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AL-HUSNA CERTIFICATE IN TRADITIONAL ISLAMIC STUDIES (Level 2 – Intermediate) JOINT CERTIFICATE PROGRAM The Al-Husna Certificate in Traditional Islamic Studies (“Al-Husna Course”) is jointly offered by the As-Siddiq Centre for Islamic Studies Pte Ltd (“SimplyIslam”) based in Singapore, and the Ihsan Institute for Arabic & Islamic Studies (“Ihsan Institute”), based in the United Kingdom. COURSE BACKGROUND This course is called Al-Husna Certificate in Traditional Islamic Studies. The term “Al-Husna” means “beautiful”. Prophet Muhammad S, peace be upon him, once said “Allah is Beautiful and He loves beauty.” Insha’Allah, it is our aim that this course shall provide adequate, relevant and practical knowledge for our students to benefit them immensely in this life and the Hereafter. Through an in-depth study of the Islamic sciences, this course shall motivate the students to understand and appreciate the beauty of Islam, and emulate the beautiful characteristics of Prophet Muhammad S. As it is often said, the beautiful internal character of an individual shall beautify his outer. COURSE DESCRIPTION & OBJECTIVES The Al-Husna Course is a multi-disciplinary and non-examinable certificate program dedicated to the sound and comprehensive knowledge and understanding of Islamic sciences. It is an interactive course designed not only to increase the students’ knowledge, but to improve their relationship with Allah and His Messenger Prophet Muhammad S, and their association with the creations of God. The Al-Husna Course also aims to motivate the students to actualise the knowledge they have learnt in their daily life and practice, and conduct themselves in their best, as ambassadors of Islam and the Prophet S. The program shall empower the students to contextualise their knowledge and apply it appropriately.

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The Al-Husna Course program is designed to provide the essential understanding of the Islamic sciences, sufficient for students to conduct their life as a confident Muslim and believer. With the knowledge they receive in this course, and if students have specific interest within the various areas of Islamic sciences, then they can pursue their interest in any program and institutes as they please and deem fit. It should be noted that this course in itself is not sufficient as a qualification to be a teacher or Ustadh in the Islamic sciences. MODULES / STAGES The Al-Husna Certificate in Traditional Islamic Studies will be delivered in 3 modules or stages – Basic (Level 1), Intermediate (Level 2) and Advanced (Level 3). The Basic (Level 1) stage was conducted from January to May 2014. The following are the components of the Intermediate or Level 2 stage. The description of each component follows.

No Description Text & Subject Learning Hrs

1 ‘Aqidah (Islamic Creed or Belief)

Text: Al-Kharidah Al-Bahiyyah By Imam Ahmad Ad-Dardir

21 hours

2 Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence)

Subjects: Mu’amalat Text: Internal

35 hours

3 Tasawwuf (Purification of the Self)

Text: Principles of Sufism by Abul Qasim al-Qushayri

17.5 hours

4 Shama’il Muhammadiyah (Characteristics of Prophet Muhammad S)

Text: Shama’il Muhammadiyah by Imam Al-Tirmidhi

16 hours

5 Usul Al-Fiqh (Legal Theory)

Text: Internal 14 hours

6 Mustalah Hadith (Science of Hadith)

Text: Internal 14 hours

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No Description Text & Subject Learning Hrs

7 Mantiq [1] (Logic) Text: As-Sullam by Abd ar-Rahman al-Akhdari

14 hours

8 Ulum Al-Qur’an (Sciences of the Al-Qur’an)

Text: An Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur’an by Ahmad von Denffer

