jamir Meah & Shaykh Farid Dingle

Course Overview

This course will cover the details of financial transactions, inheritance, marriage, divorce, child custody, injurious crimes, fixed Sharia punishments, hunting and halal slaughtering of animals, oaths and vows, and court proceedings according to the Shafi’i school of Islamic jurisprudence.  It will cover who can undertake a financial contract, what can be sold, and various details of a wide number of contracts like hiring, agency, companies, and investments. The course also goes over the various shares in inheritance, its conditions and execution, and other related matters. There will also be some detail on polygamy, the Islamic juristic and political structure, and jus ad bellum and jus in bello.

Who is this course for?

Before taking this course, take the Essentials of Worship (Shafi'i): Ba Fadl's The Short Abridgement Explained

Take this course before all courses in Level Three.

Course Outline

Session 1

  • Al Bai’ – Sales Transactions Al Riba – Interest Sales Cancellations

Session 2

  • Al Salam – Paying in Advance Al Rahn – Putting up Collateral Al Hajr – Suspension

Session 3

  • Al Sulh – Reconciliation Al Hawala – Transferring a Debt Al Dhaman – Guaranteeing Payment Al Kafalah - Guaranteeing a Person’s Appearance

Session 4

  • Al Sharika – Cooperative Partnerships Al Wakala – Authorisation Al Iqrar – Admissions

Session 5

  • Al ‘Ariyyah – Lending Items Al Ghasb – Wrongfully Taken Property Al Shufa’ – Preemption

Session 6

  • Al Qirad – Profit Sharing Venture Al Musaqah – Watering Crops for a Stipulated Portion Al Ijarah – Renting Goods and Hiring Services

Session 7

  • Al Ja’alah – Job Wages Al Mukhabara – Sharecropping Ihya al Mawat – Regenerating Uninhibited Lands Water Rights and Access

Session 8

  • Al Waqf – Endowments Al Hiba – Gifts Al Luqata – Lost and Found

Session 9

  • Al Laqit – The Foundling Al Wadi’ – Deposits for Safekeeping Al Wasiyah – Bequests

Session 10

  • Al Fara’id (Inheritance) – Introduction Male Inheritors Female Inheritors Those Who Always Inherit Those Who Never Inherit Al ‘Asabat – Universal Inheritors Al Furud – Fixed Shares Al Hajb – Elimination Shares of Brothers and Sisters

Session 11

  • Al Nikah (Marriage) – Introduction Looking at the Opposite Sex The Integrals of the Marriage Contract Al Khitba – Marriage Proposals Al Ijbar – Compelling Women to Marry Unmarriageable Women

Session 12

  • Spousal Defects Permitting Annulment Al Sadaq – The Wife’s Marriage Payment Al Walimah – The Wedding Feast

Session 13

  • Conjugal rights;  divorce and related issues;

Session 14

  • Child custody and financial support.

Session 15

  • Blood money

Session 16

  • Fixed Sharia punishments

Session 17

  • Jihad: Jus ad bellum and jus in bello

Session 18

  • Jihad: Jus post bellum

Session 19

Hunting and halal slaughter

Session 20

  • Competitions and Entertainment

Session 21

  • Oaths and Vows

Session 22

  • Caliphate

Session 23

  • Court proceedings

Session 24

  • Manumission

Learning Outcomes:

• The technical side of the vast majority of financial and familial relations that a Muslim will get involved in his/her life.

• the various types of sale, how “interest” can be avoided in sales and currency exchange, the various forms of canceling a sales contract, forward sales, and debt transfers.

• The concept of financial liability and legal liability it discussed along with various forms of investing money in a halal way.

• Other key topics include charitable engagements, and who should get married, and how it should be done from beginning to end.

• The details of the shares inherited from one family member are explained, that one inherits from and that one does not, and how the shares can vary based on the combinations of living heirs.

• How an Islamic marriage is terminated, and what the financial obligations are towards one’s family members.

