The Dars-i-Nizami Syllabus

DARS-I-NIZĀMI (Contemporary)

There are three main iterations of the Dars-e-Nizāmi – the awwal which was Mulla Nizamuddin’s original syllabus which had a fewer number of books, the more expanded thāni which was formed about one hundred years after the original with the addition of more books, and a contemporary form derived from the thāni. It is worth noting that what one often finds in most South Asian madrasahs today is a diminished version of all these.

There are two approaches to the beginning stages of the Dars-e-Nizāmi – either starting off with Sarf and Nahw together, and then introducing Mantiq within the first month; or, starting off with some basic Sarf first (such as Sarf Mīr), then starting with Nahw (such as Nahw Mīr) with Mantiq introduced later. In any case, in the first year, only Sarf, Nahw, Mantiq and Fiqh are taught, with a few advanced books in each of these sciences being taught in later years.

It is important to note that Fārsi was a second language for most pre-colonial South Asian Muslims who studied the Dars-e-Nizāmi. As this is not the case now, in many madrasas the first year is spent just learning Fārsi qāidā and vocabulary, alongside Arabic vocabulary.

‘Ilm al-Sarf:

1.     Mīzān

2.     Munsha’ib

3.     Panj ganj

4.     Sarf Mīr

5.     ‘Ilm al-Sīghah

6.     Fusūl-e-Akbari

7.     Dastūr al-Mubtadi

8.     Zarrādi

9.     Zanjāni

10.  Sarf al-Bahāī

11.  Marāh al-Arwāh

‘Ilm al-Nahw:

1.     Nahw Mīr

2.     Sharh Miah al-‘Āmil

3.     Hidāyah al-Nahw

4.     al-Kāfiyah

5.     Sharh Mulla Jāmī – only until mabniyāth in most places

6.     Tashīl al-Kāfiyah

7.     Hāshiyah Abdul Ghafur on Sharh Jāmī (only the Muqaddimah)

8.     Takmilah Mulla Abdul Hakim Siyālkoti on Hāshiyah Abdul Ghafur

9.     Hāshiyah Ghulām Mahmūd Piplanwi entitled al-Tuhfah al-Sulaymāni on Hāshiyah Siyālkoti (aforementioned)

The Dars-e-Nizami awwal did not contain any commentaries on Mulla Jāmi. These were introduced in the Dars-e-Nizami thāni after about a century. However, many contemporary madrasahs do not teach these commentaries anymore.

‘Ilm al-Mantiq:

1.     Sughra

2.     Awsat

3.     Kubra

4.     Isāghoji (only matn)

5.     Qāla aqūl hashiyah Hussām al-Kati on Isāghoji

6.     Mīr isāghoji (taught only in some institutes)

7.     Mirqāt

8.     Sharh Tahdhīb al-Mantiq, with hāshiyah Mulla Yazdi

9.     Qutbi

10.  Mīr Qutbi (9 and 10 are taught alongside each other)

11.  Mulla Hasan on Sullam al-‘Ulūm

a.     Hāshiyah Mulla Jalāl on Sharh Tahdhīb al-Mantiq (only discussion on Tasawwur and Tasdīq, i.e. about 30 pages)

b.     Hāshiyah Mīr Zāhid on Mulla Jalāl (only discussion on Tasawwur and Tasdīq, i.e. about 100 pages)

c.     Hāshiyah Abdul Hayy al-Lakhnawi entitled Al-Ta’līq al-‘Ajīb on Mulla Jalāl

d.     Hāshiyah Abdul Halim al-Lakhnawi on Mulla Jalāl

12.  Hāshiyah Zāhidiyyah on Risālah Qutbiyyah

a.     Hāshiyah Bahr al-‘Ulūm Mulla ‘Ali

b.     Hāshiyah Ghulām Yahya Bihāri

c.     Three Hawāshi by Abdul Hayy al-Lakhnawi entitled Hidāyah, Misbāh al-Dujā and Nūr al-Huda (the latter two of which were written in response to Abdul Haqq Khairabādi)

