Allah (subnahu wa-tala) says: Whatever the Messenger brings you, take it; whatever he forbids you, forbid yourselves.

It is transmitted that the Messenger of Allah (salla lahu `alayhi wa-sallam) said: Transmit from me, even (if it be one) verse (ayah).

Introduction:

Traditionally, Muslims have organized and attended study circles (Halaqa) devoted to different aspects of the Hadith sciences (ilm al-Hadith), aspects such as:

1. transmitting Hadiths (i.e. Prophetic traditions), often from a particular Hadith collection (such as Sahi al-Bukhari);
2. learning the technical terminology (muala al-Hadith) of the Hadith sciences;
3. explaining Hadith and
4. glossing rare words and expressions (gharb al-Hadith) that appear in the Hadith.

This Halaqa is primarily dedicated to the study of the basics of Islamic belief (iman) and practice (`amal). In the process, in-sha allah, we will touch on all of the aforementioned aspects of the Hadith sciences. The primary text will be Imam al- Nawawi's al-Araba al-Nawawiyya (The Nawawian Forty Hadiths). A well-known commentary, Ibn Rajab al- Hanbali's Jami ul Uloom wa'l Hikam, and other supporting texts will be used as well.

The goal of this Halaqa (study circle) is to worship Allah (subnahu wa-tala) by gathering to read, listen to and comprehend some of the transmitted traditions of the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad Ibn `Abd Allah (salla lahu `alayhi wa-sallam).

Instructor:

Taha bin Hasan Abdul-Basser is the Harvard Islamic Society Muslim Chaplain. He holds a certificate in Advanced Arabic Language Studies (San`a, Yemen) and has been studying Islamic knowledge with several teachers and advanced students of knowledge for more than a decade.