The entry point of the classical Nahw curriculum. Notes include heavy Iʿrāb practice on short sentences, building the habit of grammatical analysis from the very beginning.

• Introduction & the Word (الكلمة) Definition of speech (الكلام), its divisions: noun, verb, particle. Signs of each. NotesPractice
• Iʿrāb — Case Endings (الإعراب) Marfūʿ, manṣūb, majrūr, majzūm. Visible and estimated endings. NotesPractice
• The Mubtadaʾ & Khabar (المبتدأ والخبر) Nominal sentences. Subject and predicate, their types and rules. NotesPractice
• Nawāsikh — inna & kāna (النواسخ) Verbs and particles that alter the nominal sentence. NotesPractice
• The Fāʿil & Nāʾib al-Fāʿil (الفاعل ونائبه) The doer of the action; passive voice and its agent. NotesPractice
• Manṣūbāt — Accusative Categories Mafʿūl bihi, mafʿūl muṭlaq, ẓarf, ḥāl, tamyīz, mustaṯnā, and more. NotesPractice
• Al-Majrūrāt — Genitive Categories Prepositions (ḥurūf al-jarr) and iḍāfah (possessive construction). NotesPractice

A significant step up from the Ājurrūmiyyah. Practice problems draw directly from Qurʾānic sentences to reinforce that grammar is a tool for engaging with the Book of Allah.

• Definitions & Divisions of the Word Expanded treatment of ism, fiʿl, and ḥarf with their sub-types. Notes
• Iʿrāb in Detail Nine cases for strong nouns; irregular declension patterns. Notes
• The Complete Marfūʿāt All nominative positions in Arabic syntax, their conditions and exceptions. NotesPractice
• The Complete Manṣūbāt All accusative positions; extended treatment of the ḥāl, tamyīz, and mustaṯnā. NotesPractice
• Particles & Their Grammatical Effects ḥurūf al-naṣb, ḥurūf al-jazm, ḥurūf al-jarr — their types and governance. Notes

A focused text on the rules governing grammatical parsing. Iʿrāb practice drawn entirely from the Qurʾān.

• Principles of Iʿrāb The methodology of parsing: identifying the grammatical position and its evidence. NotesPractice
• Particles & Their Parsing How to parse every major particle; maḥall iʿrāb for particle-governed clauses. NotesPractice
• Qurʾānic Iʿrāb Exercises Worked parsing of selected āyāt. Applied exercises for each rule. NotesPractice

The central text of the Arabic grammar tradition. One thousand lines of rajaz verse encoding the rules of Nahw and Sarf. Practice works through the poem itself — parsing its verses so memorization and grammatical understanding reinforce each other.

• Lines 1–50 — Kalām & Iʿrāb Foundations Definitions, the three divisions of the word, the cases of iʿrāb. NotesPractice

Notes in preparation.

• Ṭahārah — PurityTypes of water, wuḍūʾ, ghusl, tayammum, and their conditions.Notes
• Ṣalāh — PrayerTimes, conditions, pillars, obligatory acts, sunnahs, and invalidators.Notes
• ZakāhNiṣāb thresholds, eligible categories, and conditions for obligation.Notes
• Ṣawm — FastingConditions, invalidators, and the fiqh of Ramaḍān.Notes
• Ḥajj & ʿUmrahPillars, obligatory acts, conditions, and common questions.Notes

Notes in preparation.

• ṬahārahThe opening chapter. Conditions of water, types of impurity, and purification.Notes
• ṢalāhThe most developed chapter of the matn — conditions, pillars, and sunnahs.Notes
• Zakāh, Fasting, ḤajjConcise treatment of the remaining pillars.Notes
• Transactions (Buyūʿ)Conditions of valid sale, prohibited transactions, and related contracts.Notes
• Inheritance (Farāʾiḍ)Introduction to the shares of heirs.Notes

Notes in preparation.

• ṬahārahExpanded treatment with fatāwā and contemporary questions.Notes
• ṢalāhDetailed coverage including congregational prayer, Friday prayer, and prayers of the traveller.Notes
• ZakāhExtended treatment of zakāh on trade goods, agricultural produce, and livestock.Notes
• Ṣawm, Ḥajj, Transactions, Family LawRemaining books in the Manhajī series.Notes

Notes in preparation.

• IntroductionIntroducing the field of Usūl, a biography of the author, and the historical progression of the science.Notes
• The Four Sources (Uṣūl)Qurʾān, Sunnah, Ijmāʿ, Qiyās — their definitions and authority.Notes
• Āmm & Khāṣṣ — General & SpecificHow jurists handle the relationship between broad and narrow texts.Notes
• Mujmal & Mubayyan; Ẓāhir & MuʾawwalCategories of textual clarity and interpretation.Notes
• Naskh — AbrogationTypes of abrogation, conditions, and famous examples.Notes
• Ijtihād & TaqlīdConditions of the mujtahid; the ruling on following a madhhab.Notes

Notes in preparation. Commentary following the structure of the Waraqāt.

Notes in preparation.