d.     Hāshiyah Dhuhūr Allah al-Lakhnawi

13.  Qādi Mubārak on Sullam al-‘Ulūm with Hāshiyah by unknown author (only Tasawwurāth)

14.  Hamdulllah on Sullam al-‘Ulūm with Hāshiyah by Ilāhibaksh Khairabādi (only Tasdīqāth)

15.  Matāli’ al-Anwār by Shamsuddin Urmawi (this is only taught in a few institutes as the majority end at book 14)

a.     Hāshiyah Qutubuddīn al-Rāzi

b.     Hāshiyah Mīr Jurjani on al-Rāzi

‘Ilm al-Falsafah wa al-Hikmah:

1.     Matn Hidāyah al-Hikmah

2.     Hāshiyah Qadi Mīr Maybdhi on Hidāyah al-Hikmah

3.     Hāshiyah Sadruddīn al-Shirāzī on Hidāyah al-Hikmah

4.     Shams al-Bāzighah by Mulla Mahmūd Jawnpūrī

5.     al-Hadiyah al-Sa‘īdiyah by Allāmah Fadhl-e-Haq Khairabādi

‘Ilm al-Balāghah:

1.     Mukhtasar al-Ma’āni

2.     Mutawwal

‘Ilm al-Fiqh:

1.     Nūr al-Īdhāh

2.     Khulāsah al-Kaydāni

3.     Munya al-Musallī

4.     al-Qudūrī

5.     Kanz al-Daqāiq

6.     Sharh al-Wiqāyah

7.     al-Hidāyah

8.     al-Sirāji on Mīrāth (this is studied either after al-Qudūrī at the end of fiqh studies)

‘Ilm Usūl al-Fiqh:

1.     Usūl al-Shāshi

a.     Hāshiyah Fusūl al-Hawāshī

b.     Hāshiyah Ma’ādin al-Usūl

2.     Nūr al-Anwār

3.     Hussāmī

4.     Musallam al-Thubūth (some teach this book at the end of Usūl al-Fiqh studies)

5.     Tawdhīh al-Tanqīh

6.     Hāshiyah Tashrīh on al-Talwīh

‘Ilm al-Kalām wa al-Aqāid:

1.     Sharh al-Aqāid al-Nasafiyyah

2.     Hāshiyah Khayāli on al-Aqāid al-Nasafiyyah

3.     Sharh al-Aqāid al-Jalāliyyah (this book was more popular 50-100 hundred years ago, but is now not commonly taught)

4.     Hāshiyah Mīr Zāhid on al-Umūr al-‘Āmah section of Sharh al-Mawāqif

a.     Hāshiyah Abdul Haqq Khairabādi on Mīr Zāhid (this is the most popular super-commentary, but it is rarely taught nowadays)

b.     Hāshiyah Amāniyyah on Mīr Zāhid

c.     Hāshiyah Bahr al-‘Ulūm on Mīr Zāhid (though this is still in manuscript form)

‘Ilm al-Hay’ah wa al-Handasah wa al-Hisāb:

(The teaching of these books has greatly reduced as they have been deemed as ‘irrelevant’ by some)

1.     Khulāsah al-Hisāb

2.     Tashrīh al-Aflāk

3.     Tahrīr Iqlīdis with Hāshiyah Abdul Hayy al-Lakhnawi

4.     Sharh Chaghmīnī with Hāshiyah Abdul Hayy al-Lakhnawi

‘Ilm Usūl al-Tafsīr:

(This is contemporary science which was traditionally not taught as a science in the Dars-e-Nizāmi)

1.     Fawz al-Kabīr fi al-Usūl by Shah Wali Allah Dehlawi

‘Ilm Usūl al-Hadīth:

1.     Nuzhah al-Nazhar ‘alā Nukhbah al-Fikr

‘Ilm al-Munāzharah:

1.     Hāshiyah Al-Rashīdiyah by Abdul Rashid Jawnpūrī on al-Sharīfiyyah

‘Ilm Adab al-Arabī:

1.     al-Mu’allaqāth al-Sab’a

2.     Nafhah al-‘Arab

3.     Dīwān al-Mutanabbi

4.     Dīwān al-Hamāsah

5.     Maqālāt al-Harīri

‘Ilm al-Tafsīr:

1.     Jalālayn

2.     Anwār al-Tanzīl wa Asrār al-Ta’wīl (Baydhāwi)

3.     Tafsīr al-Nasafi

‘Ilm al-Hadīth:

1.     Mishkāh al-Masābih

2.     al-Bukhāri

3.     al-Muslim

4.     al-Tirmidhi

5.     Abu Dāūd

6.     al-Nasā’ī

7.     Ibn Mājah

DARS-I-NIZĀMI (Awwal) 

‘Ilm al-Sarf:

1.     Mīzān

2.     Munsha’ib

3.     Sarf Mīr

4.     Panj ganj

5.     Zubda

6.     Fusūl-e-Akbari

7.     Shafiyah

‘Ilm al-Nahw:

1.     Nahw Mīr

2.     Sharh Miah al-‘Āmil

3.     Hidayah al-Nahw

4.     al-Kāfiyah

5.     Sharh Jāmī

‘Ilm al-Mantiq:

1.     Sughra

2.     Kubra

3.     Īsāghoji

4.     Tahdhīb al-Mantiq

5.     Sharh Tahdhīb al-Mantiq

6.     Qutbi

7.     Sullam al-‘Ulūm

8.     Mīr Qutbi

‘Ilm al-Hikmah:

1.     Maybdhi

2.     Sadra

3.     Shams al-Bāzighah

‘Ilm al-Riyādhah:

1.     Khulasah al-Hisāb

2.     Risālah al-Qushjiyah

3.     Tahrīr Iqlīdis Maqalah al-Ūla

4.     Tashrīh al-Aflāk

5.     Sharh Chaghmīnī Bab al-Awwal

‘Ilm al-Balāghah:

1.     Mukhtasar al-Ma’āni

2.     Mutawwal

‘Ilm al-Fiqh:

1.     Hidayah awwalīn

2.     Sharh al-Wiqāyah

3.     Hidayah ākharīn

‘Ilm Usul al-Fiqh:

1.     Nūr al-Anwār

2.     Musallam al-Thubūth

3.     Tawdhīh Talwīh

‘Ilm al-Kalām:

1.     Sharh al-Aqāid al-Nasafi

2.     Sharh al-Aqāid al-Jalāli

3.     Sharh al-Mawāqif

4.     Mīr Zāhid

‘Ilm al-Tafseer:

1.     Jalālayn

2.     Baydhāwi

‘Ilm al-Hadīth:

1.     Mishkāh al-Masābih

DARS-I-NIZĀMI (Thānī)

‘Ilm al-Sarf:

1.     Mīzān

2.     Munsha’ib

3.     Panj ganj

4.     Sarf Mīr

5.     Fusūl-e-Akbari

6.     Dastūr al-Mubtadi

7.     Zarrādi

8.     Zanjāni

9.     Sarf al-Bahāī

10.  Marāh al-Arwāh

‘Ilm al-Nahw:

1.     Nahw Mīr

2.     Nazm Miah al-‘Āmil

3.     Sharh Miah al-‘Āmil

4.     Hidayah al-Nahw

5.     al-Kāfiyah

6.     Sharh Jāmī

7.     Tashīl al-Kāfiyah

8.     Hāshiyah Sharh Jāmī

‘Ilm al-Mantiq:

1.     Sughra

2.     Kubra

3.     Mirqāt

4.     Tahdhīb al-Mantiq

5.     Sharh Tahdhīb al-Mantiq

6.     Sullam al-‘Ulūm

7.     Sharh Sullam al-‘Ulūm Mulla Hasan

8.     Sharh Sullam al-‘Ulūm Hamdulllah

9.     Sharh Sullam al-‘Ulūm Qādi Mubārak

10.  Risālah Mir Zāhid

11.  Qutbi

12.  Mīr Qutbi

‘Ilm al-Falsafah wa al-Hikmah:

