The Book of Assistance

• Understand this comprehensive advice of a spiritual master
• Receive practical instruction about your deen that you can apply into your life
• Receive a text of spirituality from a chain of transmission and benefit from the blessing of this chain

• There are no required prerequisites.
• You are required to have a copy of the Book of Assistance by Imam al-Haddad.
• You are required to have a working headset microphone in order to participate completely in the live sessions.
• Estimated Commitment Per Week: 4-5 hours for core requirements
• Learn how to make sure your computer is ready.

• Introduction
• Certainty
• Intention
• Vigilance
• The Inner and the Outer Self
• Regular Devotions
• Reciting the Quran
• Acquiring Knowledge
• Remembrance
• Reflection
• Following the Book and Sunna
• Doctrine
• Religious Obligations
• Cleanliness
• Following the Sunna
• Conduct in Mosques
• The Ritual Prayer
• Prayer in Congregation
• Zakat
• Fasting
• Pilgrimage
• Scrupulousness
• Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil
• Social Duties
• Kindness and Charity
• Counsel
• Salutations and a Salutary Opinion
• Repentance, Hope and Fear
• Fortitude
• Gratitude
• Renunciation
• Reliance on God
• Divine Love and Contentment
• Conclusion

A descendant of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, Imam ‘Abdallah al-Haddad is considered to have been the renewer (mujaddid) of the twelfth Islamic century. A teacher of Islamic jurisprudence and Islamic spirituality, his books, letters, and mystical poetry illustrate his high spiritual station and nearness to Allah.

As the present day translator of many of Imam al-Haddad’s works, Dr. Mostafa al-Badawi, explains, his teachings "are mostly concerned with establishing within his readers the firmest possible foundations for faith and certainty. He recognized the signs of his times and of the times to come, and observed how people were drawing away from religion, exhibiting a reluctance to study and a diminishing inclination to seek spiritual growth. He therefore endeavored to produce concise, clear, and uncontroversial texts."

Amongst Imam al-Haddad’s works is the Book of Assistance, widely believed to be the greatest summary of Islamic spirituality ever written. In it, he summarizes the foundations of Islamic spirituality into 32 succinct, practical chapters covering topics such as certainty, vigilance, knowledge, reflection, prayer, adherence to the sunna, and much more. The book serves as a comprehensive, practical manual for traveling the path to Allah and is taught to the present day by teachers of Islamic spirituality throughout the world.

This course will provide you with the most basic, yet deeply profound, principles of Islamic spirituality. You will learn how to apply the great Imam's teachings into your life. The focus of the course is on the blameworthy traits of the heart and how to remove them, the praiseworthy traits of the heart and how to nurture them, and the fundamentals of developing good Muslim character.

Shaykh AbdulKarim Yahyaa received a chain of transmission of the Book of Assistance from his teachers whose knowledge is traced back to Imam Al-Haddad himself. You will gain benefit from the blessing of this chain in understanding the comprehensive advice of a spiritual master. You will also receive general counsel in the religion so that you can apply it to seeking nearness to Allah.

This course is one of the core requirements of the Foundations curriculum, so completing it is necessary for anyone who would like to receive the Diploma.

• Weekly live lessons will be taught by Shaykh AbdulKarim Yahyaa.
• Printable course slides will add structure to lessons.
• A personal reflection journal will strengthen your understanding of the material.
• All live sessions will be recorded, so that you can hear lessons that you may miss or review key concepts.
• You can post questions and engage in discussion in the course forum.
• Shaykh AbdulKarim will hold weekly office hours.

• “This course leads the way to change your life for the better. You learn how to change mundane actions into acts of Ibadah. Masha'Allah. Masha'Allah Shaykh Abdul Kareem really knows what he is talking about. He is encouraging and gave valuable advice on how we can implement these changes into our lives.”
  Rozina Shabbir
  Fundraiser, High Wycombe, UK

  “This course is a great introduction to Tassawuf for those who have grown up in a world sceptical of one of the greatest sciences of Islam.”
  Ghaith Krayem
  HR Manager, Melbourne, Australia

  “I would definitely recommend this course and indeed have already started! Approachable, wise, informative...in short one of the best teachers I have known. A true reflection of the sunnah. May Allah preserve him, we need more like him!”
  Farkhandah Raqib
  Optometrist, Derby, UK

  “I would recommend it because, the teacher is awesome, the material is phenomenal and you will get to learn a lot about the spiritual aspect of our religion.”
  Wasem Gawish
  Intern, Tulsa, USA

  “The course opened up a real new dimension to my faith and life that I did not suspect: Shaykh Abdul-Karim Yahya is very patient and knowledgeable and gently led us a path into the beautiful text of Imam Al-Haddad. It was altogether "crushing" and "uplifting": this course will insha'Allah resonate for years and years to come in my life.”
  Safiyah Paine
  Freelance Trainer, Bloomington, USA

  “It is a great way to get your foot into the door of Ihsan...The instructor was great. Shaykh Yahya seems to be in a constant state of Dhikhr. Its hard not to be impressed by him. Also he is a very good speaker and presented the course material in a very clear manner.”
  Zakariyya Dupont
  Caretaker, Youbou, Canada

  “I would definitely recommend this course to others because you can't practice this deen fully until you take the time and energy to learn about your Lord and the prophet (SAW). This class and the previous class that I had made me realize how beautiful this religion is, and how much more I want to learn about it. I had the pleasure of making hajj in 2004, and one of my duas was that Allah would allow me to find a class to teach me my religion. I have always taken classes, but I was never exposed to such a beautiful learning experience.”
  Francine Dennis
  Owner of a Family Daycare, Philadelphia, USA

  “The material in this course is very practical and can be brought to life in ones daily activities. Shaykh Abdulkarim Yahya is excellent teacher and brings tremendous spirituality to the course. Furthermore there is ample time for teacher-student time during office hours.”
  Faysal Dahir
  Technician, Renton, USA

  “I would recommend this particular course to others as a summary of the principles of pursuing and attaining excellence in all things, there are few rivals.”
  Rafael Jara
  Student, Palm Beach Gardens, USA

  “I would highly recommend this course to each and every person as this blessed text which has been written so succinctly is packed with immense advice that helps one to draw closer to Allah azza wa jal, Shaykh Abdul Kareem as always does an excellent job of making this text, which was written some 300 years ago, very relevant to current times. The advice and key actions from each lesson were very beneficial. May Allah give us all tawfiq to live this book.”
  Faisal Khan
  Project Manager, Crawley, UK

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