Short Course: Introduction to Ḥadīth Sciences

[Ibn al-Hussain 4,019]

As the Orientalist and civil servant Sir William Muir (1819–1905) served in India for the British government, it was not long before he realized the significance of Prophet Muhammad's (p) sunnah for the day-to-day practice of Islam for the Muslims. Much of the sunnah is derived from the ḥadīth literature which constitutes one of the most significant bodies of work within the vast sea of Islamic disciplines. The majority of Muslims since the rise of Islam have relied heavily on aḥadīth to acquire religious knowledge pertaining to different aspects of their lives, be it theology, jurisprudence or ethics. 

As such, 8 online sessions are being offered via Skype to introduce students to the development of ḥadīth sciences within a Shī’ī Imāmī context. By the end of the sessions, a student would ideally be acquainted with the basic discussions and sub-discussions that take place within Shī’ī Imāmī ḥadīth discourse. Please note, these lessons will be introductory in nature and if one already has a decent grasp of the subject it is advised they do not signup.

There will also be an opportunity for questions and answers.

Fees: The course is being offered for $10 USD and payments can be made through Paypal http://paypal.me/AliImranSC/10USD - if you are in Canada and want to pay through Interac, please private message me and I will share my e-mail address with you and we can agree on the details of a security question & answer. Deadline to sign up is July 14th, 2018.

When making the payment, please mention your name and ShiaChat username or e-mail address so that the private link to the Skype conversation can be sent to you.

Timing: The 60-minute sessions will take place on Sundays, via Skype. My personal suggestion for time is 12 PM EDT (Toronto), which is 5 PM EST (London). They will be recorded so those who paid but missed a session for whatever reason, can access it later.

Course Outline

Session 1: July 15, 2018

• Definition, Significance & Branches
• Brief History of Development & Compilation
• Role of the Shī'a in Ḥadīth Development

Session 2: July 22, 2018

• Major Books of Ḥadīth
• Akhbārī & Uṣūlī Views on Ḥadīth Books

Session 3: July 29, 2018

• 'Ilm al-Rijāl

Session 4: August 5, 2018

• 'Ilm al-Dirāyah

Session 5: August 12, 2018

• Fiqh al-Ḥadīth

Session 6: August 19, 2018

• Fiqh al-Ḥadīth - Case Studies

Session 7: August 26, 2018

• Muslim "Reformists" and Ḥadīth

Session 8: September 2, 2018

• Orientalists and Ḥadīth Studies

About Me: I am one of the senior members of ShiaChat and much of the ShiaChat moderator and administrative team knows me and can surely vouch for my trustworthiness (). I received my BCom in 2010, from York University, Toronto and then went on to work as an internet marketer. I began my seminary studies in Qom in November 2012 and completed my undergraduate degree there in January 2018. I intend on beginning my post-graduate degree in Qom after the summer and am also concurrently finishing off an MA in Islamic Studies from the Islamic College of England. I regularly blog on http://www.iqraonline.net 

Wasalam

Edited June 26, 2018 by Ibn al-Hussain

[Abu Nur 3,782]

Salaam Aleikum,

Insha'Allah I will join and JazakAllah for making this wonderful course.

[Haji 2003 7,796]

5 hours ago, Ibn al-Hussain said:

As the Orientalist and civil servant Sir William Muir (1819–1905) served in India for the British government, it was not long before he realized the significance of Prophet Muhammad's (p) sunnah for the day-to-day practice of Islam for the Muslims.

What's this sentence got to do with what follows? It seems as if there is a sentence after this one that is missing.

[Hameedeh 18,696]

For those of you who have Skype, if you are serious about learning about Hadith Sciences, see the first post in this topic. 

[ali_fatheroforphans 5,564]

Thanks heaps!! I would also love you to start a course on Islamic philosophy or maybe theology in the future inshallah. I would be keen to join

[Abbas. 3,639]

Salams

This is a great opportunity for those who are interested in learning a perspective of Shia Islam regarding hadith literature.

To the members who are interested but may not be able to afford... please PM me. Shiachat Team has decided to invest $100 for 10 eligible students. Criteria for eligibility is your credibility as a Shiachat member, the quality of your posts on the forum, sincerity in learning, critical thinking without being counter-productive, and/or demonstration of your commitment to complete the entire course etc. 