1.     Maybdhi

2.     Sadra

3.     Shams al-Bāzighah

4.     Hadiyah Sa‘īdiyah

‘Ilm al-Hay’ah wa al-Handasah:

1.     Tasrīh

2.     Sharh Chaghmīnī

3.     Tahrīr Iqlīdis

4.     Tashrīh al-Aflāk

5.     Khulasah al-Hisāb

‘Ilm al-Balāghah:

1.     Talkhīs al-Miftāh

2.     Mukhtasar al-Ma’āni

3.     Mutawwal

‘Ilm al-Fiqh:

1.     Khulāsah al-Kaydāni

2.     Munya al-Musallī

3.     Nūr al-Īdhāh

4.     Qudūri

5.     Kanz al-Daqāiq

6.     Sharh al-Wiqāyah

7.     Hidayah

‘Ilm Usul al-Fiqh:

1.     Usūl al-Shāshi

2.     Nūr al-Anwār

3.     Hussāmī

4.     Tawdhīh Tanqīh

5.     Talwīh

6.     Musallam al-Thubūth

‘Ilm al-Kalām wa al-Aqāid:

1.     Sharh al-Mawāqif

2.     Sharh al-Aqāid al-Jalāli

3.     Sharh al-Aqāid al-Nasafi

4.     Khayāli

‘Ilm al-Tafsīr:

1.     Anwār al-Tanzīl wa Asrār al-Ta’wīl (Baydhāwi)

2.     Jalālayn

3.     Kashshāf

‘Ilm Usūl al-Tafsīr:

1.     Fawz al-Kabīr fi al-Usūl

2.     Tafsīr Shah Wali Allah Dehlawi

‘Ilm al-Hadīth:

1.     Mishkāh al-Masābih

2.     Bukhāri

3.     Muslim

4.     Tirmidhi

5.     Abu Dāūd

6.     Nasā’ī

7.     Ibn Mājah

8.     Shamāil Tirmidhi

‘Ilm Usūl al-Hadīth:

1.     Nukhbah al-Fikr

‘Ilm al-Munāzharah:

1.     Al-Rashīdiyah

‘Ilm Adab al-Arabī:

1. Mufīd al-Tālibīn

2.     Nafhah al-Yaman

3.     Nafhah al-‘Arab (?)

4.     Dīwān al-Mutanabbi

5.     Dīwān al-Hamāsah

6.     Maqālāt al-Harīri

7.     Sab’a Mu’allaqah

‘Ilm al-‘Urūd:

1.     ‘Urūd al-Fattāh

A Late Classical ʿĀlimiyya Minhaj

The general minhaj elaborated on below was largely shared across madrasas in the Muslim world, from the Ottoman empire to the Mughal. In its specific iteration below, it is reflective of a minhaj that continues to be taught in Kurdistan.

Levels of student

There are two basic levels: a. sukhteh and b. musta’idd. In most madrasas, one is a sukhteh until having reached or read Mulla Yazdi (on Tahdhib al-mantiq of Imam al-Taftazani), while in some this is until Mulla Jami (on the Kafiya of Ibn al-Hajib.) The term sukhta’idd does exist, a bid’a synthesis between the two! but sukhteh is a real term with Ottoman roots.

Sukhteh: beginner student.

Musta’idd: advanced student.

Mujaz: Someone will full license to teach.

Method of lessons and review

There is method of mutala’a, dars, takrar and mudhakara mentioned in many classical madrasas. In the region in mind here, the term for repetition after the dars is dawr. It has two meanings. The first is review of the dars after the lesson. One should repeat the lesson almost immediately before details are lost from the short term memory. Generally, writing notes is discouraged, though one may scribble a few matters quickly—and there are exceptions to this and some teachers allow recording. Ideally, dawr of the dars would occur with a student, and more ideally one who is on one’s level or higher so they do not struggle with the concepts. However, what is crucial is that one repeats it as it was taught so that it moves from short-term memory to long. One may repeat it to a wall or to a goat, for that matter. Those speaking of takrar would insist the takrar is down soon, and the mudhakara not long after, although the next day or perhaps somewhat later may be acceptable. Some students in Turkish madrasas carry a tablet and record mudhakara sessions, being required to perform no less than seven. Those using the term dawr insist that four to five is a minimum, though seven is a good number. Perhaps a highly intelligent student may suffice with less.

