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.
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:
It is vital that people have access to a source of Islamic knowledge that is authentic, reliable and relevant. Much like any other discipline (religious or secular), knowledge is a trust and must reside with scholarship. Scholars who have dedicated their lives to the preservation, learning, and distribution of the Islamic intellectual heritage must be considered the sole custodians and distributors of this trust. This knowledge must be accessible to anyone who wishes to seek it.
Muslims throughout their intellectual history have always shown this level of professionalism since the very outset of Islam. Understanding the context in which Muslims live has always been a prerequisite to disseminating Islamic knowledge. At Darul Qasim, we have faculty members who are graduates of both secular universities as well as traditional Islamic institutions. Our scholars understand the culture and psyche of contemporary academic discourse.
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.
