Haddad’s Book of Assistance: Complete Guidance for Turning to Allah

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Introduction

The goal of all sacred knowledge is to aid you on your journey of self-improvement as you make your way through this life into the afterlife. This series of three courses succinctly summarizes the stages of this spiritual journey and its most important milestones, such as certainty in the afterlife, the stages of spiritual development, presence of heart in acts of worship, good character with other people, and sincerity, gratitude, and love of God, all in the 32 short chapters of a masterpiece of Islamic spirituality, The Book of Assistance. This first part focusses on how to use sacred knowledge to nurture your soul. 

Curricular Context

  • Complete Level One before taking this course

Course Outline

Lesson 1  Abridged Biography of Imam al-Haddad
Lesson 2 Introduction (Part 1)
Lesson 3 Introduction (Part 2)
Lesson 4 On Certainty – Chapter 1
Lesson 5 On Intention – Chapter 2
Lesson 6 On Vigilance – Chapter 3
Lesson 7 On the Inner and Outer Self – Chapter 4
Lesson 8 On Regular Devotions (Part 1) – Chapter 5
Lesson 9 On Regular Devotions (Part 2) – Chapter 5
Lesson 10 On Reciting the Qur’an – Chapter 6
Lesson 11 On Acquiring Knowledge – Chapter 7
Lesson 12 On Remembrance – Chapter 8
Lesson 13 On Reflection (Part 1) – Chapter 9
Lesson 14 On Reflection (Part 2) – Chapter 9
Lesson 15 On Following the Book and the Sunna – Chapter 10
Lesson 16 On Doctrine – Chapter 11
Lesson 17 On Religious Obligations – Chapter 12
Lesson 18 On Cleanliness – Chapter 13
Lesson 19 On Following the Sunna (Part 1) – Chapter 14
Lesson 20 On Following the Sunna (Part 2) – Chapter 14
Lesson 21 On Conduct in Mosques and the Ritual Prayer – Chapters 15 & 16
Lesson 22 On Prayer in Congregation – Chapter 17
Lesson 23 On Zakat – Chapter 18
Lesson 24 On Fasting – Chapter 19
Lesson 25 On Pilgrimage (Chapter 20)
Lesson 26 On Scrupulousness (Chapter 21)
Lesson 27 On Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil (Chapter 22)
Lesson 28 On Social Duties (Chapter 23)
Lesson 29 On Kindness and Charity (Chapter 24)
Lesson 30 On Counsel (Chapter 25)
Lesson 31 On Salutations and a Salutary Opinion (Chapter 26)
Lesson 32 On Repentance, Hope and Fear (Chapter 27)
Lesson 33 On Patience and Gratitude (Chapters 28 & 29)
Lesson 34 On Renunciation (Chapter 30)
Lesson 35 On Reliance on God (Chapter 31)
Lesson 36 On Divine Love and Contentment (Chapter 32)

What You Will Learn:

  • Learn how to turn this world into a journey to your afterlife
  • Learn the key terms of the science of Islamic spirituality
  • Learn what it means to have good character with people
  • Learn how to turn away from this world and focus on Allah Most High
  • Appreciate the depth of the Muslim spiritual tradition

About the Course Text

The course is an exposition of The Book of Assistance by the great scholar, saint, and renewer of the twelfth Islamic century, Imam ‘Abdullah b. ‘Alawi al-Haddad [link to: https://www.amazon.com/Sufi-Sage-Arabia-al-Haddad-Spiritual/dp/188775265X](d. 1132 AH / 1720 CE). Imam al-Haddad’s profound mastery of the sacred sciences was condensed into this masterpiece, in which he maps out various acts of devotion and the spiritual path in 32 succinct chapters. Long considered a summary of Ghazali’s seminal Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din, and translated from its original Arabic into Malay, Swahili, and English, this short treatise has been used as a manual of practical spirituality by Muslims all over the world ever since it was written. For a summary of the book and this course, watch Shaykh Yahya Rhodus’ introduction [ link to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W7Neu4TirE ]

 

Abu Shuja’s Matn: On Marriage, Transactions, and Public Law

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Introduction

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 the 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.