1. Qur’an: Read musḥaf with tajwid, or memorise, according to the sheikh.

Some children do not attend public school at all, but start their education in the ḥujra. They mature more quickly than students that attend public school.

Normal attendance of the ḥujra begins at 11 or 12. If under 10, they usually only memorize Qur’an, and then go home.

Before the public school system, there were other systems. What is currently left of them is that in the ḥujra itself, there is something called ḥunja. Therein, they learn to read and pronounce the Qur’an, and they learn reading and writing in their local language separately. This would include teaching them poems on ‘aqida in Kurdish, etc.

2. Aḥmadī (Arabic vocabulary, matan): around 1,000 words, followed by local language equivalent, written as a poem.

(Optional addition: ) al-Taḥfat al-Saniyya, Sheikh Muḥyi al-din ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd, or Miftāḥ al-Nahw, Sheikh ʿAbd al-Karim al-Mudarris.

Used either for students that are not full-time (summer attendees) or are immature or start before ready for other books. Only a few read it and it is a contemporary addition.

3. al-Bina (matan; sarf (morphology))

The teacher explains the matan rather than reading a commentary with the student. This is not a necessary book in the minhaj. Young students read it because it makes it easier to visualise the tables of tasrif. More mature students can skip this book, starting sarf immediately with al-ʿIzzi.

4. ʿAwamil al-Jurjani (iʿrab of matan and specific commentary orally transmitted and sometimes written (e.g. in Tarkib al-Jurjani known as Tasrif Mulla ʿAli))

Teacher offer iʿrab and students memorise each portion given to them. This is best done one on one, though in some cases a class is possible. Students review the portion they have taken immediately with their classmates (mudhakara) around seven times, or, most importantly, to the point that they review it before forgetting it, and do enough mudhakara that they will not forget it thereafter, and it settles in their memory without having to write it. In the end, they memorise the full iʿrab of al-ʿAwamil.

Some students also study ʿAwāmil al-Birgivi. Clever students have no need for it, and they could do iʿrab of it by themselves.

5. Sharh al-Unmudhaj or al-Hidaya

6. al-Izhar or al-Samadiyya: Some teachers praise al-Samadiyya higher than al-Izhar because al-Samadiyya’s text is like a riddle, requiring the commentary of a teacher. It is more difficult than al-Izhar. The al-Izhar is by no means an easy text though, as it distills the rules of grammar into terse sentences, including al-Birgili’s own tahqiq of certain issues. Further, if al-Izhar is read with the commentaries of al-Ayyub or Atali (Nata’ij al-afkar), it becomes much more difficult, and Nata’ij in particular opens up a number of matters that might be termed the philosophy of grammar. (Al-Samadiyya with Sheikh ‘Abd al-Karim’s commentary is referred to as Jami al-Saghir, going into i’lal of grammar and often giving the tahqiq arrived at through reading Mulla Jami.)

7. Risalas in wad’ and isti’ara (two each, reading at least one)

Each of these sciences has two books that are frequently taught. Some read both.

Regarding isti’ara, Mulla Bakhtiyar mentioned that were one to study Sheikh ‘Abd al-Karim al-Mudarris’ text, one could read Abu Bakr al-Mir Rustumi’s text and understand it without a teacher, while the opposite is not true. Further, he recommended that one read al-Mir Rustumi’s text as muta’ala while being taught Sheikh ‘Abd al-Karim’s text.

8. Tasrif Mulla ‘Ali with hashiyas of Qaradaghi and Qizilji (reading at least most of Qaradaghi)

It is best and part of the original minhaj to read Mulla ’Ali with both hashiyas. Ista’ara appears—being part of balagha and ‘ilm al-bayan. In general, the wisdom in bringing a text in isti’ara forward in the minhaj is to enable students to understand isti’arat that are used. Sheikh Mahmud, one of the core teachers in Biyara, reads Qaradaghi only, but reads it entirely aside for a few places.

