Enrollment for Fall 2023 is now open.
Scroll down to learn more about the classes being offered this semester.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
The importance of pursuing Islāmic knowledge continues throughout all stages of one’s life. After fulfilling the obligations of worship and the need to seek sustenance, one should participate in studying Islām as much as they are able. The Tafhīm program focuses on providing educational opportunities for eager learners of all ages on a part-time basis.
Every Muslim must know the material covered in these courses. By attending Tafhīm, one will acquire their farḍ al-ʿayn knowledge; in addition, through introductory lessons in some of the most fundamental Islāmic subjects, one will gain a familiarity with classical scholarship. Islāmic theology, law, and spirituality are focused on in the program.
Join at any time and learn at your own pace
This program consists of eight 16-week semesters, each of which includes three courses. The subjects covered vary between Islamic law (fiqh), theology (aqidah), prophetic biography (sirah), and more.
DarusSalam offers separate Saturday and Sunday tracks to accommodate the schedules of working students. Each track completes the entire curriculum in eight consecutive semesters. Students enrolled in both Saturday and Sunday tracks can complete the entire curriculum in just four consecutive semesters (two years) of study.
The Tafhim program is unique in that none of the courses have prerequisites. This means that you may join the program at the beginning of any semester and continue for four years to complete the curriculum. Students may enroll in as many or as few classes per semester as they desire.
Course Details
Saturday Track
DATES: Aug. 19 - Dec. 16, 2023, 10:00AM - 1:20PM
TUITION: $225 (3 classes)
▽ The Fiqh of Ṣalāh, Part One
The importance of the prayer is well-known. Most injunctions were legislated by Revelation coming to the Prophet. However, to receive the five daily prayers, the Prophet had to perform his night journey. This shows the significance of the prayer. Through prayer, we communicate with our Lord daily. Every Muslim knows the centrality of prayer in one’s life. Yet not everyone knows how to perform it correctly.
In this course, one will review many legal rulings specific to the prayer. One will learn which acts are compulsory, which acts are recommended, what invalidates the prayer, etc. Points of contention and misunderstanding from within the community will also be addressed. For example, why do some Muslims pray differently? What accounts for these differences?
Learning the Fiqh of Ṣalāh is an opportunity to learn how to pray in detail. An increased understanding will give one better attention and devotion while performing this sacred ritual. The final objective of this course is to enable one to comply with the order of the Prophet: “Pray as you saw me pray.”
Time: 10:00am - 11:00am
Instructor: Mufti Noman Khan
▽ The Sūrahs of Ṣalāh
Along with learning the legal rulings pertaining to how the prayer is performed, one will study the chapters of the Holy Qurʾān that are frequently recited in the prayer.
The prayer is at the core of our religious experience. It is a direct line of communication to God. Through prayer, the believers fulfill their needs, solve problems, and build a relationship with their Creator. The most effective way to improve one’s prayer and to transform it from a mundane ritual to a spiritually invigorating experience is to develop an understanding of the Qurʾān.
In a word-by-word fashion, this class will cover Sūrat al-Fātiḥah and the Qurʾān’s last ten chapters. One will go beyond translating the words by exploring the intricacies of the language and the deeper meanings that the scholars of tafsīr extrapolated. One will not only grasp the linguistic meanings but also begin to appreciate the literary beauty of the words of Allāh.
Time: 11:10am - 12:10pm
Instructor: Mufti Noman Khan
▽ Purification of the Heart
In this course, one will study some of the diseases of the heart along with their cures. This is a very important course. The Prophet (upon him be peace) said, “One who has even a mustard seed of pride in their heart will not enter Paradise.” Accordingly, the presence of spiritual illnesses inside one can be a reason for which they will be denied entry into Jannah. This is a very serious matter.
One will learn about pride, envy, hatred, jealousy, and other detrimental qualities and learn how to rid them from one’s soul. Moreover, one will learn how to replace these qualities with meritorious and praiseworthy traits that are pleasing to Allāh and in accordance with the Prophet’s Sunnah.
Time: 12:20pm - 1:20pm
Instructor: Mufti Noman Khan
Register for 1 class: use promo code TAFHIMFALL23SATONE
Register for 2 class: use promo code TAFHIMFALL23SATTWO
Sunday Track
DATES: Aug. 20 - Dec. 17, 2023, 10:00AM - 1:20PM
TUITION: $225 (3 classes)
▽ The History & Development of Fiqh
One will study fiqh’s origins and its development. The formation of the schools of thought and the codification of fiqh will be discussed in detail. Upon concluding this course, one will have acquired a good understanding of how the four schools are inherited traditions representing more than a thousand years of scholarship.
