Advanced Islamic Law & Islamic Theology
Background
By completing the Advanced Islamic Law & Islamic Theology program, an individual will gain the ability to explain the theories of Madhhabs (Legal Schools of Thought) through Hadith.
What You Will Gain
The full-time student completes their course work with the completion of 23 courses over a period of 2 years. Those students who complete the course will be able to represent and re-present the content of the Oral Tradition within their particular context. The student who completes the course gains the critical ability to represent Islam through his/her knowledge of the fundamental sources, as well as being capable of re-presenting these living sources of guidance in light of the challenges of modern day living.
In addition, we believe that a student who studies at Darul Qasim at the Advanced level will be able to do the following:
- Serve as an Imam at the national level
- Conduct lectures and seminars for a broader, national audience
- Serve as an academic advisor to Muslim educational and religious organizations
- Develop strategies to coordinate activities with the larger US community
- Continue doing research at an academic/intellectual level on issues that impact the US
Quick Links
Important Dates
Application Deadline AUGUST 18, 2019
New Students Orientation Friday, AUGUST 21-23, 2019
First day of class Monday, AUGUST 26, 2019
What Darul Qasim Believes & Delivers
What to Expect
The Advanced Islamic Law & Islamic Theology program elucidates the link between the derivatives (furūʾ) of Islam and their primary sources (uṣūl). This is how the relationship of content and context comes together to further accentuate the potential of the student to be capable of dealing with modern challenges.
The connection between the Qurʾān and Islamic Law will be discussed through Tafsīr al-Aḥkām (Exegesis of Islamic Law). The understanding of Islamic Law will be shown through an in-depth study of the six authenticated, canonical books of Hadith, along with the Muwaṭṭaʿ of Imām Muḥammad and Imām Mālik. Further comparative fiqh in light of Hadith will be discussed through Imām Ṭahāwī’s Sharḥ Ma’ānī al-Āthār. Scholastic theology will be further developed in the program, discussing philosophy in light of fundamental Islamic beliefs through Tabṣirat al-Aḍillah, an advanced text on Māturīdī Kalām.
The program comes to a completion by researching and documenting an approved thesis in Arabic and presenting/defending it in front of a panel of scholars.
Curriculum
Year | Year 1 | Year 2 | ||
Semester | Fall | Spring | Fall | Spring |
Department of Arabic | ARAB531 Advanced Arabic Rhetoric I |
ARAB532 Advanced Arabic Rhetoric II |
||
Department of Qurʾān | QUR501 Tafsīr al-Nasafī I (Elective) |
QUR502 Tafsīr al-Nasafī II (Elective) |
– | – |
Department of Hadith | HAD541 Introduction to Hadith Source Criticism: Sunan Ibn Mājah HAD551 HAD552 HAD561 HAD562 |
HAD542 Hadith Chain Analysis: Sunan al-Nasāʾī HAD553 HAD554 HAD563 HAD564 |
– | – |
Department of Theology | – | – | THEO531 Comparative Dialectic Theology I THEO599 |
THEO532 Comparative Dialectic Theology II THEO599 |
Course Catalog
Department of Arabic
Course Code |
Core or Elective |
Course Name |
Course Description |
ARAB101 |
Core |
Arabic Syntactic Compendia: Iẓhār al-Asrār |
Iẓhār al-Asrār of Imam Muḥammad b. Bīr 'Alī al-Birkiwī (d. 981/1573) has remained one of the most taught compendia of Arabic syntax over the centuries. It is distinguished by its causal approach to Arabic syntax, which is not presented in the usual order of noun, verb, and particle, but rather in the order of syntactic governors, governed words, and types of government. This teaches the student to analyze the Arabic language in terms of cause and effect, which is the objective of the course. The course begins with a study of al-'Awāmil, which is al-Birkiwī’s own summary of al-Iẓhār. |
ARAB102 |
Core |
Introduction to Advanced Arabic Syntax: Ibn Hishām’s Sharḥ Qaṭr al-Nadā wa Ball al-Ṣadā I |
Ibn Hishām (d. 761/1360) wrote Sharḥ Qaṭr al-Nadā as a commentary on his own work, Qaṭr al-Nadā. Although the content of Sharḥ Qaṭr al-Nadā is very similar to the content of his other famous work on grammar, Sharḥ Shudhūr al-Dhahab, the structure is clearer and provides more lucid explanations of syntax concepts. The novel structure by which he organized his work laid the foundation for similar works after him, and is still used today. Lastly, students will apply the rules learned in Sharḥ Qaṭr al-Nadā by studying the famous anthology of Arabic literature Nafḥat al-‘Arab once a week.This is a two-semester course which will continue into ARAB 201. |
ARAB111 |
Core |
Advanced Arabic Morphology: Taṣrīf al-ʿIzzī |
This course consists of an intensive study of Taṣrīf al-ˁIzzī, one of the most well-known and widely studied classical texts of Arabic morphology, written by ˁAbd al-Wahhāb b. Ibrāhīm al-Zanjānī (d.655/1257). |
ARAB151 |
Core |
Arabic Lab 1st Year - Level 1 |
