A comprehensive course on Islamic theological beliefs and creed (‘aqida) and the Western intellectual tradition – philosophy, theology, and history. This course is to provide a better understanding of the world we live in, the beliefs and ideologies held by people, and the method of dealing with modern ideological challenges such as atheism and liberalism.

This is the ideal course for imams, teachers, and any Islamic scholar or leader wanting to understand the modern-day ideological challenges.

This course is a module from the Advanced Islamic Theology ('Aqidah) and Philosophy Program.

Course Content

The Classical Islamic Creed and Theology module will introduce the students to the Islamic theological tradition through a detailed study of two major primary theological texts namely a commentary of al-‘Aqida al–Tahawiyya by Imam Abu Ja’far al-Tahawi al-Hanafi (d. 321 AH) and Sharh al-Kharida al-Bahiyya of Imam Ahmad al-Dardir al-Maliki (1204 AH).

The study of both these celebrated classical Maturidi and Ash’ari texts will cover some of the following issues:

  • What Muslims must believe about Allah, the Prophets, and all that is transmitted

  • The underlying methodology of mainstream Islamic beliefs

  • The centrality of Allah’s transcendence

  • The key arguments and doctrines related to the proofs for the existence of God

  • The essence and attributes of God

  • The subject of prophetology, inimitable nature of the Qur’an, angelology, eschatology, political theology, free will and predestination

  • A chronological overview of the emergence, development, and the key doctrines of the different major sects within Muslim thought

  • A brief overview of traditional Islamic spirituality (tasawwuf)

  • Dates

    The course starts in November 2024

  • Online

    Pre-Recordings Available for this course

  • Course Fee

    £1,299.00 £649.50 with 50% Discount!

Payment Options

What our students say about the program

“The theology course isn’t only recommended but in my honest opinion mandatory for every graduate of any Darul Uloom institute. Especially in contemporary times where so many Muslims are confused and challenged with regards to the orthodox Sunni approach to theology. The teachers for both the theology and faith foundation classes will always try to ensure students understand everything properly and will never shy away from taking questions.””

Asad Ahmed, UK

Instructor

Mufti Abdur-Rahman Mangera
Dr Safaruk Chowdhury
Ustad Imran Iqbal

Duration

November 2024 - July 2025

Course Start Date

November 2024

Sessions

Online (Mix of Pre-Recordings & Live Sessions)

Timings


Drip Content. The sessions are released to the student weekly

Exams & Assignments

No Exams or Assignments

Course Fee

£1,299.00 £649.50 - 50% Discount - Limited Time Offer

Monthly Instalments

3 monthly instalments of £433.00
6 monthly instalments of £216.50 - Ends 31st July

Certificate

No

*Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained within this course is correct at the time of publication. Courses are subject to ongoing development which could necessitate cancellation of, or alteration to, the advertised courses.

Instructor(s)

Dr. Safaruk Chowdhury

Instructor

Studied Philosophy as an undergraduate at Kings College London after which he travelled to Cairo to study the Islamic studies curriculum at al-Azhar university, focussing on Islamic law. He also studied extensively in private with a number of scholars with a keen interest in Arabic tafsir (exegesis) and balagha (rhetoric). He returned to the UK where he completed his MA in Islamic studies with distinction at SOAS thereafter taking up his doctoral studies on the life and work of the great khurasanian Sufi and hadith specialist Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami (d. 412/1021). His PhD was published in 2018 by Equinox Publishing. Currently, he is pursuing studies in philosophical theology and Sufism with a forthcoming publication on the problem of evil within Islamic thought (AUC Press). He is a professional translator, teacher and examiner as well as curriculum consultant for GCSE, A-Level and the International Baccalaureate (IB) programs.

Ustad Imran Iqbal

Instructor

After initially completing his Masters degree in Engineering (MEng) at Queen Mary University (University of London) went on to diversify his academic background by pursuing an MA from SOAS (University of London) in Near and Middle Eastern Studies and another from Birkbeck College (University of London) in Philosophy with his thesis written on Imam al-Ghazali’s view on scientific knowledge and causality. He has also pursued classical Islamic knowledge by studying under a number of local Ulama in London and concentrating on basic Islamic sciences such as Ilm al-Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Ulum al-Hadith, Aqida and Ilm al-Kalam. His areas of interest include: Islamic philosophy and theology, Islamic legal theory, Islamic history of ‘ideas’, philosophy of science and the scientific method, epistemology and metaphysics in Western and Islamic thought. He has a number of published book reviews in specialist academic journals and is currently pursuing a research project tentatively titled, ‘Trajectories in Islamic theological dispute’. He is also a qualified teacher of Physics and Critical Thinking.

Dr. Mufti Abdur-Rahman Mangera

Dean, Course Instructor

Dr. Mufti Abdur-Rahman ibn Yusuf Mangera is a British Muslim scholar educated in both the Islamic and Western traditions. He memorised the Qur’an by heart and graduated from the Darul Uloom seminary Bury, UK, and later earned a specialised licence to issue fatwa (legal responses) at Mazahir ‘Ulum Saharanpur, India. He earned his BA from the University of Johannesburg and completed his MA and PhD in Islamic Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. He holds an honorary fellowship at The Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, Amman, Jordan. Shaykh Abdur-Rahman has the unique experience of serving as an imam in Muslim communities on both sides of the Atlantic, eight years in Southern California and over five in the great city of London—and his continued work as an international speaker and lecturer enables him to address and offer pertinent advice on current challenges that face Muslims in the West. He is the founder of Whitethread Institute, a post-graduate insititute for Islamic scholars. He is an avid traveller and continues to teach hadith and work on scholarly publications through White Thread Press. Many of his lectures are available on Zamzam Academy and his courses through Rayyan Courses.

Why Study at Whitethread Institute?

  • Great studying environment

  • Interactive discussions between students and teachers

  • High level discussions where teachers are open to questions and do not shy away from sensitive or controversial issues

  • Comfortable studying environment

  • In depth coverage of topics

  • Deep understanding of the nuances of fiqh

  • Experienced and knowledgeable teachers

  • Students guided throughout their studies

  • All lessons taught in a practical manner relevant to current times