‘Understanding the Qur’an’ Internet Course
News and Views
The internet has revolutionized the field of communication. With its advent, the concepts of space and time have become immaterial as far as transmission of knowledge is concerned. The number of people to which data can be transmitted is incredible. The speed even more so.
Realizing this opportunity, the Al-Mawrid Institute of Islamic Sciences has embarked upon a program to disseminate Islamic education through the internet. It is the first effort of its kind that has originated in Pakistan in the field of religious education. Initially, this course is being offered free of charge. To help us disseminate the course, we would welcome any donations. People may also help the cause of this course by introducing it among their friends.
The course can be accessed at http://online.almawrid.edu.pk. Following is a detailed introduction to the first internet course Al-Mawrid has just launched:
I Objective
To introduce the participants to some important areas of study regarding the Qur’an. They will study in detail the view of the classical scholars and the developments made in these areas by some contemporary scholars.
Two important features of the course are:
1. The course has no time bar. A person can go through this course at his own pace.
2. The course is entirely in English and presupposes almost no knowledge of Arabic or any other language.
II Brief Outline
The course consists of 6 modules comprising a total of 20 Readings. Following is a brief outline of the course. (For a detailed outline see below).
Module No. of Readings
1.Revelation of the Qur’an 2
2. History of theQur’an 5
3. Theme of the Qur’an 2
4. Arrangement of the Qur’an 2
5. Language of the Qur’an 4
6. Interpreting the Qur’an 5
III Methodology
1.Once a participant has registered by filling the application form, he shall receive a confirmation email in the next twenty-four hours.
2. The participant can then go to the members area by using his user name and password and access the course readings. The section marked ‘Content with Arabic Texts’contains the original Arabic texts of the verses of the Qur’an, of the A%hadith and of various source books in Arabic. The section marked ‘Content without Arabic Texts’contains the translations of all these Arabic texts. Participants can use either or both of these sections and are advised to take a print out of each reading they use.
(Participants who intend to use the section ‘Content with Arabic Text’must download Arabic fonts. These fonts are provided under the ‘Software Requirements’ section below.)
3. While going through a reading, a participant can ask any question from the instructor of the course via email regarding the reading he is studying.
4. Once the participant has gone through the reading, he will be required to take a quiz concerning the specific reading he has finished.
5. He can then go on to the next reading and the whole process will be repeated until he has gone through all the readings and their related quizzes.
6. At the completion of the whole course, the participant would be required to take a comprehensive exam concerning the whole course.
IV Grading and Evaluation
The overall marks shall be calculated as per the following proportion:
Quizzes (total 20) = 60 %
Final Exam = 40 %
Students shall be evaluated according to the following grade standards:
Marks Grade
90% and above A+
85-89 % A
80-84 % B+
75-79 % B
70-74 % C+
65-69 % C
60-65 % D+
below 60% D (Fail)
V Certificate
A candidate will be awarded a certificate of participation depicting the total marks obtained and the overall grade achieved at the completion of the course. Candidates who earn an A+ grade shall be awarded a merit certificate.
VI Software Requirements
Following are the software requirements of this course, the links of which are provided at the site:
1. Netscape (6.0) or Explorer (4.0 and above)
2. Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0
3. Arabic Fonts (in case Arabic texts are to be accessed)
Appendix: Detailed Outline
Module 1
Revelation of the Qur’an
Section I: Pre-Revelatory Guidance
Section II: Brief History of Revelation
i. Scriptures and Practices
ii. Need for a Final Revelation
a. Originals do not Survive
b. Alteration in the Contents
c. Completion of Guidance
d. Abolition of Certain Directives
Section III: Qur’an— The Final Revelation
i. Name of the Qur’an
ii. Name of the Surahs
iii. Means of Revelation
iv. The First Revelation
v. The Qur’anaddresses the Mind
Appendix
Name of the Surahs -- The Huruf-i-Muqatta‘at
Module 2
History of the Qur’an
1. Collection of the Qur’an
A. The Classical View
Section I: Phases of Collection
i. Under the Prophet (sws)
ii. Under Abu Bakr (rta)
