Hamza Karamali: SunniPath Teacher

With a passion for creating "real scholarship," Shaykh Hamza Karamali himself is a reflection of this type of scholarship with his comprehensive knowledge of all the Islamic disciplines, sensitivity to the modern context, and eloquence.

Shaykh Hamza has been studying the Islamic sciences with leading scholars for over ten years. He has received personal instruction in the disciplines of theology, Islamic law, legal maxims, Sufism, hadith, tafsir, legal methodology, hadith methodology, logic, Arabic grammar, Arabic morphology, Arabic rhetoric, Arabic lexicology, tajwid, and the canonical recitations of the Quran. He has memorized the Quran, as well as versified technical manuals of several religious disciplines.

He has applied his uniquely comprehensive religious training and his deep familiarity with Western thought and culture to developing the four main SunniPath curricula: Foundations, Seekers, Miftah, and Sibawayh. He is admired by his students for his dedication, motivational speaking, eloquence, and teaching skills.

Shaykh Hamza writes frequently for the SunniPath Blog and SunniPath Answers Service, and his answers are famous for their depth and understanding. He is currently working on publishing a series of books for learning Arabic, a commentary on the creed of Imam Tahawi, and a contemporary commentary on the Waraqat of Imam al-Juwayni.

Shaykh Hamza Fact Sheet:

Full Name: Hamza Karamali
Kunya: Abu Shu'ayb
Place of Birth: Karachi, Pakistan
Places Lived: Saudi Arabia (al-Khobar), Pakistan (Karachi), Qatar (Doha), Canada (Toronto), Jordan (Amman)
Current Residence: Based in Amman, Jordan
Ethnicity: Pakistani
Languages: English (fluent), Arabic (fluent), Urdu (fluent), French (proficient)
College Education: University of Toronto, BASc. Computer Engineering 2002, MASc. Computer Engineering 2004
Children: Shuayb, Khalid
Favorite Books: Everything written by Imam Ghazali. Intellectually, Imam Ghazali was a genius, in learning, he was a polymath, spiritually, he was a wali, he represented Islam against the most difficult problems of his age and earned the title Hujjat al-Islam. He was known for his ability to incisively express the most difficult issues in the clearest of ways. He is my hero.
Favorite Hobbies: Poetry and literature (both English and Arabic)
Books Published: Commentary on the Tahawiyya (pending publication); Essential Legal Methodology, a translation of a commentary on the Waraqat by Shaykh Hassan Hitou (pending publication); Introductory Arabic, a textbook for the Miftah curriculum (in progress)
Particularly Passionate About: Creating real scholarship. A real scholar is someone who has (a) mastered all of the religious disciplines (this is now very rare—there are scholars who are strong in Islamic Law, or theology, or tafsir, or the Arabic language, but barely anyone who is strong in every discipline, as used to be the case in the past), (b) mastered the religiously relevant secular sciences of the modern age (there has never been a scholar to date who has done this), (c) is able to articulate himself effectively, and (d) (most importantly) is someone who has the spiritual state of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). (Imam Ghazali, for example, fulfilled these characteristics.) There needs to be synthesis between the knowledge of modernity and the knowledge of revelation.

Islamic Education:
Quran: Memorized the Quran during my University studies in Canada.
Arabic: Studied Arabic with teachers in Syria, Jordan, UAE, and Kuwait.
Arabic-Grammar: Memorized the Ajurrumiyya early in my studies. Studied several commentaries on the Ajurrumiyya. Studied Sharh Qatr al-Nada. Currently studying Sharh Ibn 'Aqil on the Alfiyya of Ibn Malik, with memorization of the Alfiyya and all the shawahid (ancient Arabic poetry cited as proof for grammatical positions).
Arabic-Morphology: Studied al-'Izzi and half of Sharh al-Marah.
Arabic-Rhetoric: Studied Sharh al-Lubb al-Masun.
Arabic Lexicology: Studied 'Umdat al-Huffaz of al-Samin al-Halabi, as well as other works.
Aqida: Studied with Shaykh Abdul Karim Tattan, a leading contemporary scholar of aqida whose two-volume commentary on Jawharat al-Tawhid is an important reference in the field.
Hadith Methodology: Studied with Shaykh Salah al-Din al-Idlibi, a leading contemporary scholar of hadith methodology who studied with several famous hadith scholars of recent times, such Shaykh Abdullah Siraj al-Din, Shaykh Abdullah al-Ghumari, and Shaykh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghudda, all leading hadith scholars of recent times. Studied Sharh Nukhbat al-Fikar and half of Muqaddimat Ibn al-Salah with the notes of Iraqi and Ibn Hajar.
Fiqh: Studied fiqh with teachers in Syria and Jordan.
Usul al-Fiqh: Studied with teachers in Jordan and Kuwait. Books studied include the Waraqat of Imam Juwayni, a Hanbali book on usul, and Minhaj al-Wusul of Imam Baydawi.
Logic: Studied the Sullam with a teacher three times. Memorized most of the matn.
Overall: In general, studied almost every discipline.