14 hours

‘Aqidah (Islamic Creed or Belief) ‘Aqidah is a branch of Islamic science, describing the fundamental beliefs of Islamic faith, basically what a Muslim must know, comprehend and believe. Arqaan Al-Iman, the six articles of faith – belief in Allah, His Angels, the Prophets, the Divine Books, the Day of Judgment and Divine Destiny (Qadr) – are the very fundamentals of ‘Aqidah. This module component also deals with the attributes of Allah (Existence, Oneness, Eternity, etc) and the qualities of Prophets. This module will be taught in reference to a seminal book “The Radiant Pearl” (Al-Kharidah Al-Bahiyyah), a poem written by Imam Ahmad ad-Dardir. Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) Fiqh (meaning: “deep understanding”) is Islamic jurisprudence. It is the study and knowledge of Islamic rulings as expounded in the Holy Quran and supplemented by Prophetic traditions (Sunnah) and implemented by the rulings and interpretations of Islamic jurists. Ibn Khaldun defines Fiqh as the “knowledge of the rules of God which concern the actions of persons who own themselves bound to obey the law respecting what is required (wajib), sinful (haram), recommended (mandub ) disapproved (makruh) or neutral (mubah)". This module component will deal with Fiqh Muamalat, dealing with relations between people, such as the Islamic commercial law. It is the area of Fiqh which governs the review process for Islamic financial products from the perspective of Shari'ah-compliance and does not have legal force in countries without explicitly Islamic legal systems that cover commercial transactions. Tasawwuf (Purification of the Self) The lexical root of the Arabic word tasawwuf is commonly traced to safa ,which in Arabic means "purity". Shaykh Muhammad Amin Al-Kurdi ,(َصفا)a renowned Islamic scholar, explained that tasawwuf is a knowledge through which one knows the states of the human soul, praiseworthy or

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blameworthy, how to purify it from the blameworthy and ennoble it by acquiring the praiseworthy, and to journey and proceed to Allah Most High, fleeing unto Him. The way of tasawwuf is based on five principles: having godfearingness privately and publicly, living according to the Sunna in word and deed, indifference to whether others accept or reject one, satisfaction with Allah Most High in dearth and plenty, and returning to Allah in happiness or affliction. Imam Shafi’i said: “Three things in this world have been made lovely to me: avoiding affectation, treating people kindly, and following the way of tasawwuf.” This module component will be taught in reference to the well-known Al-Risala Al-Qushayriya by Abul Qasim Al-Qushayri, written in 437H/1045, Al-Qushayri's treatise on Sufism has served as a primary textbook for many generations of Sufi novices, down to the present. The book gives an illuminating insight into the moral and ethical dilemmas Sufis face in trying to strike a delicate balance between their ascetic convictions, and the exigencies of life in a society governed by rank, wealth, and military power. Shamail Muhammadiyah (Characteristics of Prophet Muhammad S) Shamail (meaning invaluable features, amazing characteristics) is a module component that accounts for the noble character and virtues of the Prophet Muhammad S. This will be shown via a close analysis of and a special focus on Al-Imam Al-Tirmidhi's seminal work Shama’il At-Tirmidhi. While it is quite hard if not impossible to accurately describe the virtues, noble character and excellent manners of our beloved Prophet Muhammad S, Imam Tirmidhi has quoted all the narrations and real stories that show those amazing noble features and qualities of our beloved prophet. The students will see the extent to which the noble character of the Prophet Muhammad S has shaped the lives of all those who knew him. Usul Al-Fiqh (Legal Theory) Usul Al-Fiqh means the study of the whole set of principles through which the practical legal rules are developed from the foundational sources (Qur’an and Sunnah), and reports and/or incidents/actions with which the Prophet Muhammad S agreed. Alongside Qur’an and Sunnah, there would be an explanation of the third rule in issuing a fatwa or judgment which is Ijma (Consensus) of the Muslim scholars on specific issues. The fourth is Qiyas (Analogy) or rule by precedent. This will help students have a good understanding of the use of and resort to the text to give certain opinion on a certain issue.

