| Al-Aqidah The Islamic Worldview and Belief system |
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al-Aqidah or al-itiqad according to the scholars of Islam is: The firm
creed that one's heart is fixed upon without any wavering or doubt. It
excludes any supposition, doubt or suspicion. The Quran gives this
serious matter the name Iman. Allah says in the Quran, "And thus We
inspired in You (Muhammad) a Spirit of Our command. You did not know
what the Scripture was, nor what the Faith was. But we have made it a
light whereby We guide whom We will of our servants..." [Al-Shura, 52].
In the hadith of Gabriel, the Prophet explained the pillars of this faith in which every human must believe, when he was asked, "What is iman?", he said, "To believe in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers and the Last Day and predestination of good and evil." It is a must for every person to know these pillars and to learn them with a correct understanding and to believe in them. The general concepts that the heart of the believer must be firm about are the "pillars" of this faith. But one will not be called a complete believer just by knowing and understanding these pillars but he must come to the level where he submits and implements what is described, in the hadith of Gabriel, as Islam. Iman, in this manner, incorporates Islam. Imam Abu Hanifah called this great subject al-Fiqh al-Akbar ("The Greater Understanding") and the understanding of the religion. He called the science of law (Ar., sharee'ah) the understanding of the science. Many scholars of Islam use the word Tawheed for all matters that a person must believe in. This is because the most important of these matters is the basic Tawheed that is contained in the phrase, "There is none worthy of worship except Allah." Therfore this course is going to address the important dimensions of this great science. These are 1- The components of Aqidah in Islam : The definition and importance of aqidah in the life of Muslims, the articles of Faith: Oneness of God, angels, Holy scriptures, Messengers, and Qadar and the Hereafter. 2- Aqidah from the Qur'anic Perspective A study of the Islamic aqidah from the perspective of al-Qur'an in comparison with the perspective of Ahl alKalam in Islamic history. 3- Tawhid and its Implication for Human Life : It will include discussion on how Tawhid integrates a unified system of life which provides a unified consistent and coherent code of human behavior transcending all levels of life from individual to family, society, nation, and international relation, and also unifying ethics of all dimension of human life covering social, economic, political, psychological and so on. It will also cover discussion on how the Tawhidic code of life succeeded to solve human problems of the past and how it could contribute to solve human problem in the contemporary world. The course will address the following topics 1- Aqidah: Definition and Scope 2- The relationship between aqidah, Iman, Shariah and Ilm Al Kalam (Islamic Theology) 3- The salient characteristics of Islamic Aqidah. 4- Aqidah from the Quranic perspective. 5- Belief in Allah: meaning and Importance. 6- The effects of Tawhid on human life. 7- Belief in the Angels. Part I 8- Belief in the Angels .Part II 9- Belief in the Divinely-Revealed Messages. Part I 10- Belief in the Divinely-Revealed Messages. Part II 11- Belief in the Messengers and Prophets. Part I 12- Belief in the Messengers and Prophets. Part II 13- Belief in the Messengers and Prophets. Part III 14- Belief in the Messengers and Prophets. Part IV 15- What happens after death according to Aqidah. Part I 16- What happens after death according to Aqidah. Part II 17- The Minor Signs of The Hour. 18- The Major signs of the Hour. 19- The Resurrection and Judgement Day. Part I 20- The Resurrection and Judgement Day. Part II 21- The Resurrection and Judgement Day. Part III 22- Jannah (Paradise) 23- Nar (Hellfire) 24- Belief in Qada and Qadar ( Divine Will and Predestination). Part I 25- Belief in Qada and Qadar ( Divine Will and Predestination). Part II 26- Conclusion and evaluation. Texts Used: The Islamic Creed Series by Umar S. al-Ashqar (Students are not required to purchase these texts) Additional textbook titles and supplementary reading materials will be provided by the instructor. |
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