البرنامج
The Program
Registration for October 2024 is now open, insha'Allah
Transformative Education, Inside-Out
The Seminary (online with on-site elements) offers a 5-year , unique, carefully designed curriculum that transforms a student from the inside-out by holistically integrating knowledge (‘ilm), practice (‘amal), mentorship and fellowship (suhba), and applied life-learning.
the Suhba Seminary
The Suhba Seminary is an institute of higher Islamic learning. It aims to anchor every Muslim in Islam’s spiritual and rational legacy, equip them with knowledge and skills to safely navigate the challenges of modernity, and inspire them to live lives of true happiness and freedom.
Seminary Components
1. Sacred Knowledge ('Ilm)
Eight modules of study in the Islamic Sciences with a diverse range of Core Courses and Advanced Electives.
2. Practice ('Amal)
An integrated program of practice through the gradual introduction of a daily schedule of devotional worship along with collective remembrance sessions.
3. Fellowship ('Suhba)
A blend of in-person fellowship and online fellowship to learn together and to find spiritual strength and solace in one another
4. Applied Learning
Seminars on practical themes that apply Islam’s rational and spiritual principles to specific life challenges.
Dates
The first & second year of the program will begin on Sunday October 6th, 2024.
An academic calendar will be made available to enrolled students when we get closer to the start of the program.
Class Timings
All classes are recorded.
The exact class timings for year 1 and year 2 are yet to be finalized. See below for the class timings that were used in 2023-2024 (last year’s) for our year 1 program.
Monday:
Core class
2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, Istanbul time
7:00 am to 9:00 am, NY time
Tuesdays:
Advanced Electives class
2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, Istanbul time
7:00 am to 9:00 am, NY time
Thursdays:
A Gathering of Quranic Reflections & Remembrance
4:30 pm to 6:30 pm, Istanbul time
9:30 am to 11:30 am, NY time
Sundays:
Fellowship and Practice Review Session
5:30 pm to 7:00 pm, Istanbul time
10:30 am to 12:00 pm, NY time
Class timings will vary throughout the year to accommodate local salah timings.
Online class timings may vary due to local daylight savings time.
Please consult our Prospectus for a more detailed exploration of the Seminary and its curriculum: Available here
Tuition
The tuition is $2500 for the entire year. Scholarships are available.
Additional same-household family discounts are available. The tuition for the first student registering from a given household is $2,500 USD. Each additional student registering from the same household is an additional $500 USD until a cap of $4,000 USD is reached for 4+ students from a single household.
Orientation:
Sunday October 6, 2024
Core Module dates:
The dates below are from last year’s classes. They will be updated shortly.
Tazkiya: Oct 9, 2023 – Nov 6, 2023
Usul al-Fiqh: Nov 13, 2023 – Dec 11, 2023
Al-Haqiqa al-Muhammadiyya: Dec 18, 2023 – Jan 15, 2024
Qur’an/Tafsir: Jan 22, 2024 – Feb 19, 2024
Hadith Sciences: Feb 26, 2024 – Mar 25, 2024
’Aqida/Theology: Apr 15, 2024 – May 13, 2024
Inner and Outer Fiqh: May 20, 2024 – June 10, 2024
History, Politics & Culture: May 21, 2024 – June 11, 2024
Applied Seminar dates:
Applied Seminar 1: TBD
Applied Seminar 2: TBD
Applied Seminar 3: TBD
Applied Seminar 4: TBD
Applied Seminar 5: TBD
Applied Seminar 6: TBD
Applied Seminar 7: TBD
Applied Seminar 8: TBD
Closing Session:
TBD
The Learning Streams
A student has access to any of the courses and seminars that the Seminary offers. That said, the Seminary has three streams of learning:
This is the most flexible stream. You drop in when you can. There are no prerequisites or evaluations.
You choose which classes you wish to take, live or recorded, from the Core Courses, Advanced Electives, Fellowship and Practice (FP) classes and Applied Learning Seminars.
You attend live or watch the recordings of the Core Courses and pass the evaluations. Attendance at the Fellowship and Practice (FP) class is strongly recommended but not mandatory. This leads to a Core Certificate with or without distinction, depending on your evaluation results.
You attend live or watch the recordings of the Core Courses and the Advanced Electives and pass the evaluations. Attendance at the Fellowship and Practice(FP) class is strongly recommended but not mandatory. This leads to an Honours Certificate with or without distinction, depending on your evaluation results.
The Knowledge Spheres
The Seminary has four knowledge spheres, allowing for flexible, customized study, with a gradation in complexity and specialization.
There are eight Core Modules of study:
- Purification of the Self (Tazkiya)
- Legal Theory and Objectives of the Law (Usul al-Fiqh and Maqasid)
- The Reality of the Messenger (al-Haqiqa al-Muhammadiyya)
- Qur’an and Exegesis (Tafsir)
- Theology (‘Aqida)
- Prophetic Tradition (Hadith)
- Law (Fiqh)
- History, Politics and Culture
Advanced Electives are courses that deepen and enrich the study of the Core Modules.
Applied-Learning Seminars — An innovative series of over 32 practical seminars on eight themes that apply Islam’s rational and spiritual principles to specific life challenges. The eight themes are:
- Growth and Productivity
- Setting the Record Straight
- Family and Youth
- Education and History
- Society and Technology
- Art and Aesthetics
- Activism and Politics
- Travel and Nature
Class Format
Classes will be a combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning. However, we are endeavouring to offer most of our classes live with as much interaction as possible.
All classes are recorded and made available on the Suhba Seminary course page for students to watch and review the material at their convenience.
Recorded classes will be posted between 2-3 days after the live class.
On-Site Attendance
In-person attendance (from abroad or those living in Istanbul) will be subject to space availability and an additional Suhba Seminary application process.
As of August 15, registered students interested in on-site attendance may submit their In-Person Attendance Application Form via the Seminary course page in our learning platform.
For more details on on-site attendance, please click here.