Tazkiyah Academy

Student Handbook 2016-17

Contents

About Us………………………………………… 1

Tazkiyah Academy………………………… 1

Shaykh Kamaluddin Ahmed (db)………… 2

Our Teachers………………………………………3

What is English CIL?...........................................................5

Course Design and Aim……………………..5

Program Structure…………………………...6

Program Overview…..……………….…….…8

Program Schedule……………………………8

Course Policies…………………………..……..…..9

Attendance and Class Recordings..…………9

Skype Sessions………………………………10

LMS – What is LMS?................................................10

Contents

Books/ E-books……………………...………....10

Add/ Drop Period & Academic Calendar…..11

Tarbiyah and Tazkiyah……...……………….11

Student Support and Services…………...…..11

Frequently Asked Questions…………………..…12

Tazkiyah Academy

Tazkiyah Academy (for men) is a non-profit, non-partisan and non-political online educa-

tional institute dedicated to Islamic learning and spirituality, founded by Shaykh Kama-

luddin Ahmed. Our courses cover four distinct strands of Islamic learning – Quran,

Hadith, Jurisprudence and Spirituality – and draw on the rich scholarly tradition of the

Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama‟ah.

Courses from Tazkiyah Academy aim to meet the needs of the Muslim of today. From

the utilization of modern educational approaches in teaching classical Islamic texts to

contextualizing the rich scholarly tradition of Islam for the current times, Tazkiyah Acad-

emy is unique in its embrace of tradition and technology. Our programs are carefully de-

signed to incorporate the schedules of different groups of working professionals and

students. All of our courses are free of cost.

ABOUT US

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Shaykh Kamaluddin Ahmed (db) Shaykh Mufti Kamaluddin Ahmed is a qualified Islamic scholar and university academic in the field of Islamic studies, specializing in Qur’an, Hadith, Law, History, Spirituality, and Ethics. He is cur-rently a Doctoral Fellow in Islamic Intellectual History at the Berlin Graduate School.

Born and raised in Manhattan, he has a Bachelors from the University of Chicago and a Masters from the University of Oxford. He also traveled and spent many years pursuing an intensive full-time study of the classical disciplines of Islamic learning and was awarded formal certifications as an ‘Alim and Mufti.

For the past 20 years, he has formally guided seekers on the spiritual path of becoming closer to Allah (Swt) and regularly delivers talks and offers courses at universities, masjids, and institutions of learning in countries across the UK, Europe, and South Africa.

The Shaykh has also established academies offering free education in classical Islamic learning and

spirituality through both live and online courses for men and women around the world.

ABOUT US

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ABOUT US

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OUR TEACHERS

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Shaykh Mufti Kamaluddin Ahmed

Mufti Ishaaq Ebrahim Moosa

Mufti Ishaaq Ebrahim Moosa is a qualified Islamic scholar and Mufti . Born and raised in

Benoni in Johannesburg, South Africa, he completed his „Alim class at Madrassah Islamia

Azaadville and his Ifta course under Mufti Ebrahim Desai Saheb at Madrassah In'aamiyah

Camperdown .He has also travelled extensively through the Islamic world in pursuit of fur-

ther studies and the company of honourable Shuyukh. He has been in the close company of

Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmed, having also taken bayt to him.

He regularly delivers talks and offers hifdh ul Quran and one on one courses in classical Is-

lamic learning.

Mufti Arshad Rawat

Mufti Arshad Rawat was born and raised in Stanger, South Africa. After memorizing the Ho-

ly Quran, he continued his pursuit ofIislamic education, graduating from Darul Uloom

Azaadville with formal authorization in Islamic sciences and thereafter specializing in legal

judgment (iftā‟) from the same illustrious institution. During this time, he also attended clas-

ses on the principles of Hadith studying various traditional texts on the subject. This was

followed by a BA Honors degree in Islamic Studies from the University of Johannesburg. He

also regularly delivers talks and courses in classical Islamic learning.

Ml. Irshaad Sedick

Ml Irshaad Sedick initiated his Islamic education at Darun Naim Institute of Higher Islamic

Learning. He furthered his education at the Dar al-„Ulum al-„Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah (DUAI)

in Strand, Western Cape under the guidance of Mufti Taha Karaan. He graduated from DU-

AI in 2011 and has been teaching at the institute, full time, since 2014. Ml Irshaad holds for-

mal ijazat from a number of renown Islamic scholars (Sh Muhammad „Awamah, Ml Abdul

Hafeez Makki, Sh Muhammad Ya‟qubi Dimashqi, Sh Muhammad bin Yahya Ninowi, Sh

Salmaan al-Nadwi, Mufti Taha Karaan, Dr. Jonathan Brown).

