Purification
Objectives:
The Tazkiyah classes on Spiritual Purification & Ihsan are essentially the keystone to all the other sciences because of their connection to character and the heart, the spiritual core of the human being. The study of Tazkiyah aims to reconcile the external aspects of Islam (Zahir) with the internal reality (Batin). If perfected and actualized, will confer a noble, exalted knowledge known as ‘Ilm al-Ladduni (special knowledge from Allah). Ultimately this study is intended to transform the Nafs (Lower Self), instilling within candidates the core values of Makarim al-Akhlaq. Close readings of the works compiled by scholars such as Ibn ‘Ata’ullah will provide the edifice to this invaluable course component of the Usul-ud-Din program.
Outcomes:
- Gain a better understanding of human spiritual dimensions
- Gain knowledge of the functions and connections between the inner and outer dimensions of the self
- Devise a practical “plan of action” for acquiring spirituality
- Understanding how to be in the presence of Allah
Discipline-Specific Skills:
- Gain access to the most widely read Sufi treatises in Arabic
- Gain an understanding of classical Tasawwuf from the Quran, Prophetic Traditions along with the exemplary behavior of the ascetics and saints
- Learn the principles of Sufism through the tales and sayings of earlier generations and sages, particularly up to the 5th/6th H (or 11th/12th G) centuries
- Get a rich account of Spirituality as a complete way of life for the early Muslims
Textbooks Slated:
- Risalah al-Qushayriyyah by Imam al-Qushayri
- Al-Ta’arruf li Mathahib Ahl al-Tasawwuf (History of the Schools of Tasawwuf) by Imam al-Kalabadhi
- Al-Hikam bi Sharh Ibn Abbad by Ibn ‘Ata’ullah with the commentary of Ibn Abbad