This course aims to develop elementary communication skills in Arabic. By the end of the one-year course, a student should be able to engage in simple conversations about familiar topics (speaking and listening comprehension), and read and write simple sentences about familiar topics (reading comprehension and basic writing skills). |
ARAB152 |
Core |
Arabic Lab 1st Year - Level 2 |
This course aims to develop elementary communication skills in Arabic. By the end of the one-year course, a student should be able to engage in simple conversations about familiar topics (speaking and listening comprehension), and read and write simple sentences about familiar topics (reading comprehension and basic writing skills). |
ARAB201 |
Core |
Introduction to Advanced Arabic Syntax: Ibn Hishām’s Sharḥ Qaṭr al-Nadā wa Ball al-Ṣadā II |
Ibn Hishām (d. 761/1360) wrote Sharḥ Qaṭr al-Nadā as a commentary on his own work, Qaṭr al-Nadā. Although the content of Sharḥ Qaṭr al-Nadā is very similar to the content of his other famous work on grammar, Sharḥ Shudhūr al-Dhahab, the structure is clearer and provides more lucid explanations of syntax concepts. The novel structure by which he organized his work laid the foundation for similar works after him, and is still used today. Lastly, students will apply the rules learned in Sharḥ Qaṭr al-Nadā by studying the famous anthology of Arabic literature Nafḥat al-‘Arab once a week.This is a two-semester course which will continue into ARAB 201. |
ARAB202 |
Core |
Sharh ibn 'Aqil |
|
ARAB211 |
Core |
Introduction to Arabic Rhetoric: al-Balāghah al-Wāḍiḥah I |
This course surveys the vast field of Arabic rhetoric. Contemporary authors ʿAlī al-Jārim and Muṣṭafā Amīn present rhetorical concepts within each of the three branches of Arabic rhetoric, al-maʿānī, al-bayān, and al-badīʿ, in a methodical and coherent way. Each chapter begins with examples of rhetorical concepts followed by a detailed explanation (al-baḥth) and rules (al-qawāʾid). Thereafter, the text gives an opportunity to practice each concept through an array of different exercises utilizing poetry from different genres as well Qurʾānic verses and hadith. |
ARAB212 |
Core |
Introduction to Arabic Rhetoric al-Balāghah al-Wāḍiḥah II |
This course surveys the vast field of Arabic rhetoric. Contemporary authors ʿAlī al-Jārim and Muṣṭafā Amīn present rhetorical concepts within each of the three branches of Arabic rhetoric, al-maʿānī, al-bayān, and al-badīʿ, in a methodical and coherent way. Each chapter begins with examples of rhetorical concepts followed by a detailed explanation (al-baḥth) and rules (al-qawāʾid). Thereafter, the text gives an opportunity to practice each concept through an array of different exercises utilizing poetry from different genres as well Qurʾānic verses and hadith. |
ARAB221 |
Elective |
Advanced Arabic Syntax: Jāmiʿ al-Durūs al-ʿArabiyyah I |
This course consists of a study of the advanced Arabic syntax text Jāmi' al-Durūs al-'Arabiyyah of Muṣṭafā Ghalāyīnī. The text is an exhaustive and systematic study of the detailed rules of Arabic grammar and provides, beyond intermediate level, insight into the exceptions to common grammar rules as well as the divergent opinions of the early Arabic grammarians. Students memorize not only the grammar rules in this course, but also apply the rules through extensive exercises utilizing Qurʾānic verses, hadith, and Arabic poetry. |
ARAB222 |
Elective |
Advanced Arabic Syntax: Jāmiʿ al-Durūs al-ʿArabiyyah II |
This course consists of a study of the advanced Arabic syntax text Jāmiʿal-Durūs al-ʿArabiyyah of Muṣṭafā Ghalāyīnī. The text is an exhaustive and systematic study of the detailed rules of Arabic grammar and provides, beyond intermediate level, insight into the exceptions to common grammar rules as well as the divergent opinions of the early Arabic grammarians. Students memorize not only the grammar rules in this course, but also apply the rules through extensive exercises utilizing Qurʾānic verses, hadith, and Arabic poetry. |
ARAB251 |
Core |
Arabic Lab 2nd Year - Level 3 |
This course aims to develop intermediate communication skills in Arabic. Each class students are encouraged to discuss and review in Arabic what they study in other classes. By the end of the one-year course, a student should be able to engage in conversations at the intermediate level, especially about familiar topics (speaking and listening comprehension), and read and write complex sentences, especially about familiar topics (reading comprehension and basic writing skills). |
ARAB252 |
Core |
Arabic Lab 2nd Year - Level 4 |
This course aims to develop intermediate communication skills in Arabic. Each class students are encouraged to discuss and review in Arabic what they study in other classes. By the end of the one-year course, a student should be able to engage in conversations at the intermediate level, especially about familiar topics (speaking and listening comprehension), and read and write complex sentences, especially about familiar topics (reading comprehension and basic writing skills). |
ARAB298 |
Elective |
Topics in Arabic |
A culmination of various texts taught at the 200-level |