Time: 10:00am - 11:00am
Instructor: Mawlana Farhan Shariff
▽ An Introduction to Ḥadīth Sciences
Along with the Qurʾān, the ḥadīth corpus contains Islām’s teachings. All that one needs to traverse through this temporal existence into the perpetual abode of the Hereafter is located therein. Obeying the Messenger is obeying God because He ordered man to adhere to the Messenger’s teachings: “Whatever the Messenger prescribed, do it. And whatever he prohibited, avoid it.” (59:7)
Unfortunately, in today’s times, we find nonbelieving detractors who have ventured to contest the ḥadīth’s authoritativeness. Through spurious conjecture, orientalists and their unwitting ilk of Muslim “academics” have insinuated irrational notions tainting the hearts of some Muslims.
This course aims to clarify and establish the unquestionable authority of the Prophet’s Sunnah. Along with absolutely confirming the validity of relying on the ḥadīth corpus in nomistic application, one will come to realize that it conveys the most perfect guidance for all of mankind’s endeavors: legal, social, spiritual, etc. One will study the transmission and the preservation of ḥadīth. The course will also introduce one to the basics of ḥadīth nomenclature. Through this course, one will develop a broad understanding of the science and a deep appreciation for the work of traditional ḥadīth scholars.
Time: 11:10am - 12:10pm
Instructor: Mawlana Farhan Shariff
▽ ʿAqīdah: Part One
Studying ʿaqīdah is crucial. Knowing this subject is obligatory on every Muslim, so that one’s heart becomes illuminated by the beauty of Islām’s teachings. Imām Abū Jaʿfar al-Ṭaḥāwī’s ʿAqīdah is studied throughout the entire Muslim World and it serves as this course’s main textbook. Insha’Allah, this class will be a beacon of certainty guiding one’s steps on an otherwise ambiguous path. Upon completing this course, one will be equipped with a luminous set of simple yet sound creedal principles through which they can understand and defend their faith. In this semester, the work’s first half is studied.
Time: 12:20pm - 1:20pm
Instructor: Mawlana Farhan Shariff
Register for 1 class: use promo code TAFHIMFALL23SUNONE
Register for 2 class: use promo code TAFHIMFALL23SUNTWO
Additional Details
CURRICULUM
FALL 2021 |
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Saturday | Sunday |
The History & Development of Fiqh | Fiqh of Salah: Part One |
Introduction to Hadith Sciences | Surahs of Salah |
‘Aqidah: Part One | Purification of the Heart |
SPRING 2022 |
|
---|---|
Saturday | Sunday |
The Fiqh of Purification | The Fiqh of Salah, Part Two |
Aqidah, Part Two | Sirah of the Makkan Period |
Islamic Etiquettes | The 40 Hadith |
FALL 2022 |
|
---|---|
Saturday | Sunday |
Fiqh of Finance | The Fiqh of Sawm, Zakah, and Hajj |
Ulum al-Qur'an | Sirah of the Madinan Period |
The Prophet's Family | Signs of the Hour |
Spring 2023 |
|
---|---|
Saturday | Sunday |
Fiqh of Halal & Haram | The Fiqh of Marriage and Divorce |
Misunderstood Verses | Tajwid |
The Heroes of Islam | The Four Rightly Guided Caliphs |
Fall 2023 |
|
---|---|
Saturday | Sunday |
The Fiqh of Salah, Part One | The History and Development of Fiqh |
The Surahs of Salah | An Introduction to Hadith Sciences |
Purification of the Heart | Aqidah, Part One |
Spring 2024 |
|
---|---|
Saturday | Sunday |
The Fiqh of Salah, Part Two | The Fiqh of Purification |
Sirah of the Makkan Period | Aqidah, Part Two |
The 40 Hadith | Islamic Etiquettes |
Fall 2024 |
|
---|---|
Saturday | Sunday |
The Fiqh of Sawm, Zakah, and Hajj | Fiqh of Finance |
Sirah of the Madinan Period | Ulum al-Qur'an |
Signs of the Hour | The Prophet's Family |
Spring 2025 |
|
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Saturday | Sunday |
The Fiqh of Marriage and Divorce | Fiqh of Halal & Haram |
Tajwid | Misunderstood Verses |
The Four Rightly Guided Caliphs | The Heroes of Islam |
TUITION
Tuition Schedule |
|
---|---|
Program Tuition | $225/track for 3 classes |
Textbooks | varies |
*Payment for the Tafhim program may be made up front or in four monthly installments of $37.50. |