THE HEART OF ISLAMIC ESCHATOLOGY Part 1

COURSE DESCRIPTION

“THE HEART OF ISLAMIC ESCHATOLOGY” consists of three parts, the first of which is presented below in a brief outline. While the second and third parts form the main subject matter of the course, the first is to tune students to prepare them to take on the following two parts which will be more challenging. If this tuning is bypassed, the heart of Islamic Eschatology cannot be understood. Part one, therefore, is the most important of the three. Every student, regardless of his or her understanding of Sheikh Imran Hosein’s works, admitted into this course will have to complete part one before moving on to the second and the third.

I intend to complete the first part in eight sections. Classes will be conducted live and therefore the duration of the course depends on:

1. the frequency of classes
2. availability of myself and students at a time suitable for all taking part
3. how long it may require for me to deliver the intended content at my own pace
4. the capacity of students to grasp the subject matter. If one class a week is enough to meet all the above, then the course could be completed in eight weeks, otherwise more. If out of necessity, I choose to add more sections at any time of the course, then the duration would be extended beyond what is required to cover the eight sections.

The course is based on the works of Sheikh Imran Hosein but will not be a repetition of what he has already lectured on and written unless it is required to review one or more of his books before proceeding further at any time during the course. It is therefore a pre-requisite for those attending this course to have read as many books of his as possible, otherwise to have read at least two: Jerusalem in the Qur’ān and An Islamic View of Gog and Magog in the Modern World. Having watched his Youtube lectures may be an advantage to students but is not a requirement for admission.

‘Ilmu Ākhir az-zamān (Islamic Eschatology) is ‘ilmu hādhaz-zamān (knowledge of the present time). The present moment is the most important, but it must be shaped by knowledge of the past and knowledge of the future. ‘Ilm, loosely translated as Knowledge, is Nūr. It is not stored information. The pre-requisite of knowledge is thinking (tafakkur) and thinking is an innate quality of the human being. In our times, critical thinking plays an important role in tafakkur. There is no knowledge without thinking because the Qur’ān while being the foundation of all knowledge, was sent down to those who think. Knowledge therefore springs out from the Qur’ān, which is the source of all knowledge, and the Qur’ān brings forth new knowledge in every age (zamān).

There is no limit to the knowledge that comes out of the Qur’ān. Dhikr (remembrance of Allah) precedes tafakkur as is clearly mentioned in the last part of Surah Āli ‘Imrān. It is those who remember Allah standing, sitting, and reclining on their sides who are consequently compelled by an inner force to reflect on the different dimensions of existence and life on Earth and then declare that Allah, Most High, has not created anything in vain. Nūr, therefore, descends, from above, on those who have developed their thinking powers because of their special quality of remembering Allah in all moments and movements. Dhikr and tafakkur are inseparable, they are the twin qualities that inevitably cause Nūr to descend from above.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Recitation of the Qur’ān, with or without understanding its meanings, is the foundation of all dhikr. Without the recitation of the Qur’ān, dhikr would be incomplete. Similarly, without the study of the Qur’ān, tafakkur would be incomplete. This course of study is to train the student in dhikr and tafakkur in order to understand the practice of Islām and events in Ākhir az-zamān accurately, to identify the challenges of our time within Ākhir az-zamān, and to respond to them creatively and appropriately. When a servant of Allah is blessed with nūr, which is one of the manifestations of Divine Mercy, his actions and his responses to the challenges of his time come without effort, spontaneously. It is that Divine nūr that guides him to act in every moment. There is no fixed or ideal response for such a human being. He acts guided by the unseen because he has penetrated the appearance of things into the reality (haqeeqah) of things.

RECOMMENDED READING BEFORE COURSE INDUCTION

“Jerusalem in the Quran” by Shaykh Imran N. Hosein
“An Islamic View of Gog and Magog in the Modern Age” by Shaykh Imran N. Hosein
“The Caliphate, the Hijaaz and the Saudi-Wahabi Nation State.” by Shaykh Imran N. Hosein
“Surah al-Kahf and the Modern Age” by Shaykh Imran N. Hosein

COURSE DATES & TIMES

Application to be considered throughout October and November 2021, Course start date, December 2021, in’sha’Allah.

Course Time: TBD

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Students will receive instructions to access the live sessions via email at least one day before each lesson.

CERTIFICATION

A Digital Certificate of Attendance will be granted to those successfully graduating from The Online Institute of Islamic Eschatology.