Subjects & Topics

The hawzah offers a diverse and profound array of subjects that students are not only introduced to, but should aspire to master during their tenure in Qum. Just as in any scholarly discipline, the foundations and prerequisites of these subjects are studied in the early years, paving the way for a gradual immersion into deeper and more intricate content. A glimpse into some of the principal subjects taught in the hawzah is presented below to provide students with a preliminary introduction to their significance and depth.

Arabic Grammar

Arabic grammar is considered to be the cornerstone of seminary education due to its pivotal role in understanding and interpreting the Holy Qurʾan, hadith, and other Islamic texts. Some would argue that a seminary student’s academic success can be gauged by his proficiency in this area alone and therefore, great emphasis and time is dedicated to this subject, especially in the early years. Arabic grammar, as taught in the hawzah, can be divided into three categories:

Morphology (Sarf)

Generally speaking, all words in Arabic are derived from a set of root letters. Morphology is the science which analyses the structure of words, how they are formed and their relationship with other words. For example, the words الكِتاب ، مَكْتَبَة ، تَكْتُبُ all have different meanings but share a common theme as identified by the root letters, ك ، ت ، ب. Students will learn the process of voweling Arabic words, recognise different patterns, understand meanings behind word variations and conjugate verbs and nouns.

Syntax (Nahw)

While morphology deals with the structure of individual words, syntax is the study of sentence structure and more particularly, inflection (i’rab) — the process of assigning or modifying word case endings and diacritical marks to express different grammatical categories such as tense, state, gender or mood. Proficiency in Arabic syntax enables students to grammatically analyse text accurately in various contexts, thus, enhancing their understanding of the Holy Qurʾan and other sources by preserving the integrity of their original meanings.

Rhetoric (Balaghah)

This field explores techniques and strategies used in the art of eloquent expression in the Arabic language. It covers three broad areas:

Semantic Syntax (ilm al-Ma’ani)

Semantic Syntax (ilm al-Ma’ani), which discusses how to effectively convey intended meanings based on one’s situation, circumstances, context and audience by understanding the nuances of word choices, grammatical structures, and contextual implications.

Figures of Speech (ilm al-Bayan)

Figures of Speech (ilm al-Bayan), the branch which explores the use of rhetorical devices such as metaphors, similes, personification, allegory and more.

Embellishments (ilm al-Badi)

Embellishments (ilm al-Badi), which demonstrates how one can adorn lexical and semantic features through the use of unconventional word order, linguistic playfulness, puns, and other techniques.

Logic

One of the first subjects to be taught in the hawzah is logic (mantiq) — the study of correct reasoning or, as al-Farabi defines it, “an instrumental, rule-based science aimed at directing the intellect towards the truth and safeguarding it from error in its acts of reasoning”. Since logic is a tool to discern valid inferences from invalid ones, a student’s mastery over the subject is essential in order to comprehend the Islamic intellectual sciences, construct well-founded conclusions, correctly verify arguments and identify logical fallacies.

The subject’s foundation is rooted in the integration of Greek logic, primarily influenced by Aristotle, with works by Islamic scholars such as al-Farabi and Ibn Sina who contributed greatly to its development and its application in philosophy.

In essence, logic studies the nature of propositions and investigates the structure and validity of arguments primarily using the syllogistic method — a powerful tool for drawing logical conclusions from given premises. Moreover, logic probes into the intricacies of language and semantics that underlie effective communication and precise argumentation.

Theology

Theology is the study of fundamental doctrines and beliefs and involves discussions concerning the nature of God, prophethood and the resurrection. Primarily a rational and discursive discipline, theology also references the transmitted and traditional sources as confirmation of rational judgements and in issues subordinate to doctrines proven rationally.

Students learn about the history of the subject, analyse theological arguments such as the proofs for the existence of God, and tackle key questions concerning all the articles of faith. Although studies are centred around Shia doctrines, students are taught about the different theological schools of thought and undertake comparative studies equipping them with the tools necessary to engage in dialogues with followers of other sects and religions.

