Learn the Deen — Properly.

Twelver Shiʿa course framing. The Qur’anic references are shared texts; how particular verses support distinct doctrines is interpreted differently across Muslim schools.

1. 01 · Tawhid · Divine unity

   Study God’s oneness, incomparability, and the difference between divine attributes and created qualities. Intellectual exercise: test whether a proposed description implies dependence, plurality, or likeness to creation.

   Study references: Qur’an 112:1–4; 42:11. See also al-Kafi, Kitab al-Tawhid; evaluate its individual reports by chain and commentary.

2. 02 · ʿAdl · Divine justice

   The Twelver tradition treats divine justice as a foundational principle. Explore moral responsibility, human choice, suffering, and why a claim about justice needs careful philosophical and textual argument.

   Study references: Qur’an 4:40; 21:47. The interpretation and theological vocabulary are not uniform across schools.

3. 03 · Nubuwwah · Prophethood

   Study revelation, the prophetic mission, and the ethical meaning of guidance. Distinguish Qur’anic claims from later biography and from theological arguments about protection from error.

   Study references: Qur’an 16:36; 33:40; 42:51.

4. 04 · Imamah · Leadership after the Prophet

   Learn the Twelver doctrine of divinely guided Imams and examine its arguments in their own sources. Verses cited in Imami exegesis have competing interpretations; compare the text, context, and alternative readings respectfully.

   Study references: Qur’an 2:124; 4:59; 5:55. Their application to Imamah is a theological interpretation, not an uncontested wording of the verses.

5. 05 · Maʿad · Return and accountability

   Study resurrection, judgment, bodily return, and moral accountability. Compare Qur’anic arguments from first creation and the renewal of life.

   Study references: Qur’an 23:15–16; 36:78–79; 75:1–15.

Learning guide, not a fatwa. Ritual details differ among Hanafi, Maliki, Shafiʿi, Hanbali, Jaʿfari and other legal traditions; follow a qualified scholar in your tradition.

1. 01 · Taharah · Purity and preparation

   Map the purposes of wudu, ghusl, and tayammum, then compare the order and conditions taught in selected schools. Keep ritual rulings distinct from general hygiene advice.

   Study references: Qur’an 5:6; 4:43. Compare a current manual from the school being studied.

2. 02 · Salah · Prayer and common learning errors

   Study prayer times, intention, recitation, bowing, prostration, and concentration. Common learning errors include confusing recommended acts with validity conditions and applying another school’s details without checking.

   Study references: Qur’an 2:43; 17:78–79; 29:45. The mechanics and legal conditions vary by madhhab.

3. 03 · Sawm · Fasting and its aims

   Review who is obligated, exemptions, the dawn-to-sunset framework, and the ethical aims of restraint. Ask a qualified authority about medical conditions and disputed invalidators.

   Study references: Qur’an 2:183–187.

4. 04 · Zakat, Khums and financial duties

   Compare the scriptural basis, eligible recipients, calculation rules, and school-specific scope. Do not use this outline to calculate an individual obligation.

   Study references: Qur’an 9:60; 2:267; 8:41. Legal application differs across schools and circumstances.

5. 05 · Hajj · Ritual and ethical preparation

   Trace the core rites and their Qur’anic setting, then use an accredited guide for current travel, health, and legal details.

   Study references: Qur’an 2:196–203; 22:27–29.

A source-aware timeline: Qur’anic passages provide foundational context, while chronology and narrative detail often come from later sira and hadith reports.

1. 01 · Makkah before the first revelation

   Place the Prophet’s early life in the social and religious setting of western Arabia. The Qur’an does not give a complete biography or a precise birth date; the Year of the Elephant association belongs to traditional chronology.

   Study references: Qur’an 105; compare Ibn Hisham’s Sirah and note chronology variants.

2. 02 · The first call and public preaching

   Study the beginning of revelation, the early call, opposition, and the growth of a vulnerable community. Separate Qur’anic passages from later scene-by-scene biography.

   Study references: Qur’an 96:1–5; 74:1–7; 15:94.

3. 03 · The boycott and hardship

   Examine reports about the boycott of Banu Hashim and the social pressure on the early Muslims. Compare the chronology and wording across sira sources rather than treating every detail as certain.

   Study references: Ibn Hisham, Sirah, Makkah period; Qur’an 29:2–3 on testing, not a direct account naming the boycott.

4. 04 · Hijrah and the Madinan community

   Study migration as a turning point in communal life, the building of civic obligations, and the role of mutual support. Traditional chronology places Hijrah in 622 CE.

   Study references: Qur’an 9:40; 8:72; 59:9. Compare early sira accounts.

5. 05 · Madinah through the Farewell Pilgrimage

   Follow treaties, social obligations, conflict, reconciliation, and the final pilgrimage. Distinguish broad chronology from disputed dates and reported speeches.

   Study references: Qur’an 33:9–27; 5:3; 110:1–3; Ibn Hisham and hadith collections for detailed chronology.