Curricular Context

  • 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

What You Will Learn:

  • 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 cancelling 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 members are explained, those one inherits from and those 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 Course Text

This course is an explanation of Matn Abi Shuja’ , written by the learned and pious Shafi‘i scholar from Basra, Ahmad ibn al Hussein al-Asfahani (d. 500’s AH / 1100’s CE), more famously known as, Abu Shuja‘. Abu Shuja‘ taught the Shafi‘i school for 40 years in Basra, working as a scholar and judge, before retiring at the end of his life to Medina, where he worked as a servant at the mosque of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). His Matn Abi Shuja‘, a short introduction to the Shafi‘i school of sacred law, is one of the most blessed textbooks of the school–although it was written almost a millennium ago, it remains an integral part of Shafi‘i fiqh curricula all over the world, and has been the subject of dozens of commentaries and super-commentaries ever since it was written all the way down to the present age.

 

Abu Shuja’s Matn: On Worship (Purification, Prayer, Fasting, Zakat and Hajj)

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Introduction

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.

Curricular Context
    • 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

What You Will Learn:

  • 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 Course Text

This course is an explanation of Matn Abi Shuja’ , written by the learned and pious Shafi‘i scholar from Basra, Ahmad ibn al Hussein al-Asfahani (d. 500’s AH / 1100’s CE), more famously known as, Abu Shuja‘. Abu Shuja‘ taught the Shafi‘i school for 40 years in Basra, working as a scholar and judge, before retiring at the end of his life to Medina, where he worked as a servant at the mosque of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). His Matn Abi Shuja‘, a short introduction to the Shafi‘i school of sacred law, is one of the most blessed textbooks of the school–although it was written almost a millennium ago, it remains an integral part of Shafi‘i fiqh curricula all over the world, and has been the subject of dozens of commentaries and super-commentaries ever since it was written all the way down to the present age.

 

Usul al-Fiqh: How Islamic Law is Derived and Interpreted: Juwayni’s Waraqat

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Introduction

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

Curricular Context

  • This is a second-level course

  • Complete Step One before taking this course

Course Outline

 

 Session 1

 Lesson 1 -Imam al-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?

What You Will Learn:

  • 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 Course Text

This course is a contemporary explanation of al-Waraqat, a primer on Islamic legal theory (usul al-fiqh) by Imam al-Haramayn al-Juwayni (d. 478 A.H. / 1085 C.E.). Imam al-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.

 

Nawawi’s 40 Hadith: The Essentials Guidance of Islam

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Introduction

Learn to live the essence of the Prophet’s wisdom, blessings and peace be upon him.

Curricular Context

  • Complete Step One before taking this course

What You Will Learn:

  • Precious definitions and explanations of core Islamic concepts
  • Central principles of faith, law, worship, life, and spirituality
  • Contextualize this Prophetic guidance to our contemporary lives
  • The spiritual dimensions of these “comprehensive words”
  • How to turn to Allah and seek His closeness through guidance
  • The essence and reality of Prophetic guidance

About the Course Text

Do you want to understand the most foundational hadiths of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him? This course explains the essence of Prophetic wisdom and guidance gathered in Imam Nawawi’s 40 Hadiths. This course will help nurture your faith, deepen religious understanding, increase in love of the Beloved Prophet (peace be upon him), and gain clarity on how to live the essence of his wisdom. In this in-depth course, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani explains Imam Nawawi’s 40 Hadith, using classical commentaries and a wide range of reference works in Islamic scholarship. This course brings out the meanings, beauty, and guidance in these central Prophetic sayings, which Imam Nawawi selected as being hadiths which “the message of Islam revolves around.”

