Further Readings Home > Further Readings Core Curriculum Curriculum 1 God, Religion and Islam: An Introduction Download Section 1.1 God, Allah and Religion 1.2 What is “Religion” and What’s the Point of it Anyways? 1.3 Introduction to Islam 1.4 A Brief Introduction to the Prophet Muhammad (s), the Prophet of Islam 2 Foundations of Islam - Theology Download Section 2.1 Satan, Jinns and Angels: Their Influence in the World 2.2 The Islamic Concept of the Nafs: Battling the Human Ego 2.3 The Sharīʿa: Purpose and Practice 2.4 Nubuwwa: The Purpose of Prophethood in Islam 2.5 Tawhīd: The Unity and Oneness of God in Islam 2.6 The Usūl al-Dīn: The Fundamental Beliefs of Islam 2.7 Adala: Divine Justice in Islam 2.8 Entering Islam: The Shahada 2.9 Maʿād: The Day of Judgment in Islam 2.10 Imāmah or divinely guided leadership in Islam after the Prophet Muhammad. 3 Foundations of Islam - Obligatory Acts Download Section 3.1 Accepting Islam: Putting Faith into Action 3.2 The Furūʿ al-Dīn: The Fundamental Practices of Islam 3.3 Salāt: Obligatory Ritual Prayers in Islam 3.4 Fasting in Islam, its Purpose, Dos and Don’ts 3.5 The Hajj Pilgrimage 3.6 The Purpose of Zakat and Khums in Islamic Law 3.7 Jihād in Islamic Law and Spirituality 3.8 Commanding the Good and Forbidding Evil in Islam 3.9 Tawalla and Tabarra, its Basics and Purpose 3.10 The Five Categories of Islamic Law 3.11 Niyya: Religious Intention as the Foundation of Islamic Practice 3.12 Ritual Purity in Islamic Law: Understanding Tahāra and Najāsa 3.13 Other Obligatory and Forbidden Acts in Islam 4 Prophethood in Islam Download Section 4.1 A Brief Biography of the Prophet Muhammad (s): The Prophet’s Childhood (PART I of III) 4.2 Bio: The Prophet Muhammad as a Prophet of God (PART II of III) 4.3 A Brief Biography of the Prophet Muhammad (s): The Prophet’s Character (PART III of III) 4.4 The Prophet Muhammad (s) as Messenger and Teacher 4.5 The Prophet and his Relationships 4.6 The Prophet’s Sunnah and Hadith 4.7 Ghadīr and Arafah: The Two Last Sermons of the Prophet 4.8 Jesus and Mary in Islam 5 The Qur'an and Hadith Download Section 5.1 Islam and Other Religions 5.2 What is the Qur’an? A Short Introduction to Islam’s Holy Book 5.3 The Structure of the Holy Qur’an 5.4 The Quran and Islamic law 5.5 The Qur’an, Allah and Humankind 5.6 Hadith and Sunnah, difference and variations 5.7 The Reliability of Hadiths 5.8 A Reflection on Verses of the Holy Qur’an 5.9 Hadith al-Thaqalayn 5.10 Imam Ali (as) and Nahj al-Balagha. 5.11 Taqlid and Tawḍih Al Masail Genre of Literature 6 Measuring Good and Bad in Islam Download Section 6.1 Guidance According to Islam 6.2 Life and Death in Islam 6.3 Heaven and Hell in Islam 6.4 The Effects of Our Actions in this World 6.5 The Gray Areas of Islamic Law and Morality 6.6 Benefits of Islamic Law in this World 6.7 Good and Bad Deeds: The Spiritual Consequences of our Choices 6.8 The Effect of Culture and Environment in Shaping our Religious Choices 6.9 Fate and the Consequences of our Choices in Islam 6.10 Trivializing the Harām 6.11 Sinning Against Others and their Delayed Punishment 6.12 The Three Kinds of Rights in Islam 6.13 Major Sins in Islam 6.14 Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins in Islam 6.15 Kufr in Islam 6.16 Why Allah Allows People to Sin 7 The Legacy of the Prophet Muhammad (s) and his Ahl al-Bayt (as) Download Section 7.1 Islam and Knowledge: the Importance of Islamic Education 7.2 The Ahl al-Kisa 7.3 Imamah in the Qur’an 7.4 Fatima al-Zahrah (as) 7.5 A Brief Look at the Lives of the Imams (Imam al-Hasan until Imam Muhammad al-Baqir) 7.6 A Brief Look at the Lives of the Imams (Imam Jafar al-Sadiq until Imam Hasan al-Askari) 7.7 A Brief Look at the Life and Importance of Imam al-Mahdi (aj) 7.8 Salawat and Atonement in Islam 7.9 The Companions (Sahaba) of the Prophet According to the Qur’an 7.10 Clerical Hierarchies in Muslim Communities 7.11 Mosques in Islam 7.12 The Philosophy of Karbala and Majalis 7.13 A Brief Biography of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) 7.14 The Battle of Karbala: A Brief History 8 Islamic Relationships, Sects and Conflicts Download Section 8.1 Islam and Rights 8.2 Islam and Religious Conflicts 8.3 Major Sects of Islam 8.4 Sunnism and Shi’ism, beginnings and historical developments. 8.5 Misconceptions about Shi’ism Special Topics Curriculum 9 Independent Topics Download Section 9.1 Muslim Converts – Welcome to Islam! 9.2 Basic Dos and Don’ts of Being a Muslim 9.3 Halal Food and Zabiha 9.4 Modesty in Islam 9.5 Family, Parents and Marriage in Islam 9.6 Marriage in Islam 9.7 Islam and Sex 9.8 Women’s Menstruation in Islam 9.9 Music, Alcohol, Drugs and Pork in Islam 9.10 Islam and Science 9.11 A Reading List of Islamic Knowledge 9.12 Islam and Sufism 9.13 Ritual Prayers and Supplications in Islam 9.14 Death & Burial Rituals in Islam 9.15 The Battle of Armageddon: An Islamic View 9.16 The Muslim Calendar 9.17 Muslims and non-Muslims in the Shariah 9.18 A Timeline of Major Events in Islamic History 9.19 Introducing the Qur’an: Why it is the way it is 9.20 The School of Imam Jafar al-Sadiq 9.21 Major Fields in Islamic Studies 9.22 The Caliphate in Sunni and Shia Islam 9.23 The Spread of Islam: After the Prophet until the Ottoman Empire 9.24 Islam, Racism and Anti-Semitism 10 Islam, Religion, and Modern Controversies Download Section 10.1 Modern Fallacies about God: where Theists and Atheists Agree 10.2 Tawhīd: The Muslim God according to the Prophet Muhammad and the Ahl al-Bayt (as) 10.3 God’s Existence: The Argument From Being (Wujūd) 10.4 God’s Existence: The Kalam Cosmological Argument 10.5 God’s Existence: The Argument From Design 10.6 The Problem of Evil, Suffering and Pain 10.7 Why did God Create Us? The Purpose of our Creation 10.8 Why Humans Need Religion according to Islam 10.9 Jahl and Spiritual Ignorance in Islam 10.10 Faith in Islam: Belief without Evidence? 10.11 Do Non-Muslims Go to Hell?