ARAB301 |
Core |
Selections from Arabic Literature: Mukhtārāt min Adab al-ʿArab I |
This course aims to expand students’ understanding of classical Arabic literature and vocabulary, through the study of a selection of writings from various genres and eras of Arabic literature. Students are exposed to a wide range of rhetorical styles and expressions found in hadith texts, historical and prosopographical dictionaries, classical poetry, and modern prose. Through this course, students will be equipped to read, analyze, and translate both classical and contemporary texts. |
ARAB302 |
Core |
Selections from Arabic Literature: Mukhtārāt min Adab al-ʿArab II |
This course aims to expand students’ understanding of classical Arabic literature and vocabulary, through the study of a selection of writings from various genres and eras of Arabic literature. Students are exposed to a wide range of rhetorical styles and expressions found in hadith texts, historical and prosopographical dictionaries, classical poetry, and modern prose. Through this course, students will be equipped to read, analyze, and translate both classical and contemporary texts. |
ARAB351 |
Core |
Arabic Lab 3rd Year - Level 5 |
This course aims to develop advanced communication skills in Arabic. Each class students discuss and review in Arabic what they study in other classes. By the end of the one-year course, a student should be able to engage in sophisticated conversations, especially about familiar topics, and develop advanced competence in reading and writing, especially about familiar topics. |
ARAB352 |
Core |
Arabic Lab 3rd Year - Level 6 |
This course aims to develop advanced communication skills in Arabic. Each class students discuss and review in Arabic what they study in other classes. By the end of the one-year course, a student should be able to engage in sophisticated conversations, especially about familiar topics, and develop advanced competence in reading and writing, especially about familiar topics. |
ARAB451 |
Core |
Arabic Lab 4th Year - Level 7 |
This course aims to develop very advanced communication skills in Arabic. Each class students discuss and review in Arabic what they study in other classes. Students will also give Arabic oral presentations about selected topics. By the end of the one-year course, a student should be able to engage in sophisticated conversations, and develop advanced competence in reading and writing. |
ARAB452 |
Core |
Arabic Lab 4th Year - Level 8 |
This course aims to develop very advanced communication skills in Arabic. Each class students discuss and review in Arabic what they study in other classes. Students will also give Arabic oral presentations about selected topics. By the end of the one-year course, a student should be able to engage in sophisticated conversations, and develop advanced competence in reading and writing. |
ARAB511 |
Core |
Classical Arabic Linguistics: Mullah Jāmīʿs al-Fawā'id al-Ḍiyā'iyyah |
al-Fawāʾid al-Ḍiyāʾiyyah of Nūr al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Jāmī (d. 898/1492) has been considered the best commentary of al-Kāfiyah, Ibn al-Ḥājib’s (d. 646/1249) influential compendium of Arabic syntax. In traditional madrasas it is usually taught as the final work of Arabic syntax and is distinguished by Jāmī’s systematic integration of ʿlm al-waḍʿ (Arabic semantics) into Arabic syntax. The course begins with a study of an independent treatise in ʿilm al-waḍʿ to facilitate understanding Jāmī’s sophisticated approach. |
ARAB531 |
Core |
Advanced Arabic Rhetoric: Talkhīṣ al-miftāḥ and Mukhtaṣar al-Maʿānī I |
Mukhtaṣar al-Maʿānī is Saʿd al-Dīn al-Taftāzānī’s (d. 792/1390) commentary on Khaṭīb al-Qazwīnī’s (d. 739/1338) Talkhīṣ al-Miftāḥ, which in turn is a study on the third section of Abū Ya'qūb al-Sakkākī’s (d. 626/1229) Miftāh al-'Ulūm covering maʿānī (the study of how variations in syntax affect meaning), bayān (the study of figurative language), and badīʿ (the study of other stylistic devices), the three sub-disciplines of 'ilm al-balāghah (Arabic rhetoric). Using Talkhīṣ al-Miftāḥ and Mukhtaṣar al-Maʿānī, the course will teach these three disciplines with the aim of giving students a strong grounding in Arabic rhetoric, so that they have a deeper appreciation of the Noble Qurʾān and the Arabic language. al-Talkhīs and Mukhtaṣar al-Maʿānī have traditionally been the final works taught on Arabic language and rhetoric in traditional institutions of Islamic higher learning, since students who master these works will be able to do independent research in classical works on Arabic language. |
ARAB532 |
Core |
Advanced Arabic Rhetoric: Talkhīṣ al-Miftāḥ and Mukhtaṣar al-Maʿānī II |