Courses Taught:

Summer 2010 Courses

Spring 2010 Courses

Winter 2010 Courses

Introduction to Islamic Worship (Shafi'i) - Part 1

Fall 2009 Courses

Summer 2009 Courses

Spring 2009 Courses

Other Courses Previously Taught

What His Students Say:

“Shaykh Hamza has a tremendous amount of taqwa. He has the right view about life. This is why this course was so successful. It's because of the way he is.”
Naielah Ackbarali
Student, Damascus, Syria

“I loved Sheikh Hamza for his teaching style and his ability to explain complex issues in a way that is easy to understand and for also clarifying and guiding us towards what we really need to know rather than what we think we need to know. I also thank him and hope Allah blesses and rewards him, not only for the mountain of knowledge he was able to impart on us, but for the patience he showed in answering questions and giving advice. Jazakallahu khairan Sheikh Hamza. ”
Simon Dewar
IT Professional, Canberra, Australia

“He relates course material to everyday life. He provides knowledgeable instruction. He is always to the point. He always exceeds my expectations.”
Eiman Khalifa
Housewife, Markham, Canada

“Shaykh Hamza cleared a lot of the issues I had in my mind, and he did it with such ease and in such a precise and effective manner. One of the greatest things I appreciated was how he would put what we were learning into context of the bigger picture i.e. our relationship with Allah. I will always be indebted to him for the knowledge he has passed on, even when he was ill and was not in a state to teach, he did his best to teach the live session, and found alternatives when he could not! May Allah always increase him in all goodness and closeness to Allah.”
Omar Helal
IT Developer, Sydney, Australia

“Learning under & with Shaykh Hamza, may Allah preserve him, is always an enjoyable & invigorating experience. His dedication to sacred knowledge & its transmission is evident in his approach of the subject matter as well as his interaction with his students.”
Anwar Bin Umer
Ph.D. Student, Paterson, USA

“Sh. Hamza is an amazing teacher. Allah has given him an ability to breakdown complex concepts into palatable pieces. I ask Allah to give me the opportunity to study in person with this noble servant of Allah.”
Fahad Tasleem
Accountant, Houston, USA

“Shaykh Hamza is my favorite SunniPath teacher. Masha'Allah he is very smart and loves conveying his broad knowledge to students. The traits that I admire is that he is patient with students, is humble and takes into consideration our thoughts and ideas.”
Maryam Chahine
Student, Amman, Jordan

“Sheikh Hamza Karamali does very good job of emphasizing the great importance of each detail in Islamic Fiq. He appears to be very sincere and dedicated to what he is saying. One can not help but feel love for such a wonderful teacher. I found the instructor to be very helpful and knowledgeable in what he was saying. He offers a wide variety of proofs to back up his words while at the same time staying concise and on topic o the learner may remain in triaged and attentive. Allah put a Nur in him to pass on the knowledge bestowed upon him, al7amduliAllah.”
Dawood Abdal Wadood Bathurst
Landscaper, Surrey, Canada

“Sheikh Hamza Karamali is a genius, mashallah.”
Sultan Ghuman
Student, Upper Darby, USA

“Shaykh Hamza is very exacting in his explanations and methodological in his approach.”
Rayad Khan
NYC, USA