• How Islam joins between the spirit and the letter of the Sacred Law

• How Islam promotes law and order

• How flexible Sharia law can be

• What valid oaths and vows are

• How Islamic law fits into the current political climate

About The instructors:

Shaykh Jamir Meah grew up in Hampstead, London. He traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he spent nine years privately studying a range of Islamic sciences under the foremost scholars and muftis from the Ribat Tarim, specializing in Shafi’i fiqh. In early 2016, he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continues advanced studies under many of Amman’s most prominent scholars, in a range of Islamic sciences, including Islamic theology, logic, legal principles and precepts, hadith studies, grammar and rhetoric, seerah, Quranic studies and tafsir. He is also an experienced homeopath, having studied and been mentored by some of its leading practitioners.

Shaykh Farid Dingle has completed extensive years of study in the sciences of the Arabic language and the various Islamic Sciences. During his studies, he also earned a CIFE Certificate in Islamic Finance. Over the years he has developed a masterful ability to crafts lessons that help non-Arabic speakers gain a deep understanding of the language. He currently teaches courses in the Arabic Language.

Level: Two

Instructors: Shaykh Jamir Meah & Shaykh Farid Dingle

Course Overview

Every human action has a divine command associated with it, making it obligatory, recommended, permissible, offensive, or unlawful. We cannot infer these commands with our minds–the only way to learn about them is by learning them from the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). The goal of the science of sacred law (fiqh) is to summarize what the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) taught us about all human actions, whether related to worship, trade, investment, food, hunting, oaths, entertainment, marriage, divorce, inheritance, legal procedures, or public policy.  This four-part series of courses will introduce you to the science of sacred law as it relates to all aspects of life, focussing in this first part on the rules of purification and prayer.

Who is this course for?

• Complete level One before taking this course

• Take this course before taking the second part of this course

Course Outline

Session 1

  • Biography of Author; Author’s Introduction; The Five Rulings; Personal vs.Communal Obligatory Knowledge

Session 2

  • Purification;  Integrals & Nullifiers of Ablution; Etiquettes of the Washroom

Session 3

Major Ritual Impurity

Session 4

  • Wiping Over Socks; Dry Ablution; Types of Filth

Session 5

  • Rulings Related to the Different Types of Bleeding for Women

Session 6

  • The Prayer – Times; Sunnah Prayer; Conditions & Integrals

Session 7

  • Sunnahs & Nullifiers of the Prayer

Session 8

  • Prostration of Forgetfulness; Forbidden Times to Pray; The Congregational Prayer

Session 9

  • Joining Prayers & the Friday Prayer

Session 10

  • Special Prayers for Particular Circumstances

Session 11

  • Clothing

Session 12

  • Rites of the Deceased & the Funeral Prayer

Session 13

  • Zakat on Wealth Zakatable wealth Conditions for obligation of Zakat

Session 14

  • Zakat on livestock

Session 15

  • Zakat on gold and silver Zakat on agriculture

Session 16

  • Zakat on trade Zakat on mines Zakat on buried treasure

Session 17

  • Zakat al Fitr Deserving Recipients Distributing Zakat

Session 18

  • Fasting Obligation Integrals Nullifiers

Session 19

  • Sunnan of fasting Disliked acts during Fasting Sunna Fasts

Session 20

  • Unlawful Days of Fasting Expiations Excuses for not Fasting

Session 21

  • Itikaf (spiritual retreat) Integrals Nullifiers

Session 22

  • Hajj Conditions for obligation Integrals Necessary acts

Session 23

  • Sunnas of Hajj and Umrah Prohibitions in Ihram

Session 24

  • Omission of Pilgrim rites Expiations

Learning Outcomes:

  • Describe the historical development of the Shafi‘i school

  • Learn the rules of purification, prayer, clothing, funeral rites, fasting, zakat, and Hajj

  • Memorize the definitions of key terms related to the rules of purification, prayer, clothing, funeral rites, fasting, zakat, and Hajj

  • Appreciate the depth of the Muslim scholarly tradition

About The Instructors

Shaykh Jamir Meah grew up in Hampstead, London. He traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he spent nine years privately studying a range of Islamic sciences under the foremost scholars and muftis from the Ribat Tarim, specializing in Shafi’i fiqh. In early 2016, he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continues advanced studies under many of Amman’s most prominent scholars, in a range of Islamic sciences, including Islamic theology, logic, legal principles and precepts, hadith studies, grammar and rhetoric, seerah, Quranic studies and tafsir. He is also an experienced homeopath, having studied and been mentored by some of its leading practitioners.