9. al-Sayyuti on Alfiyya Ibn Malik and / or Mulla Jami on Kafiyyat Ibn al-Hajib: In the past, both were minhaj, some reading one first, some the other. Mulla Bakhtiyar recommends reading al-Sayyuti first, which provides a grounding to understand Mulla Jami. He also recommends not reading the hawashi of Mulla Jami until after one has read mantiq. It is not only that mantiq is required to understand ‘Abd al-Ghafur and al-Siyyalkuti, but also that the hawashi offer something different than Mulla Jami. Mulla Jami’s ibara has its own tadqiq and benefits, and one can focus on grammar. The hawashi go into many logical matters (that are of benefit and interest to some.) Sheikh ‘Abd al-Salam al-Tawghawzi takes the position that one can read one and suffice from reading the other. In one case, he decided which a student should read based on whether they intended to memorise the Alfiyya, such that if they did not, then he would recommend Mulla Jami.

Later in his studies, Sheikh 'Abd al-Karim who was studying at that time with al-'Allama al-Qaradaghi, decided to return the the science of grammar, reading al-Farida of al-Suyyut.

Mantiq

10. Miftah of Sheikh ‘Abd al-Karim or Isaghuji

The more common text is Miftah.

11. Mughni al-Tullab

Sheikh Bakhtiyar draws from Mughni al-Tullab and other texts in his teaching of Miftah such that Mughni al-Tullab is not needed.

Other optional books read by some around this level: Mulla Fenari or Qawl Ahmet.

12. Mulla ‘Abd Allah Yazdi on Tahdhib al-Mantiq

13. Sharh al-Shamsiyya with Jurjani and Siyyalkuti on Jurjani or Burhan al-Galenbevi

This is sometimes delayed until one has read some of the other core books in the minhaj, then one returns to it. Sometimes it is considered that one or one’s teacher chooses between it and al-Siyyalkuti on al-Shamsiyya.

Two keys to the Core Books: Maqulat and Munazara

14. Risalat al-Adab of al-Galenbevi

The text itself is considered easy, but it is usually taught with al-Pinjwini which makes it more challenging.

15. al-Maqulat: al-Maqalat fi al-Maqulat and / or Badr al-’Ulat

One may read both, starting with al-Maqalat of Sheikh ‘Abd al-Karim. Some (e.g. Sheikh Hayman) read Badr al-’Ulat starting with their own simple commentary on the matan. Mulla Ikram and others see these two sciences and their books as the gateway to the longer core books. Sheikh ‘Abd al-Karim al-Mudarris read Hidayat al-Hikma with (‘Abd al-Ghafur) al-Lari. Many of the shuyukh of the region can still teach it, but they state that it is the maqulat that are needed to advance to ’aqa’id.

Core or Main Books

I. ‘Aqa’id wa kalam

16. Sharh al-’Aqa’id (w muta’ala of hawashi, especially al-Khayyali and al-Siyyalkuti, sometimes reading one or both)

The original manhaj was to start with al-Taftazani, not to introduce ‘aqa’id either through Jawahir al-Kalam of al-Jaza’iri nor al-Bajuri on Jawharat al-tawhid. All or most teachers can teach al-Khayyali and al-Siyyalkuti which are considered minhaj, and even if not set as teaching texts, their hawashi are in the madrasas and often used or encouraged to be used in mutala’a.

Optional Books: Taqrib al-Maram Sharh Tahdhib al-kalam (the commentary of Sheikh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Sanandaji al-Kurdistani), al-Altaf al-Ilahiyya (a full, independent work on metaphysical kalam by the Sufi and great scholar al-Sheikh Baqir al-Baliki), Sharh Jalal al-din al-Dawwani ‘ala al-’Aqa’id al-’Adudiyya (the text of 'Adud al-din al-Iji).

