Traditional Studies Program

Watch Intro Video

Program Overview

This program intends to provide an intellectual foundation and the paradigmatic tools and frameworks for reading Islamic classical texts for students of sacred knowledge. It focuses on the three core sciences mentioned in the seminal hadith of Jibril, namely iman, islam and ihsan. These dimensions correspond to the Islamic traditional disciplines of usul al-din (theology), fiqh (jurisprudence) and tasawwuf (spiritual purification). Additionally, the ancillary disciplines of usul al-fiqh (legal theory), mustalah al-hadith (hadith terminology), and the disciplines of the Arabic language, nahw (grammar), sarf (morphology), and balagha (rhetoric), are studied in support of the core disciplines.

The pedagogy is decidedly traditional: close readings of texts in Arabic with teacher exposition and commentary. Students are taught how to read and understand classical texts and contextualize them for our time. The expectation at the end of the program is that students will have a firm grounding in each of these disciplines to the degree that they may pursue more advanced studies and benefit others, inshallah.

Curriculum