@Ibn al-Hussain to me (and to many other team members) is like a little brother who has remained loyal and committed to the success of our forum and who is now in a qualified position to share his perspective with others and help students of Islam produce knowledge through critical thinking. I pray that he succeeds in his current mission and that his students/listeners/critics become a reason for SC Team to take pride (not in the sense of arrogance but in the sense of confidence with humility).

[Ibn al-Hussain 4,019]

18 hours ago, Haji 2003 said:

What's this sentence got to do with what follows? It seems as if there is a sentence after this one that is missing.

 

I was so tired when I was writing this post, didn't get a good night's sleep and I had to rewrite that specific sentence so many times that I think by the end of it I forgot what I was trying to say  . Sometimes when I'm typing on SC and the posts get a bit long, there is some glitch that appears which ends up either deleting some of the lines I have written in a post, or sometimes the whole post just randomly disappears, and I am not even able to copy/paste again. Not sure what that glitch is caused by, but it is really annoying.

My point was basically that even a non-Muslim was able to see the role ahadith play in the lives of Muslims and then went on an attack against both Muslims and the hadith literature, so it is even more imperative that a 21st century Muslim learns and equips themselves with at least some basic knowledge about our hadith heritage to be able to not just counter orientalist critiques, but also simply for their own religious awareness.

39 minutes ago, ali_fatheroforphans said:

Thanks heaps!! I would also love you to start a course on Islamic philosophy or maybe theology in the future inshallah. I would be keen to join

One of the lines that got deleted due to the "glitch" was that if this course is a success, I would definitely be interested in teaching further short courses (7-8 sessions) on other subjects.

Special thanks to the ShiaChat team for their support. Alhamdulillah we have a few signs up for the course already.

Wasalam

Edited June 27, 2018 by Ibn al-Hussain

[ShiaChat Mod 1,768]

17 hours ago, Ibn al-Hussain said:

Special thanks to the ShiaChat team for their support. Alhamdulillah we have a few signs up for the course already.

Is there a limit to how many people can enroll in the course? 

[Ibn al-Hussain 4,019]

Just now, ShiaChat Mod said:

Is there a limit to how many people can enroll in the course? 

No.

[danielaguiar 4]

Very nice. thank you

[Sirius_Bright 3,505]

On 6/26/2018 at 8:39 PM, Ibn al-Hussain said:

which is 5 PM EST (London). They will be recorded so those who paid but missed a session for whatever reason, can access it later.

Thanks. Else I'd have to stay awake all night and sleep in the office next day. Btw, how long will each session be? And how will I able to access these recorded sessions? And what if I get a question while listening through these sessions.?

Thank you. 

[Ibn al-Hussain 4,019]

7 hours ago, Sirius_Bright said:

Thanks. Else I'd have to stay awake all night and sleep in the office next day. Btw, how long will each session be? And how will I able to access these recorded sessions? And what if I get a question while listening through these sessions.?

 

Each session will be 1 hour long. Q & A can be done through the Skype Chat - I will respond either at the beginning of the next session or through chat itself. The link for the recorded lessons will be posted in that private Skype group chat.

Wasalam

[Inquisitor 1,036]

On 6/27/2018 at 8:29 PM, Ibn al-Hussain said:

... I would definitely be interested in teaching further short courses (7-8 sessions) on other subjects.

I will be skipping this one for now but I will certainly be interested in some other courses that I believe you should teach. I had read a discussion between you and a member who did not agree with the institution of marja'iyyah and you had explained in some details as to what the issue with his arguments were. I really think that subject will be an interest to many and I will look forward once you decide to take it on.

[smba 2]

How would i join if i am in Australia?

[Khadim uz Zahra 3,217]

13 minutes ago, smba said:

How would i join if i am in Australia?

The classes are being conducted over Skype so...you can join from anywhere in the world. Of course, the timings may be slightly problematic for you since the time in Australia would be around 2AM. So, you may need to stay up later than you'd like. Otherwise, there's no problem with people signing up from anywhere in the world.