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Mustalah Hadith (Science of Hadith) Hadith (meaning “tradition”) is a report of the deeds and sayings of Prophet Muhammad S. The hadith collections form the basis of Islamic law, Qur’anic interpretation and early Islamic history. Each hadith is composed of two parts, a chain of authorities reporting the hadith (isnad) and the text (matn). Hundreds of thousands of hadith were evaluated and gathered into large collections during the 8th and 9th centuries such as Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abu Dawood, Jami al-Tirmidhi, Sunan Ibn Majah and Sunan al-Sughra (al-Nasa’i). This module component discusses the history of the origin, development, and the study of the rules regulating the transmission and classification of Hadith. This includes the systematical techniques that have been developed and used in the transmission of Hadith from one generation of scholars to the next. This module component will also discuss the classification of Prophetic traditions like sahih (authentic), hasan (good), da'if (weak) and maudu’ (fabricated), and numerous sub-categories are examined along with the rules and criteria for accepting and rejecting a reported tradition. Mantiq 1 (Logic) Mantiq which means Logic, is an important field of studies in Islamic philosophy. In fact, Mantiq does not only consist of the study of formal patterns of inference and their validity but also accounts for the elements of the philosophy of language. It deals also with epistemology and metaphysics. This module will be taught through a resort to the book As-Sullam by Abd ar-Rahman al-Akhdari. Ulum Al-Qur’an (Sciences of the Al-Qur’an) This module is an introduction to the sciences of the Qur’an and how these sciences had been developed in order to help not only the Muslims but also scholars and learners of Islam to grapple with and interpret the Qur’an. In this module, students will go through many interesting points such as the context of revelation, the history and transmission of the Qur’anic text, the indispensable linguistic and stylistic tools to understand Allah's Holy book.

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ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS Students should be at least 16 years of age, and possess intermediate English proficiency, since the entire course is conducted in the English language. Students are NOT required to have any prior knowledge or formal exposure to Islamic studies, but they are expected to at least be able to read the Holy Qur’an at a basic level. Students are NOT required to have attended Al-Husna Certificate in Traditional Islamic Studies (Level 1).

COURSE FEES The course fee is $1,200 (Singapore Dollars One Thousand Two Hundred Only). It is also payable in 3 instalments of $400 each before 30 November 2015. The course fee is inclusive of course notes but does not include specific text books that may be required (to be advised later).

ATTENDANCE & CERTIFICATE To fully appreciate the course, its knowledge and application, students are highly encouraged to fulfill 70% attendance. We understand that working students may find some difficulty in attending all classes, and as such we will be making the class video recordings available privately to each student. Each student will each be issued with a completion certificate.

REGISTRATION Registration can be made at SimplyIslam’s office at 152 Still Road, Singapore 423991. Payment can be made by cash, cheque or NETS. Please bring along a passport photo. Registration and payment can also be made online at: http://alhusna2.eventbrite.sg

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ACADEMIC STAFF All modules in the Al-Husna Certificate in Traditional Islamic Studies (Level 2) will be taught directly by Shaykh Ahmad Saad Al-Azhari, the Founder and Director of the Ihsan Institute (UK). About Shaykh Ahmad Saad Shaykh Ahmad Muhammad Saad Ash-Shafi’i Al-Azhari Al-Hasani was born into a family of scholars whose lineage goes back to the Prophet S through Sayyidina Al-Hasan ibn Ali radia Allahu anhu in the northern Egyptian governorate of Monofiyyah, in the Nile Delta. Many great scholars of Islam have come from this governorate including people like Shaykh Al-Islam Ibrahim Al-Bayjouri, Imam Tajuddin As-Subki and Taqiyuddin As-Subki, Shaykh Al-Islam Ash-Shanawani and many others. As the custom of the family was to memorise Qur’an at an early age, Shaykh Ahmad Saad completed the memorisation of the Holy Qur’an at the age of ten at the hands of his father and studied basic Arabic and Islamic sciences with focus on Arabic grammar and balaghah (rhetoric) before enrolling into Al-Azhar system of schools where he spent almost 17 years of his life graduating with a B.A. Honours in Islamic Studies in English. Shaykh Ahmad Saad delivered his first Khutbah at the age of 15, led his first prayer at the age of 13 and since then, he has been involved in Da’wah work and spreading traditional knowledge of Islam. He toured the world as an Imam, speaker and lecturer; he visited Canada, USA, Germany, Malaysia, Singapore, India and Sweden and is currently settled in the UK as a British citizen. He is the Founder and Director of the Ihsan Institute for Arabic & Islamic Studies, and was the former Imam of North London Central Mosque. Alongside with his academic studies, Shaykh Ahmad Saad studied traditional Islamic sciences at the hands of senior scholars and specialists in Egypt, the most notable of whom is the former Grand Mufti of Egypt Sheikh Ali Gom’aa. He memorised Riyad As-Saliheen of Imam An-Nawawi at the age of 15 and Al-alfiyyah of Ibn Malik at the age of 13 and committed

