Pedagogy & Curriculum

Integrating Game-Design Elements to Teach Propositional Logic & Logical Fallacies

The Philosophy for Children Co-operative (P4C) is a pedagogic approach developed by Mathew Lipman that centres on teaching thinking skills and the ability to question and reason. It is a student-led, inquiry based approach to learning. The curriculum and pedagogical approach is practiced in over 60 countries, including many schools in Iran. The underlying principle … Read more

Why Teachers Need to Learn Philosophy of Training & Education

This is an abridged translation of a paper published in 2008 by Dr. Shaheen Irwani, Dr. Mohammed-Reza Sharafi and Murad-Yari Dehnawi, from Tehran University. The original Farsi paper can be accessed directly here. For the sake of brevity, no footnotes, the abstract nor the bibliography have been translated, and the literature review section in the … Read more

Systematic Hadith Studies Program: Seven Valleys, Forty Stations

By Sayyid Mohammad Kazem Tabatabai Abstract: Hadith studies or the study of Hadith literature is one of the essential requirements for an Islamic scholar, which has historically been formally present in religious seminaries. Nowadays, these studies are mostly pursued individually. In this article, after explaining the criteria for selecting appropriate texts, a practical and systematic … Read more

Experience at the 6th Annual Islamic Schools Conference in Melbourne, Australia

On August 19th and 20th, I had the opportunity to attend the 6th Annual Islamic Schools Conference in Melbourne, Australia, organized by Centre for Islamic Thought and Education (CITE). The theme of the conference was ‘Āfiyah (Well-Being), and over 350 educators, academics, leaders and other professionals participated, and several presented their experiences and insights through … Read more

Theology for Muslim Educators – Lesson 2

This is an abridged transcript of the second lesson on Theology for Muslim Educators. If you are interested in watching the recordings of this lecture series, please visit the course page for more details (or alternatively, email infoiqraonline@gmail.com to request access to the course). Recap of Lesson 1 In summary, we discussed how knowledge was … Read more

The Hegemony of Knowledge and Academic Terrorism vs. Desire of the Aspirant In the Etiquettes of the Teacher and Student

Translation & Editing: Sayyid Burair Abbas Proofreading & Review: Dr. Muhammad Jaffer Introduction Some Western researchers have adopted an interesting academic perspective on the question of why Europe progressed during the Dark Ages while the Muslims, who were previously ahead of Europe by several centuries, precipitously declined. How did the Europeans come to carry the … Read more

Out of Seminary Educational Experiences: The Bakhtiari Nomads in the Shirez Canyon

When reflecting upon various learning and growth opportunities I experienced during my time in the seminary of Qom between 2012 to 2021, one of the most profound educational experiences I had was in the summer of 2021. I and 2 other friends from the seminary decided to drive to a canyon called Shirez Canyon, and … Read more

Theology for Muslim Educators – Lesson 1

This is an abridged transcript of the first lesson on Theology for Muslim Educators. If you are interested in watching the recordings of this lecture series, please visit the course page on Al Haadi School’s website, fill up the registration form and you will be contacted via email. Introduction Sayyid Ali is helping a small … Read more

The Crisis of Spiritual Decline: Analyzing its Reasons and Proposing Solutions

Translated by Muhammad Jaffer and edited by Sayyid Burair Abbas In the current materialistic age, one of the major causes of estrangement from organized religion lies in a perceived lack of spirituality and true connection to the Divine. On the one hand, critics claim that religious gatherings have become purely ceremonial, and that Muslims do … Read more

Iqra Companion to Seminary Studies (3): Study Guide for Epistemology, Logic & Philosophy

Epistemology (Ma‘rifat Shināsī, Naẓarīyyat al-Ma‘rifah) Unfortunately, despite its importance, epistemology is typically not formally taught within seminaries at the introductory level, although it may be taught in specific institutes or those doing certain specializations in the seminaries during their masters. Even though this subject is not taught formally, many teachers of logic and philosophy will … Read more

Iqra Companion to Seminary Studies (2): Study Guide for Arabic

Study Guide What follows is a study guide for students who enter the seminaries with the intention of getting a better understanding of the Islamic tradition. Once again, this is not a foolproof guide, rather it should be taken as an advisory guide. Arabic Arabic Morphology (al-Ṣarf) The Arabic language is a language where many … Read more

Criticism – Basis, Legitimacy and Supportive Environment

By Shaykh Haydar Hobbollah – article here, video here. Introduction What I would like to briefly discuss is the culture of criticism within the Islamic and religious context. Criticism, in its reality, is a human experience and phenomenon; there is no aspect of life that is free from it.  It is because of this phenomenon … Read more

The Problem of Frustration and Regression in The Path of Students of Knowledge

The following is an abridged translation of a seminar given by Shaykh Haydar entitled “The Problem of Frustration and Regression in The Path of Students of Knowledge”. In this talk, he outlines some of the challenges and obstacles that are faced by seminary students and offers some advice and solutions on how to mitigate them. … Read more

Short Course: Introduction to Ḥadīth Sciences (Summer 2018)

As the Orientalist and civil servant Sir William Muir (1819–1905) served in India for the British government, it was not long before he realized the significance of Prophet Muhammad’s (p) sunnah for the day-to-day practice of Islam for the Muslims. Much of the sunnah is derived from the ḥadīth literature which constitutes one of the most significant bodies of work … Read more

How to Develop Affinity with Hadīth

Library Books

Below is a translated transcript of advice given be Āyatullah Mufīdī Yazdī to seminary students in one of his classes. He is a scholar from Yazd who studied in Qom under scholars like Āyatullah Behjat and Āyatullah Ḥasanzādeh Āmulī. He currently gives lessons on various subjects in the city of Qom and is known for his … Read more