[Ibn al-Hussain 4,019]

9 hours ago, smba said:

How would i join if i am in Australia?

You can sign up just like it has been described in the opening post, and if you cannot attend the sessions live due to the time difference, you can still be part of the Skype group and will receive the link to the recorded sessions after it has been uploaded.

Wasalam

[Ibn al-Hussain 4,019]

Around a week left to sign up! Some have already signed up officially, while a few others have said they will sign-up, but haven't done so yet. If you are still interested I suggest you sign up sooner rather than later. The course is practically free and will be fruitful God willing!

Remember, if you cannot attend the live sessions, signing up will still allow you to get the link for the recording of the live session.

Wasalam

[Adam++ 149]

Salams,

Ibn Abbas narrated that Muhammad said, "Two favours are treated unjustly by most people: health and free time. - Sahih Bukhari.

Honestly, this course should be mandatory for everyone who still use ShiaChat.

I would sign up in a heartbeat, but due to other obligations it would be hard to commit 100% to the course. Will there be an exam at the end? :hijabhijabi:

[Ibn al-Hussain 4,019]

On 7/6/2018 at 12:26 AM, Ibn al-Hussain said:

Around a week left to sign up! Some have already signed up officially, while a few others have said they will sign-up, but haven't done so yet. If you are still interested I suggest you sign up sooner rather than later. The course is practically free and will be fruitful God willing!

Remember, if you cannot attend the live sessions, signing up will still allow you to get the link for the recording of the live session.

Wasalam

 

2 more days left to sign up!

Wasalam

[Guest silasun]

@Ibn al-Hussain Will the lessons be stored for years to come/downloadable?

[haideriam 844]

@Ibn al-Hussain

I hope people can join in later and still be eligible for the recordings? Would love to do this course.

[ShiaChat Mod 1,768]

On 7/12/2018 at 1:17 PM, silasun said:

@Ibn al-Hussain Will the lessons be stored for years to come/downloadable?

 

On 7/14/2018 at 5:48 PM, haideriam said:

@Ibn al-Hussain

I hope people can join in later and still be eligible for the recordings? Would love to do this course.

My questions, exactly. 

[Ibn al-Hussain 4,019]

Alhamdolillah the first session was conducted yesterday. The first lecture is also uploaded and the link was shared with all those who registered (17 participants in total), from the US, Canada, UK, Finland, India, Australia and New Zealand. Even though it was only the first session, it would be appreciated if those who signed up via ShiaChat can leave feedback, comments, criticisms on this thread so both myself and as well as others can benefit.

While the lectures will remain uploaded, I will not want to make them available freely as that would be unfair to those who have paid and signed up. If anyone is interested, they can still sign up and previous recordings will be sent to them and they can also either join the remaining sessions or receive the links to the recorded sessions.

Wasalam

[shiarevert_1628 19]

Salaam 

Is it still possible to join the course?

[Ibn al-Hussain 4,019]

12 hours ago, shiarevert_1628 said:

Salaam 

Is it still possible to join the course?

Three lessons have already been conducted. If you sign up now, you will have to catch up with the previous three lessons and then continue on with the fourth one. If you think you can do so before coming Sunday then feel free to sign up.

Wasalam

[Husayni 1,102]

So far brother @Ibn al-Hussain has given 7/8 lectures, and all were very clear and informative! Alhamdulillah he gives an informative but not too detailed rundown or overview of each subject he speaks about, and he makes it easy to understand. Also, he answers any questions you may have, all you need to do is ask them in the "text" part of Skype.

Overall I really benefited lots his classes and if he does any like this in the future, I highly recommend you, my brothers and sisters, to enroll and benefit from him as well!

 

[Ibn al-Hussain 4,019]

Alhamdulillah, these classes just finished yesterday. In total, we had 22 signups, though a vast majority of the participants were not able to tune in live and were listening to the recorded lectures afterwards (I know this because some would message the moment there was a little delay in the video being uploaded ). This tells me that it is a lot more convenient for people to sign up for classes like these and go through them at their own pace.

I'm not sure how much time I will have, now that the summer is over, but if I ever do make time, I would be interested in offering other introductory classes like these.

Wasalam