Instructor: Dr. Ali Al-Halawani

NEXT ENROLLMENT
January 25, 2025
DELIVERY FORMAT
Online
TUITION
500 CAD
COURSE LENGTH
12 Weeks+ Exam
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Saturdays : 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM (EST time zone).                          

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The Qurʾan, as God’s final direct revelation to mankind, has always been central to Muslim belief and devotional life, and has continued to influence Muslim society and civilization. This course explores the history of the Qurʾanic text, its transmission and interpretation, with reference to traditional Muslim scholarship, as well as Orientalist and modern Western academic research. Students explore sciences that have a direct bearing on the recitation, history, understanding, and implementation of the Qurʾan. Topics of learning and discussion include introduction to the sciences of the Qurʾan, revelation, transmission, collection, order and arrangement of the Qurʾan, reasons and occasions of revelation, Makkan and Madinan revelation, clear and unclear verses,the abrogating and abrogated verses, types of exegetical books, parameters of valid interpretation, translation of the meanings of the Qurʾan, and the miraculous nature of the Qurʾan.

 

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:

1. Review, analyze, interpret, and evaluate various arguments, assumptions and concepts related to Qurʾanic sciences.

2. Express information, arguments, theses, and analyses accurately and with clarity in both written and oral forms regarding issues related to Qurʾanic sciences to specialist and non-specialist audiences.

3. Demonstrate skills in library research and building a bibliography and use standard conventions of style for scholarly writing.

4. Demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the characteristics (khasaʾis) of the Qurʾan, its miracles (muʿjizat), objectives (maqasid), language, style, and the issue of abrogation.

5. Recognize and explain the theories and ideas of major communities of Qurʾanic interpretation.

6. Demonstrate competence and skills required for an objective, academic/scholarly study of Qurʾanic sciences.

7. Compare and contrast Western academic and Islamic scholarly methods and theories in the study of Qurʾanic sciences.

8. Demonstrate an understanding of the limits to their own knowledge and how this might influence their analysis and interpretations.

9. Construct robust and defensible thesis related to covered issues and topics (e.g., revelation, transmission, collection, order and arrangement of the Qurʾan, reasons and occasions of revelation, Makkan and Madinan revelation, clear and unclear verses, the abrogating and abrogated verses, etc.)

 

PREREQUISTIES

None.

 

Meet the course Instructor 

Dr. Ali Al-Halawani is an Assistant Professor with extensive expertise in Computational Linguistics, Religious Translation, and the Sciences of the Qur’an. With nearly three decades of diverse experience in teaching, curriculum development, and research, he has worked across the Middle East, Turkey, Malaysia, and North America. Currently at The Muslim Association of Canada (MAC), he previously contributed to language instruction and curriculum design at the Canadian Foreign Service Institute. Dr. Al-Halawani earned his PhD from Al-Azhar University and has taught at Minia University, Misr University for Sciences & Technology, International Islamic University Malaysia, and Al-Madinah International University. His notable roles include serving as Dean of Student Affairs at Al-Madinah International University and receiving the Lecturer of the Year award at KLM, IIUM in 2016. He has also been Editor-in-Chief of the Electronic Da’wah Committee in Kuwait and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of IslamOnline.net. Dr. Al-Halawani has authored three research books, translated 17 books, and published numerous academic papers and op-eds. His extensive contributions also include teaching Islamic Studies in Canada, instructing Arabic to Canadian diplomats, and leading translation projects across Egypt, Turkey, Malaysia, and Canada. He has served as a visiting scholar with the Middle East Studies Program (MESP) sponsored by the Council of Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) in Washington, D.C., and with the Ottawa School of Theology & Spirituality (OSTS) in Ottawa, ON.