Critical Loyalty’s Ijtihād and Usūl al-Fiqh course is a comprehensive two-year online program that combines theory, practice, and research. It is designed to achieve both breadth and depth. These are online courses offered through Zoom virtual classroom.
To build a solid foundation in Ijtihād and Usūl al Fiqh theory, students will complete the book Nūr al-Anwār by Mulla Ahmad Jīwan (1717), a teacher of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir.
This course is not a course on Fiqh but instead on Ijtihād through Usūl al-Fiqh. Similar to traditional seminaries, the practical aspect will be covered by real-life Ijtihad.
Shaykh Uthman, who is a critic of the science of Fiqh, decided to teach this course complementing the Ijāzah in Hadīth, and Tafsīr, to graduate Islamic scholars who can think and perform Ijtihād. The course will cover comparative Usūl al fiqh of various schools including the maqāsid approach. No prior knowledge of fiqh is necessary, since prior knowledge can impede in the making of a scholar and a thinker.
The students will meet once a week for two years over a one-hour time slot, resembling the in-person ḥalaqah system where students discuss the Usūl and other relevant topics with the teacher.
These sessions are for both men and women, and there is no segregation based on gender.
The sessions will be held as graduate seminars with a lot of focus on discussion.
Going above and beyond traditional seminaries, Critical Loyalty incorporates a strong focus on critical thinking and depth through research.
Upon completion of all of the above requirements (two years), the student will receive an ijāzāh and a shahādah in the Science of Fiqh and Ijtihād.
Registration into the program opens once a year. Students may have to go through an interview process with the academic dean before being enrolled.
Critical Loyalty aims to graduate students who think like “scholars.” What does that mean? Students should be able to think critically and objectively. They should know how to research, demonstrate open-mindedness, put aside all subjectivity, clearly articulate arguments, write persuasively [through logic, not emotion], and present ideas cohesively and convincingly, combining evidence from original sources with logical arguments. Students who are unable to demonstrate scholarliness will not receive an ijāzah.
Registration for the next session is NOW OPEN
November 2022 to October 2024
Timings: Sundays from 12 am-1 pm Mountain Standard Time
The first class is on November 5, 2022
Course Instructor
