"Praise belongs to Allah, Who has taught us the very sciences that He has obliged us to know."
Introduction of The Helping Guide by Imam Abd al-Wahid Ibn’ Ashir

The Foundations of Islamic Sciences - Certification Program

The Deen Intensive Foundation, through this program, will allow serious students of Islam who wish to develop a solid grounding in the basics of their religion to be certified after successful completion of the requisite coursework. Through its various programs, DIF will provide a multitude of learning opportunities, each of which will provide students opportunities to complete coursework with the long-term goal of certification.

Certification by DIF will provide students with the following:

• Study of the sciences that are considered Individual Obligations (fard 'ayn) upon every Muslim to know. These sciences encompass the minimal knowledge one needs to fulfill their obligations to God and live life according to His Sacred Law. This is based on the model provided by the famous hadith of Gabriel (upon him be peace) in which the three dimensions of the religion were delineated: islam, iman, and ihsan
• Study of various sciences of the religion beyond the Individual Obligations – such as hadith, the Prophetic Biography, Islamic legal theory – that will provide students with a wider understanding of the religion
• Thus students will have studied those sciences fundamental to a proper and wholesome understanding of the spirit of the religion as traditionally taught and understood by classical scholarship

Credit Towards Certification

The Deen Intensive Foundation, under the guidance of its core teachers, has developed the Certification Curriculum. Around this curriculum, classes have been designed to fulfill each requirement. In turn, materials have been developed around every course. Thus, each class required for certification will have a course text, a companion study guide, and cumulative course examination to be administered at the end of the program. A passing score on these examinations is necessary in order to receive credit for that course towards certification.

The Certification Curriculum

This curriculum is composed of two major rubrics. The first is the knowledge that is an Individual Obligation (fard ‘ayn) upon every adult Muslim to know. These generally include learning the basics of Muslim creed, the legal aspects of the five pillars of worship, and the process and path of eventually “worshipping God as if you see Him, and even if you do not seen Him, knowing that He sees you”. Added to these absolute basics is the knowledge necessary to appropriately engage in the social relationships that we engage in daily – such as business transactions, interacting with fellow Muslims, the legal boundaries of marriage, and the relationships we have with our parents and our children.

•  Understanding Traditional Islam – must attend each
  
  • a. On the Nature of Traditional Islam and Its Form of Communication (lecture)
    
  • b. Introduction to the Development of
    
    • i. Theology
      
    • ii. The Juridical Schools (Madhhabs)
      
    • iii. Spiritual Excellence & Purification (Ihsan)
      
• Completion of Individual Obligation (fard 'ayn) Sciences – must complete each
  
  • a. Creed (Aqida)
    
  • b. Sacred Legal Rulings (Fiqh) of:
    
    • i. Ritual Purity and Prayer
      • With proper recitation (tajwid) of Surat al-Fatihah and some short chapters
      
    • ii. Fasting
      
    • iii. Alms and Hajj/Umrah
      
    • iv. Responsibilities & Rights Marriage
      
    • v. Business transactions
      
    • vi. Duties of Brotherhood
      
    • vii. Filial Piety, the Rights of Parents, & the Rights of Children
      
    • viii. Social Etiquette
      
  • c. Spiritual Excellence & Purification (Ihsan)
    
    • i. Spiritual States and Stations
    
    
    • ii. Behavioral Modification
    
    
    • iii. The Science of the Soul
    
    
    12 courses in total
    
• Overview of Various Sciences
  
  • a. Legal Theory – must complete one of each
    
    • i. Foundations of Juridical Principle ( Usul al-Fiqh)
      
    • ii. Legal Maxims (al-Qawa'id al-Fiqhiyyah )
      
  • b. Prophetic Studies – must complete both
    • Prophetic Biography (Sirah )
    and one of the following
    • Unique Qualities of the Prophet ( Khasa'is)
    • Characteristics and Traits of the Prophet ( Shama'il)
    
  • c. Hadith Studies – must complete one of each
    
    • i. Hadith Compilations
      
    • ii. Science of Hadith
      
  • d. Qur'an Studies – must complete two the following
    
    • i. Themes of the Quran
      
    • ii. Sciences of the Qur'an ('Ulum al-Qur'an)
      
    • iii. Circumstances of Revelation (Asbab al-Nuzul)
      
    • iv. Exegesis (Tafsir)
      
  • e. Muslim Life – must complete one of each
    
    • i. Situational Invocations and Prayers
      
    • ii. Dawah
      

    10 in total

Curriculum Cycling

The Deen Intensive Foundation endeavors to facilitate the completion of the certification coursework for students. As such, the requisite coursework will cycle regularly over a period of time providing students with multiple opportunities to fulfill a particular requisite needed for certification. By developing programming (link to Program) centered on the Certification Curriculum that cycles regularly the Foundation works to allow students participating in the programs to work towards a long-term goal certification.

Top