Mukhtaṣar al-Maʿānī is Saʿd al-Dīn al-Taftāzānī’s (d. 792/1390) commentary on Khaṭīb al-Qazwīnī’s (d. 739/1338) Talkhīṣ al-Miftāḥ, which in turn is a study on the third section of Abū Ya'qūb al-Sakkākī’s (d. 626/1229) Miftāh al-'Ulūm covering ma'ānī (the study of how variations in syntax affect meaning), bayān (the study of figurative language), and badī' (the study of other stylistic devices), the three sub-disciplines of 'ilm al-balāghah (Arabic rhetoric). Using Talkhīṣ al-Miftāḥ and Mukhtaṣar al-Maʿānī, the course will teach these three disciplines with the aim of giving students a strong grounding in Arabic rhetoric, so that they have a deeper appreciation of the Noble Qur'ān and the Arabic language. al-Talkhīs and Mukhtaṣar al-Maʿānī have traditionally been the final works taught on Arabic language and rhetoric in traditional institutions of Islamic higher learning, since students who master these works will be able to do independent research in classical works on Arabic language. |
ARAB551 |
Core |
Advanced Arabic Lab I |
This course surveys Arabic literature from Pre-Islamic to modern times, covering different genres of poetry and prose. The aim is to familiarize students with the characteristics of the Arabic literature of each period and area, and to enable the students to be at ease discussing them orally and in writing. |
ARAB552 |
Core |
Advanced Arabic Lab II |
This course surveys Arabic literature from Pre-Islamic to modern times, covering different genres of poetry and prose. The aim is to familiarize students with the characteristics of the Arabic literature of each period and area, and to enable the students to be at ease discussing them orally and in writing. |
Department of Hadith
Course Code |
Core or Elective |
Department |
Course Name |
Course Description |
HAD101 |
Core |
Hadith |
Ethics in the Prophetic Tradition: al-Nawawī’s Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn I |
As a study of Imam Abū Zakariyyā al-Nawawī’s renowned hadith collection on virtues Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn, the course consists of reading and translating the narrations of the work alongside a brief commentary provided by the instructor. Through this course students are expected not only to understand and memorize hadith of everyday importance, but also to use the prophetic traditions to strengthen their Arabic vocabulary and grammar. |
HAD102 |
Core |
Hadith |
Ethics in the Prophetic Tradition: al-Nawawī’s Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn II |
As a study of Imam Abū Zakariyyā al-Nawawī’s renowned hadith collection on virtues Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn, the course consists of reading and translating the narrations of the work alongside a brief commentary provided by the instructor. Through this course students are expected not only to understand and memorize hadith of everyday importance, but also to use the Prophetic traditions to strengthen their Arabic vocabulary and grammar. |
HAD301 |
Core |
Hadith |
Introduction to the Hadith Sciences and Hadith Literature |
This course is an introductory study of the terminology and critical methodology of the hadith sciences as well as a general survery of hadith literature. The course introduces students to foundational hadith nomenclature (muṣtalaḥ) and critical concepts of the hadith sciences through ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq al-Dihlawī’s (d. 1052/1642) Muqaddamah fī Uṣūl al-Ḥadīth, followed by the analysis and memorization of al-Manẓūmah al-Bayqūniyyah, a 34-line concise poem on hadith terminology. Supplemental lectures and readings on the history of hadith compilation, famous figures and key literature, Western criticism and Muslim responses, the authority of hadith, etc... will enrich the student's understanding of the hadith's historical, epistemological, and legal significance. |
HAD302 |
Core |
Hadith |
Introduction to Critical Hadith Methodology: |
This course critically analyzes the intermediate-level hadith sciences text Nuẓhat al-Naẓar of Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī (d. 852/1449), expanding the study of the hadith sciences beyond terminology and into subfields such as narrator criticism (jarḥ wa taʿdīl), prosopography (rijāl), and the ethics of hadith reception and transmission. Students will be expected to analyze the text critically using glosses and commentaries written by the author’s own students Qāsim b. Quṭlūbghā (d. 879/1474) and al-Kamāl Ibn Abī Sharīf (d. 906/1501). ʿAbd al-Ḥayy al-Laknawī's (d. 1305/1886) work on narrator criticism (al-jarḥ wa al-taʿdīl) entitled al-Rafʿ wa al-Takmīl is thereafter studied with the critical notes of ʿAbd al-Fattāḥ Abū Ghuddah. Students will additionally be taught to explore and access various genres of hadith works, especially the glossaries, indexes, dictionaries, and catalogs unique to the field as an introduction into takhrīj al-ḥadīth wa dirāsat al-asānīd. |
HAD401 |
Core |
Hadith |
Reading the Hadith: al-Tibrīzī’s Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ I |
