Introducing the IIE Alim Course

For as long as one can remember, studying the higher Islamic sciences meant spending many long years abroad in a country far away. Discouraged by the problems associated with travel and study outside the United States, many young and motivated seekers of knowledge were long deprived of authentic sources of Islamic learning.

Now There Is A Solution!
Imagine studying Islam the traditional way right here in the United States! For the first time, you can study a full-time Alim course right here at home. In using an English and then Arabic medium, our five-year Islamic studies course was designed and developed to cater specifically to English-speaking students in the West. Most importantly, IIE’s Alim course not only imparts raw knowledge, but also a proper understanding of its practical application.


Why IIE?
Time requirement: Our course is comfortably packed into five intensive years. Students will cover all of the required subjects of a full-time Islamic studies, Shari‘ah course without sacrificing or omitting any core material.

Teacher/Student interaction: Due to the small size of our classes, students get the opportunity to interact frequently with qualified teaching staff in and out of class, thus avoiding the many disadvantages of large schools where students rarely participate in lectures, ask questions, or debate issues.

Leadership skills: Students of the course will gain many necessary skills for becoming future community leaders. Informal training is provided in delivering khutbahs, delivering speeches, conducting halaqahs, and propagating the faith.

Arabic language: Our linguistic studies program, which employs a harmonious mix of the direct and grammatical methods of learning language, is designed to employ the most effective methods of learning Arabic in the shortest time possible. After the initial few years of Arabic studies through English, classes are taught exclusively in Arabic.

Qualified teaching staff: All instructors of the Alim course are highly qualified and skilled scholars of Islam. Our instructors are proficient in both English and Arabic, the two mediums of academic instruction.

Diverse student population: IIE stresses diversity in its student population, admitting students from all cultural and social backgrounds. The course is not designed to be exclusively reflective of any particular culture or ethnic background. Our course is also available for both males and females.

Year-round boarding: IIE offers boarding for students seeking to reside on campus for minimal fees. Boarding includes separate facilities for both male and female students as well as meals.

Curriculum

Students of the IIE Alim Course will cover all the subjects and materials of a full-fledged higher Islamic studies program. Similar to the Dars Nizami curriculum of the subcontinent, but more intensive and significantly improved, IIE’s course covers all of the following subjects:

► Arabic Grammar (Syntax and Morphology)
► Arabic Literature (Speech, Composition, and Rhetoric)
► Logic (Mantiq)
► Islamic Theology (‘Aqidah)
► Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence (Usul al-Fiqh)
► Fiqh (Jurisprudence)
► ‘Ulum al-Hadith (Sciences of Hadith Interpretation)
► Hadith (Prophetic Traditions)
► Usul al-Tafsir (Principles of Exegesis)
► Tafsir al-Quran (Exegesis)
► Sirah (Prophetic Biography)

Course Schedule

The Alim Course is divided into two semesters. The first semester of the academic year begins in August each year. Classes continue throughout the year and are held from Monday to Friday with occasional classes on the weekends. Classes typically begin at 8:00 am and continue until 4:00 pm and are then followed by group and individual study sessions.


YEAR ONE
► Takallum wa ‘l-Inshā’ (Speech and Composition)
► Nahw (Arabic Syntax)
► Sarf (Arabic Morphology)
► Adab (Arabic Literature)
► Hadīth (Prophetic Traditions)
► Tarjumat al-Qur’ān (Translation of the Qur’ān)
► Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence)
► Tajwīd (Qur’ānic Pronunciation)



YEAR TWO
► Takallum wa ‘l-Inshā’ (Arabic Speech and Composition)
► Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence)
► Nahw (Arabic Grammar)
► Adab (Arabic Literature)
► Tafsīr (Qur’ānic Exegesis)



YEAR THREE
► Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence)
► Usūl al-Fiqh (Principles of Jurisprudence)
► Tafsīr (Qur’ānic Exegesis)
► Adab (Arabic Literature)
► Usūl al-Tafsīr (Principles of Exegesis)
► Takallum wa ‘l-Inshā’ (Arabic Speech and Composition)
► Balāghah (Rhetoric)



YEAR FOUR
► Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence)
► Mīrāth (Inheritance Laws)
► Tafsīr (Qur’ānic Exegesis)
► Usūl al-Hadīth (Principles of Hadith)
► ‘Aqīdah (Islamic Doctrine)
► Usūl al-Fiqh (Principles of Jurisprudence)
► Mantiq (Logic)
► Adab (Arabic Literature)


YEAR FIVE
► Sahīh al-Bukhārī
► Sunan Ibn Mājah
► Sahīh Muslim
► Muwatta Mālik
► Jāmi’ al-Tirmidhī
► Muwatta Muhammad
► Sunan an-Nisā’ī
► Shamā’il al-Tirmidhī
► Sunan Abi Dāwūd
► Sharh Ma‘āni al-Āthār