The Alim (Islamic Scholar) program offered by Al-Khalil Academy is a well-designed and structured Islamic studies program following the traditional madrasah curriculum.
Our Part-time Alim program was launched several years ago in Toronto as a pilot and is now open to the general public. This program is uniquely structured and well-suited for students and professionals alike who would like to pursue their higher Islamic educational goals but are unable to travel overseas.Key Features of the Program
Practicality
Our Part-time Alim program caters specifically to university students and professionals. Majority of the students in our program are either pursuing their university studies or are employed after having graduated from university. From the very beginning, this program was designed to fit the schedules of our students so that they can pursue excellence in their respective fields and also pursue expertise in the Islamic sciences by becoming an Alim. The classes in this program’s initial years occur thrice during weekdays in the evenings and once on Saturday from morning to afternoon totalling 10 hours of class time per week. The last two years of the program are full-time.
Structure
The format of our Alim program is based on our hands-on experience teaching and mentoring various students of knowledge over a course of several years. Consultations with students in the program and reviewing their unique situations allowed us to develop a uniquely structured program which takes into account the circumstances of today’s busy student or professional without compromising on the quality of the Islamic education.
Rigorous Learning
Our students, unlike at many other institutions, are expected to engage themselves in the learning process at a very high level by actively analyzing and synthesizing the content under study. Students in our program do the bulk of the work in terms of preparing for lessons and understanding them. The teacher, in the traditional style, guides the students in the right direction and is available to clarify concepts further.
The three main components of the learning process in our program are (1) self-study i.e. preparing the lesson ahead of the class comprehensively, (2) revision of the lessons of the day and (3) delivery of the lesson to the teacher and the class.
Relevance
The part-time nature of the program allows students who have the thirst for seeking knowledge in a classical and traditional format to locally attain these goals with local scholars without having to put brakes on their life in the initial year of Islamic studies by having to travel overseas. The local nature of the program also allows for learning solutions to contemporary challenges facing our society.
Program Overview
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Duration Commitment Tuition Academic Schedule |
Curriculum
The following is the curriculum for the Part-time Alim program. The Full-time Alim program will cover the same material but in 6 years.
Part Time Years
Year 1 & 2
The first two years of the program (Years 1 and 2) are Arabic-intensive, focused on building solid Quranic Arabic skills. To begin our Alim program, all students are required to complete our Quranic Arabic Intensive 2-year program then complete a bridging semester to enter into Year 3 (below) of the Alim program.
For details, see Quranic Arabic Intensive Program
Year 3
- FIQ310 – Intermediate Fiqh I: Worship
- FIQ320 – Intermediate Fiqh II: Transactions
- ARB310 – Arabic Literature I
- ARB320 – Arabic Poetry
- QUR300 – Qur’an Translation I
- MAN301 – Introduction to Logic (Mantiq)
- USL301 – Introduction to Usul al-Fiqh
The third year of the program is where texts such as the Mukhtasar al-Quduri and Nafhat al-‘Arab are introduced, including introductory primers on Arabic poetry, mantiq (logic) and usul al-fiqh (principles of Islamic jurisprudence).
Year 4
- FIQ410 – Advanced Fiqh I
- ARB410 – Arabic Literature II
- USL401 – Usul al-Fiqh I
- QUR400 – Qur’an Translation II
- ARB430 – Balaghah
- AQD401 – Islamic Creed I
The fourth year of the program covers selections from Sharh al-Wiqaya, the first volume of al-Hidayah and also the Usul al-Shashi. Primers on balaghah and aqidah are also part of this year in addition to Qur’an Translation of one-fourth of the Qur’an.
Year 5
- FIQ510 – Advanced Fiqh II
- FIQ520 – Advanced Fiqh III
- QUR500 – Tafsir I
- AQD501 – Islamic Creed II
- USL510 – Usul al-Tafsir
- FIQ530 – Fiqh of Inheritence
- USL520 – Usul al-Fiqh II
The fifth year of the program delves deeper into fiqh focused around the text, al-Hidayah, and introduces advanced tafsir through the famous Tafsir al-Jalalayn. This year also covers the Sharh al-Aqa’id al-Nasafiyyah and the Nur al-Anwar in addition to primers on usul al-tafsir and the fiqh of inheritance.
Full Time Years
Year 6
- FIQ610 – Advanced Fiqh IV
- FIQ620 – Advanced Fiqh V
- QUR600 – Tafsir II
- HAD610 – Advanced Hadith I (Mishkat)
- HAD620 – Advanced Hadith II (Mishkat)
- USL601 – Usul al-Hadith
- HAD630 – Hadith al-Ahkam
The sixth year, commonly known as the mawquf alayh, results in the completion of al-Hidayah, Tafsir al-Jalalyn and Mishkat al-Masabih. In addition to these texts, a primer on usul al-hadith is covered and selections from the Muwatta of Imam Muhammad and the Sharh Ma’ani al-Athar are studied.
Year 7: Dawrah Hadith
- The Sihah Sittah
The seventh and final year is an intensive year covering the six major hadith books (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Nasa’i, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah) in addition to the Muwatta of Imam Malik. After the completion of this year, an ijazah (permission) is granted to students in hadith in these major books of hadith from the teachers.
Admissions
Click here to learn more about admissions.
Location
Al Ansar Islamic Center
43 Railside Rd,
North York, M3A 3L9