• Sources of Law in DetailExtended treatment of the Qurʾān, Sunnah, Ijmāʿ, Qiyās, and contested sources.Notes
• Qiyās — Analogical ReasoningConditions of the ʿillah (ratio legis), its identification, and types of qiyās.Notes
• Disagreement (Ikhtilāf) & Its RulesConditions under which scholarly disagreement is valid and how it is handled.Notes

Notes in preparation. The most comprehensive usūl text covered on this site.

Notes in preparation.

• The Attributes of Allah — Wājib, Mustaḥīl, JāʾizThe twenty necessary attributes and their opposites; what is merely possible for Allah.Notes
• The Messengers — Their AttributesṢidq, amānah, tablīgh, faṭānah, and their opposites.Notes

Notes in preparation. A poem of 66 lines covering the Ashʿarī creed — target: full memorization.

• Lines 1–20 — Necessary Attributes of AllahWujūd, qidam, baqāʾ, mukhālafah, qiyām bi-l-nafs, waḥdāniyyah.Notes
• Lines 21–45 — Attributes of Meaning & Meaningful StatesQudrah, irādah, ʿilm, ḥayāh, samʿ, baṣar, kalām.Notes
• Lines 46–66 — The Prophets & ConclusionAttributes of the prophets and obligations upon the believer.Notes

Notes in preparation. One of the most widely memorized and taught creedal texts in the Ashʿarī tradition.

• Introduction — Obligation of KnowledgeThe first obligation on the mukallaf; the three categories of rational judgment.Notes
• Wājib, Mustaḥīl, Jāʾiz for AllahThe twenty necessary, twenty impossible, and one possible attribute.Notes
• Wājib, Mustaḥīl, Jāʾiz for the ProphetsThe four necessary, four impossible, and one possible attribute of messengers.Notes
• The Rational Proofs (Dalāʾil ʿAqliyyah)Proof for each necessary attribute and refutation of its opposite.Notes

Notes in preparation. A poem of approximately 144 lines memorized in traditional curricula.

• Necessary Attributes — Extended TreatmentMore detailed argumentation than in the Sanūsiyyah; distinctions between the attributes.Notes
• Prophethood (Nubuwwāt)The prophets, their number, the conditions of prophethood, and the question of miracles.Notes
• Eschatology (Samʿiyyāt)What is known only through revelation: the Day of Judgment, the scales, the bridge, paradise and hellfire.Notes

Target: Full memorization. Notes include commentary, chain information, and related rulings derived from each ḥadīth.

• Ḥadīth 1–5 — Intentions & FoundationsBeginning with "Actions are by intentions." The foundational aḥādīth of the collection.Notes
• Ḥadīth 6–15 — Ḥalāl, Ḥarām & DoubtThe ḥadīth of Nuʿmān ibn Bashīr; legal and ethical principles.Notes
• Ḥadīth 16–28 — Rights & ConductTreatment of anger, rights of the Muslim, avoiding harm, and more.Notes
• Ḥadīth 29–42 — Faith, Zuhd & ConclusionThe final aḥādīth covering tawbah, zuhd, and perfection of character.Notes

Target: Full memorization. The most important book ever written about the person of the Prophet ﷺ — his appearance, his habits, his character. Reading this text transforms the relationship of the student with the Prophet ﷺ.

• Chapter 1–5 — Physical Description (Khalq)The Prophet's ﷺ seal, hair, complexion, gait, and clothing.Notes
• Chapter 6–15 — Food, Drink & HouseholdWhat the Prophet ﷺ ate, drank, and how he lived at home.Notes
• Chapter 16–30 — Worship & PrayerHis prayer, his night prayer, his fasting, and his remembrance of Allah.Notes
• Chapter 31–56 — Character & Final IllnessHis laughter, his speech, his humility, and his passing ﷺ.Notes

Target: Full memorization. The oldest organized collection of hadith and fiqh, compiled by the Imām of the People of Madīnah. Al-Shāfiʿī said: "There is no book on the face of the earth after the Book of Allah more correct than the Muwaṭṭaʾ."

• Kitāb al-ṬahārahPurity; wuḍūʾ; what breaks it. The aḥādīth of Madīnan practice.Notes
• Kitāb al-ṢalāhTimes, call to prayer, imāmah, jumu'ah, funeral prayer.Notes
• Kitāb al-Zakāh & al-ṢawmZakāh thresholds; Ramaḍān; zakāt al-fiṭr.Notes
• Kitāb al-ḤajjPilgrimage rituals according to the practice of Madīnah.Notes
• Kitāb al-Buyūʿ onwardTransactions, marriage, divorce, inheritance, and miscellaneous chapters.Notes

Notes in preparation.

The foundational poem on the sciences of hadith classification. 34 lines covering the major categories of ḥadīth. Target: memorization and mastery of the terminology.