II. Balagha

17. al-Mutawwal or Mukhtasar al-Ma’ani

Al-Mutawwal can take three years, and with hawashi much more, and hawashi can be very confusing. But many teachers can still teach al-Mutawwal. Al-Mukhtasar is considered necessary, so if students read Aqsa al-Amani of Sheikh Zakariya al-Ansari, they are required to read al-Mukhtasar thereafter. (Several teachers of previous generations have commentaries on Aqsa al-Amani.)

III. Usul al-fiqh

18. Jam’ al-Jawami’ (with al-Mahalli)

Some say that Lubb al-Wusul is a muqaddima for Jam’ al-Jawami’. Several teachers praise Shirbini on Jam’ al-Jawami’, but at least Mahalli should be read, and some believe that reading Shirbini in the dars is best done after completing the minhaj so that it does not significantly slow down the completion of the minhaj.  This is considered the last core book, as not all read al-Burhan (mentioned below.)

IV. Mantiq II

Repeated from above: Burhan al-Galenbevi

Summary

1. Qur’an

2. Aḥmadī (Arabic vocabulary, matan)

Sarf and Nahw

3. al-Bina (matan; sarf (morphology))

4. ʿAwamil al-Jurjani (with i’rab of matan)

5. Sharh al-Unmudhaj or al-Hidaya

6. al-Izhar or al-Samadiyya

7-10. Risalas in wad’ and isti’ara (two each, reading at least one)

11. Tasrif Mulla ‘Ali with hashiyas of Qaradaghi and Qizilji (reading at least most of Qaradaghi)

12-13. al-Sayyuti on Alfiyya Ibn Malik and / or Mulla Jami on Kafiyyat Ibn al-Hajib

Mantiq

14. Miftah of Sheikh ‘Abd al-Karim or Isaghuji

15. Mughni al-Tullab

16. Mulla ‘Abd Allah Yazdi on Tahdhib al-Mantiq

17. Sharh al-Shamsiyya with Jurjani and Siyyalkuti on Jurjani or Burhan al-Galenbevi

Two keys to the Core Books: Maqulat and Munazara

18. Risalat al-Adab of al-Galenbevi

19-20. al-Maqulat: al-Maqalat and / or Badr al-’Ulat

Core or Main Books

I. ‘Aqa’id wa kalam

21. Sharh al-’Aqa’id (w muta’ala of hawashi, especially al-Khayyali and al-Siyyalkuti, sometimes reading one or both)

Optional books: Taqrib al-Maram, al-Altaf al-Ilahiyya, Sharh Jalal al-din al-Dawwani ‘ala al-’Aqa’id al-’Adudiyya.

II. Balagha

22. al-Mutawwal or Mukhtasar al-Ma’ani (the latter more commonly)

III. Usul al-fiqh

23. Jam’ al-Jawami’ (with al-Mahalli)

IV. Mantiq II

Repeated from above: Burhan al-Galenbevi

ISLAMIC EDUCATION: PHILOSOPHY & PRACTICE

Join Shaykh Mustafa Styer as he outlines the philosophy of Islamic Education as presented by our classical ‘ulama, informing everything from curriculum to family structure. Essential for parents and teachers seeking guidance on how to implement these values within their homes and schools. See the event details here.

The event will be held at Cambridge Central Mosque on Saturday, January 28 2023, from 18:00-19:00.

تاريخ السفسطة الأخيرة: تغلغل الإسمية في الحداثة

https://www.facebook.com/events/493450931264511/

Logic and Education

Written by Abdullah Mirza based on a conversation with LIFE founder, Shaykh Mustafa Styer.

What is education, and why is logic such an important component of a great education? Education is all about knowledge that can be taught, and all knowledge that can be taught must fall under a specific science or subject. For example, knowledge of God’s mercy belongs to the science of theology, knowledge of the Pythagorean theorem belongs to geometry, knowledge of the function of the perfect passive participle falls under grammar. Can you think of any kind of knowledge that isn’t part of any subject or science? You might say, well the things themselves, of course! A biologist might be able to tell me how a sheep’s heart is structured and what all the different parts do, but a biologist doesn’t teach me how to recognize a sheep or demonstrate to me what a sheep is. For that matter, how do I even recognize a sheep in the first place?