Shaykh Farid Dingle has completed extensive years of study in the sciences of the Arabic language and the various Islamic Sciences. During his studies, he also earned a CIFE Certificate in Islamic Finance. Over the years he has developed a masterful ability to crafts lessons that help non-Arabic speakers gain a deep understanding of the language. He currently teaches courses in the Arabic Language.

Level: Three

Instructor: Shaykh Hamza Karamali

Course Overview

This is the first of an eight-part traditional word-by-word explanation of a sharh (interlineal commentary) on the post popular primer in Shafi‘i law, Matn Abi Shuja‘. Hamza Karamali carefully works through the chapter of purification, the prayer, Rules of Zakat, Fasting and Hajj. relating the rulings to contemporary situations and explaining the hadith evidence and wisdom behind them. This is a course for experienced students of knowledge who have studied the Islamic sciences for many years

About the Course Text

Matn Abi Shuja‘ is the most popular primer for students of the Shafi‘i school. Its importance can be measured by the dozens of commentaries and glosses that have been written on it over the centuries since it was written. This course is a contemporary explanation of its most commonly-studied commentary, Fath al-Qarib al-Mujib by Shaykh Muhammad b. Qasim al-Ghazzi (d. 918 AH / 1512 CE). Shaykh Muhammad b. Qasim al-Ghazzi was a late scholar of the Shafi‘i school who lived and taught in Egypt. His teachers included the great Shaykh al-Islam Zakariyya al-Ansari, who was the teacher the major authorities of the Shafi‘i school. Fath al-Qarib (or Sharh Ibn Qasim, as it is popularly known) is an integral part of Shafi‘i curricula worldwide. It is particularly important because it was the subject of a hashiya (gloss) by the rector of al-Azhar in his time, Shaykh Ibrahim al-Bajuri (1276 AH / 1860 CE), may Allah Most High have mercy on him, which is one of the most important books in the Shafi‘i school.

Who is this course for?

• This is a level three course

• Complete all four parts of Introduction to Sacred Law (Shafi‘i) before taking this course

• Reading fluency in Arabic is a prerequisite for taking this course

Course Outline

SESSION 1

Introduction

  • Ibn Qasim al-Ghazzi’s Introduction

  • Commentary on the Basmala and Hamdala

  • Commentary on Abu Shuja’s Introduction

SESSION 2

Purification and Water

  • The Meanings of “Kitab” and “Tahara” 

  • Purifying Water 

  • Pure and Impure Water 

SESSION 3

Animal Hides, Gold and Silver Containers, and the Toothstick

  • Tanning Animal Hides

  • Permissible and Impermissible Containers

  • Using the Toothstick

SESSION 4

Integrals of Wudu

  • Integrals of Wudu: Intention and Washing the Face

  • Integrals of Wudu: Remaining Integrals Using the Toothstick

SESSION 5

Sunnas of Wudu

  • Sunnas of Wudu Part 1

  • Sunnas of Wudu Part 2

SESSION 6

Cleaning Oneself After Using the Bathroom

  • Cleaning Oneself After Using the Bathroom (istinja)

  • Adab of Using the Bathroom

SESSION 7

Invalidators of Wudu and Ghusl

  • Invalidators of Wudu 

  • Invalidators of Ghusl   

SESSION 8

Ghusl and Wiping Over Khuffs

  • Integrals of Ghusl

  • Sunnas of Ghusl

  • Sunna Ghusls

  • Wiping Over Khuffs: Ruling and Conditions

SESSION 9

Wiping over Khuffs and Tayammum

  • Wiping Over Khuffs: Period of Wiping

  • Wiping Over Khuffs: How to Wipe and Invalidators of Wiping

  • Wiping Over Khuffs: How to Wipe and Invalidators of Wiping

SESSION 10

Tayammum and Najasa

  • Integrals and Sunnas of Tayammum

  • Invalidators of Tayammum

  • Casts and Bandages

  • Definition of Najasa

SESSION10.4