• Lines 1–10 — Ṣaḥīḥ, Ḥasan, ḌaʿīfThe three primary grades; their conditions and sub-types.NotesPractice
• Lines 11–20 — Mawqūf, Maqṭūʿ, Musnad, MuttaṣilCategories based on the chain's connection or disconnection.NotesPractice
• Lines 21–34 — Shādhdh, Munkar, Mawḍūʿ & MoreProblematic categories; the fabricated ḥadīth and its signs.NotesPractice

Notes in preparation. The most systematic and precise of the muṣṭalaḥ primers.

Notes in preparation.

Notes in preparation.

A 61-line poem covering the foundational rules of Tajwīd. The standard entry point into formal Tajwīd study worldwide. Target: full memorization before moving to the Jazariyyah.

• Lines 1–10 — Introduction & Nūn SākinahThe four rules for the nūn sākinah and tanwīn: iẓhār, idghām, iqlab, ikhfāʾ.NotesPractice
• Lines 11–20 — Mīm Sākinah & ShaddahIkhfāʾ shafawī, idghām shafawī, iẓhār shafawī.NotesPractice
• Lines 21–40 — Madd (Prolongation)Types of madd: ṭabīʿī, muttaṣil, munfaṣil, ʿāriḍ, and their lengths.NotesPractice
• Lines 41–61 — Lām, Rāʾ & ConclusionRules of the lām and rāʾ; tafkhīm and tarqīq (heaviness and lightness).NotesPractice

The authoritative poem on Tajwīd comprising 107 lines. Memorization is a prerequisite for serious study of the Qirāʾāt. More technically precise than the Tuḥfah.

• Lines 1–20 — Makhārij al-ḤurūfThe points of articulation for every letter of the Arabic alphabet.Notes
• Lines 21–50 — Ṣifāt al-ḤurūfThe characteristics of each letter: jahr/hams, shiddah/rikhwah, iṭbāq/infitāḥ, and others.Notes
• Lines 51–80 — Rules of Nūn, Mīm & MaddA more technical treatment than the Tuḥfah, with additional distinctions.Notes
• Lines 81–107 — Waqf, Ibtidāʾ & ConclusionRules of stopping and starting; the famous closing passage on the obligation of tajwīd.Notes

Notes in preparation. The great poem of the seven canonical recitations, comprising 1173 lines. Memorizing and studying this text is the classical route to obtaining an ijāzah in the seven recitations.

• Faṣl al-Uṣūl — Foundational PrinciplesThe opening section establishing rules common to all seven recitations.Notes
• The Seven Imāms & Their RāwīsWho they are, their transmission lines, and how their differences are encoded in the poem.Notes
• Chapters by Topic (Sūrah-by-Sūrah Variations)The bulk of the poem — variations in specific words across the seven recitations.Notes

Full Arabic khutbah text, topic notes, and grammatical self-correction log.

Full Arabic khutbah text, topic notes, and grammatical self-correction log.

Full Arabic khutbah text, topic notes, and grammatical self-correction log.

Next entry in progress…

A brief reflection on religious knowledge, comparing the classic balance of reason and text against modern literalist trends that reject traditional scholarship.

Speaking Arabic, in my opinion, is the best thing one can do to strengthen their Arabic. But if there aren't frequent opportunities to practice, reading is immensely helpful. I like these short stories a lot, especially in that the English and Arabic are side by side.

There is no book in Islam after the Qurʾān and Sunnah that combines legal, theological, and spiritual knowledge like Imām al-Ghazālī's magnum opus. The translations by Abdal Hakim Murad are my favorites and done the most well in my opinion.

A short letter from al-Ghazālī to a student asking what knowledge is truly for. I really believe that this book is one of the most important works a student of the sciences should read, especially as they progress in their studies and need to find that anchor to make sense of the bigger "why" in pursuing knowledge.

This is one of the best practical guides to the spiritual life from one of the great scholars of the Bāʿ Alawī tradition and I would recommend as my teachers have recommended to read and benefit from this book.

This book didn't really strike me as one I'd enjoy as much as I did. From the perspective of a revert, it has a different flavor in how it's written, and I like the author's use of descriptive spiritual language to really hit important points home.

Essays on Islam, modernity, and the interior life and a truly excellent work by Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad.

The finest sīrah available in English without a doubt. There's an audiobook as well on YouTube, and Lings' academic language paints a unique and beautiful image of the blessed sīrah.

The definitive classical work on the rights and description of the Prophet ﷺ. I really believe that every Muslim should read this at least once.

Biographies of the major scholars of the Shāfiʿī school that I adhere to. What's so amazing is that the giants of the madhab may have had teachers we've never heard about, and this doesn't diminish their status at all in producing gems of the Ummah.

This work by Lings on the spiritual crisis of the modern world is short but very clear and sobering. Most have never heard of him, especially in his essays and works on contemporary topics. I hope to write a book outline others may benefit from insha'Allah.

Al-Attas's presents his central argument that secularization represents a specific metaphysical worldview imposed on Islamic thought. He passed away this year, may Allah envelop him in His mercy.

Jackson's argument that the Islamic tradition has its own internal resources for navigating the secular is a new one at first sight, but he does an excellent job at reframing an idea presented by the 13th century Maliki jurist al-Qarrafi.