The kernel and objective of religion is attaining to The Truth (ḥaqīqah); one does this via practice of the tarīqah and one incorporates and succeeds in the tarīqah through the shariah. Religion is one, Islam. Islam is one reality but multidimensional, multi-layered. To attain to the divine states of the Holy Prophet and see what he saw, hear what he heard, taste what he tasted, touch what he touched and smell what he smelled – i.e. that which is within the potential and capacity of our own existential grid – one must initially master the shariah (the letter of the law) which means acknowledging what is made obligatory and what is assigned as forbidden. This may take a number of months but one’s mentor is a qualified expert religious authority and their verdicts.
These verdicts which, together, constitute the skeleton and superficial boundaries of the letter of Islam should never be compromised. Why? One reason is because it is these verdicts per se which contain within them a whole plethora of spiritual prescriptions i.e. the spirit of the law (tarīqah) and once these become incorporated within one’s soul, one’s access to the metaphysical realm and one’s journey to Allah truly starts.
In this course, we want to try and dissect the science of the tarīqah by shedding light on the esoteric and spiritual inner depths and rationale that the superficial aspects of Islam (shariah) contains. To do this, we shall partially go through two chapters of jurisprudential treatises – namely that of taqlīd (process of following expert opinion) and ṭaḥārah (purification) – covering the exoteric and esoteric dimensions and meanings of the fatwas, showing how everyday routine actions of Muslims are filled with mystic and ethical relevance, facilitating one’s proximity to the all-Truth.
Lectures: at least 20 lectures (~30 to 45 mins each)
Start of course: mid-November
Frequency: one lecture every week
Cost: $75