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Madrasat al-Hasanayn: Educational Outlook, Curriculum, and Methodology of Instruction
To learn more about Madrasat al-Hasanayn’s method of teaching and its curriculum, here is a brief synopsis of the books/subjects covered each year and how they are taught. Keep in mind that this is how the curriculum looked when I was there around fifteen years ago. There have been significant changes in the curriculum since then.… Continue reading
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The Solitary Report (Khabr Wāḥid) in the Ḥanafī Madhhab: Selection from an Unpublished Article
The khabar wāḥid (sometimes translated as a “solitary report”), as defined by the Ḥanafī jurists, refers to a narration that is transmitted by any number of narrators that does not reach the level of mashhūr or mutawātir. (Bazdawī 112) It may be narrated by one, two, or any other varying number of narrators at every… Continue reading
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Some Notes from Reading Makdisi’s “The Rise of Colleges”
Here are some interesting points I noted down from reading Makdisi’s The Rise of Colleges: 1. Fiqh was studied over the course of four years. It was taught without any focus on dialectics (jadal), disputation (munazarah), or comparitive fiqh (ikhtilaf). Study of ikhtilaf, academic disputations, and dialectics was taught to students after the four year… Continue reading
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Unfinished Notes on the Islamic Ethics of Childrearing
Over the years, through classes, personal research, seminar preparation, and textbook development projects, various incomplete documents began to collect metaphorical dust on my hard-drive. In light of the fact that many of such writings were unfortunately left unfinished and I have no immediate intention to give them attention in the near future, I thought it would… Continue reading
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Thoughts on Rigid Adherence to Texts in Text-Based Curricula
In reading through the history of Islamic education, it has become quite clear that there is no hard and fast rule about the reliance on specific texts for the study of all the Islamic sciences. It can be safely said that some subjects require more dependency on texts than others. Continue reading
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Mawlānā ʿUbayd Allāh Sindhī, the Islamic Revival, and the House of Wisdom
Below is a brief summary of the objectives and action plan behind Mawlānā ʿUbayd Allāh Sindhī’s political/intellectual revivalist movement, the Jamīʿat Khuddām al-Ḥikmah and its centers (Bayt al-Ḥikmahs) taken from my notes on a collection of his various discourses (khuṭabāt) and essays (maktūbāt). Mawlānā ʿUbayd Allāh Sindhī strongly believed that any effective and holistic revival of the… Continue reading
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Excerpt: Fundamentals of Islamic Law: Introduction to Purification
The following sample chapter gives an idea of the format and style of a proposed work on Islamic law written for a modern student. The chapters begin with a “You Will Learn” outline of the chapter’s content, followed by the body of the chapter (with bolded concepts/important vocabulary). Each chapter ends with a Summary (which… Continue reading
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The One Thing Muslims Can Profitably Learn from the West: Quoting Muhammad Asad
A striking quote of the German thinker Muhammad Asad I compiled from my notes: “What the world of Islam urgently needs today is not a new philosophical outlook, but only an up-to-date scientific and technical education and mental equipment. If I were to make proposals to an ideal Educational Board governed by Islamic considerations alone, I would… Continue reading
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Essential Reading Material on the Dars Nizami in Urdu
1. Deeni Madaris: This is a collection of articles from conferences held in the past eighty years in India and delivered by both our ulama and educationalists. Very beneficial in learning the opinions of our elders on education. I mentioned this previously in a post but in passing. 2. Aap Beeti: Especially the second volume.… Continue reading
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Notes and Thoughts from George Makdisi’s “The Rise of Colleges”
1. Regular sessions of legal disputation can greatly enhance a student’s understanding of disputed legal issues as well as train him in the art of sound legal disputation. Furthermore, it exposes the student to the evidences and principles of rival schools of law. Lastly, it inculcates a higher level of respect and tolerance for opposing… Continue reading
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Bilal Ali 