Students will learn how scholarly Islam uses both rational arguments as well as spiritual insight to understand God’s existence, our existence, and creation intelligibly.
Module Outline
Week
Topic
Week 1
Introduction – Sacred Sources
Week 2
Epistemology
Week 3
Ahle Sunnah wa al-Jamma’h
Week 4
Attributes of God
Week 5
The Five Negative Attributes
Week 6
The Five Negative Attributes
Week 7
The Five Negative Attributes The Seven affirming Attributes
Week 8
The Seven affirming Attributes
Week 9
Theology – On burdens beyond one’s ability & Freewill and Predestination
Week 10
Theology – Existance of Good and Evil (Theodicy):
Module Text
The course draws on works that came to inform Islam’s traditional pedagogy and represent its’ normative expression. These works are cited below for reference followed by brief biography authors:
al-Bajuri, Ibrahim b. Mubammad. Tuhfat al-murid ‘ala jawharat al-tawhīd, Edited by ‘Abd al-Salam Shannar. Damascus: Maktabat Dār al-Bayruti, 2002. Yusuf, Hamza, trans. The Creed of Imam al-Ṭāhawi [Al-‘Aqidah alTahāwiyyah]. Hayward, CA: Zaytuna Institute, 2007
The Creed of Imam al-Ṭāhawi
Yusuf, Hamza, trans. The Creed of Imam al-Ṭāhawi [Al-‘Aqidah alTahāwiyyah]. Hayward, CA: Zaytuna Institute, 2007.
Translated, annotated, and introduced by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, it is a simple yet profound expression of the essential points of Muslim belief. Imam al-Tahawi’s creed has achieved an unusual degree of acceptance in the Muslim world, as it avoids involuted theological issues and systematically presents the most fundamental aspects of dogmatic theology. Studied throughout the Muslim world and increasingly in the West, The Creed of Imam al-Tahawi serves as a sound basis for Islamic faith and is the most reliable of the early articulations of Muslim belief. ( Read sample pages from ‘The Creed of Imam al-Tahawi’ )...Read More
About Imam al-Tahawi: Born in Taha in Upper Egypt in 239 AH/853 CE, Imam Abu Ja’far al-Tahawi lived until 321/933. A first-rate jurist, a brilliant grammarian and philologist, and an erudite man of letters, Imam al-Tahawi is best known for his eponymous creed. Known as “al-Azdi,” in reference to the Yemeni clan known as “Azd al-Hajar,” Imam al-Tahawi was a descendent of a people about whom the Prophet Muhammad said, “Faith is Yemeni.” It is altogether fitting that the man who penned such a unifying creed descended from the land of which faith itself is a descendant. Providing seekers of knowledge with a luminous set of simple and sound statements, his creed is a beacon of certainty in the darkness of doubt and ambiguity.
Tuhfat al-murid ‘ala jawharat al-tawhīd
Yusuf, Hamza, trans. The Creed of Imam al-Ṭāhawi [Al-‘Aqidah alTahāwiyyah]. Hayward, CA: Zaytuna Institute, 2007.
Jawharat al-Tawhid, translated as The Gem of Islamic Theology, is one of the approved and accredited texts of the Sunni Creed in the Ashari school. Written as a poem to facilitate memorizing it and to make it more enjoyable and appealing for young students. This was a method widely used to teach and convey knowledge in the past and is still used in some schools till today. It was composed by Imam Ibrahim al-Laqani al-Maliki (1041 H) upon a gesture from his Sufi mentor. Due to its high value and wide acceptance, many commentaries were written to elaborate and explain the meanings it had within. ...Read More
Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Bajuri Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Bajuri, born in Bajur; Egypt, in 1198/1784. Educated at al-Azhar, he was one of the foremost Shafi’i scholars and theologians of his time, authoring over twenty works and commentaries in Sacred Law, tenets of faith, Islamic estate division, scholastic theology, logic, and Arabic. In A.H. 1263 he was appointed Sheikh of al-Azhar, an office he remained in until his death in Cairo in 128811860 (al-A ‘lam (y136), 1.71).
(Keller, Nuh Ha Mim. Reliance of the Traveller: A Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law. Rev.ed. Beltsville, MD: Amman, 1996)
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Shaykh Thaqib Mahmood’s educational journey in the Islamic disciplines comprises a rich tapestry of experiences from the late 90s to 2007. He sought knowledge in many locations, benefiting from and receiving licenses in general and specific areas from scholars in Yemen, Syria, Morocco, Turkey, Mauritania, Makkah and Madinah.
The central place of studying abroad unfolded in Damascus, where Shaykh Thaqib Mahmood immersed himself in a traditional curriculum. He received one-on-one tutoring for particular subjects or was part of a small group of students. Over time, he studied various subjects to their advanced levels with various scholars. This led to a comprehensive study of the well-known and established scholarly works, showcasing the depth of arguments and positions representing the mainstream understandings of this Ummah.
Since his return to the UK in the last 17 years, Shaykh Thaqib Mahmood has been actively involved in teaching a broad spectrum of Islamic disciplines, from Sirah to Tafsir. In addition developing educational programmes at the various institutions he’s been serving. His significant contributions include a 9-year tenure as a Quranic Arabic tutor at the University of Oxford, where he designed and developed the Quranic Arabic programme, which was previously neglected, bringing it up to par with the other languages taught at the Faculty of Theology and Religion. He also played a crucial role in creating the first approved BSL (British Sign Language) Adhan, providing essential knowledge of the Arabic phrases that BSL can best capture. His academic achievements include a PGDip in teaching communicative Arabic and an MA in linguistics; he completed both postgraduate programmes at SOAS, which have further enriched his understanding and teaching of Islamic disciplines....Read More
The following are the names of some of the scholars he studied under, each of whom played a meaningful role during his time away studying.
In Yemen: Habib Umar b. Hafidh In Damascus: Shaykh Abdulah Siraj ud-Din, Shaykh Shukri al-Luhafī, Shaykh Ramadhan al-Buṭī, Shaykh Muhammad Darwish, Shaykh Abdul Wahaab, Shaykh Muhammad al Yaqoubi, Shaykh Adnan al Majd, Shaykh Maree al Rashid and Shaykh Khalil al Sabbagh, In Mauritania: Murabit al-Hajj, Murabit Ahmad Fāl and Murabit Hadamīn. In Turkey: Shaykh Mahmud Effendi, Shaykh Muhammed Ameen Siraj, Shaykh Ehsaan Hojah. In Makkah: Shaykh Khalid, Shaykh Abdul-Qadir al-Dhabwān, Shaykh Ahmad al-Ruqaymi, Shaykh Ahmad al-Kāf, and Shaykh ‘Abbas al-Maliki In Madinah: Shaykh Abdur Rahman And in the UK: Shaykh Siraj and Shaykh Muhammad Ba Shuayb.
May Allah preserve those who are alive and grant them the best in this world and the hereafter. And may Allah shower His mercy on those who have returned to their creator and, forgive their shortcomings, and raise their ranks. He continues his learning under both local and international scholars. Shaykh Thaqib has been part of the Fountain for over 25 years.
Location
Bury Park Community Centre, 161, 161b Dunstable Rd, Luton LU1 1BW. Zoom: links will be provided via email
Date/Time
Starting – 13th January 2024 for 10 weeks Saturdays – 9.30AM to 10.30PM
Module Content
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