Ustadh Ussama Ahmad Khan

Ustadh Ussama Ahmad Khan was born and raised in Punjab, Pakistan. He completed his un-

dergraduate studies from the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) in 2013

studying management, economics, Islamic Studies and philosophy. In 2016, he completed

postgraduate studies from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

For over six years, Ustadh Ussama has pursued the classical uloom of deen learning Tafsir,

Hadith, Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh and Arabic grammar from some of the most distinguished ulama

in Pakistan. He is in the advanced stages of the „Alimiyya degree. He has also remained in the

close company of Shaykh Kamaluddin Ahmed (db) for a number of years.

OUR TEACHERS

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WHAT IS ENGLISH CIL?

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A. Course Design & Aim English Classical Islamic Learning (ECIL) is a PRE-Alim program, designed to introduce

men to the classical methodology of Islamic knowledge and scholarship through a modern

educational approach. The philosophy of the course is distinct in its embrace of the entire

academic tradition of the Ahl-al Sunnah wal-Jama‟ah with respect for all scholars of Tafsir,

Hadith, Fiqh, and Usul al-fiqh. Moreover, ECIL highlights the importance of spiritual puri-

fication (tazkiyah) and inner reform (islah). We expect our students to not only learn the

knowledge of the Deen of Islam but also the feelings and haqeeqah of the knowledge.

The purpose of this online course is to provide an opportunity to study the major founda-

tion modules of the 'Alim course online to those who are unable to study full-time the dis-

ciplines of Islamic learning live. Those who complete the program over the course of sev-

eral years will have studied all of the texts and disciplines traditionally taught in the first

several years of the conventional “„Alim” course, However, being qualified and recognized

as an „Alim requires intensive formal study, and therefore, the last 1-2 years of the course

must be performed onsite, live, in person, with one of our recommended institutions in the

UK or South Africa. Furthermore, being qualified and recognized as an „Alim requires a

deep level of taqwa and tazkiyah that is only really obtained through live interaction and

suhbah with the mashaikh and auliyah, as well as senior scholars and ulema of our Ummah.

As the course progresses year-to-year, we will continually encourage students to develop

their spirituality and try to identify opportunities for them to do so.

WHAT IS ENGLISH CIL?

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B. Program Structure*

Year 1 Quran 101 Tajwid

Quran 102 Translation and

Commentary of Quran

Juz 26-30)

Hadith 101 Zad at-Talebeen

Fiqh 101 Fundamentals of Hanafi or Shafi‟i Fiqh (Fiqh of Taharah, Salah, Sawm, Zakah & Hajj)

Arabic 101 Sarf (Morphology)

Arabic 102 Nahw (Syntax)

Year 2 Quran 201 Translation and Commentary of Quran ( Juz 11-25) Hadith 201 Riyad us-Salehin Fiqh 201 Mukhtasar al-Quduri/Shafi‟I Fiqh Text Arabic 201 Ilm us-Seegha (Morphology) Arabic 202 Hidayat un-Nahw (Syntax) Literature 101 Qasas an-Nabiyyin Aqaid 101 Al Aqeeda Al-Tahawiya

Year 3 Quran 301 Translation and Commentary of Quran ( Juz 1-10) Quran 302 Al Fawz Al Kabir Hadith 301 Riyad us-Salehin Fiqh 301 Hidayah Vol 1/ Shafi‟I Fiqh Text Fiqh 302 Fiqh of Inheritance- Siraji Usul 301 Usul al-Shashi Logic 101 Mantiq Rhetoric 101 Balagah

WHAT IS ENGLISH CIL?

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B. Program Structure*

Year 4 Quran 401 Jalalyn Vol 1 Quran 402 Jalalyn Vol 2-3 Hadith 401 Khayr ul-Usul Hadith 402 Mishkat Vol 1 Fiqh 401 Hidayah Vol 2/Shafi‟I Fiqh Text Aqaid 201 Sharah Aqaid *Please note that this curric-ulum is tentative and Tazkiyah Academy reserves the right to change it at any time. **Last one to two years of the ‘Alim program must be completed onsite at a full time Dar ul Uloom recom-mended by Tazkiyah Acade-my

Year 5 Quran 501 Tafsir Al Bayzawi Hadith 501 Nukhbatul Fikr Hadith 503 Mishkat Vol 2 Fiqh 501 Hidayah Vol 3/Shafi‟I Fiqh Text Fiqh 502 Hidayah Vol 4/Shafi‟I Fiqh Text

WHAT IS ENGLISH CIL?