Islamic Ethics

Islamic ethics (akhlaq) encompasses the study of moral values, virtues, and ethical principles derived from Islamic teachings with a view to adorn oneself with the moral virtues such as righteousness, honesty, sincerity, chastity, generosity & justice and rid oneself of vices such as arrogance, cowardice, miserliness, & vanity. Students learn about the faculties of the soul, the importance of human perfection and engage in discussions regarding treatment strategies for vices and approaches to assimilate virtues.

History

Islamic history provides an overview of the political, social, and intellectual developments within the Muslim world. Students generally begin by studying the life of Prophet Muhammad (s), examining the pre-Islamic and early Islamic period and the social, moral and intellectual decadence which lead to the appointment of the Last Messenger of Allah (swt). Students also delve into the lives of the Infallible Imams (a), the caliphates, the emergence of various Islamic empires and the intellectual contributions of Muslim scholars.

History can either be passive, by recounting events that occurred in the past, or analytical, where the causes and reasons behind the events are explored. A comprehensive, analytical study of Islamic history provides an important basis to understand all aspects of the religion and can also give delicate insights into future events.

Hadith Studies

Hadith, also referred to as traditions or narrations, is a word in Islamic terminology which refers to sayings quoted from the Holy Prophet (s) or one of the Infallible Imams (a). Due to its importance as a major source of religious law and moral and spiritual guidance, hadith studies comes at the forefront of the Islamic sciences and can be divided into two broad disciplines:

Hadith Science (Dirayat al-Hadith)

This science itself consists of several disciplines to study and evaluate the authenticity of hadith. Students are introduced to essential terminology used in the field, the different types of classifications of hadith and the principles used for analysing the text (matn) and chain (sanad) of hadith.

Science of Hadith Transmitters (Ilm al-Rijal)

This discipline centres on the biographies of individuals who transmitted hadith and the methodologies employed to establish the credibility of the narrators, using both historic and religious knowledge, in order to distinguish authentic and reliable hadith from those that are considered unreliable.

Islamic Jurisprudence

Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) and principles of jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh) are considered to be two of the most central subjects in the hawzah and are given a great amount of attention. As a Muslim, one who has believed in Allah, Islam and the divine law and recognised a responsibility to follow His rulings, one is obliged to practically adhere to the Islamic divine law. Therefore, it is a Muslim’s duty to determine this practical position and to know how to behave in every situation. Islamic jurisprudence is the discipline charged with determining these practical positions and establishing divine legal rulings derived from the Holy Qurʾan, sunnah (the words, actions and silent assertions of the Holy Prophet and the Infallible Imams), scholarly consensus and reasoning.

Students learn the methodologies used to deduce Islamic laws by applying expertise in subjects such as Arabic grammar, logic, principles of Islamic jurisprudence, hadith studies and exegesis of the Holy Qurʾan. The range of Islamic jurisprudence is extremely wide as it contains all the subjects related to a Muslim’s actions. Traditionally, these subjects have been divided and studied in categories called kutub or abwab e.g. kitab al-salah (the Book of Prayer) which all fall under one of two branches; worship and contracts. Worship includes topics such as cleanliness, prayer, fasting, khums and hajj whereas contracts covers subjects such as the laws pertaining to buying and selling, hire, loans, wills, marriage and divorce.

In addition to in-depth studies of these subjects, students are also introduced to the various schools of thought within Islamic jurisprudence and engage in critical comparative studies. Only those who traverse the meticulous path of ijtihad can eventually become experts in this field and can be called a faqih, an Islamic jurist.

Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence

The process of deriving a divine legal ruling involves not only a comprehensive study of the four sources of jurisprudence, but also requires knowledge of the common rules and unifying elements which pertain to all of the procedures of derivation. Principles of jurisprudence can be described as “the study of the rules and shared elements in the procedure of derivation of the divine law”. Such a discipline is essential to Islamic jurisprudence since the commands or regulations of Islam have not been explained by the Holy Qurʾan or by the Holy Prophet (s) and the Imams (a) in such a way as to deal with each and every particularity. Nor is such a thing possible, for events and situations occur in endlessly different forms. Instead, the general principles have been laid before the Muslims to enable them to deduce their responsibility in any given situation.

