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Foundations of Islamic Sciences

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About Course

Sundays | 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm
Starting September 14th

This course is designed to offer you a structured gateway into the major traditional Islamic disciplines. We will explore the evolution of Islamic knowledge from its formative period through later developments, with a special focus on the Quranic sciences, Hadith methodology, Islamic jurisprudence, and theology. Students are expected to engage actively in discussions and complete weekly assignments on time

What Will You Learn?

  • Recognise the depth and diversity of the Islamic scholarly tradition.
  • Understand how the major Islamic sciences (fiqh, usul al‑fiqh, Qur’anic sciences, Hadith, theology) developed through history.
  • Identify influential scholars and classical texts across these disciplines.
  • Explain the primary sources of Islamic law and how legal rulings are derived.
  • Appreciate the role and authority of the Sunnah in legislation.
  • Explore the objectives (maqasid) behind Islamic rulings and legal maxims.
  • Learn the fundamentals of Qur’anic and Hadith sciences, including their compilation and classification processes.
  • Trace the historical timeline of Islamic schools of law and understand their interrelationships.
  • Examine rational and scriptural arguments for the existence of God.

Course Content

Week 1
Course outline, general objectives of the course, introduction to Islamic sciences.

  • Introduction to Islamic Sciences

Week 2
Islamic law and legal theory; Fiqh and Shariah definitions and branches; development of Fiqh in the Prophetic era, time of the Companions and the Successors.

Week 3
Islamic law and legal theory; introducing the madhhab(s) of Fiqh; dealing with differences between legal schools of thought.

Week 4
Stages of stagnation and decline in Islamic law; the practice of taqlid and reasons behind it; development of fiqh in contemporary times; sharia governance and modern applications; renaissance of fiqh.

Week 5
Principles of jurisprudence (Usul al-Fiqh); sources of Islamic law; main sources – Qur’an, Sunnah, consensus (ijma’), analogy (qiyas); minor sources – ijtihad, istihsan, maslahah mursalah, urf.

Week 6
Legal maxims (Qawa’id fiqhiyya) and higher objectives of Islamic law (Maqasid al-Shari’ah).

Week 7
Qur’anic Sciences: definition of ‘Uloom al‑Qur’an, benefits of studying the sciences of the Quran, status and preservation of the Quran; Ahruf and Qira’at; compilation of the Mushaf; and an introduction to Tafseer.

Week 8
Qur’anic Sciences (Cont.): Makki and Madani verses; Muhkam and Mutashabiḥ verses; the miraculous nature of the Quran; Asbab an‑Nuzool (circumstances of revelation); translation of the Quran; and Orientalists’ approaches to the Qur’an.

Week 9
Hadith Sciences: introduction to Hadith; compiling and preserving Hadith; the most important compilations; hadith structure and classification; understanding hadith authority; and methods of hadith criticism including the science of narrators (rijal).

Week 10
Theology (Aqidah): defining Islamic creed (Aqidah); exploring the beautiful names of Allah (Asma ar‑Husna) and their significance; understanding divine attributes and their categories; and learning how the early scholars approached theology based on the Qur’an and Sunnah.

Week 11
Proving God’s existence: exploring rational proofs for the existence of God, including cosmological and design arguments; evidence from the created world and human nature; addressing doubts and misconceptions; and emphasising the oneness of Allah (Tawhid).

Week 12
Sirah and Early Islamic History: An overview of early sources and compilations of the Prophet Muhammad’s biography (Sirah); exploration of major Sirah works such as Ibn Ishaq’s and Ibn Hisham’s texts and their methodologies; understanding sources including Quranic verses, hadith, and historical reports; and appreciating the significance of Sirah for understanding Islamic history and the context of revelation.

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