The Hanafi Legal Code Program
The Hanafi Legal Code Program (HLCP)
This is a five-level program which will take students through a formal, holistic study of the Hanafi school via a pedagogically sound and structured curriculum. The specific levels begin after an introductory, foundational level and end with an optional specialization level.
The carefully curated works chosen for the program focus on instilling a strong, principled and nuanced understanding of the Hanafi school in every participant. Supplementary readings shall also be assigned and occasionally read in class for greater benefit and class discussion.
There are two tracks: (1) student of sacred knowledge, and (2) auditor. Participants who register as part of the former group will be tested on their comprehension of the material at the end of the course, and certificates will be issued upon successful completion of each stage of the program. Auditors are silent observers in the program.
Despite much of the material from the initial levels receiving a live, in-class translation, students entering into the main program will be expected to have studied or be studying the Arabic language sciences.
Read the FAQs here.
nb: The approximate hours required for each subject are listed in the respective tables. These are stated as guidelines and are not necessarily representative of the amount of time which shall be dedicated to the subject as that will depend upon different factors. The books chosen are also subject to change at the instructor’s discretion.
And Allah alone gives success.
Foundations
SUBJECT |
TEXT |
Methodology |
The History of Islamic Law and the Hanafi School | Hadith vs. Fiqh | Taqlid and Madhhabs (10) |
Legal Theory |
Mabadi’ fi ‘Ilm Usul al-Fiqh (15) |
Sacred Law (Main) |
Irshad al-Mustarshidin (30) |
Sacred Law (Specialised) |
Khulasat al-Kaydani (10) |
Hadith |
al-Arba‘un al-Hanafiyya (5) |
Adab |
Ta‘lim al-Muta‘allim (10) |
Length of Course: 80 Hours
Description: At the Foundational Level, students will learn about the early development of Islamic Sacred Law (fiqh), with particular reference to the Hanafi school. They will also study the lives of the founders and main figures in the early school. The introduction to Legal Theory reading via Mabadi’ fi ‘Ilm Usul al-Fiqh gently apprises students of basic terminology, leaving the details for later levels. Irshad al-Mustarshidin is comprised of a section on beliefs in accordance with the Hanafi-Maturidi tradition, and a central section covering essential fiqh from basic worship to the ethics of daily living. The specialised text, Khulasat al-Kaydani, will allow the student to specifically learn the detailed rules of prayer in a logical manner and with precision. Then, the reading of The Forty Hanafi [Reports] will introduce a student to traditions (ahadith) which clearly support Hanafi precedent and practice. Finally, students will study the proper manners of students of sacred knowledge through a reading of the classical manual, Ta‘lim al-Muta‘allim. The course will end with final assessments on each topic. Successful candidates may proceed to the next level.
Level One: Beginner
SUBJECT |
TEXT |
Methodology |
Hanafi Hadith Methodology (10) |
Legal Theory |
Mukhtasar al-Manar (30) |
Sacred Law (Main) |
Kifayat al-Mubtadi (50) |
Sacred Law (Specialised) |
al-Mansak al-Saghir (10) |
Hadith |
al-Mu‘tasar (40) |
Beliefs |
Wasiyyat al-Imam Abu Hanifa (5) |
Inward Sacred Law |
[Selections from] Shir‘at al-Islam (15) |
Length of Course: 160 Hours
Description: At Level One, students will learn about Hanafi hadith methodology in considerable detail using selections from I‘lam al-Anam bi Isti‘ab al-Imam Abi Hanifa li Ahadith al-Ahkam. They will complete their first reading of a classical primer in Legal Theory with Mukhtasar al-Manar, a work which will expand upon and add further details to their foundational study. Kifayat al-Mubtadi will be the work which begins the student’s journey in mastering the fiqh of Imam Abu Hanifa. This text focuses on transmitting the positions of the Imam alone, allowing the student to focus and grasp all the central masa’il with clarity. Next the students will study the laws of the hajj pilgrimage in detail by reading Rahmatu ‘Llah al-Sindi’s excellent treatise titled, al-Mansak al-Saghir. As a form of review and consolidation, students will read their first full work on Ahadith al-Ahkam, specifically according to the Hanafi school, al-Mu‘tasar. Next, students will learn the transmitted beliefs by studying Imam Abu Hanifa’s Wasiyya. Finally, students will study inward fiqh, namely, the proper etiquettes of practising the shari‘a in one’s life from the beautiful work, Shir‘at al-Islam. The course will end with final assessments on each topic. Successful candidates may proceed to the next level.
Level Two: Pre-Intermediate
SUBJECT |
TEXT |
Methodology |
Fiqh Ahl al-‘Iraq wa Hadithuhum & Responses to Criticism (10) |
Legal Theory |
Samt al-Wusul (30) |
Sacred Law (Main) |
Mukhtasar al-Quduri (135) |
Sacred Law (Specialised) |
Zad al-Faqir (25) |
Hadith |
Musnad al-Imam (35) |
Beliefs |
al-Fiqh al-Akbar (10) |
Inward Sacred Law |
[Selections from] Shir‘at al-Islam (15) |
Length of Course: 260 Hours
Description: At Level Two, students will study a treatise written by the the assistant to the final Shaykh al-Islam of the Ottoman Empire, Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari, to review and strengthen their understanding of Kufan inherited practice and its centrality to the Hanafi tradition. For Legal Theory, Samt al-Wusul is one of the best abridgements of the Manar and it serves as a useful bridge to it. This reading will help to review concepts previously studied, but also serve as a preparatory text for future, intermediate studies in Legal Theory. In the study of Mukhtasar al-Quduri, students will continue their principled study of the madhhab of Imam Abu Hanifa and his Two Companions. The specialised text for this course is Ibn al-Humam’s Zad al-Faqir, which is a semi-detailed compendium of rulings for purification and prayer. This text is the first more in-depth look at these chapters and it serves as a useful preparatory text for a later study of Maraqi al-Falah. Students will also cover the Musnad of Imam Abu Hanifa, a text which has received much attention from the scholarly class. Finally, students shall complete a reading and study of al-Fiqh al-Akbar, a work purportedly ascribed to Imam Abu Hanifa. The course will end with final assessments on each topic. Successful candidates may proceed to the next level.
