The Intermediate Islamic studies program at Darul Qasim will take you on a rich and in-depth journey into the methodology behind the Islamic tradition.
The full-time students complete their course work with the completion of 56 courses over a period of four years. The student completes the course with the following:
– Proficiency in Classical Arabic and Modern Arabic
– The ability to read knowledge recorded from the Oral Tradition
– Firm grounding in Islamic theology (ʿAqīdah)
– Strong foundations in the methodology and principles of Qurʾānic Exegesis, Hadith, Islamic Law, and Discursive Theology
– An in-depth and thorough understanding of one Madhhab (Legal School of Thought)
Students who complete this program will possess the necessary competence and skills to serve their local communities as Imams, program or youth directors, teachers, etc. The student completing may also choose to pursue further training and certification with certified institutions in the fields of community counseling, chaplaincy, Islamic school department leadership, etc.
Darul Qasim’s principal objective is to familiarize students with the ‘tools of understanding’ for reading knowledge recorded from the Oral Tradition, which vary from those used to obtain knowledge from a written tradition. This is because historically, the core content of Islamic knowledge transmitted during the first three generations of Islamic civilization was based on the Oral Tradition. Subsequent generations documented and reported the content of that knowledge in books. This naturally requires an understanding of the context in which something was said, the people it was said to, and the colloquial meanings from that time. Darul Qasim guides students to explore and understand the finesse embedded in the layers of our tradition.
The intermediate Islamic studies program is built on an extensive study of Arabic grammar and rhetoric. These language skills are used to study texts on principles of Qurʾānic Exegesis, Hadith, Islamic Law, and Theological studies. These basic principles along with courses in a particular Legal School of Thought (Madhhab) will develop the understanding of the ‘Content’ (Mafhūm Islāmī) of early Muslim intellectual civilizations and the Oral Tradition of the first three generations.
Prior to the Intermediate Islamic studies program, students are required to complete the Immersion Shaykh al-Hind program or its equivalent. Students will spend the prerequisite year studying foundational Arabic, while also being introduced to the core content of Islamic sciences. For more information on the Shaykh al-Hind program, click here.
‘Instrumental Sciences’ are taught predominantly in the first two years of the program within the Department of Arabic and Instrumental Sciences. The instrumental sciences come to a completion with an in-depth study of rhetoric and logic to allow the student to develop a rational mindset through the Islamic lens. Additionally, focus is placed on building a proficiency in the student’s ability to speak, read, and write Arabic in the modern context.
By the end of the fourth year, the student will be well versed in their Hanafi fiqh, or corresponding madhhab (legal school of thought), by completing the two (awwalayn) of the four volumes of al-Hidāyah (Hanafi advanced text of Islamic Jurisprudence) or its equivalent in the other three legal schools of thought. Furthermore, the student will be introduced to scholastic theology, discussing philosophy in light of fundamental Islamic beliefs along with the rationalization of objections raised against these beliefs through Sharḥ al-ʾAqāʿid al-Nasafīyyah.
A student completing the Intermediate Islamic Studies program will exhibit proficiency in three areas:
The ability to read and comprehend all the material covered with a clear understanding
The ability to repeat and reproduce, confirming an understanding of the content learned when
cross-examined by the teacher
The ability to disseminate the content learned throughout the program.
