The Prophet said that, “Whoever travels a path to seek knowledge, Allah facilitates for them a path to Paradise.” (Muslim) This course is the first step in your pursuit of religious knowledge. It explains what your religion is; what you must know about it; and how you should learn it.
This course covers what every Muslim must know about the basic guidance of Islam in its three dimensions: (1) beliefs (iman)—and how to have sound belief in Allah, His Prophets, and the Hereafter; (2) submission (Islam)—how to make your purification and prayer valid, sound, and proper; and (3) spiritual excellence (ihsan)—by looking at key sins and vices to avoid, and key virtuous actions and traits to uphold, in seeking closeness to Allah.
This course is taught according to the Hanafi school. If you would like to learn it according to the Shafi‘i school, take this course instead.
- المعلم: Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
This course is based on The Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and The Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School, by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani (White Thread Press).
This book covers what every Muslim must know about the basic guidance of Islam in its three dimensions: (1) beliefs (iman)—and how to have sound belief in Allah, His Prophets, and in transmitted beliefs; (2) submission (Islam)—by looking at the daily devotional obligation of ritual prayer; and (3) spiritual excellence (Ihsan)—by looking at key sins and vices to avoid, and key virtuous actions and traits to uphold in seeking closeness to Allah.
“I know of no other manual of Islam that presents the essentials of the Hanafi school and basic Islamic belief so reliably, concisely, and elegantly as The Absolute Essentials of Islam. Faraz Rabbani is to be commended for producing a work from which the new Muslim can learn, the practicing Muslim check his fiqh, or the student merely curious about the practice of Islam see how it all fits together. It is likely to serve the Ummah, Allah willing, as long as there are English-speaking Muslims in it who want to know their din. This book works.” – Shaykh Nuh Keller, Jordan
- This is the first course in Level One.
- This course has no prerequisites.
- Any student who wants to learn about the basics of belief and worship and wants to start their journey of gaining sacred knowledge should start with this course.
- Understand how to seek religious knowledge
- Learn the basics of Islamic beliefs: so you know what we believe about Allah, His Messengers, and the Hereafter—and why
- Learn how to make your daily worship—purification and prayer—valid, sound, and proper
- Learn how to worship Allah Most High with sincerity
- Learn essential guidelines for living a faithful, upright life
Having godfearingness (taqwa) is a prerequisite for being able to benefit from the great guidance of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace).
Take this course to learn how to have godfearingness in most of the everyday situations that you are likely to encounter in your life, such as eating halal food, proper dress, interacting with the opposite gender, guarding your gaze, and guarding your tongue.
- المعلم: Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
- Appreciate the importance of the quality of godfearingness
- Memorize how to have godfearingness in dozens of everyday situations
- Improve your religious practice by keeping good company and making frequent repentance
Allah Most High says, “I have not created jinn nor mankind except to worship Me.” (Quran, 51:56)
This course, taught by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani (a world-renowned scholar of Islamic studies) helps you fulfill that purpose with clarity, sound knowledge, and confidence in your day-to-day worship.
Using Imam Shurunbulali’s Ascent to Felicity—a clear, concise, and reliable manual of Hanafi fiqh (capably translated by Shaykh Faraz Khan)—you will learn the detailed rules of purification, prayer, fasting, zakat, and hajj.
The course explains the rulings, their wisdoms, and common real-life cases, so you know what to do, when, and why.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
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Perform wudu, ghusl, and removal of filth soundly and confidently
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Pray correctly, with presence of heart and peace of mind
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Fast Ramadan properly and handle common real-life issues
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Work out and pay your zakat in a clear, reliable way
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Understand and prepare for the essentials of hajj and ‘umrah
This course is taught according to the Hanafi school.
If you follow the Shafi‘i school, please take our parallel Shafi‘i course on worship instead.
- المعلم: Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
This course is based on Ascent to Felicity (Maraqi al-Sa‘adat), a concise yet comprehensive manual on Islamic creed and the jurisprudence of worship by the late Ottoman Hanafi jurist, Imam Abu ’l-Ikhlas Hasan ibn ‘Ammar al-Shurunbulali (d. 1069 AH / 1659 CE).(firdousbooks.com)
The book is structured around the pillars of Islam. It covers:
Core beliefs (iman)
The detailed rulings of purification and prayer
Fasting
Zakat
Hajj
Imam Shurunbulali is best known for his larger primer Nur al-Idah and its famous commentary Maraqi al-Falah, both central texts in traditional Hanafi curricula. Both of these are taught at SeekersGuidance–at Level Two and Three [links]
Ascent to Felicity is his later, streamlined summary of the same subject matter, completed near the end of his life, making it an ideal “first full text” before tackling Nur al-Idah.
The English translation used in this course presents the full matn with clear, readable language. It is enriched with explanatory notes drawn from reliable works of Hanafi fiqh and Sunni theology, along with useful appendices—such as supplications related to the pillars and the etiquette of visiting the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace).(albalaghbooks.com)
All of this makes Ascent to Felicity particularly useful for you as a student: it is brief enough to complete and review, structured enough to memorize and map, yet detailed and reliable enough to guide real-life worship with clarity and confidence.
This course is for anyone seeking clarity, confidence, and correctness in their worship.
It is a core fiqh course in Level One of the Islamic Studies Curriculum (Hanafi).
This course is especially for:
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Students who have completed “The Absolute Essentials of Islam (Hanafi)”
This is a prerequisite and assumed background for the course. -
Students in Level One of the Islamic Studies Curriculum
Who want a thorough, text-based study of purification, prayer, fasting, zakat, and hajj. -
Anyone who wants clarity in worship (Hanafi)
Whether you are new to studying, a convert, or a long-time Muslim who wants to correct and strengthen your practice. -
Students intending to take Level Two courses
This course completes the Level One fiqh foundation needed to move on to Level Two in the Islamic Studies Curriculum.
By the end of this course, you will:
- Understand what it means to be a true slave of Allah Most High, and why worship is the purpose of your life.
Grasp the key rules of purification and prayer that you meet in your daily life—and know how to apply them correctly. - Commit to memory the most important rulings of wudu, ghusl, prayer, fasting, zakat, and hajj, so you can recall them when needed.
- Learn how to distinguish between the pillars, necessary acts, sunnas, disliked acts, and invalidators of your worship.
- Gain confidence that your worship is valid and sound according to the Hanafi school.
- Appreciate the rigor and mercy of the science of Sacred Law (fiqh), and the wisdom of studying a reliable, time-tested text.
