The Certificate in Islamic Foundations equips students with a worldview firmly grounded in Islam and its core sciences while developing essential critical thinking skills for navigating modern challenges. Through structured study of Qur’an, Hadith, creed, law, spirituality, history, and introductory Arabic, students learn to understand and articulate their faith with clarity and confidence. Graduates of this program are prepared to serve their communities by being able to deliver Friday khuṭbahs, teach children in weekend schools, and take on volunteer community roles. The CIF also provides a seamless academic pathway into the Diploma in Islamic Studies degree.
| Course Code | Course Name | Description / Texts | Hours | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QUR 100 | Foundations of Qurʾānic Sciences | Gateway to Qur’anic Sciences [a summary of al-Itqān fī ʿUlūm al-Qurʾān (Suyūṭī)] | 16 | 1 |
| QUR 110 | Quranic Comprehension I | Guided reading of the Qurʾan with an emphasis on understanding meaning, context, and themes (Sūrah Fatiha, Kahf, and Juz ʿAmma) | 48 | 3 |
| QRM 100 | Memorization Proficiency | Sūrat al-Fajr – Sūrat al-Nās (half juzʾ) — [Proficiency Exam, Pass/Fail] | 1 | |
| HDH 100 | Introduction to Ḥadīth and Its Preservation | Introduction to Hadith Studies (Zubairi), Zād al-Ṭālibīn (al-Bulandshahrī) | 24 | 1.5 |
| FQH 100 | Foundations to Ḥanafī Fiqh I | Ascent to Felicity (al-Shurunbulālī) | 48 | 3 |
| FQH 101 | Foundations to Ḥanafī Fiqh II | al-Nuqayah (al-Zaylaʿī) – Family Law | 48 | 3 |
| FQH 102 | Foundations to Ḥanafī Fiqh III | al-Nuqayah (al-Zaylaʿī) – Transactions | 48 | 3 |
| USL 101 | Foundations of Islamic Legal Theory | al-Zād min Uṣūl al-Fiqh al-Islāmī (ʿAbd al-Karīm Zaydān; al-Būṭī abridgment) | 24 | 1.5 |
| TJD 101 | Introductory Tajwīd I | Introduction to correct pronunciation, recognition and articulation of letters, compound word formation, and basic vowel patterns | 16 | 1 |
| TJD 102 | Introductory Tajwīd II | Rules of nūn sākinah, mīm sākinah, madd, waqf, rāʾ, lām, ḥurūf al-muqattaʿāt, and rasm al-khaṭṭ | 16 | 1 |
| TJD 103 | Qurʾānic Fluency (Applied Tajwīd) | Guided practice to develop fluency and accuracy in recitation through application of all major tajwīd rules | 16 | 1 |
| TJD 201 | Qurʾān Recitation Practicum | Supervised recitation sessions emphasizing sustained accuracy, rhythm, and tajwīd application across selected sūrahs from all major sections of the Qurʾān | 16 | 1 |
| ARB 101 | Introductory Applied Arabic I | Madinah Book 1 (V. Abdur Rahim), Qaṣaṣ al-Nabiyyīn lil-Aṭfāl Book 1 (Nadwi), and Fundamentals of Classical Arabic (Sattar) | 48 | 3 |
| ARB 102 | Introductory Applied Arabic II | Qaṣaṣ al-Nabiyyīn lil-Aṭfāl Book 2-4 (Nadwi) | 48 | 3 |
| ARB 110 | Introductory Grammar I | Tasheel al-Naḥw (Ibn ʿUthaymīn) | 48 | 3 |
| AQD 100 | Foundations of Islamic Creed | Al-ʿAqīdah al-Ṭaḥāwiyyah (al-Ṭaḥāwī) | 48 | 3 |
| LOG 100 | Introduction to Critical Thinking | Selected Readings | 24 | 1.5 |
| TZK 101 | Foundations of Tazkiyah | Taʿlīm al-Muttaʿallim (al-Zarnūjī, Selected Readings) and Qurʾānic selections on nafs and qalb | 48 | 3 |
| HST 100 | Applied Sīrah | Revelation: The Story Of Muhammad (Mohiuddin) | 48 | 3 |
| HST 110 | Survey of the History of Muslim Societies | A History of Islamic Societies (Lapidus) – Pre-Islamic History to the Modern Era | 48 | 3 |
| HUM 100 | Western Philosophies and Its Islamic Intersections | A New History of Western Philosophy (Kenny), The Great Conversation (Melchert), History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps (Adamson), classical excerpts | 48 | 3 |