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One-year course for monthly circles, or short-duration intensive
courses.
1. Surah al-Hajj 22:77-8
Reflect on: life of worship and obedience; culminating and fulfilled in
Jihad; centred on the mission of Shahadah; purpose of being Muslim;
resources of Salah, Zakah and i'tisam bi'illah (holding fast on to Allah).
1.1 On ruku' and sujud, as acts of worship and obedience;
representing Prayers, especially during nights; as states of the heart; and attitudes of
conduct; in private and public: 2: 125; 16 49; 2: 43; 76: 26; 39: 9; 77: 48; 5: 55; 96:
19; 9: 112;
1.2 On 'Ibadah, as the purpose of creation; the central message
from Allah; total obedience and surrender; pertaining to the whole of life; turning away
from all false gods: 51: 56; 16: 36; 21: 25; 4: 36; 39: 11; 40: 66; 12:40.
1.3 On khayr, extending from the heart to each and every part of
life: 8: 70; 2: 269; 2: 180; 73: 20; 99: 7.
1.4 On Jihad, and its due: 49: 15; 8: 74; 3: 142; 9: 19-224:
95-6; 61: 11; 9: 41-5; 9:24.
1.5 On being chosen for the mission of Shahadah, and belonging
to Ibrahim: 2: 128-9; 2: 143; 6: 161-4; 3: 65-8.
1.6 On Ibrahim's uswah of Tawhid, obedience, and sacrifice: 6:
79; 60: 4; 2: 131.
1.7 On Din, having no hardship: 5: 3-6; 2: 185; 4: 26-8.
1.8 On the mission of Shahadah: 2: 213; 33: 45; 5: 67488; 3:
187; 4: 41; 2: 159-63, 174-6.
1.9 On Salah, its importance; internal and external conditions
for its iqdmah: 2: 3; 19: 59; 70: 23, 34; 2: 238; 4: 102-3; 2: 239; 29: 45; 7: 29; 23: 2;
4: 43; 17: 78; 4: 142; 2: 43; 7: 31; 62: 9-11; 19: 55; 107: 1-7; 22:41.
1.10 On Zakah, its importance and spirit: 41: 6-7; 9: 5; 30: 39;
9: 103.
1.11 On i'tisam bi'llah: 3: 101; 31: 22; 26: 7742.
2. Surah al-Baqarah 2:40-7
Reflect on: remembering the blessing of guidance, and others;
fulfilling the pledge to Allah ('ahd); renewal of Iman; bartering away Allah's
message for trifling gains; overlaying and distorting truth with falsehood; concealing the
truth; Salah; Zakah; collective life in Prayer; and outside; hypocrisy and
duplicity; sabr and Salah as the moral resources; faith in meeting Allah, when nothing
will avail, as their basis.
2.1 On ni'mah in guidance; in nature; in history: 5: 3; 2: 150;
5: 7; 16: 18; 3: 103; 8: 26; 5: 20.
2.2 On 'ahd: 9: 111; 48: 8-10; 7: 172; 36: 60; 33: 21-4; 5:
12-13; 3: 76-7.
2.3 On Allah's part of bargain, in this world and the Hereafter, see
additionally: 3: 139; 24: 55; 5: 66; 4: 66-9.
2.4 On summons to the renewal of Iman: 4: 136-9; 57:
2.5 On bartering Iman away for worldly gains: 5: 44; 2: 174-6.
2.6 On overlaying and confounding the truth with falsehood, in beliefs
and practices: 2: 75, 78, 79, 80, 85, 91, 94, 102, 111, 113; 5: 18.
2.7 On concealing the truth: 2: 157-63; 174-6.
2.8 On the emphasis on praying, and therefore living wholly, with Jama'ah;
congregational prayer in masjid as the microcosm of Islamic Jama'ah: 18: 28; 9:
16-17; 24: 362114; 9: 107-8.
2.9 On discrepancy between words and deeds, especially in
da'wah: 61:
2-3; 63: 1-4.
2.10 On sabr and Salah as essential resources for
fulfilling commitment to Allah: 2: 153-7; 41: 35; 46: 35; 7: 137; 8: 46; 3: 125; 8: 65-6.
2.11 On awareness and certainty of returning to Allah and meeting Allah
as the basis of sabr and Salah: 52: 48.
3. Surah al-Muzzammil 73: 1-10 and 20
Reflect on (i'tisam bi'llah through) Qur'an reading in night
Prayers, dhikr, tabattul, tawakkul, sabr, Salah, Zakah; infaq,
istighfar.