This is the Twelver Imami account of the Fourteen Maʿsumin. The theological quality of infallibility and historical interpretations are not shared in the same way by all Muslim schools.

1. 01 · Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

   Study the prophetic mission, Qur’anic guidance, community leadership, and the way biography distinguishes revelation from later reports.

   Study references: Qur’an 33:40; 21:107; Ibn Hisham, Sirah.

2. 02 · Lady Fatima al-Zahra (a.s.)

   Explore her place in the Prophet’s family, devotional memory, and debates about events after the Prophet. Read Sunni and Shiʿi source traditions with clear attribution.

   Study references: Sahih al-Bukhari, merits of Fatima; al-Mufid, Kitab al-Irshad. Reports and interpretations differ.

3. 03 · Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s.)

   Study his role in early Islam, learning and governance, alongside the later political conflict. Nahj al-Balagha is a compiled source whose individual attribution should be considered critically.

   Study references: Qur’an 5:55 (Imami interpretation is disputed); Nahj al-Balagha; al-Mufid, Kitab al-Irshad.

4. 04 · Imam Hasan ibn Ali (a.s.)

   Examine leadership after Imam Ali and the treaty with Muʿawiya. Compare the political context and differing accounts without reducing the treaty to a slogan.

   Study references: Al-Mufid, Kitab al-Irshad; al-Tabari, events of 40–50 AH. Reports vary.

5. 05 · Imam Husayn ibn Ali (a.s.)

   Study Karbala through early historical accounts, the political sequence, and the ethical memory of resistance to injustice. Separate core events from later devotional elaboration.

   Study references: Al-Tabari, events of 61 AH (reports attributed to Abu Mikhnaf); al-Mufid, Kitab al-Irshad.

6. 06 · Imam Ali Zayn al-Abidin (a.s.)

   Explore survival after Karbala, worship, teaching, and the ethical themes of al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya and Risalat al-Huquq.

   Study references: Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya; Risalat al-Huquq; al-Mufid, Kitab al-Irshad.

7. 07 · Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a.s.)

   Study the scholarly setting of Madinah and the transmission of legal and theological learning associated with his teaching circle.

   Study references: Al-Kafi, Kitab al-Hujjah; al-Mufid, Kitab al-Irshad. Evaluate individual narrations separately.

8. 08 · Imam Jaʿfar al-Sadiq (a.s.)

   Examine the range of scholarly traditions associated with his period and the later development of Jaʿfari jurisprudence; avoid attributing every later position to him without a source.

   Study references: Al-Kafi; al-Mufid, Kitab al-Irshad; compare specialist hadith and legal studies.

9. 09 · Imam Musa al-Kazim (a.s.)

   Study Imami accounts of teaching, authority, and imprisonment under Abbasid rule, noting that political narratives preserve differing details.

   Study references: Al-Kafi, Kitab al-Hujjah; al-Mufid, Kitab al-Irshad.

10. 10 · Imam Ali al-Rida (a.s.)

    Explore his scholarship, appointment as heir apparent under al-Ma’mun, and the political setting of that appointment.

    Study references: Al-Mufid, Kitab al-Irshad; al-Tabari, events of 200–203 AH.

11. 11 · Imam Muhammad al-Jawad (a.s.)

    Study early Imami accounts of his leadership at a young age and the community’s questions about authority and learning.

    Study references: Al-Kafi, Kitab al-Hujjah; al-Mufid, Kitab al-Irshad.

12. 12 · Imam Ali al-Hadi (a.s.)

    Explore the Imami account of leadership under Abbasid surveillance and the role of correspondence and representatives.

    Study references: Al-Kafi, Kitab al-Hujjah; al-Mufid, Kitab al-Irshad.

13. 13 · Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.)

    Study the restricted Samarra setting and how early Imami sources describe community communication and succession.

    Study references: Al-Kafi, Kitab al-Hujjah; al-Mufid, Kitab al-Irshad.

14. 14 · Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi (a.t.f.s.)

    Learn the Twelver doctrine of the occultation and the ethical duties emphasized in that tradition. Present theological belief as belief, not as a universally accepted historical conclusion.

    Study references: Al-Kafi, Kitab al-Hujjah; Qur’an 28:5 is applied thematically in Imami interpretation, not an explicit named prediction.

An introduction to disciplines and methods; it distinguishes the Qur’anic text from translation, tafsir, and historical reports.

1. 01 · Revelation and compilation

   Learn what Islamic scholarship means by wahy, recitation, collection, and manuscript witnesses; avoid collapsing distinct stages into one unsupported story.

   Study references: Qur’an 75:16–19; 15:9. Study classical and modern manuscript scholarship comparatively.

2. 02 · Makki and Madani passages

   Study common classification criteria and why chronology can affect interpretation. Not every classification is based on the same criterion.

   Study references: Qur’an 17:106; 25:32; compare recognized tafsir introductions.

3. 03 · Qira’at, rasm and translation

   Distinguish canonical reading traditions, written consonantal form, and translation. A translation is interpretation and cannot replace Arabic recitation.

   Study references: Use a critical Qur’an edition and documented qira’at studies.

