Level 1 of the Basira Seminary Curriculum is Complete!
We are excited to announce the completion of the first of the four levels of the Basira Seminary Curriculum.
The Basira Seminary Curriculum (now for both Adults and Teens) begins with our flagship course, Why Islam is True. Since its launch only two semesters ago, over a hundred students have taken this course and for many of them, it has changed their lives. See for yourself that your religion is not a cultural preference, but a verifiable fact. If you haven’t taken a Basira course yet, start here!
Why Islam is True lies behind every other course in the Basira Seminary Curriculum. That’s no surprise, since the goal of the curriculum is to integrate modern education into an intelligent truth-based religious worldview, and if you can’t see that Islam is true, you can’t do that!
Level 1 Courses
Level 1 of the Basira Seminary Curriculum builds this intelligent truth-based religious worldview by answering the most pressing questions that you and your children face as you try to be religious in the modern world. It does that through six courses.
(1) Why Muhammad is God’s Messenger studies the Meccan period of the Prophet’s life, but in a way that you’ve probably never seen before: it uses the methods of traditional Muslim scholarship to show you how we know that the life of the Holy Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is historical fact and how that is clear evidence that he was really God’s messenger to mankind.
(2) Islam, Politics, War, and Women studies the Medinan period of the Prophet’s life (Allah bless him and give him peace) in a way that blends the methods of traditional Muslim scholarship with modern theories of statehood, war, and women’s liberation in order to dispel the notion that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) was harsh, cruel, or intolerant—nothing could be further from the truth!—and in order to demonstrate that religious Muslims are invaluable citizens of modern secular states.
(3) What is Sharia? details what it means for you to be morally responsible to God, both practically by describing the rules of worshiping Allah, conducting transactions, marriage, divorce, government, and purifying the heart; and theoretically by demonstrating how it maximizes our happiness both in this life and the next.
(4) Muslim Character and Modern Culture describes the heart and soul of our religion—having excellent character with others. It uses the traditional Muslim science of character to help you critically evaluate your own character, to develop a plan for change, and to understand the harmful effects of social media, cell-phones, video games, and consumerism.
(5) Love, Romance, and Sexuality explores Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet through an Islamic lens, comparing Christian Renaissance culture with traditional Muslim culture, teaching you how to navigate feelings of romantic love and sexual desire in light of your moral commitments, and digressing to examine modern LGBQT+ issues.
(6) Arabic Through the Quran integrates everything that you’ve learned in the previous courses by using a unique thematic approach to the ancient Arabic language that guides you step-by-step as you learn to use the miraculously beautiful language of the Quran to directly grasp its rhetoric, its majesty, its key message, and its truth.
“Shaykh Hamza used the knowledge and common sense that all of us have to show that the shahada is true. You don’t need to be a scientist, nor a philosopher, nor do you need to have an in-depth understanding of Islam to grasp this basic fact that Islam is true, which is the most important fact in our lives. The classes were liberating and easy to understand. No one should miss these… I pray that everyone takes advantage of these lessons and benefit from Basira. I have taken four courses so far and all of them have changed my life.”
― F. Kazi (mother)