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C. Program Overview

Program Duration: 5-6 Years

Weekly Time Commitment: 10-12 hours/week in class (This is expected to increase in

advanced years of the program)

Program Cost: Free

d. Program Schedule Classes Begin: August 14, 2016

Classes End: May 2017

Days: To be decided based on availability of enrolled students*

Timings: To be decided based on availability of enrolled students*

*Enrolled students will be asked to give their preferences for class timings. The administra-

tion will try to accommodate as many students as possible.

**Recordings will be available for those who find timings inconvenient.

COURSE POLICIES

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A. Attendance and Class Recordings

Students will self-mark their attendance in their attendance sheets which will be provided to

them on the Learning Management System (LMS). Students will be given an attendance

guide and policy once they settle in the course. Attendance will not be marked in the first

two weeks as they will be add-drop weeks.

Once attendance marking starts, TAs and Coordinators will analyze the attendance sheets

daily for each student and provide the necessary feedback. This support team of TAs

provides consistent support to those students who are falling behind in maintaining

adequate attendance, by sending them reminder emails and by encouraging and

counseling them on how to keep up with the pace of the course.

The attendance sheets will be checked by teachers at the end of each week.

In order to take the “term exams” and eventually final exam, at least 80% attendance is

required for each subject.

Students who miss a class due to a genuine reason (e.g. class timings are overlapping with

their job or university timings or if they have applied for leave which is approved) will be

eligible to access class recordings. Each recording is available for a period of 2 weeks from

the day the class took place. After that, they are closed by the TAs. This policy applies to

self-paced students too.

COURSE POLICIES

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b. Skype Sessions All the students need to have a free Skype account through which they can communicate

with their teachers and TAs outside the class timings. Arabic recital sessions and Arabic text

reading sessions are usually held on Skype groups.

c. LMS – what is LMS? LMS (Learning Management System) is the home of English CIL. It‟s an online portal to

exchange notes, class slides, reading material, news, feedback and find answers to queries

and confusions. It is the heart of student-student and student-teacher interaction.

Important news and announcements are posted on the Home page. Each core subject of

CIL program has its own course page, where class links, assignment and exam uploads and

submission folders are found.

COURSE POLICIES

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e. Add Drop Period and Academic Calendar

First two weeks of the 1st term are considered as an add-drop period; this is a trial period to

get a feel of the learning environment. You are welcome to discuss any problems or issues

with the Student Services and Support team. Students who are convinced that they want to

drop out should do so within this time period by filling the Exit Form on the LMS.

Each term will have an updated academic calendar on LMS which will outline the study

period, for that term, exam days and holidays (such as Eid break and national holidays).

F. Tarbiyyah and Tazkiyyah At Tazkiyah Academy, tazkiyah and tarbiyyah (spiritual & personal development) lie at the

heart of learning. Weekly online talks and personal time spent with the teachers will be a key

feature of the program that will enable students to get closer to Allah (swt).

I. Student Support & Services English CIL comes with a team of teachers, TAs, and counselors to assist you in learning. This

assistance helps grow our students spiritually and supports them to withstand the day to day

crunch times. Students are encouraged to make use of the personal one-on-one support office

hours via phone, Skype, or personal meetings.

Contact Us

Feel free to contact us at ecil@tazkiyahacademy.org if you have any queries or concerns.

Please also visit our Facebook page and website for regular updates.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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1. Is there a fee for the course?

There is no fee for the course; however students have to purchase their own books or

make use of e-books.

2. Do I need to be expert in using computer and internet for taking this course?

You need to know basics about using a computer, earphones and internet to be able to

find your way into classes and LMS. Not being an internet expert shouldn‟t be a

deterrent, our teachers and students are always here to help you out.

3. I want to study an Islamic course to gain knowledge about our Deen but I am

not sure if I would be able to commit myself for entire 5 – 6 years. Can I enroll for

one year initially?

Yes. First step matters a lot. You can enroll and see if you can manage and wish to take

your studies with us forward. 5 – 6 years are recommended and we are here to assist you.

Otherwise, you can always consider coming back and join us where you left.

5. What if I’m not fluent in English?

It shouldn‟t be a problem. Being able to understand and articulate simple day to day

conversations in English should be enough for making the most out of our classes.