The Irshad Centre for Hanafi Studies, founded in 2019, is an institution for the research, development, and instruction of Islamic doctrines in accordance with the school of Imām Abū Ḥanīfa (d. 150/767), the largest of the four, canonical, Sunni schools of Islamic law (madhhabs).
The Centre is dedicated to the study of all aspects of the Islamic tradition, namely, īmān, islām, and iḥsān, as described in the famous, seminal tradition (ḥadīth) of the Archangel Gabriel, and as transmitted and interpreted by the Hanafi masters. We work alongside partners and fellow institutions to promote a vision of excellence, service, and holistic, faithful, Godly-living in the contemporary world.
The Centre is based in Leicester, and arranges seminars, intensives, and other academic events, both online and on-site, throughout the year, and also publishes an academic journal, the Journal of Hanafi Studies (www.johas.org), on an annual basis. Publications by the Centre in English are circulated through Irshad Press, and in Arabic through Dar al-Imam Abu Hanifa.
In addition, the Centre provides consultancy services, offers beginner to advanced study options, postgraduate and specialisation (takhaṣṣuṣ) courses for traditional seminary (ʿālimiyya or equivalent) students, and also long-term, scholarship training and mentorship through its flagship course, the Hanafi Legal Code Program (HLCP).
In Arabic, Irshad [ir·shaa·d] is a verbal noun (masdar). The root word, ra – sha – da, means to be rightly-guided or to follow the right path. This idea is something oft-repeated in the Qurʾan, most famously by the People of the Cave when they prayed, “Our Lord! Grant us mercy from Yourself and guide us rightly through our ordeal.” (Sura al-Kahf, 18:10) The Blessed Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) also instructed us to follow the “rightly-guided successors.” Accordingly, Irshad conveys meanings of guidance, instruction, or simply showing the way. Our religion is about sincere well-wishing (naṣīḥa) towards ourselves and others, both the commonality and the leadership, in every time and in every place. It is hoped that the Centre will serve as a beacon of naṣīḥa to the wider community.
Our logo depicts the outline of the traditional, marvellous doorways found in ancient Bukhara and Samarkand, great seats of learning in the lands beyond the river (ma waraʾ al-nahr) and bastions of classical, mainstream Hanafism. It symbolises our theological, legal, and spiritual roots, highlights our commitment to the Hanafi way, and reminds us of the duty to approach tradition through its rightful heirs who, in this case, are connected via unbroken chains of masters back to Imam Abu Hanifa himself.
The upper part of the imagery indicates the trajectory of those on the path of sacred learning and draws attention to the ever-increasing subtle nature of the endeavour.
NB: The Irshad Centre works and collaborates with various scholars and organisations as part of its goal in reviving, developing, and transmitting the Hanafi tradition. This should not be otherwise understood implicitly as general support for their personal religious positions, affiliations, or character.