“Shaykh Hamza Karamli has a way of making the obscure easy to understand and was very eloquent in presenting the material and answering questions from students.”
Mohamed Ramli
Singapore, Singapore

“Shaykh Hamza is a very humble teacher who demonstrates much passion for the subject and makes very difficult material as easy to understand as is possible with such a difficult subject. Shaykh Hamza has a knack for answering questions in the course of his lessons before the questions arise.”
Nagina Razak
Slough, UK

“Sheikh Hamza certainly has a great mastery of the subject matter and can explain things that I thought I understood. However, when I hear it from him, I realize how much he has truly internalized fiqh.”
Moustafa Elqabbany
Manager, Amman, Jordan

“Shaik Hamza is mashAllah very good. His way of dealing with concepts clears up many things everytime he is heard. May Allah (swt) bless increase his knowledge and preserve him.”
Obaidullah Mohammed
GIS Urban Planner, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

“Sheikh hamza was very polite and amazingly knowledgable. Though I expected nothing less from a sunnipath teacher what i loved most was the way he answered the students - not humiliating or embrassing anyone but only politely correcting them. Since this is my second course online - I was again very behind but when I e-mailed him - he was masshallah very nice and told me specificlly how to catch up. Mashallah he was a amazing teacher - I would love to take his courses again.”
Sana Khalid
Student, Scarborough, Canada

“Sh. Hamza is a very honest person, and inspiring also. If he didn't know the answer he could say, i don't know.”
Aaleyah Habibullah
Student/Housewife, Melbourne, Australia

“Sheikh Hamza's approach is superb; the material is of very high standard and is presented in a way most appealing to students who have had western tertiary education. Sheikh Hamza is to be highly commended for his presentation of this course.”
Radia Rasheed-Ben Fayed
Qur'an Teacher, Tarim, Yemen

“Sh. Hamza is amazing to learn from. His passion for knowledge and spreading it is unique in our time and I pray that Allah benefits many from him.”
Talut Dawood
Sales Associate, Centertown, USA

“I am very thankful to Shaykh Hamza. Alhamdulillah he is an excellent teacher and explains difficult concepts in a very easy to understand, lucid manner. It is such an enlightning experience just to listen to him translating the hadiths and then explaining the meaning of it and what it is trying to convey. I always look forward to the weekly lessons with Shaykh Hamza.”
Arif Khan
Software Professional, Chicago, USA

“Sheikh Hamza Karamali is a brilliant teacher masha'Allah. (He) was amazing! masha'Allah! A true inspiration :)”
Asra Anjam
Student, Sydney, Australia

“Sheikh Hamza really impressed me with his energy, passion and knowledge.”
Syed Ahmed
Enterprise Architect, Bankstown, Australia

“Sh. Hamza is awesome. That's all I can say. May Allah preserve him.”
Talut Dawood
IT Analyst, Raleigh, USA

“(Shaykh Hamza) is alhumdullillah a knowledgeble scholar, may Allah protect him, and may Allah benefit most of us from his abilities to spread the truth.”
Obaidullah Mohammed
Urban Planner, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

“He was so good, look forward to having him again in future courses inshaallah.”
Linda Fasasi
Wife/Mom, Chicago, USA

“He is excellent in his ability to get at the root issues of a topic rather than the peripheral issues which often distract students.”
Mohammed Saeed
Student, UK

“The instructor is amazing, Masha Allah. He keeps the class engaged with his questions during the lessons.”
Hafsa Taher
Freelance Photographer, Bangalore, India

“Shaykh Hamza is an excellent teacher. Out of all of his great characteristics, the best one he has is patience. I have taken several classes with him and have emailed him many times regarding several things in relation to the courses and he has always been so patient in answering my questions. On top of that, he shows a great deal of humbleness while teaching. He is someone whose characterisics I really look up to.”
Hafsa Abubeker
Student, Ottawa, Canada

“Mashallah, Sheikh Hamza was very inspiring, my iman would rise during his live sessions like a sine, cosine curve. May Allah reward him. Amen.”
Sultan Ghuman
Student, Upper Darby, USA

“Shaykh Hamza is maa shaa Allah a very good teacher - very patient and well mannered.”
Zartash Hussain
Luton, UK

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