The course consists of an extensive study of the six-thousand plus hadith narrations (mutūn) found in al-Khaṭīb al-Tibrīzī’s (d. 737/1108) hadith super-collection Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ. The course provides a thorough and critical analysis of the theological, legal, and ethical rules derived from its narrations as well as their historical authenticity. Through the study of a work that collects hadith of not only the six canonical Ṣaḥīḥ works but also those of Imams Mālik, Aḥmad, al-Dārimī, al-Bayhaqī, al-Dāraquṭnī, and Razīn, students are given a thorough exposure to the Islamic understanding (al-mafhūm al-Islāmī) found in hadith literature. Students are expected to engage with not only the hadith texts but the valuable gloss of Aḥmad ʿAlī al-Sahāranpūrī (d. 1297/1880) and commentaries such as those of Mullā ʿAlī al-Qārī (d. 1014/1605)and ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq al-Dihlawī (d. 1052/1642). |
HAD402 |
Core |
Hadith |
Reading the Hadith: al-Tibrīzī’s Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ II |
The course consists of an extensive study of the six-thousand plus hadith narrations (mutūn) found in al-Khaṭīb al-Tibrīzī’s (d. 737/1108) hadith super-collection Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ. The course provides a thorough and critical analysis of the theological, legal, and ethical rules derived from its narrations as well as their historical authenticity. Through the study of a work that collects hadith of not only the six canonical Ṣaḥīḥ works but also those of Imams Mālik, Aḥmad, al-Dārimī, al-Bayhaqī, al-Dāraquṭnī, and Razīn, students are given a thorough exposure to the Islamic understanding (al-mafhūm al-Islāmī) found in hadith literature. Students are expected to engage with not only the hadith texts but the valuable gloss of Aḥmad ʿAlī al-Sahāranpūrī (d. 1297/1880) and commentaries such as those of Mullā ʿAlī al-Qārī (d. 1014/1605)and ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq al-Dihlawī (d. 1052/1642). |
HAD403 |
Core |
Hadith |
Reading the Hadith: al-Tibrīzī’s Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ III |
The course consists of an extensive study of the six-thousand plus hadith narrations (mutūn) found in al-Khaṭīb al-Tibrīzī’s (d. 737/1108) hadith super-collection Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ. The course provides a thorough and critical analysis of the theological, legal, and ethical rules derived from its narrations as well as their historical authenticity. Through the study of a work that collects hadith of not only the six canonical Ṣaḥīḥ works but also those of Imams Mālik, Aḥmad, al-Dārimī, al-Bayhaqī, al-Dāraquṭnī, and Razīn, students are given a thorough exposure to the Islamic understanding (al-mafhūm al-Islāmī) found in hadith literature. Students are expected to engage with not only the hadith texts but the valuable gloss of Aḥmad ʿAlī al-Sahāranpūrī (d. 1297/1880) and commentaries such as those of Mullā ʿAlī al-Qārī (d. 1014/1605)and ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq al-Dihlawī (d. 1052/1642). |
HAD404 |
Core |
Hadith |
Reading the Hadith: al-Tibrīzī’s Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ IV |
The course consists of an extensive study of the six-thousand plus hadith narrations (mutūn) found in al-Khaṭīb al-Tibrīzī’s (d. 737/1108) hadith super-collection Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ. The course provides a thorough and critical analysis of the theological, legal, and ethical rules derived from its narrations as well as their historical authenticity. Through the study of a work that collects hadith of not only the six canonical Ṣaḥīḥ works but also those of Imams Mālik, Aḥmad, al-Dārimī, al-Bayhaqī, al-Dāraquṭnī, and Razīn, students are given a thorough exposure to the Islamic understanding (al-mafhūm al-Islāmī) found in hadith literature. Students are expected to engage with not only the hadith texts but the valuable gloss of Aḥmad ʿAlī al-Sahāranpūrī (d. 1297/1880) and commentaries such as those of Mullā ʿAlī al-Qārī (d. 1014/1605)and ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq al-Dihlawī (d. 1052/1642). |
HAD501 |
Core |
Hadith |
Studies in Early Legal Hadith Discourse: Abū Ḥanīfah and Mālik I |
This course is an intensive analysis of the earliest legal arguments from hadith, in particular those employed by the preeminent jurists of the first and second centuries: Imams Abū Ḥanīfah, Mālik, Abū Yūsuf, and Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-Shaybānī. Particular emphasis is devoted to legal arguments found in the transmissions of Mālik’s al-Muwaṭṭā through Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan and Yaḥyā b. Yahyā al-Laythī, but readings in Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan’s Kitāb al-Ḥujjah, Abū Ḥanīfah’s Kitāb al-Āthār, and al-Khawārizimī’s Jāmi' Masānīd al-Imām al-Aʿẓam are also included. Considerable attention will be given to understanding the different approaches of the Ahl al-Ra'y (jurists) and Ahl al-Ḥadīth (hadith transmitters) as well as those between the early (Ḥanafī and Mālikī) and later (Shāfi'ī and Ḥanbalī) juridical schools. |
HAD502 |
Core |
Hadith |
Studies in Early Legal Hadith Discourse: Abū Ḥanīfah and Mālik II |
