Boston Islamic Seminary

This course provides students with a firm grasp of the principal Arabic terms and concepts, derived from the Qur’an and Sunna, that are necessary for building a sound and profound understanding of the Islamic worldview and for engaging effectively with Muslim and interfaith communities. Students will study the nomenclature and linguistic subtleties that comprise the Islamic lingua franca. By the end of the program, students will have a clear understanding of the fundamental components of reality—physical, metaphysical, theological, moral, and spiritual—as revealed in the Qur’an and Sunna and will be able to effectively convey the meanings of key Islamic terms and concepts to an English-speaking audience.

The BIS College Student Fellowship Program (formerly known as Iqra) is a year-long initiative that seeks to empower students and young professionals with the traditional, philosophical, and spiritual foundations needed to navigate modern challenges and thrive as Muslims in America. Through our curriculum, fellowship, and intensives in the 2019-2020 academic year, we will survey the outcomes of philosophical traditions that shape the modern world, including scientific materialism, liberalism, feminism, and secularism. As we make visible the “philosophical air that we breathe,” the fellowship aims to equip young Muslims with a compelling representation of their own rich spiritual, intellectual, and philosophical tradition and the resources it contains to confront the existential questions of our time. Our core instructors are: Shaykh Yasir Fahmy & Dr. Sharif El-Tobgui.

This program provides students with a “blueprint” for Islamic learning and spiritual development by studying the three core concepts of islām, īmān, and Ihsān and their associated sciences, Fiqh, Aqida and Tazkiyya. Students will learn the integrals of worship (islām), the essentials of belief (īmān), and the way to attaining moral and spiritual excellence and beauty (Ihsān). By the end of the program, students will establish a roadmap for greater immersion in each of these areas in subsequent courses.

This program trains students in effective engagement with the Qu’ran through the heart, mind, tongue and action. Students will learn techniques of memorization, which includes reflecting upon its timeless teachings and practically applying their reflections to their lived spirituality and social contexts. By the end of the program, students will have memorized at least one juzʾ and established a foundational practice of Qurʾānic memorization, reflection, and application which will enliven their relationship with the Qurʾān.

Boston Islamic Seminary "IQRA Fellowship" is a program designed for committed Muslim undergraduate students, graduate students and young professionals to establish the necessary Islamic foundation for engaging with the modern world and engaging with contemporary issues in their professions. Through BIS Academy, students from different institutions will come together on a weekly basis, engage with the best local scholars, and build a community of driven and grounded Muslims to ultimately create real change within themselves and their communities.

As the Word of God, the Qur’an is the most powerful means to connect with the Divine. To receive the full impact of the divine Word demands that it is read in its original language. However, it is most unfortunate that the majority of Muslims today do not know the language of the Qur’an. Consequently, we deprive ourselves of the most powerful and profound blessings of the Holy Book: the direct psycho-spiritual impact of the divine speech on the heart. The Basics of Qur’anic Arabic course is the first step in that direction. This course introduces students to the fundamental building blocks of Qur’anic language. It thus enables the students to comprehend the underlying structure of the Qur’anic language, paving the way toward understanding the divine Word directly.

The goals of the Basics of Qur'anic Arabic include: Building the grammatical foundation of Qur’anic Arabic in order to lay bare its underlying structure and logic. Preparing the students for a basic ability in translating the Qur’an into English, and for an intermediate level of instruction in grammar.

The course is designed to teach the structure of the Arabic language to an English-speaking audience. For this reason, we do not insist that students learn the Arabic terminology. For the most part, our focus remains on the English terminology. In addition, we have reduced the flood of jargon that accompanies the learning of a new language. As our main focus will be to read and understand the Qur’an, we neither teach nor expect students to write in Arabic. Finally, as opposed to long hours of rote memorization, our method emphasizes concepts and analysis. The only prerequisite for this course is that the student should be able to read the Qur’an in Arabic, even if with difficulty.

