Why the Alim Course?
يحمل هذا العلم من كل خلف عدوله، ينفون عنه تحريف الغالين، وانتحال المبطلين، وتأويل الجاهلين
‘This knowledge will be carried from every generation of scholars by its honest and fair-minded scholars. They will reject from it the alteration of the extremists, the appropriation of the corruptors, and the interpretation of the ignorant ones.’ ( At-Tabarani )
'Because you are talented, committed, passionate,
and want to achieve something special in your life.'
In every generation Ulama have been at the forefront of Islam, they were Khalifas, ministers, judges, jurists, generals, educators, and Imams. They are people who are distinguished primarily by knowledge. Muslims in every generation have ensured that the rich intellectual tradition of Islam is kept alive and thriving; starting with the mosque based intellectual circles to complex and thriving Madrasahs all over the Muslim world.
As more Muslims moved in to Britain and the West, it was only natural that centres of Islamic learning were also established here. Since the seventies, there have been madrasahs and Darul Ulooms accross the country producing ulama, many of whom are now serving and leading the Muslim community in many places.
Ebrahim College was also established by Ulama who studied at UK based madrasahs, who wanted to continue the hard work of the elder generation of ulama but at the same time improve upon their work by setting up a centre of learning with a unique curriculum and methodology. A system of learning that would ensure that the Alims it produced were of the highlest calibre: articulate in English, Arabic and ethnic languages, who had a strong practice-based understanding of the Qur'an and Sunnah coupled with an empirical understanding of life in the West.
Why you should become an Alim
- Because you want to inherit prophetic knowledge. According to a hadith of the Prophet Muhammad SAW, Alims are the inheritors of the prophets. They inherit the wealth of knowledge from them.
- Because you want to be among the most virtuous of people in society. Alims are people of knowledge, integrity, piety, honour and leadership. The Prophet SAW said, 'The virtue of an Alim over a worshiper is like the virtue I hold over the lowest of you.'
- Because you want to make a difference in the world: as a Alim you will be best equipped to make a difference in society, help alleviate ignorance and impiety, and serve Allah SWT in the footsteps of the Prophet SAW.
- Because you want to be successful in the next world. the Prophet SAW said, 'When a man dies, his actions disconnect from him eccept for 3 things: Sadaqah Jariyah, beneficial knowledge, and a pious child who prays for him.' An Alim leaves behind a legacy of knowledge that continues to benefit him long after his own life has ended.
- Because you are talented, committed, passionate, and want to achieve something special in your life
- Because being an Alim is one of the best and most respected careers.
Why become an Alim at Ebrahim College
- EC is the first and only Islamic centre of learning that offers the traditional Alim course and combines it with a broad choice of popular A-levels. It is well known that most Darul Ulooms only offer mainstream education up to GCSE level.
- EC is the first institute in the UK to teach the traditional Alim course directly in English and Arabic. This is no longer just a bold claim: our first cohort of students have now successfully completed the full Alim Course curriculum offered at EC. We can now say, 'it has been done!' It is still primarily taught in Urdu in almost all Darul Ulooms that offer it, thus restricting access and limiting its relevance to non Urdu speakers.
- EC is currently working towards offering the first ever degree, validated by a UK university, that is based on the traditional Alim Course. The BA will form a necessary but not sufficient part of it, meaning that those students who will become Ulama at EC will receive the traditional ijazah and graduate with a BA honours from a British university, while those who just study the BA will not receive the ijazah. This remains work in progress and we hope to finalise it soon.
- EC is now planning to offer the Alim course on a part time basis so that students who need to study flexibly, and sisters, can also access it.