This course is an intensive analysis of the earliest legal arguments from hadith, in particular those employed by the preeminent jurists of the first and second centuries: Imams Abū Ḥanīfah, Mālik, Abū Yūsuf, and Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-Shaybānī. Particular emphasis is devoted to legal arguments found in the transmissions of Mālik’s al-Muwaṭṭā through Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan and Yaḥyā b. Yahyā al-Laythī, but readings in Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan’s Kitāb al-Ḥujjah, Abū Ḥanīfah’s Kitāb al-Āthār, and al-Khawārizimī’s Jāmi' Masānīd al-Imām al-Aʿẓam are also included. Considerable attention will be given to understanding the different approaches of the Ahl al-Ra'y (jurists) and Ahl al-Ḥadīth (hadith transmitters) as well as those between the early (Ḥanafī and Mālikī) and later (Shāfi'ī and Ḥanbalī) juridical schools. |
HAD511 |
Core |
Hadith |
Ḥanafīs and Textual Authority: Reading al-Ṭaḥāwī’s Sharḥ Maʿānī al-Āthār I |
The bifurcation of the juridical schools along the lines of Ahl al-Ḥadīth (hadith transmitters) and Ahl al-Raʾy (jurists) was largely a consequence of claims from the former that the latter’s overuse of legal reasoning (raʾy) resulted in a neglect of clear and established hadith evidence. Imam Abū Ja'far al-Ṭaḥāwī addresses this claim in a monumental hadith collection, Sharḥ Ma'ānī al-Āthār, that serves as one of the earliest expansive hadith-based defense of the positions of Imam Abū Ḥanīfah and his followers. A thorough reading of the work will introduce students not only to the specific textual proofs of the Ḥanafī school but also the wide range of juristic reasoning and principles (uṣūl) employed therein. |
HAD512 |
Core |
Hadith |
Ḥanafīs and Textual Authority: Reading al-Ṭaḥāwī’s Sharḥ Maʿānī al-Āthār II |
The bifurcation of the juridical schools along the lines of Ahl al-Ḥadīth (hadith transmitters) and Ahl al-Raʾy (jurists) was largely a consequence of claims from the former that the latter’s overuse of legal reasoning (raʾy) resulted in a neglect of clear and established hadith evidence. Imam Abū Ja'far al-Ṭaḥāwī addresses this claim in a monumental hadith collection, Sharḥ Ma'ānī al-Āthār, that serves as one of the earliest expansive hadith-based defense of the positions of Imam Abū Ḥanīfah and his followers. A thorough reading of the work will introduce students not only to the specific textual proofs of the Ḥanafī school but also the wide range of juristic reasoning and principles (uṣūl) employed therein. |
HAD521 |
Core |
Hadith |
A Study of Legal Traditions: Sunan Abī Dāwūd I |
The sunan genre of hadith literature primarily focuses on the evidence early Muslim jurists used in their arguments. This course examines the Sunan of Abū Dāwūd al-Sijistānī (d. 204/819) from both a jurisprudential and a critical historical perspective, explaining the use of each hadith in support of a variety of legal positions as well as exploring the grading of the hadith by the author and other classical hadith scholars. |
HAD522 |
Core |
Hadith |
A Study of Legal Traditions: Sunan Abī Dāwūd II |
The sunan genre of hadith literature primarily focuses on the evidence early Muslim jurists used in their arguments. This course examines the Sunan of Abū Dāwūd al-Sijistānī (d. 204/819) from both a jurisprudential and a critical historical perspective, explaining the use of each hadith in support of a variety of legal positions as well as exploring the grading of the hadith by the author and other classical hadith scholars. |
HAD531 |
Core |
Hadith |
A Study of Legal Traditions: Sunan al-Tirmidhī I |
The sunan genre of hadith literature primarily focuses on the evidence early Muslim jurists used in their arguments. This course examines the Sunan of Muḥammad b. ʿĪsā al-Tirmidhī (d. 279/892) from both a jurisprudential and a critical historical perspective, explaining the use of each hadith in support of a variety of legal positions but also exploring the grading of the hadith by the author and other classical hadith scholars. |
HAD532 |
Core |
Hadith |
A Study of Legal Traditions: Sunan al-Tirmidhī II |
The sunan genre of hadith literature primarily focuses on the evidence early Muslim jurists used in their arguments. This course examines the Sunan of Muḥammad b. ʿĪsā al-Tirmidhī (d. 279/892) from both a jurisprudential and a critical historical perspective, explaining the use of each hadith in support of a variety of legal positions but also exploring the grading of the hadith by the author and other classical hadith scholars. |
HAD541 |
Core |
Hadith |
Introduction to Hadith Source Criticism: Grading Reports in Ibn Mājah’s Sunan |
This course introduces students to the critical analysis of hadith reporters and chains through an elaborate study of the zawā'id reports of Ibn Mājah’s Sunan, i.e. the reports unique to Ibn Mājah’s Sunan and not found in any of the other six canonical hadith collections, the Ṣaḥīḥs of al-Bukhārī and Muslim and the Sunan works of al-Nasāʾī, Abū Dāwūd, and al-Tirmidhī. While students will analyze both the hadith texts and chains, particular focus is placed on the critical analysis of hadith narrators and the evaluation of their narrations. Thus, students will be introduced to a practical study of ʿilm al-rijāl (the science of narrative biographies) through the study of a canonical hadith text. |
