Islam Through Its Scriptures Course

Lesson 1 • Historical Transmission of Texts

Traces how the Quran was memorized, compiled, and standardized, and how Hadith were collected over centuries. Establishes trust in textual authenticity as a scholarly concern.

Lesson 2 • What Islam Is and Teaches

Introduces Islam's core beliefs, the Five Pillars, and the role of scripture in daily practice. Grounds all subsequent textual study in lived religious context.

Lesson 3 • The Quran as Sacred Text

Examines the Quran's divine status, its Arabic origin, and its structural organization into chapters and verses. Connects textual form to theological claims of revelation.

Lesson 1 • Using Translations Effectively

Compares major English translations and explains how translation choices affect meaning. Students learn to cross-reference translations for accuracy.

Lesson 2 • Structure and Organization of the Quran

Maps the Quran's 114 suras, their naming conventions, and the juz division system. Enables efficient navigation without prior Arabic knowledge.

Lesson 3 • Citation and Reference Conventions

Teaches standard academic and Islamic citation formats for Quranic verses. Ensures students can reference scripture precisely in written and oral work.

Lesson 1 • Anatomy of a Hadith Text

Breaks down every component of a Hadith entry: chain of transmitters, text body, and scholarly commentary. Prepares students to read primary Hadith sources independently.

Lesson 2 • Digital Tools for Hadith Research

Introduces searchable online Hadith databases and explains how to filter by topic, narrator, and grade. Builds efficient research habits for professional use.

Lesson 3 • The Six Major Hadith Collections

Surveys the Kutub al-Sittah, their compilers, and their thematic organization. Students learn which collection to consult for specific topics.

Lesson 4 • Reading Hadith in Context

Demonstrates how historical context, occasion of utterance, and companion reception shape Hadith interpretation. Prevents decontextualized reading errors.

Lesson 1 • What Tafsir Is and Why It Matters

Defines tafsir as systematic Quranic commentary and explains why interpretation is necessary for applying scripture. Situates tafsir within Islamic scholarly tradition.

Lesson 2 • Classical Tafsir Methodology

Examines tafsir bil-ma'thur, which interprets the Quran through Hadith and companion reports. Students analyze classical commentaries using this method.

Lesson 3 • Rational and Thematic Tafsir

Covers tafsir bil-ra'y and thematic exegesis that groups verses by subject across the Quran. Expands interpretive tools beyond classical transmission-based methods.

Lesson 4 • Asbab al-Nuzul: Occasions of Revelation

Teaches how the historical circumstances of revelation shape verse meaning and application. Students apply occasion-of-revelation analysis to selected passages.

Lesson 1 • Ijtihad and Legal Change

Explains independent legal reasoning and debates over its scope in contemporary Islamic law. Students evaluate arguments for and against reopening ijtihad.

Lesson 2 • The Four Sunni Legal Schools

Compares the Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali schools and their differing methodological emphases. Students identify how the same text yields different rulings.

Lesson 3 • Usul al-Fiqh: Principles of Jurisprudence

Introduces the science of Islamic legal theory and its four primary sources: Quran, Sunnah, consensus, and analogy. Frames all subsequent legal content.

Lesson 4 • Scriptural Basis of Ritual Law

Traces the Quranic and Hadith foundations of prayer, fasting, zakat, and pilgrimage rulings. Demonstrates the direct link between text and practice.

Lesson 1 • Major Theological Schools and Scripture

Compares Ash'ari, Maturidi, and Athari theological schools and their differing uses of scriptural evidence. Students evaluate each school's hermeneutical approach.

Lesson 2 • Eschatology: Death, Judgment, and Afterlife

Surveys Quranic and Hadith descriptions of death, resurrection, judgment, paradise, and hellfire. Students map scriptural passages to each eschatological stage.

Lesson 3 • Tawhid: The Doctrine of Divine Unity

Examines Quranic verses and Hadith that establish God's absolute oneness and their theological implications. Central to all Islamic creedal statements.

Lesson 1 • Hadith on Character and Conduct

Surveys Hadith collections focused on prophetic character, interpersonal ethics, and social responsibility. Connects Sunnah to practical moral formation.

Lesson 2 • Quranic Ethics: Core Moral Principles

Identifies the Quran's foundational ethical concepts including justice, mercy, honesty, and stewardship. Students trace each principle to specific textual evidence.

Lesson 3 • Bioethics and Social Ethics from Scripture

Applies Quranic and Hadith principles to contemporary ethical questions in medicine, family, and society. Demonstrates the living relevance of scriptural ethics.

Lesson 1 • Constructing a Scriptural Argument

Teaches students to build a coherent, evidence-based argument using Quranic and Hadith sources. Integrates all prior analytical skills into a capstone research task.

Lesson 2 • Hadith Criticism in Western Scholarship

Surveys Western academic debates about Hadith authenticity, dating, and transmission. Students compare Western and traditional Islamic critical frameworks.

Lesson 3 • Abrogation: Naskh in Theory and Practice

Examines the doctrine of abrogation within the Quran and between Quran and Hadith. Students analyze contested cases and their legal and theological consequences.

Lesson 4 • Historical-Critical Method Applied to Quran

Introduces Western academic methods for analyzing the Quran's composition, vocabulary, and historical context. Students evaluate the method's strengths and limitations.