 

Tafsir of Great Suras: Yasin, Mulk, Waq’ia and Kahf: Linguistic and Thematic Analysis

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Introduction

The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, greatly emphasized the recital of sura al Kahf and sura al Waqi’a, due to their significance. The former is a guide to staying safe from the various tribulations we are faced with in this life. It looks at the matters which shake people’s faith, and how they should be dealt with.

Sura al Kahf also discusses the matters which delude people and turn them away from God – guiding us to the way of safety. Blessings, wealth, knowledge, and power are all temptations which can turn people away from the Afterlife.

Consequently, Sura al Waqi’a provides a powerful message to every one of humanity about the Afterlife. The Elite learn of their great rewards, as do the rank and file of the believers. The sura also discusses those to succumbed to the temptations and chose not to believe.

Surat Yasin and Surat al Mulk: A Linguistic and Thematic Analysis of the chapters which focus on proving Allah’s oneness, the prophethood of Muhammad, the Resurrection, Allah’s omnipotence, and all-encompassing generosity.

Curricular Context

About the Course Text

This course is based on a number of classical and contemporary Qurʾanic commentaries, dictionaries, and related works.

 

Mawsili’s Mukhtar: On Worship: Understanding Purification, Prayer, Fasting, Zakat, and Hajj [Elective]

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Introduction

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

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

What You Will Learn:

  • 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 traveller
  • 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

Course Format: 24  downloadable lessons, a monthly live session.

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.

 

Beliefs: Ghazali’s Qawa’id al-Aqa’id – Understanding Beliefs, Proofs, and the Spiritual Cultivation of Faith [Elective]

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Introduction

Study Imam Ghazali’s Qawa‘id al-Aqa’id (Foundations of Islamic Belief).

What You Will Learn:

  •  The key principles and statements of Islamic Belief
  • The relation between scholarly study and spiritual realization
  • The importance of theology and its limitations
  • The role of theology in the religious life
  • Islamic beliefs and the core proofs
  • The strongest arguments for mainstream Islamic theology

Course Requirements:

  • Previous study of Islamic beliefs is recommended—such as the SeekersHub online course, Islamic Beliefs for Seekers: Dardir’s Kharida Explained

About the Course Text

This course covers one of the greatest intermediate-level summaries of mainstream Islamic beliefs: Book Two of Imam Ghazali’s Ihya, on the Foundations of Islamic Belief (Qawa‘id al-Aqa’id), in full. In Foundations of Islamic Belief, Imam Ghazali begins in Part One with a brief statement of Islamic beliefs. Many scholars considered this summary one of the greatest summaries of the key principles of Islamic belief ever written. In Part Two, Imam Ghazali explains how one learns and inculcates sound beliefs—and how faith is nurtured in the heart. He discusses a number of sensitive issues, including the relationship between the study of faith and the means of being spiritually-realized in the fruits of faith. He clarifies both the importance of the study of the science of theology, but also its limitations: its role, he argues, is to clarify, support, and defend sound beliefs; but faith itself is truly nurtured not through mere study but through the acts of turning to Allah in worship, devotion, remembrance, reflection, and acting on the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). In Part Three, Imam Ghazali covers an explanation of the Islamic belief covered in Part One. This serves as a commentary on Part One, and many central principles and key issues of Islamic beliefs are detailed and clarified. In Part Four, Imam Ghazali explains core proofs for the beliefs that have been presented in the Foundations of Islamic beliefs. He avoids getting into detailed debates, but presents what he considers the cleared, strongest, and most convincing arguments for sound, mainstream Islamic theology. The text is explained in English, but the full Arabic of Imam Ghazali’s work is read.

 

On Worship: Shurunbulali’s Nur al-Idah – In-Depth Study of Purification, Prayer, and Fasting [Elective]

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Introduction

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. This is the first of three parts. This part focuses on the detailed rules of purification (tahara), discussing issues of both ritual and physical purity.

Curricular Context

  • 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

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.