HAD542 |
Core |
Hadith |
Hadith Chain Analysis: A Sanad Reading of Sunan al-Nasāʾī |
This course consists of a thorough study of select portions of the Sunan of Imam Abū 'Abd al-Raḥmān al-Nasāʾī (d. 302/915), a work known for its special attention given to the discovery of hidden elements in hadith chains. Through the study of these chapters, students will be introduced to the sciences of hadith sourcing and comparative chain analysis ('ilm al-takhrīj wa dirāsat al-asānīd). While seeking to understand and appreciate the complexity of chain mapping, the jurisprudential aspects of the hadith texts will also be analyzed in light of the positions and arguments of the eminent masters of the field. |
HAD551 |
Core |
Hadith |
Readings in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim I |
This course explores the Ṣaḥīḥ work of Muslim b. al-Ḥajjāj al-Qushayrī (d. 261/875), focusing first on the discussions of historical methodology in the book’s prolegomena (muqaddamah), and then on the rich theological, legal, ethical, spiritual, eschatological, and historical issues derived from the hadith content. Students will also seek to appreciate the author’s unique skill in the arrangement of the hadith and in the presentation of the chains of transmitters. |
HAD552 |
Core |
Hadith |
Readings in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim II |
This course explores the Ṣaḥīḥ work of Muslim b. al-Ḥajjāj al-Qushayrī (d. 261/875), focusing first on the discussions of historical methodology in the book’s prolegomena (muqaddamah), and then on the rich theological, legal, ethical, spiritual, eschatological, and historical issues derived from the hadith content. Students will also seek to appreciate the author’s unique skill in the arrangement of the hadith and in the presentation of the chains of transmitters. |
HAD553 |
Core |
Hadith |
Readings in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim III |
This course explores the Ṣaḥīḥ work of Muslim b. al-Ḥajjāj al-Qushayrī (d. 261/875), focusing first on the discussions of historical methodology in the book’s prolegomena (muqaddamah), and then on the rich theological, legal, ethical, spiritual, eschatological, and historical issues derived from the hadith content. Students will also seek to appreciate the author’s unique skill in the arrangement of the hadith and in the presentation of the chains of transmitters. |
HAD554 |
Core |
Hadith |
Readings in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim IV |
This course explores the Ṣaḥīḥ work of Muslim b. al-Ḥajjāj al-Qushayrī (d. 261/875), focusing first on the discussions of historical methodology in the book’s prolegomena (muqaddamah), and then on the rich theological, legal, ethical, spiritual, eschatological, and historical issues derived from the hadith content. Students will also seek to appreciate the author’s unique skill in the arrangement of the hadith and in the presentation of the chains of transmitters. |
HAD561 |
Core |
Hadith |
Readings in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī I |
al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaḥīḥ of Muḥammad b. Ismāʿīl al-Bukhārī (d. 256/870) is undoubtedly the most celebrated and authenticated of the primary hadith collections. This course will study the work with a dual focus on the hadith content as well as the author’s unique interpretive reasoning provided in the rich chapter headings (tarājim al-abwāb). Lectures on the text will be complemented with independent guided readings of the work’s various commentaries. |
HAD562 |
Core |
Hadith |
Readings in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī II |
al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaḥīḥ of Muḥammad b. Ismāʿīl al-Bukhārī (d. 256/870) is undoubtedly the most celebrated and authenticated of the primary hadith collections. This course will study the work with a dual focus on the hadith content as well as the author’s unique interpretive reasoning provided in the rich chapter headings (tarājim al-abwāb). Lectures on the text will be complemented with independent guided readings of the work’s various commentaries. |
HAD563 |
Core |
Hadith |
Readings in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī III |
al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaḥīḥ of Muḥammad b. Ismāʿīl al-Bukhārī (d. 256/870) is undoubtedly the most celebrated and authenticated of the primary hadith collections. This course will study the work with a dual focus on the hadith content as well as the author’s unique interpretive reasoning provided in the rich chapter headings (tarājim al-abwāb). Lectures on the text will be complemented with independent guided readings of the work’s various commentaries. |
HAD564 |
Core |
Hadith |
Readings in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī IV |