iii. Under ‘Uthman (rta)
Section II: Some Related Issues
i. The Extraneous Verses
ii. The Seven Ahruf
iii. The Variant Readings
B. The Contemporary View
Section I: Collection in the Light of the Qur’an
Section II: A Critique of the Classical View
i. The Collection under Abu Bakr (rta)
ii. The Collection under ‘Uthman (rta)
iii. The Extraneous Verses
iv. The Seven Ahruf
v. The Variant Readings
2. Transmission of the Qur’an
Section I: Transmission of Texts
i. Person-to-Person Transmission
a. General Introduction
1. Information on Narrators
2. Continuity
3. Verbal Coincidence
b. Degree of Authenticity
ii. Generation-to-Generation Transmission
a. General Introduction
b. Degree of Authenticity
Section II: The Case of the Holy Qur’an
Appendices
Appendix A: The Controversial Personality of Zuhri
Appendix B: View of the Orientalists
Appendix C: A Comment on Some Dissenting Views
Module 3:
Theme of the Qur’an
Section I: Indhar of Muhammad (sws)
i Theme Statement
ii. The Indhar of Rusul
a. The Propagation Phase
b. The Acquittal Phase
c. The Judgement Phase
iii. Details of Muhammad’s (sws) Indhar
a. The Propagation Phase
b. The Acquittal Phase
c. The Judgement Phase
1. The Reward
a. For the Muslims
2. The Punishment
a. For the Idolaters
b. For the People of the Book
c. For the Hypocrites
Section II: Extension of Muhammad’s Indhar
Appendices
Appendix A: Indhar of Noah (sws)
Appendix B: Fate of some Nations who denied their Rusul
Module 4
Arrangement of the Qur’an
A. The Classical View
Section I: Divisions of the Qur’an
i. Initial Format
a. Verses
b. Surahs
ii. Later Format
a. Divisions regarding the Meaning
b. Divisions regarding Memorization
Section II: Nazm (Order and Arrangement)
i. The Advocates
a. Nazm as ‘Word Meaning Relationship’
b. Nazm as ‘Linear Connection’
ii. The Adversaries
Section III: Makkan and Madinan Division
B. The Contemporary View
Section I: General Introduction to the Qur’anicNazm
Section II: Group Nazm
i. Description
ii. Features
a. Central Theme
b. Description of the Prophetic Mission
c. Makkan and Madinan Surahs
d. Surah Pairs
1. Brevity and Detail
2. Principle and Illustration
3. Different Types of Evidence
4. Unity of Opposites
5. Premise and Conclusion
iii. Sequence
Section III: Surah Nazm
i. Central Theme
ii. Subdivisions
iii. Progression
a. Parallelism
b. Affinity
c. Parables
d. Parenthetical Sentences
e. Reminder and Admonition
f. Return to the Origin
Appendices
Appendix A: Nazm of Group II
Appendix B: Nazm of Surah Nisa
Appendix C: View of the Orientalists
Module 5
Language of the Qur’an
Section I: Sources of the Language
i. The Qur’an
ii. A%hadith and A%thar
iii. Classical Arabic
Section II: Some Features of the Qur’anic Style
i. Address (Khitab)
a. Multiple Addressees
b. Shift in Address
c. Indirect Address
ii. Parenthetic Sentences (Jumuluh Mu‘taradah)
iii. Insertion (Tadmin)
iv. Gradations in the Verb (Madariju’l-Af‘al)
a. Expressing Intention
b. Expressing Result
c. Expressing Completeness
d. Expressing Permanence
v. Oaths (Aqsam)
A. The Classical View
a. Basic Statement
b. Examples
B. The Contemporary View
a. Critique of the Classical View
b. Basic Statement
c. Examples
vi. Specific Connotation (Takhsis)
Section III: Diction of the Qur’an
i. Word Choice
ii. The Pictorial Element
iii. Humour, Satire and Irony
iv. Wordplay and Ambiguity
v. Narrative
vi. Dialogue
vii: Characterization
Module 6
Interpreting the Qur’an
A. The Classical View
Section I: Tafsir bi’l-Riwayah
i. Methodology
a. Through the Qur’an
1. Brevity and Detail
2. General and Specific
b. Through the Prophet (sws)
1. Explaining Words
2. Explaining Directives
3. Adding to the Qur’an
4. Asbabu’l-Nuzul
c. Through the Companions
d. Through the Tabi‘un
1. The Makkan Group
2. The Madinan Group
3. The Iraqi Group
ii. Historical Development
a. The 1st Period: Oral Transmission
b. The 2nd Period: Chapters in Hadith Books
c. The 3rd Period: Independent Tafsir Works
d. The 4th Period: Specialized Tafsir Works
iii. Important Works
a. Tafsir Tabari
b. Tafsir Ibn Kathir
Section II: Tafsir bi’l-Ra’ay
i. General Introduction
a. Definition
b. Its Advocates
c. Its Adversaries
d. The Middle View
1. Mahmud (Commendable)
2. Madhmum (Condemnable)
ii. Important Works
a. Tafsir Kashshaf
b. Tafsir Kabir
B. The Contemporary View
Section I: Authority of the Qur’an
Section II: The Direct Sources
i. Parallels of the Qur’an
ii. Language of the Qur’an
iii. Context of the Qur’an
iv. Theme of the Qur’an
Section III: The Helpful Sources
i. A%hadith and A%thar
ii. The Major Commentaries
iii. The Previous Scriptures
iv. Historical Facts and Details
Appendices
Appendix A: The Isra’iliyat
Appendix B: A%hadith cannot Abrogate the Qur’an
Appendix C: Difference betweenHadith and Sunnah