4. 04 · Tafsir method and responsible citation

   Read a verse in its passage, identify linguistic choices, compare tafsir methods, and cite surah plus ayah. Mark hadith and historical material separately.

   Study references: Compare al-Mizan’s Qur’an-through-Qur’an method with other named tafsir works.

A beginner path through script, morphology, syntax, and reading. Grammar aids comprehension but does not by itself settle tafsir.

1. 01 · Script, sounds and short vowels

   Recognize Arabic letters, joining forms, hamza, long vowels, shadda, and Qur’anic marks. Practice slowly with a qualified recitation guide.

   Study references: Qur’an 73:4 for measured recitation; tajwid instruction should use a qualified teacher.

2. 02 · Roots and word patterns

   Learn how many Arabic words relate to roots and patterns. A root relationship is not proof that two words have identical meaning or grammatical function.

   Study references: Use a reliable Arabic lexicon and grammar; compare each word in context.

3. 03 · Sentence structure

   Practice nominal and verbal sentences, case endings, particles, and pronoun references using short Qur’anic passages.

   Study references: Qur’an 112 and 1:1–7; compare a recognized iʿrab reference.

4. 04 · Translation and recitation practice

   Read Arabic alongside two translations, mark uncertain vocabulary, then consult tafsir rather than inferring theology from a dictionary alone.

   Study references: Compare translations and a named tafsir for the same passage.

Study the collection as a compiled work of sermons, letters and sayings traditionally attributed to Imam Ali (a.s.); edition, translation and attribution notes matter.

1. 01 · How the collection is arranged

   Distinguish the sermons, letters and short sayings, and note the compiler al-Sharif al-Radi. The collection does not provide a complete isnad for every item.

   Study references: Al-Sharif al-Radi, Nahj al-Balagha; consult edition introductions and source studies.

2. 02 · Letter 53 · public responsibility

   Read the counsel to Malik al-Ashtar in its political and literary context. Themes include justice, public service, care for vulnerable people, and accountability; compare translations before quoting.

   Study references: Nahj al-Balagha, Letter 53. Source-hosted text and discussion: al-Islam.org, Nahj al-Balagha Part 2.

3. 03 · Sermons and theological rhetoric

   Identify imagery, argument structure, and devotional language. Separate a translator’s phrasing from the Arabic text.

   Study references: Nahj al-Balagha, sermons; use the numbering and edition cited by the reader.

4. 04 · Attribution and quotation practice

   When citing a passage, name the collection, section, numbering system, edition and translator. Avoid presenting a source label as an authenticity grade.

   Study references: Compare manuscript, commentary and attribution studies where available.

Comparative and source-aware: distinguish Qur’anic themes, hadith reports, school-specific doctrine, and contemporary claims about signs.

1. 01 · Expectation and moral responsibility

   Study justice, reform, and hope as ethical themes while avoiding passivity or claims that a contemporary event proves a prophecy.

   Study references: Qur’an 28:5; 21:105. The application to the Mahdi is interpretive.

2. 02 · Mahdi reports across traditions

   Compare report wording, transmitters, collections and scholarly evaluation. Similar titles do not make every narration identical or equally graded.

   Study references: Use named Sunni and Imami hadith collections and specialist rijal/ hadith studies.

3. 03 · Twelver doctrine of occultation

   Understand the Twelver account of the Minor and Major Occultation as a tradition-specific theological doctrine and study its historical literature.

   Study references: Al-Kafi, Kitab al-Hujjah; al-Shaykh al-Saduq, Kamal al-Din; examine edition and report context.

4. 04 · Ethics of claims about signs

   Do not identify people or conflicts as prophetic signs without strong evidence. Evaluate sensational claims, distinguish certainty from speculation, and protect community trust.

   Study references: General method: verify reports and claims; compare Qur’an 49:6 on verification.

A broad survey that marks periodization and contested interpretation instead of presenting one school’s narrative as universal.

1. 01 · Sources and chronology

   Learn the difference between contemporary documents, later chronicles, hadith, archaeology and devotional memory. Every source has a context and limits.

   Study references: Compare early chronicles such as al-Tabari with specialist studies; note when al-Tabari transmits competing reports.

2. 02 · The early community and political succession

   Study the formative period through distinct Sunni and Shiʿi accounts. Identify shared events, different source traditions, and later theological readings.

   Study references: Compare early histories and named hadith collections; cite each tradition specifically.

3. 03 · Dynasties, scholarship and institutions

   Follow the Umayyad and Abbasid periods, the growth of legal schools, translation movements, and regional societies without assuming a single uniform ‘Golden Age’.

   Study references: Use specialist histories and distinguish political, scientific and intellectual timelines.

4. 04 · Conflict, memory and ethical reading

   Study events such as Badr, Siffin and Karbala with source comparison, accurate dates at the precision sources allow, and respect for those harmed.

   Study references: Qur’an 3:123–180; 33:9–27; al-Tabari, dated annals; al-Mufid, Kitab al-Irshad for Imami perspectives.