3.1 On qiyamu 'l-layl: 32: 15-16; 39: 9-23; 51: 15-19; 17: 78-82.
3.2 On tasbih during the day as da'wah: 20: 24-33.
3.3 On dhikr as the key to tazkiyyah, all the time, in
varied forms, by heart, tongue, body, deeds, da'wah, Jihad: 87: 15; 3: 191; 13: 28;
39: 22-3; 62: 9; 2: 150-5.
3.4 On tawakkul, as a key inner resource, based on
Tawhid; its
spirit and need: 8: 2-4; 65: 3; 11: 123; 12: 67; 25: 58; 14: i2.
3.5 On various forms of yaqulun, which require sabr: 34:
8; 21: 5; 25: 4-5, 7; 68: 8-15; 17: 90-3; 10: 15; 17: 73.
3.6 On qard hasanah, and spending in the way of Allah (infaq):
57: 11-16; 92: 18-21; 23: 60; 2: 264-74; 3: 92; 4: 38; 57: 10; 63: 11; 35: 29.
3.7 On istighfar as central to Allah's message, watching,
scrutiny, accountability, regretting, turning back, rewards in this-world and that-world:
4: 110; 3: 15-17; 3: 133-6; 3: 146-8; 71: 7-12; 39: 53; 64: 17.
4. Surah al-Hadid 57: 1-7
Reflect on: everything glorifying Allah; to Him belongs kingship; power
to give life and death; power over everything; knowledge of everything; sovereignty and
rule; over time; knowledge of what lies in hearts; summons to Iman and infaq
in this context.
4.1 On Allahs attributes: 22: 18; 17: 44; 10: 31-6; 6: 59-61; 3: 154;
28: 70-2; 2: 255; 59: 22-4; 3: 25-6.
5. Surah al-Nahl 16: 1-22
Reflect on: evidence in the universe and self for Tawhid, Akhirah
and Risalah: purposeful creation; of heavens and earth; of man; of animals; sending
down of water; growing of crops; night and day; sun, moon and stars; diversity in
colours;
food and wealth from oceans; guidance through stars.
5.1 On evidence, in similar passages: 30: 17-27; 27: 59-68; 10: 1-10,
31-6.
6. Surah Ya Sin 36: 50-65
Reflect on various stages of journey beyond life: coming of death and
the last hour; resurrection; reckoning; judgement; reward; punishment.
6.1 On Akhirah: 50: 16-35;75:20-30;18:47-9;20: 100-12; 22: 1-7;
23: 99-118; 43: 66-80; 44: 40-59; 51: 1-27.
7. Surah al-Hadid 57: 20-5
Reflect on: nature and the reality of present life; preparedness to
give life and money; for helping Allah and His Messenger; through power; employed to
establish justice among men.
7.1 On the present life and the life to come: 3: 14-15, 185: 10: 24;
18: 45; 4: 134; 17: 18-19; 42: 19-20.
7.2 On establishing justice and equity: 4: 135; 61: 9-14.
8. Surah al-'Ankabut 28: 1-10
Reflect on: the essentiality of trials and tribulations to test Iman,
and to bring success.
8.1 See 2: 155; 2: 214; 3: 140-2, 179; 47: 29-31.
9. Surah al-Anfal 8: 72-5
Reflect on the inherent and crucial link between Iman and
Hijrah, Jihad, and helping Allah's cause; essentiality of collectivity for Jihad.
10. Surah al-Tawbah 9: 19-24
Reflect on: Iman and Jihad, together, as the highest
acts; and sacrificing everything relatives, wealth, career and business, houses for the
love of Allah, His Messenger, and Jihad in His way.
11. Surah al-Nur 24: 47-52 and 62-4
Reflect on: obedience and response to the Messenger as the basis of
collective life established to fulfil Allah's mission.
11.1 See 8: 20-8; 49: 1-5; 58: 11-13; 9: 42-57, 62-6, 81-2; 62: 9-11.
12. Surah Al 'Imran 3: 190-200
A comprehensive summary: evidence for Allah, Akhirah and Risalah
in the creation of heavens and earth and alternation of day and night; living a life
ever-remembering Allah; Hereafter is the goal; trust and faith in the Messenger; the
implications of faith struggle and tribulations; guidelines for collective life.
It has been assumed that the above syllabus will be studied as part of
a larger course, and hence nothing is included on the individual and collective attributes
of a Muslim's life. If not, then it would be useful to take up additionally (a)
al-Isra'
17: 23-39 (in conjunction with al-Furqan 25: 63-77 and Luqman 31: 12-19 and (b)
al-Hujurat
49: 10-14.
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