Studying the principles of jurisprudence not only equips students with the tools necessary to analyse legal texts and apply them in the process of deriving legal rulings, but also helps develop their intellectual abilities.

Philosophy

Philosophy (falsafah) is derived from the Greek word philosophia meaning “love of wisdom” and whose coinage is attributed to one of the most famous Greek philosophers, Socrates. In the view of early Muslim scholars, philosophy did not refer to a particular discipline or science; rather, it encompassed all the rational sciences as opposed to transmitted sciences and could be divided into theoretical and practical philosophy.

Theoretical philosophy addresses things as they are and includes metaphysics, mathematics and the natural sciences, whereas practical philosophy addresses human actions as they ought to be and can be divided into ethics, domestic economy and politics. A true philosopher comprehends all of these sciences. In modern times however, Islamic Philosophy has become synonymous with only one of these branches of the rational sciences, namely, metaphysics or first philosophy, and is centred on what is known in Western Philosophy as ontology — the study of being or existence.

Hawzah students not only undertake an in-depth study of the subjects in philosophy such as the concept and reality of existence, cause & effect, the nature of knowledge and the necessary being, but also learn about the different philosophical schools of thought within Islam and engage in critical studies of both ancient and modern Western philosophies.

Mysticism

Mysticism (irfan) is a discipline with two branches: the theoretical (irfan nazari) and the practical (irfan amali). Theoretical mysticism is concerned with ontology and can be loosely considered as an extension of Islamic philosophy; however, whereas philosophy relies on rational principles for its arguments, mysticism bases its deductions on principles discovered through mystical experience (kashf) and then uses the language of philosophy and reason to explain them. This allows for much more profound conclusions and perceptions than philosophy can offer.

Practical mysticism describes and explains the relationship and responsibilities of a human being towards himself, the world of creation and God. This practical aspect of mysticism, or “spiritual wayfaring” (sayr wa suluk), is only undertaken with the supervision of a mature mystic (arif), one who has successfully traversed the many stages and stations of the path and is aware of the intricate details and prescriptions needed for this spiritual journey. Although theoretical mysticism is officially taught in the hawzah, practical mysticism is more personal and normally requires a student to seek out a qualified mentor himself.

Exegesis of the Holy Qurʾan

An exegesis (tafsir) of the Holy Qurʾan is a profound attempt to elucidate and interpret its verses by drawing on various sources such as other Qurʾanic verses, hadith, historical context, and more. This endeavour is far from simple, and although there are established principles of tafsir, the scholar engaging in this interpretation (a mufassir) must have achieved mastery in all the Islamic sciences before embarking on the delicate task of elucidating the words of Allah (swt).

Even though the actual practice of interpreting the Qurʾan is often reserved for advanced scholars, students can greatly benefit from reading and discussing existing tafsirs. This is what is commonly referred to as a “tafsir class” within the hawzah.

There are two primary styles of tafsirs: sequential (tartibi) and topical (mawzui). Sequential tafsir, as the name implies, involves a systematic verse-by-verse examination of the Qurʾan, following the order in which the verses appear within the chapters. Students typically delve into the sentence structure, vocabulary, word etymology, occasion of revelation, and other pertinent details to grasp the intended meaning behind each verse and the overall message of the chapter. Conversely, in topical (or thematic) exegesis, the mufassir aims to shed light on the Qurʾanic perspective concerning a specific topic or theme. As a result, the scholar may reference verses from different chapters to provide a comprehensive understanding of the Qurʾan’s stance on that particular subject. This approach can allow for a deeper exploration of Qurʾanic teachings and their relevance to various aspects of life and belief.