This course introduces students to major concepts, trends, and issues in contemporary Islamic thought. It historicizes and analyzes the Muslim encounter with modernity and the various intellectual trends this encounter has spawned, since mid-19th century until present times. Major concepts include: tawḥīd (oneness of God), tajdīd (renewal), iṣlāḥ (reform), ijtihād (intellectual effort; reasoning), khilāfah (vicegerency), shūrā (consultation), and Ummah (global Muslim community). Special attention will be given to contemporary Islamic revival and reform, rise of Islamic movements, and their impact on Islamic thought. Finally, the course will introduce and assess major intellectual, political, and religious trends in contemporary Islamic thought: traditionalism, Salafism, Islamism, and intellectual reformism.

Allah says in the Qur’an, “Travel in the land and see the consequences of those who were before you...” 30:42 

This verse encourages a reflection upon history, an awareness of what people did, and what the effects of their actions were. History in the Quranic understanding has pedagogical content. The ruins of idolatrous peoples teach us about the tragic results of disbelief. But what can we learn from the vagaries of our own history as Muslims? 

Before we can even answer that question, what is our history and how did we get to where we are today? We will delve into the history of Muslim societies with combined academic and devotional lenses, learning both about what happened and its relevance for us today. 

The first part, to be conducted in Fall 2018, will cover the time right before the birth of the Prophet SAW to 1258 CE, when Baghdad fell to the Mongols. The course will present a grand narrative but localize crucial human moments. It will look critically at how Islam actually spread at various times and how Muslims dealt with different ideas, cultures, and religions. 

It will try and convey an understanding of what our political institutions and theory were and how they changed over time. It will ask how Muslims continually made faith relevant in their lives. And it will try and figure some of what we can do now in light of past failures and successes.

Muhammad Ali, one of the most well-known American Muslims, famously said: “I am America. I am the part you won't recognize. But get used to me. Black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own; get used to me.”

His is just one of the many articulations of what Islam in America looks like, and it introduces a whole set of questions: How do Muslims fit within the American narrative? Who articulates that narrative? How has that narrative changed over time, and who has helped to reimagine it?  Which articulations are privileged and celebrated, which institutions—secular, religious—authorize it, and how do these narratives relate to cultural and political ideas of freedom, agency, dissent, race, class, immigration, gender, pluralism and equality?

These are some of the questions we will begin to unpack in this class. The course is structured to explore the diversity of the Muslim American population in the United States and to discover the depth of its history. The course will also thematically introduce some of the debates and concerns that are brought up about Muslims—such as terrorism—and those brought up by Muslims—such as gender equality. We will visit these topics through scholarship and, in many cases, will examine our questions further through literature, music, and film, such as Wajahat Ali’s play The Domestic Crusaders, rap by Lupe Fiasco and Mos Def, and Spike Lee’s 1992 film Malcolm X.

This course provides students with a “blueprint” for Islamic learning and spiritual development by studying the three core concepts of islām, īmān, and iḥsān and their associated sciences, Fiqh, Aqida and Tazkiyya. Students will learn the integrals of worship (islām), the essentials of belief (īmān), and the way to attaining moral and spiritual excellence and beau-ty (iḥsān). By the end of the course, students will establish a roadmap for greater immersion in each of these areas in subsequent courses.

This course, open to students who have already studied the foundations of Islamic belief (`aqida), involves a close study of selected, advanced topics from classical Islamic theology, with three main objectives in mind: (1) to appreciate the intellectual sophistication within traditional Islamic scholarship. (2) To see the continuing relevance, to issues we face in today's world, of some of the principles and techniques of analysis that were used by medieval Muslim theologians. (3) To gain familiarity with major theological debates and diversity of views among Muslims in the past, and to thereby better understand the historical background and theological positions of different Islamic schools and sects that we encounter today. Topics discussed include: The Existence of God, God's Attributes, Moral Accountability, the “Problem of Evil,” interreligious polemics, and the interplays and tensions between theology, philosophy and mysticism.