Level Three: Intermediate
SUBJECT |
TEXT |
Methodology |
al-Madkhal ila Usul al-Hadith (40) |
Legal Theory |
Muntakhab al-Husami (60) |
Sacred Law (Main) |
Multaqa al-Abhur (200) |
Sacred Law (Specialised) |
Sirajiyya (50) |
Qur’anic Exegesis |
Nayl al-Maram fi Ayat al-Ahkam (90) |
Beliefs |
Azhar al-Rawdat (45) |
Inward Sacred Law |
[Selections from] Shir‘at al-Islam (15) |
Length of Course: 500 Hours
Description: At Level Three, students will continue to enrich their understanding of how the Hanafi tradition dealt with traditions of the Holy Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) by reading al-Madkhal ila Usul al-Hadith ‘ala Manhaj al-Hanafiyya. They will deepen their knowledge of Legal Theory by delving into Muntakhab al-Husami, a work that was subject to great attention from Hanafi usuli masters. Next, students will be introduced to an encompassing primer in the Hanafi school, Multaqa al-Abhur, which gathers the masa’il of the main primers (mutun) into one work. The specialised reading will be the famous primer in inheritance laws, al-Sirajiyya, which will allow students to truly grasp this forgotten science. They will also read Nayl al-Maram which captures the essential discussion from major works of Ayat al-Ahkam in accordance with the Hanafi school. Next, they will cover their final work on the science of Beliefs, Aqhisari’s Azhar al-Rawdat. Finally, students will study inward fiqh, namely, the proper etiquettes of practising the shari‘a in one’s life from the beautiful work, Shir‘at al-Islam. The course will end with final assessments on each topic. Successful candidates may proceed to the next level.
Level Four: Advanced
SUBJECT |
TEXT |
Methodology |
Rasm al-Mufti (80) |
Legal Theory |
Nur al-Anwar (240) |
Sacred Law (Main) |
Sharh al-Wiqaya (280) |
Sacred Law (Specialised) |
Maraqi al-Falah (120) |
Traditions |
Muwatta al-Imam Muhammad (140) |
Biographical Literature |
Tarb al-Amathil (20) |
Inward Sacred Law | [Selections from] Shir‘at al-Islam (20) |
Length of Course: 900 Hours
Description: At Level Four, students will begin their foray into advanced fiqh by studying classical texts on Rasm al-Mufti, such as ‘Uqud Rasm al-Mufti and Usul al-Ifta’, and learning nuanced details about the madhhab, how it functions, and how to accurately produce fatawa. The hagiographical text, Tarb al-Amathil, will give students the opportunity to learn who the scholars of the madhhab are, to build links between different generations and strands of Hanafi thought, and to learn something of the scrupulousness and piety required to be a person of deep, meaningful learning. The main work for this level is Sadr al-Shari‘a’s commentary of the abridgement of the Hidaya, Sharh al-Wiqaya, which will introduce students to the rulings of the Hidaya and ready students for the final level. And to master the rules of worship once and for all, Maraqi al-Falah will be studied alongside it. In usul, students will read Mulla Jiwan’s acclaimed Nur al-Anwar, and in hadith, Imam Muhammad’s recension of the Muwatta which will allow them to study the practice of the early Muslim community at the same time. Finally, students will study inward fiqh, namely, the proper etiquettes of practising the shari‘a in one’s life from the beautiful work, Shir‘at al-Islam. The course will end with final assessments on each topic. Successful candidates may proceed to the next level.
Level Five: Mastery
SUBJECT |
TEXT |
Methodology |
al-Ashbah wa’l Naza’ir (200) |
Legal Theory |
Usul al-Bazdawi & Glosses (260) |
Sacred Law (Main) |
al-Hidaya (400) |
Sacred Law (Specialised) |
al-Ahwal al-Shakhsiyya (200) |
Qur’anic Exegesis |
al-Tafsirat al-Ahmadiyya (240) |
Practical |
25 Scholarly Answers & Dissertation |
Length of Course: 1300 Hours
Description: At Level Five, students will first study the seminal work and pride of the Hanafis, al-Hidaya. This will be coupled with a reading of Qadri Pasha’s al-Ahwal al-Shakhsiyya to learn the detailed rulings of family law, from marriage and divorce to child custody, financial maintenance and inheritance. In methodology, students will study legal maxims, learn obscure rulings and learn the intricacies of fiqh from Ibn Nujaym’s al-Ashbah wa al-Naza’ir. The usul text for this level will be a combination of Bazdawi and Sarakhsi’s works, in conjunction with the former’s glosses, most importantly, Kashf al-Asrar. At this level, the students will also cover Mulla Jiwan’s excellent work on the legal verses of the Qur’an, al-Tafsirat al-Ahmadiyya, whilst also looking at Nasafi’s presentations in his Madarik al-Tanzil. Finally, students will be expected to write twenty-five well-researched, academic-level answers on a variety of contemporary issues in order to put their training into practice, and to also produce a dissertation comprising of an in-depth look at a topic of their choice. The course will end with final assessments on each topic. Successful candidates may proceed to the next level.
And Allah alone gives success.
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