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, Advanced Electives and Specialized Studies.

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.

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:

  1. Purification of the Self (Tazkiya)
  2. Legal Theory and Objectives of the Law (Usul al-Fiqh and Maqasid)
  3. The Reality of the Messenger (al-Haqiqa al-Muhammadiyya)
  4. Qur’an and Exegesis (Tafsir)
  5. Theology (‘Aqida)
  6. Prophetic Tradition (Hadith)
  7. Law (Fiqh)
  8. History, Politics and Culture

Advanced Electives are courses that deepen and enrich the study of the Core Modules.

This Knowledge Sphere will be by admission only.

Specialized Study are intensive readings ofArabic texts curated by Shaykh Mokhtar that further deepen and enrich the study of the Core Modules and the Advanced Electives.

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:

  1. Growth and Productivity
  2. Setting the Record Straight
  3. Family and Youth
  4. Education and History
  5. Society and Technology
  6. Art and Aesthetics
  7. Activism and Politics
  8. Travel and Nature

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.

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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 12, 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.

Dates

The first year of the program will begin on Sunday October 8th, 2023 and end on Saturday, June 15th, 2024. An academic calendar will be made available to enrolled students.

Class Timings

All classes are recorded.

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 8, 2023

Core Module dates:

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: Oct 14, 2023

Applied Seminar 2: Nov 11, 2023

Applied Seminar 3: Dec 16, 2023

Applied Seminar 4: Jan 13, 2024

Applied Seminar 5: Feb 10, 2024

Applied Seminar 6: Mar 16, 2024

Applied Seminar 7: Apr 27, 2024

Applied Seminar 8: May 25, 2024

Closing Session:

June 15, 2024