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent by God as a mercy to all creatures (Quran, 21:107). All human beings seek their own welfare and benefit, but what sorts of benefit and gain are really of value in the long run and therefore legitimate to pursue? This course gives you the opportunity to step back to see the bigger picture of Islamic rules and regulations, the universal principles or higher objectives (maqasid) underlying them, and the complex interplay of reason, revelation, ethics and utility within this coherent system. We look at the Islamic understandings (theological and philosophical) of good/evil and benefit/harm, and discuss five overarching objectives of all Islamic regulations – the protection of religion, life, progeny mind and property. We touch on the principles of ethical dilemmas, such as choosing between lesser and greater harms, and balancing individual rights with public interest. We also look at the theory and practice of maqasid today, including their applicability to contemporary global ethical challenges, and various attempts to re-formulate the list of maqasid.

This course is part of the Islamic Intellectual History Certificate Program at the Boston Islamic Seminary, previous courses in this program include Sciences of the Qur’an (Fall 2016), Sciences of Hadith (Spring 2017), and Madhhabs: Development & Differences (Fall 2017).

Microsoft Word - syll Islam and Nationalism 2017 BIS.docx

The Prophetic virtues are timeless and inform every generation everywhere. The genre of shama'il exemplifies the Prophet's superlative demonstration of each virtue as narrated by those closest to him. He is exalted among men and was anointed to perfect moral character. This course seeks to cover aspects of the supernal character of the Messenger of God and suggest practical ways to refine our own within our individual and communal contexts. May God bless and sanctify the Prophet and his family.

The women of the Qur’an provide us with a colorful prism from which we can see femininity in its various manifestations — from the female partner of the prototypical human being (Hawwa), to the female relatives and companions of the prophet of Islam (peace be upon them), from the diplomacy of benevolent queens to the resistance of Hebrew women, from female paragons to female ingrates. Drawing on this rich trove of stories, this course will address several key questions: First, who are the women and girls found in the Qur’an? Second, what can be understood about women’s authority from the speech, acts, and descriptions of these females? Third, what does the Qur’an’s representation of female figures tell us about biological sex, sexuality, and gender?  We will study the Qur'anic verses that illuminate the lives of these women and consider how their lives hold lessons for us today. 

The Holy Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) as a mercy and guidance for all of humanity until the end of time. This Divine Revelation serves as way for us to navigate our everyday lives in the best of manners. More particularly, the Qur'an contains in it a structured system that educates us on how to live a life full of integrity and ethics. In this class, we will explore exactly how we can achieve this state of excellence through Qur'anic Education. The overarching topic will be Islamic/Qur'anic Education, its definition, sources, features, and objectives. We will understand how the Qur'an equips us to make educated decisions about any circumstance we may encounter. Additionally, we will explore what role reason, emotion, and revelation play in shaping our lives. Students will learn how to apply the method of Qur'anic Education to the contemporary context by analyzing how it was applied throughout the life of The Prophet (Peace be upon him) and throughout Islamic history. The instructor will engage students with lectures, readings, discussions, case studies, videos and more to enable them to get the best out of this class. 

As Wael Hallaq has insightfully remarked, Muslims today live in a world “not of their own making.” 

This acute observation should force us as Muslims to take a step back and observe what has gone into the making of our modern world. The main question that should be asked, then, is how did we get to where we are? This course attempts to answer that question by critically engage students with the historical and philosophical dimensions of Islam’s relationship to modernity. In the first four weeks, students will develop a foundation for thinking about Islam in modernity by working through the complicated notion of “tradition” and briefly covering the history of modernity and its impact on Muslims. 