In fact, the act of recognizing objects and forming clear concepts about things in the world is the first step in the process of logical reasoning. However, for many, this first step isn’t as easy as it once was in the past. Part of the reason for this is due to the work of several influential Western philosophers who doubted our ability to understand things as they really are. This eventually led to a now-prevalent theory called “constructivism,” that is, that our thoughts about things in the world don’t really correspond to any realities, but our mind just “constructs” or makes up the ideas ourselves. In other words, just because I see a sheep doesn’t mean there really exists such a thing as a sheep, but I form the idea of a sheep (or anything else, for that matter) for myself in my own head.

Why would this be a problem, you might ask? Why is it important for the reality to exist in the object itself, not only as an object of my imagination? Even if you have a completely different idea of what a sheep is from me, I can accept you and you can accept me and we can all get along just fine. This way of thinking is called “relativism,” and is the idea that there is no objective truth or reality, but the truth is something that is unique to every individual. This may seem harmless when talking about trivial matters such as ice cream flavours or your favourite colour, but when it comes to more serious topics such as morality, relativism becomes a major problem. Ideas of relativism and constructivism are ubiquitous in today’s educational environments in the liberal West. When we Muslims, especially the youngest among us, venture out into secular environments, be they high schools or universities, it becomes difficult to navigate the murky waters of postmodern ideologies while remaining true to religious principles and beliefs which proclaim an objective and all-encompassing reality.

Unlike relativist or constructivist ideas about how knowledge works, classical logic is a “realist” system, that is, it tries to deals with things as they really are. The classical Shari’ah sciences are all built on logic. At the beginning of any manual on such a science are stated the starting principles wherein the intrinsic attributes of the topic are defined. In other words, traditional Islamic sciences always make the subject matter very clear at the beginning, so as not to delve into things that are only tangentially related and not linked in a deeper sense.

Logic, in contrast to any particular subject science, is foundational to all the sciences. When we study logic, we learn how to account for our own thoughts. First, we learn to form clear definitions or concepts of things. Next, we make propositions by combining two concepts. Finally, a proof arranges the propositions into a coherent demonstration of some actual knowledge. When it comes down to it, people do not debate the rules concerning the structure of a logical argument, but only the propositions upon which the argument fundamentally rests. This, needless to say, does not eliminate differences altogether, but it offers principled grounds for disagreements between those engaging in scholarly discourse.

In modern schools, grammar and logic are no longer taught as central elements of the basic curriculum. Without a system for classifying subjects clearly and unambiguously, modern schooling becomes an exercise in associations. When writing essays, students are expected to demonstrate critical thinking and provide a cohesive argument, one that doesn’t contradict itself, but we can hardly expect the modern essay to be cogent, or logically sound and convincing.

One might argue that a sound understanding of how logic works is necessary not only for those who want to write meaningful essays but also for those who want to understand how to evaluate any argument at all. For instance, take the infamous English philosopher David Hume. He argued against the idea of cause and effect and necessity, long considered indispensable elements of the system of Aristotelian logic. He nevertheless still structured his entire argument according to the principles of classical logic. Similarly, Immanuel Kant, who argued that we cannot truly know things in themselves, structured his argument in a thoroughly logical manner. First, he defined his terms and then carefully structured his propositions and arguments around his opening principles. Formal logical reasoning is so indispensable that even the opponents of realism and the logic of prior generations nevertheless used the very same tools of the past to formulate their impassioned arguments.

Some of these notions that philosophers raise regarding the reality of things are certainly worth pondering. How is it that we know the things we know? On what basis can we claim to understand reality? We have always asked these questions and human beings will continue to disagree on them as long as there are human beings. The real problems arise as soon as these questions leave the pages of the philosophy books and become the unintended basis of our entire educational philosophy. At the end of the day, logical reasoning is the only process by which we human beings can follow a clear roadmap, from start to finish, to the truth. In our day and age, almost a millennium and a half since the arrival of the last prophet, that may be something we have never needed more than now.