Sunni Path Academy: Courses Live...

[Mujib]

Sunni Path Online Academy Launched
____________________________________________________________________
http://www.sunnipath.com


In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate
May His blessings and peace be on His Beloved Prophet, his family, companions, and followers

The Sunni Path Academy is now online on http://www.sunnipath.com. There are online courses being offered in essential Islamic knowledge, in a manner accessible to all those who seek to learn what they need, in a relevant and reliable way.

Registration is open for courses, and three courses are available from August 15 as part of a pilot phase.

An additional three courses will be available when the formal September 17 launch takes place.

The first three courses:

Imam Ghazali?s Ihya? `Ulum al-Din (Revival of the Religious Sciences).
Teacher: Shaykh Nuh Keller

Absolute Essentials of Hanafi Faith
Teacher: Sidi Faraz Rabbani

Essentials of Marriage: the Law and Spirit of Islamic Marriage
Teacher: Sidi Faraz Rabbani

Anyone registering for one of the first three courses will be eligible to participate in a pilot phase from
August 15 the September 17 (the date of the formal launch). All six initial courses last until December.

Also available from September 17:

Essentials of Prophetic Guidance: Imam Bayhaqi?s 77 Branches of Faith Explained
Teacher: Sidi Faraz Rabbani

Essentials of Islamic Beliefs: Imam Laqani?s Jawaharat al-Tawhid (?Jewel of Divine Unity?) Explained
Teacher: Sidi Faraz Rabbani

Essentials of Hanafi Worship: Imam Shurunbulali?s Maraqi al-Sa`adapt (?Ascent to Felicity?) Explained
Teacher: Sidi Faraz Rabbani

For descriptions of the courses, and details about the Online Academy, please go to http://www.sunnipath.com and visit the Online Academy page.

Registration and Sunni Path Email

Anyone who subscribes to Sunni Path for free gets:  
A personal @sunnipath.com account, with 10 MB of space

Paid subscribers get 50 MB of space, and POP3 access.

Membership is only US$25/year if you register in 2004, regardless of how long you register for.
(You can register for multiple years at this special rate). Otherwise, membership from 2005 will be US$50/year.

Online Academy

The Sunni Path Academy (SP Academy) provides distance education courses, in English and in (the future) Arabic, for anyone who wants to further their knowledge in Islam, or study for personal development. Our aim is to provide a means of education for people who may not have personal access to scholars in their own communities.

The SP Academy is a welcome addition to http://www.sunnipath.com. The Academy's vast educational offering is made of Essential Knowledge courses that enable students to complete their "necessary knowledge" (fard 'ayn) without having to travel overseas.
As your lifelong learning partner, Sunni Path's commitment is to make education and personal development accessible to anyone, anywhere, any time. The Academy fulfills this commitment by providing independent learning opportunities that are as close as your computer.

As well as Essential Knowledge courses, the Academy plans to offer a Seekers of Knowledge Series, which are slightly more advanced classes for students already familiar to the Islamic Sacred Sciences.

Online Learning

At the Sunni Path Academy, we understand the limitations of the technology we are using. It is not possible to fully recreate the traditional circle of knowledge (halaqa) online.

When sitting with a teacher, one benefits from their knowledge and their state, their propriety (adab) and their character.

We have tried to capture this as much as possible through

?   Audio lessons;
?   Streaming outline notes;
?   The facility to ask questions related to the material;
?   Weekly online sessions with teachers; and
?   Related texts and recommended readings.

When we consulted major scholars regarding online Islamic learning, they concurred that,

?This is something absolutely necessary. There will be tremendous benefit in it.? (Shaykh Adib Salih)

Those of sincerity, in all ages, have transcended the boundaries of distance, in their thirst for beneficial knowledge. We believe that those who seek this knowledge with sincerity, out of a desire to draw closer to Allah by acting on what they learn will find great benefit.

As Imam Zarnuji states in Instruction of the Student, the purpose of study is to

??strive for the pleasure of God, the abode of the Hereafter, the removal of ignorance from oneself and from the rest of the ignorant, and revival of religion, and the survival of Islam.? (Zarnuji, p. 5)

Acquiring Knowledge

The Companion of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), Mu`adh ibn Jabal (Allah be pleased with him) said,

?Acquire knowledge because doing so is good. Seeking it is worship. Reviewing it is glorifying Allah. Researching it is jihad. Teaching it to the ignorant is charity.

?Serving the scholars is a way of drawing near to Allah because knowledge is the path of ascension to the stations of Paradise . It is a companion in isolation and a comrade in distant lands. It speaks to you in solitude. It is a guide to prosperity and a shield against adversity. It beautifies one among friends and is a weapon against enemies. With it Allah elevates people and makes them guides and bellwethers of good.

?The scholars are people whose words are sought and whose actions are imitated. The angels long for the scholar's company and comfort them with their wings. Everything, the fish of the sea, the beasts of the earth, the predators of the land and sea, and the cattle pray that blessings come upon him.

?This is because knowledge enlivens the heart against ignorance, illuminates the eyes against darkness, and strengthens the body. It transports the servants to the mansions of the select and the righteous and to the highest ranks in the world and in the Hereafter. Contemplating it is equivalent to fasting, and reviewing it is equivalent to the Night Prayer vigil. With it, kinship is united and the lawful is distinguished from the unlawful. Knowledge is an imam which leads to righteous actions. It is craved by the people destined for Paradise and shunned by people destined for Hell.?

Source: al-Hanbali, Imam Ibn Rajab (d. 1392 CE). The Heirs of the Prophets (translated by Imam Zaid Shakir, pg. 37-38. Chicago , U.S.A.  Starlatch Press, 2001)

How are the Online Courses run?

At the heart of the Sunni Path Academy are recorded streaming classes. The student listens to these classes, along with the streaming notes, texts, and (where relevant) diagrams that appear on the screen.

Students are encouraged to take notes?an electronic journal is provided to help them keep their notes organized, though pen and paper will do. There are self-study questions (with answers) for each class. Assignments, related readings and other materials are provided for students to complete their understanding of the topics covered.

When anything in a lesson is unclear, the student can submit a question through the e-mail service for course-related questions, or raise the question for moderated discussion in the online course forum, where course-related discussions will take place.

Also available in the Online Academy:

Detailed information about the Academy, its programs, curriculum, goals, and educational methodology, biographies of our teachers, information on the importance of Sacred Knowledge, self-study tips.

There are no prerequisites for courses offered this semester. In coming semesters, some classes may require prerequisite knowledge.

Students can take as many classes as they can manage.

For a complete listing of courses being offered, please visit the Sunni Path Academy page: http://www.SunniPath.com

And Allah alone gives success.

Wassalam,

The Sunni Path Academy
http://www.sunnipath.com