Based on this foundation, students will spend the rest of the semester exploring specific issues that should challenge our very assumptions about Islam and modernity and force us to reexamine how we think and live as Muslims in the modern world. The structure of each of these latter classes will broadly follow the following three sets of inquiry: 

1. A historical and philosophical examination of some aspect of Western modernity; 
   
2. Putting it into conversation with the pre-modern tradition of Islam; and 
   
3. Discussing the tensions and overlaps between the two in an attempt to negotiate our situation as Muslims living in the modern West. The class will be lecture-based, but the last third of each session will be devoted to student discussion. 
   

By the end of the course, students should be able to think critically about the claims of Western modernity and take a historically- and philosophically-informed approach to the difficult questions facing Muslims in the modern world.

Requirements

• All students are expected to have completed the required readings before each meeting. This is crucial for developing the skill of critical reading, but also for ensuring a more productive discussion at the end of each class.
  
• Students will be required to submit 4 reflection essays (2 pages or more double-spaced) on the week’s readings. These can be spaced out or completed at the beginning or end of the course (although the former is recommended). The response papers should include a brief paragraph or two summarizing your understanding of the texts, but the majority of the essay should be devoted to your reflections on the arguments and any questions you might have had during the course of your readings.
  
• A final essay (8-10 pages double-spaced) should be turned in no later than one week after the last meeting. This essay should offer your reflections on any topic covered in the course of the semester. 
  
• Students can give a general overview of various topics or they can concentrate on a single issue. The purpose of this exercise is to show one’s comprehension of the complex issues facing Islam in modernity and to provide an opportunity to engage these issues based on their readings during the course.
  

The Qur'an, as God's final direct revelation to mankind, has always been central to Muslim belief and devotional life, and has continued to influence Muslim society and civilization. This course discusses the history of the Qur'anic text, its transmission and interpretation, with reference to traditional Muslim scholarship, as well as Western academic research. Topics explored include the following: How and was the Qur'an collected and transmitted? How can we prove that the Qur'an has been reliably preserved over time? What is the nature and origin of the variant readings? What is abrogation, and were some verses of the Qur'an abrogated? What are the different approaches to exegesis (Tafsir) of the Qur'an, and what are the parameters of valid interpretation? What does it mean for the Qur'an to be a 'miracle' or decisive sign from Allah?

Textbooks

Required:

• Ulum al-Quran, Ahmad von Denffer
  
• An Introduction to the Principles of Tafseer, Ibn Taymiyyah
  
• Some additional articles Recommended:
  
• An Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur'aan, Yasir Qadhi
  
• An Approach to the Qur'anic Sciences, Mufti Taqi Usmani
  
• The History of the Quranic Text, M. M. Azami
  
• Variant Readings of the Quran, Ahmad `Ali al-Imam
  
• مناهل العرفان في علوم القرآن, للزرقاني
  
• الإتقان في علوم القرآن , للسيوطي 
  

Evaluation:

• Attendance and Participation: 25% 
  
• Reflections posted to online forum: 15% 
  
• Final exam: 60%
  

One always hears the term "Islam is a way of life" but what does that really mean? Islam encompasses a code of systems that are put in place by the Creator through the Quran and Sunnah in order to give proper instructions and guidance to live life peacefully, righteously and productively.

What are the immutable regulations and essential principles that govern morality and ethics in personal(family), social, economic, political, and legal (judicial) domains? In addition, this course will provide students with fundamental guidance and case studies that will help them utilize the Islamic systems in every affair of their lifestyle with full conviction and appreciation.

Introduction to Islamic Systems 

Instructors: Dr. Celene Ibrahim (Shaykh Dr. Hassan Lachheb will no longer be teaching)

Time: Thursdays 5pm – 7pm EST, starting Thursday April 30th 2020 for twelve (12) weeks

Description and Purpose:

In this course, students will explore the foundations of the Islamic systems and their basic principles, historical origins, and contexts as implemented by Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) and his righteous followers throughout history.  This course will provide students with fundamental guidance and case studies that will help them utilize the Islamic systems in their everyday life with full conviction and appreciation. At the end of the course, students will have a solid understanding of how Islam systematically organizes and tackles different domains of human activities and relationships.