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to memory thousands of lines of poems and other poetry and prose mutun (texts) including Al-Jazariyyah, At-Tuhfah in Tajweed, Ash-Shatibiyyah in Qira’aat. Sheikh Saad also focused on Qira’aat and, by the grace of Allah, Sheikh Saad got Ijazah in the narrations of Hafs and Shubah from Asim, Warsh and Qaloon from Nafi’ and Khalaf and Khallad from Hamzah in addition to many other Tajweed texts. Shaykh Ahmad Saad holds one of the highest chains nowadays for his peers, there is 29 people between the Prophet Muhammad S and him. Amongst the Shuyukh of Shaykh Saad in Qira’at are: Shaykh Dr. Ayman Suwaid of Damascus, Shaykh Mu’adh Safwat, Shaykh Ali An-Nahhas, Shaykh Shibl Matar, Shaykh Abdel-Basit Hashim, Shaykh Abdel-Fattah Madkour (the last living student of Shaykh Ali Ad-Dabba’ and the colleague of Shaykh Al-Husari) all of Egypt. Shaykh Ahmad Saad has also got Ijazahs in the books of hadith, the musalsalat, Shafi’ie Fiqh and all books of Tafsir, Tasawwuf, Shama’il and biographies from various Shuyukh. Among his Shuyukh are: the Grand Mufti of Egypt Imam Shaykh Ali Gom’aa, Shaykh Ahmed Ali As-Surti of India, Shaykh Usamah As-Sayyid Al-Azhari of Egypt, Shaykh Muhammad Abdel-Ba’ith Al-Kittani (the muhaddith of Alexandria), Habib Ali Al-Jifri, Shaykh Muhammad Sadiq Al-Alawi, As-Sayyed Yusuf Ar-Rifa’ie, Habib Muhammad Sa’ied Al-Beidh, Shaykh Muhammad Qasim Al-Washali of Yemen, Shaykh Salman An-Nadawi of India, Shaykh Subhi As-Samurra’ie of Iraq and many others. Shaykh Ahmad Saad loves poetry and writes it frequently mainly in Arabic and sometimes in English, he teaches Shafi’ie Fiqh, Tasawwuf, Usul Al-Fiqh, `Aqeedah, `Ulum Al-Quran, Tajweed and so on across United Kingdom.

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COURSE SCHEDULE All the classes for the Al-Husna Certificate in Traditional Islamic Studies (Level 2) will be taught directly by Shaykh Ahmad Saad Al-Azhari. The courses are taught on a 1-week intensive on a monthly basis. Please check the website for the latest schedule. The venue for all classes is SimplyIslam located at 152 Still Road, unless otherwise specified.

AS-SIDDIQ CENTRE FOR ISLAMIC STUDIES PTE LTD 152 Still Road

Singapore 423991 Tel: 65-65474407 Fax: 65-63486023

www.simplyislam.sg | www.muzlimbuzz.sg www.simplyarabic.sg | www.barakabazaar.com