Qur’an: A Light In The Postmodernity
This course serves as a springboard for students to develop a deep and engaged understanding of the Qur’an. Rooted in Surah al-Asr’s prerequisites for salvation—faith, righteous action, and communal pursuit of truth and perseverance—it aims to orient students toward a Qur’anic way of life that is not merely inherited but actively cultivated. This way of life, as the course demonstrates, is only possible through the intricate interplay of knowledge, worship, and activism.
However, the task of becoming human in the Qur’anic sense does not occur in an intellectual vacuum. Thus, this course places the Qur’an in conversation with influential currents of contemporary thought—philosophy, psychology, and secular ethics—that have imperceptibly shaped modern understandings of selfhood, morality, and knowledge. Through engagement with these perspectives, students will critically explore how a plain-sense reading of the Qur’an responds, reframes, and offers a path beyond them.
In addition to this plane-sense reading of the Qur’an, another dimension of this course involves a deeper appreciation of the Qur’anic language itself. The course delves into the linguistic precision, rhetorical beauty, and layered meanings of Qur’anic vocabulary, allowing students to see how the Qur’an’s words do not merely convey meaning but shape an entire way of perceiving reality. By tracing the roots, contexts, and intertextual connections of key Qur’anic terms, students will cultivate an intimate relationship with the language of revelation, enriching both their intellectual and spiritual journey.
The background understanding of this course remains: rather than simply being human, our task is to become human, and this becoming is impossible without realizing a deep and embodied God-consciousness—one that entails a responsibility toward the global community, modeled after the life of our Beloved Prophet ﷺ.
Ultimately, this course challenges students to move beyond a passive reading of the Qur’an toward an active Qur’anic consciousness, allowing them to think, live, and act through the lens of divine guidance in a world where competing ideas constantly vie for their understanding of reality.
Class Information
Format:
This online class is equivalent to three credit hour college class, expecting 3 hours of teaching per week. Class requirements include quizzes, assignments and a final exam and/or essay. Minimum attendance will be required where class recordings will be available for reference.
Weekly Schedule:
Thursday evening 7.30 pm ET (4.30 am Pk Time) – One hour
Sunday morning 11 am ET (8 pm Pk Time) – Two hours
Course Duration:
Starting from May 15th, 2025 to August 14th, 2025
Fee Structure:
$150 for full semester level course (for students in the USA) – Fee can also be paid in two equal installments.
Financial aid is available for eligible students. Please contact admin@kalimahins.org.
How it will benefit Me?
By the end of this course, students will have:
- Strengthened their familiarity with key Qur’anic concepts and learned to recognize the Qur’an’s distinctive way of framing reality, particularly around the themes of selfhood, morality, and responsibility.
- Gained introductory exposure to the linguistic beauty and depth of Qur’anic vocabulary, developing an appreciation for how Qur’anic language shapes understanding, even as full mastery remains a lifelong pursuit.
- Developed critical tools to engage thoughtfully with contemporary ideas, understanding how various modern currents both challenge and are challenged by the Qur’anic worldview.
- Deepened their orientation toward living a Qur’anic way of life, rooted in the interplay of knowledge, worship, and activism, while recognizing that embodying these ideals is a gradual process.
- Taken initial steps toward seeing their personal growth and social responsibility as interconnected dimensions of becoming human through God-consciousness.
This course is intended as a foundational step. It lays the groundwork for a series of future courses that will build upon and deepen the understanding, practice, and engagement initiated here. Students will leave better prepared to continue this journey of Qur’anic becoming, with further studies expanding both their intellectual and spiritual horizons.