al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaḥīḥ of Muḥammad b. Ismāʿīl al-Bukhārī (d. 256/870) is undoubtedly the most celebrated and authenticated of the primary hadith collections. This course will study the work with a dual focus on the hadith content as well as the author’s unique interpretive reasoning provided in the rich chapter headings (tarājim al-abwāb). Lectures on the text will be complemented with independent guided readings of the work’s various commentaries. |
HAD571 |
Elective |
Hadith |
Advanced Hadith Methodology: al-Suyūṭī's Tadrīb al-Rāwī I |
This course explores advanced issues of hadith criticism and methodology through a critical reading of Imam Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī's (d. 911 AH/1505 CE) Tadrīb al-Rāwī, an exhaustive commentary on Imam Yaḥyā al-Nawawī's (676 AH/1277 CE) al-Taqrīb and one of the largest classical works in hadith methodology and nomenclature. Students will also write a paper to demonstrate their proficiency in advanced discussions of hadith critical theory. |
HAD572 |
Elective |
Hadith |
Advanced Hadith Methodology: al-Suyūṭī's Tadrīb al-Rāwī II |
This course explores advanced issues of hadith criticism and methodology through a critical reading of Imam Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī's (d. 911 AH/1505 CE) Tadrīb al-Rāwī, an exhaustive commentary on Imam Yaḥyā al-Nawawī's (676 AH/1277 CE) al-Taqrīb and one of the largest classical works in hadith methodology and nomenclature. Students will also write a paper to demonstrate their proficiency in advanced discussions of hadith critical theory. |
Department of Qur'an
Course Code |
Core or Elective |
Course Name |
Course Description |
|
|
Tafsīr al-Nasafī I |
This course will focus on Madārik al-Tanzīl wa Ḥaqāʾiq al-Taʾwīl known as Tafsīr al-Nasafī of the Central Asian Ḥanafī jurist and exegete Abū l-Barakāt ˁAbd Allāh b. Aḥmad al-Nasafī (d.710/1320). The work not only summarizes the grammatical, lexical, and rhetorical discussions of previous exegeses such as those of al-Zamakhsharī (d.538/1144) and al-Bayḍāwī (d. ca. 685/1286) but also interprets the legal and theological aspects of the Qurˀān through the lens of Ḥanafī jurisprudence and Māturīdī school of dialectic theology. |
QUR502 |
Elective |
Tafsīr al-Nasafī II |
This course will focus on Madārik al-Tanzīl wa Ḥaqāʾiq al-Taʾwīl known as Tafsīr al-Nasafī of the Central Asian Ḥanafī jurist and exegete Abū l-Barakāt ˁAbd Allāh b. Aḥmad al-Nasafī (d.710/1320). The work not only summarizes the grammatical, lexical, and rhetorical discussions of previous exegeses such as those of al-Zamakhsharī (d.538/1144) and al-Bayḍāwī (d. ca. 685/1286) but also interprets the legal and theological aspects of the Qurˀān through the lens of Ḥanafī jurisprudence and Māturīdī school of dialectic theology. |
Department of Theology
Course Code |
Core or Elective |
Course Name |
Course Description |
THEO531 |
Core |
Comparative Dialectic Theology: Abū Muʿīn al-Nasafī’s Tabṣirat al-Adillah I |
The course consists of an intensive study of Abū Muʿīn Maymūn b. Muḥammad al-Nasafī’s (d. 508/1115) Tabṣirat al-Adillah fī Uṣūl al-Dīn, one of the most important works of the Māturīdī school of Islamic theology reflecting the understanding of the scholars of Samarqand. Nasafī discusses in detail issues on which Islamic theological schools and Muslim sects differ, presenting and evaluating the evidence for the positions of each group. Nasafī also strives to show that Māturīdī theology is firmly grounded in the theological thought of Abū Ḥanīfah (d. 150/767). The objective of the course is to give the students a deeper understanding of the Māturīdī school in particular and Islamic comparative theology in general. |
THEO532 |
Core |
Comparative Dialectic Theology: Abū Muʿīn al-Nasafī’s Tabṣirat al-Adillah II |
The course consists of an intensive study of Abū Muʿīn Maymūn b. Muḥammad al-Nasafī’s (d. 508/1115) Tabṣirat al-Adillah fī Uṣūl al-Dīn, one of the most important works of the Māturīdī school of Islamic theology reflecting the understanding of the scholars of Samarqand. Nasafī discusses in detail issues on which Islamic theological schools and Muslim sects differ, presenting and evaluating the evidence for the positions of each group. Nasafī also strives to show that Māturīdī theology is firmly grounded in the theological thought of Abū Ḥanīfah (d. 150/767). The objective of the course is to give the students a deeper understanding of the Māturīdī school in particular and Islamic comparative theology in general. |
THEO599 |
Core |
Thesis Research and Methodology |
This course is a requirement for completion of a thesis in the advanced program. The student will choose a thesis adviser based upon the subject of interest, who will advise the student on research and writing methodology and monitor the progress of the thesis. Students are expected to submit each chapter of the thesis as it is completed to the adviser, who will comment on the work and suggest improvements where appropriate. Once the thesis is completed the approval of the adviser and one other faculty are required for the final submission. |