Our Beloved Prophet ﷺ said,
(منهومان لا يشبعان؛ منهوم في علم لا يشبع، ومنهوم في دنيا لا يشبع. (الحاكم
"Two kinds of people are never satiated: a seeker of knowledge and a seeker of this world." (Al Hakim) Expanding upon this hadith, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud رضي الله عنه explained that the seeker of this world keeps growing in transgression, whereas the seeker of knowledge keeps increasing in the pleasure of Al-Rahman.
Allah ﷻ has always granted this ummah with a group of special servants, both men and women, who invest their time, energy, and wealth in seeking knowledge. Rather than wasting their lives in futile pursuits, they busy themselves in the business of the hereafter, investing in it every penny they own, every second they breathe, and every ounce of energy they expend. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala elevates these special servants in the Qur’an, saying,
"قُلۡ هَلۡ يَسۡتَوِى ٱلَّذِينَ يَعۡلَمُونَ وَٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَۗ إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُوْلُواْ ٱلۡأَلۡبَـٰبِ"
"Say (O Muhammad): Are those who know equal to those who do not know? But only men of understanding will pay heed." (Az Zumar, 39)
And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
("فَضْلُ الْعَالِمِ عَلَى الْعَابِدِ كَفَضْلِي عَلَى أَدْنَاكُمْ" (الترمذ
"The superiority of a knowledgeable person over a worshipper is like my superiority over the lowliest of you." (Jami` at-Tirmidhi)
In another Hadith, he ﷺ states,
(فَقِيهٌ وَاحِدٌ أَشَدُّ عَلَى الشَّيْطَانِ مِنْ أَلْفِ عَابِدٍ" (الترمذي , ابن ماجه"
"One faqih (knowledgeable man) is more formidable against Satan than a thousand devoted worshippers." (Sunan Ibn Majah, Jami` at-Tirmidhi)
We aim to help produce individuals worthy of these descriptions in the Qur’an and Sunna. Our vision is to transmit sacred knowledge to our students through a model inspired by the Dars Nizami, one of the most successful models used in the subcontinent for over two centuries. This model does not require the use of distinct texts, but rather of a particular methodology. Even within the Dars Nizami itself, as times changed over its long history, so did the particular texts chosen to cover each subject area.
However it always involves teachers who have the connected chain of transmission (سند متصل).
The Dars Nizami is a disciplined system of study revolving around two main types of sciences: the “instrumental sciences” (علوم آلية) and the “higher sciences” (علوم عالية).
As for the instrumental sciences (علوم آلية), they include the various arts of the Arabic language, as well as the study of the principles underlying tafsir, hadith, and fiqh. These subjects are considered “instrumental” because a student must learn them in order to thoroughly comprehend the “higher sciences.” Since these subjects are a means to this end, students should focus not on completing one text after the other in these areas, but on doing what it takes to master the relevant concepts.
As for the higher sciences (علوم عالية), they include tafsir (exegesis), hadith, seerah, aqidah, fiqh, and others. The ideas within these subjects can never be encompassed by a single student in her or his lifetime. Our model, therefore, would be to provide students with a decent amount of exposure to classical texts from each subject area.
We at Nakhlah Institute currently focus on offering our Arabic Forensics program, which is geared towards providing proficiency in the Arabic Language. Within this program, we offer three different levels. Please see the “Courses” tab for more information on each.
We intend to restart classes in the higher sciences as well inshaAllah. We welcome your comments and questions, please contact us here.