This is a basic syllabus of what I believe every British Muslim should know about Islam. It is a fairly logical progression starting with the assumption that the student is a believer, who knows virtually nothing of Islam and is willing to study for 1 hour every single day. If you think you can’t do that, check out www.myliferesults.com and get coaching – your problem is more psychological and emotional than spiritual.
Phase 1: Knowing the Sources
Reading:
Read one of the following translations of the Qur’an:
o Abdul Haleem
o Thomas Cleary
(total 300 pages reading)
Read one of the following basic accounts of the life of the Prophet (saw):
o Martin Lings
o Hasan al-Banna’s Seerah
o Tariq Ramadan
(total 200 pages reading)
Total time: 1 month
Phase 2: Learning the ability to read Arabic
· Going through MELS phase 1
· Using Audio recitations for a few minutes (10) each day, to improve recitation speed
· Read 1 page several times each day (10 times) – link habit with habit
· Schedule Weekly/Fort-nightly tele-tajweed sessions with a qualified teacher – check out this website... or call me for details. This arrangement will go on for the rest of the year, until you are confident in your ability to read fluently.
total time: 1 month
Phase 3: Learn to pray, and learn some Dua’s
· IIDR Personal Development Plan – part 1: memorize basic verses of the Qur’an (from last 10 surahs), and learn to pray (and understand words of prayer). Memorise from the original Arabic script – it will take slightly longer, but the rewards will be worth it as you move through the rest of the program.
· Use Islam: Beliefs and Practices to learn movements of prayer
Total time: 2 months
Reasoning:
You may think it’s wrong to read the Qur’an and Life of the Prophet, and learn to read Arabic before starting on prayer, but given that whole process will take 2 months, and you’ll hopefully be a Muslim for the rest of your life, it’s a wise choice. If you die today, you’ll die on the path of seeking knowledge to worship God, which is a good place to be. (If you really want, you can make the intention to catch up the outstanding prayers in 2 years time, when prayer is a solid habit for you – or build praying Sunnah into your life-style to make up for it) – what you’ll gain from this method is a serious grounding that will massively improve the quality of your prayers for the rest of your life.
Also, your commitment to prayer will be a lot more serious when you know what the Qur’an says, and who the Prophet was.
Phase 4: Audio Material to understand the Sources in more depth
· 60 hour audio series covering all 30 sections (juz) of the Qur’an, with brief explanation/interpretation from Amina Elahi
o Covers the entire Qur’an with slightly more detail than a straight translation, with often interesting cross-references of hadith explaining certain concepts.
· Sirah of the Prophet Muhammad, taught by Anwar al-Awlaki (in 2 sections, Meccan and Medinan) totalling 30 hours; or Hamza Yusuf – under 30 hours.
Total time: 3 months
Phase 5: Deeper spritual commitment:
· In the Early Hours
· Remembrance of Death and the Afterlife
· Purification of the Heart (Hamza Yusuf)
· Spirituality in Islam (Hasan al-Banna)
· Suhaib Webb audio series
Total time: 1 month
Phase 6: Understanding Islam in a Western Context
· Western Muslims and the Future of Islam
· Radical reform
· To be a European Muslim
· Muhammad – TR
Total time: 1 month
Phase 7 : Arabic
· MELS Access to Qur’anic Arabic
· Ibn Jabal Level 1
· Hyderabad version
4 months – and you’ll be able to understand what the imam is saying during Tarawih – which is much more valuable, in my opinion than the details of the fiqh of worship.
Phase 8: Fiqh of Worship and ‘Aqidha
· This is a necessary part of knowledge that every Muslim should have – exactly how to wash, pray, fast, give charity, and do hajj
· Learn each of them in order of when you’ll have to do them (ie. washing and prayer first).
· Prayer Can be done in 1 month via Sunni Path online course, or using a book (eg. Zaytun Institute published a Hanafi fiqh text) and Fasting can be done in 1 day/weekend – IIDR courses.
· You need to follow one of the 4 madhabs, or a qualified scholar (who may, if he is qualified, teach you a self-edited combination of 2 or more madhabs). This is phase 8 for a reason: it’s less important than the other 7 phases, so don’t sweat it… unless you plan on becoming a Muslim scholar by profession.
Total Time: 1 month
Total Course time: 12-13 months – you can probably do it in a year.
NOTE:
I strongly recommend not getting too caught up in any one of the 8 phases, or any one of the teaching schools. The courses I’m recommending here all the best of what each ‘school’/institute has to offer. Eg. don’t get excited when you see the al-huda website, or the sunni-path website, and decide to do all their courses, disregarding the rest of the 8-phase program. The systematic approach I’m outlining here will cover everything you need to know to get ‘started’ – after that follow your heart.
Finally, if you don’t agree or don’t see the logic in something one of the course teachers says/ writes, don’t take it. Challenge what you read. Be a critical thinker. I have purposely put some speakers on here who I no longer agree with on certain points, and some speakers who say sensible things in the programs I’ve suggested you follow, and now say not-so-sensible things about politics. You have the right to disagree. Islam was never meant for sheep.
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