Vocabulary of Islamic Sciences

Instructor: Dr. Muhammad Habib
Time: Mondays 5pm – 7pm EST; Starting Monday, April 27 2020 for twelve (12) weeks

Description:

This course provides students with a firm grasp of principal Arabic words, terms and concepts needed for a sound and profound reading of the Islamic primary sources and engagement with Muslim and interfaith communities. Students will study the nomenclature and linguistic subtleties that comprise the Islamic lingua franca. By the end of the course, students will have gained the ability to engage the primary sources of various Islamic disciplines and will be able to effectively convey the meanings of key Islamic terms and concepts to an English-speaking audience.

Quranic and Prophetic Communication During Challenging Times

Instructors: Abdur-Rahman Syed & Dr. Basyouny Nehela

Time: Saturdays  5pm – 7pm EST; Starting Saturday, April 25 2020 for twelve (12) weeks 

Challenging times call forth the best in us. We’re not alone in our struggle, however. We need to communicate effectively with one another in order to survive and thrive. We must speak up, offer solutions, and give the people around us clarity and hope.

This kind of leadership requires human connection and emotional intelligence. It is an art that we can learn best from the Qur’an and from the greatest influencers in history: God’s messengers themselves.

This course is a theoretical and practical introduction to Qur’anic and prophetic communication. Drawing from the Qur’an and the stories of the prophets – along with insights from contemporary psychology, philosophy, politics and art – we can learn how to embrace the current moment and to inspire action in others.

Tazkiyyatun-Nafs-  Elevating and Purifying Ihsan ( Excellence) and Spirituality

Face-to-Face at BIS Campus and Online

The workshop is designed to give an overview of the mandatory science of Tazkiyyah from the Islamic perspective and its relation to Iman, Islam, and Ihsan. At the end of the workshop, the participants will be able to understand the concept of  Tazkiyyah and implement  the Islamic spiritual methodologies to uplift their soul and inspire others to be Godly creations of Allah.

Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur'an

With Dr. Suheil Laher and Ustadha Zaynab Ansari

Thursdays 6-8pm EST; Starting October 8th - January 7th, 2021

The Qur'an, as God's final direct revelation to humanity, has always been central to Muslim belief and devotional life, and has continued to influence Muslim society and civilization. This course is the next step up from the Foundation Level course: Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur'an and Hadith. We discuss in more detail the history of the Qur'anic text, it's transmission and interpretation, with reference to traditional Muslim scholarship, as well as Western academic research. Topics explored include the following: 

• How was the Qur'an collected and transmitted? 

• How can we prove that the Qur'an has been reliably preserved over time? 

• What is the nature and origin of the variant readings? 

• What is abrogation, and were some verses of the Qur'an abrogated? 

• What are the "occasions of revelation"? 

• What are the different approaches to exegesis (tafsir) of the Qur'an, and what are the parameters of valid interpretation? 

• What does it mean for the Qur'an to be a 'miracle' or decisive sign from Allah? 

• What was Qur'anic education like in the early days of Islam and how has it changed through the ages? 

• When did the first translations of the Qur'an in Western languages appear? 

• How have women historically engaged with the Qur'an?  

'Aqida: Classical Roots, Modern Applications

Every Monday, 6-8 pm starting from September 28th to December 29th, 2020.

 ONLINE ONLY

Course Description:

This course provides a comprehensive study of the main topics of Islamic theology – covering foundational beliefs and concepts such as God, revelation, prophets, the afterlife, human free will and divine omnipotence, theodicy, the nature of faith, etc. – connecting these core beliefs to their scriptural (or scriptural and rational) sources on the one hand, and to contemporary applications and challenges on the other. We will discuss various topics with reference to the role of reason and scriptural texts (Qurʾān and ḥadīth) in establishing theological truths and how to properly employ reason and scripture in tandem when confronting contemporary issues.