بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
الحمد لله ربّ العالمين و صلى الله على سيدنا محمّد و سلّم. اما بعد: ا
As-Salaamu alaikum wa rahmatullah.
May Allah increase everyone associated with the CA in good, over look their shortcomings and raise them in their rank before Him...ameen.
As for my own input, I think much has already been said and what I add is mostly repitition. I planned to refrain from posting but at the request of our sheikh I feel compelled.
I do not necessarily agree that the specialty of the CA is Hadith. It is true that the study of Hadith sciences and texts has been the core teaching and it is this field that the CA was built upon however, this is more a reflection of the background of our sheikh, may Allah preserve him. I have a different perspective of the specialties of Cordoba and they are two. The first is a 'live' or 'real time' connection to high level scholars who have learned through the traditional Ijaza system and the second is the continuity of the Ijaza system. There are many online Islamic education sites these days and there are some which follow the western style university system with its curricula and degrees and there are other sites which teach traditional texts by qualified teachers...and there are even some which successfully join between the two. [I would offer examples for each but I believe it is CA policy not to mention other academies and I will honor that] Some of these online schools follow classical curricula and others offer classical texts; Some offer recordings and student forums, others offer live classes with PowerPoint presentations, and still others combine these - and similar to the CA, in my own experience (and I have a little bit of experience with online studies), the level of scholarship in several of these academies is high (and this should be thoroughly maintained) and "connected" through the traditional Ijaaza system. So what actually sets the CA apart from the others? First that the classes are live, and of course the students can listen to recordings and benefit from the knowledge but unlike other academies the live attendance in a class matters and is key. You can not 'finish' a course unless you are there in the classes taking them in real time from a living scholar, hearing his words as he speaks them...this in itself raises the standard. Secondly, despite having the certificate program, a seeker who actually dedicates himself to studying a text can be connected back to the author of that text with an unbroken chain, taking permission to relay that text to one's family and friends (and perhaps eventually even students). I contrast this with those academies which never give certificates, those which only give a single certificate of completion at the end of a level (such as a degree) or those which refuse to give any Ijaaza in any text unless you complete the entire three or more year course. This in my opinion, is really the two points that make the CA stand out. [as a side note, I will offer a short anecdote that can be skipped by anyone uninterested - a little over a month ago I sought out the contact information of a Muhadith here in the U.S. and called him. I sought permission from him to visit him and told him I was willing to rent a car, drive twelve hours each way to sit with him and take nothing more than some musalsal ahadith that must be taken in person such as the Hadith of the handshake. His responce was to ask me what shariah course I finished. Then he asked if I wanted to enroll in his academy for three years of study. Then he asked if I understood what an ijaza was before saying he couldn't give me permission to narrate a Hadith if I haven't gone through one of their schools because they have their own curriculum. It is in the face of this type of thinking that the CA really shines.]
As for the Hadith sciences, I hope that we will see a growth in the offerings, such as a return of the Muqadima of Saheeh Muslim. What is more, I hope that we can see an increase in Hadith courses which go over short texts - such as was mentioned earlier, different collections of Arba'oon and Thulathiyaat. Our sheikh, may Allah preserve him, mentioned during the last Maqra series that it is possible to do one day intensives of texts such as the Thulathiyaat of Bukhari - I think such endeavors would be highly beneficial for the CA, the teachers and the students. As for longer texts, those with several hundred ahadith, it is known that to complete them will take several seasons and much dedication - and so perhaps a change can be made as to how this is approached (such as a single fee for, say, three parts of a text which will be continued without a break so as to maintain continuity - again, just a thought). I myself am still hopeing for the opportunity to take the Shama'il.
The Bayquniyya, Nukbat, etc. must be maintained as they are needed desperately in our time and in the studies of any real student. The textsof narrations such as Rihla and Iqtida' which allow not only learning the knowledge itself but an introduction into the narrators are also invaluable. I would like to see more opportunities to learn about the people of Hadith through such texts. Again, something students need.
As for the other sciences, we must - without any doubt - establish the fard ayn. Though at the level of instruction offered at the CA everyone should know their fard ayn, in our day and age this should not be taken for granted. Many times people memorize much Qur'an, learn Tafseer, study the sciences of Hadith, etc....but never learned how to correct their prayer if there was an error made. They learn Kalam in order to debate or give da'wa (or worse, have the modern day inquisitions at the local masjid) but never learned the basics of our Aqeedah from a well established source. How many are quick to condemn anyone who uses the term "tasawwuf" and so never learned the the obligatory matters concerning reformation of character. So again, in my opinion, this is a fundamental necessity for the CA to offer such knowledge from qualified scholars that can connect the student back to our scholars with the confidence of the Ijaaza system.
As for Arabic, there can be no doubt of its importance but the best way to learn Arabic is not online, and if one does seek it online, one on one is best. I think that to attempt to teach texts such as the Ajrumiyya, let alone anything larger, unless you have a very highly qualified teacher who specializes in teaching the text, it will not have a high success rate. (though I will admit I would take the course.)
As for the Qur'an, my thoughts about learning Tajweed are the same as my thoughts on learning Arabic. Hifdh of Qur'an is similarly not an online class endeavor. If here are teachers willing to help the students one on one, I think that would be a good offering of the CA but it would be a branching from the norm. Finally, Tafseer, I think that to go over Tafseer of the Qur'an is long term (perhaps over a year even for jalalayn) and so to study Tafseer, select ayat could be offered to I've students the keys and tools to understand how to understand, how to approach the study of Tafseer. Similar to the teaching of its usool as is already done at the CA. I think that it is a good idea to have Maqras of the short Tafaseer though.
The last point to mention before I conclude is seerah. I think that this is something we desperately need in our time...fiqh us-seerah to be exact. We need to know our prophet (may the best of benedictions be upon him), understand his character and see his example - we need to love him and follow him and the only way is to know him. So I think that it is imperative to add some courses on seerah or even aspects of the seerah. Along those lines, the Shifa would also be a welcome addition...though it would take several course parts to complete, it is a very necessary book with knowledge we are in desperate need of.
Following this last point, as for the question of future Maqras, I personally think that the texts of a Maqra should be texts of narrations. Texts such as the Shifa (as a weak example) should be studied with some explenation. Of course there are exceptions such as those attendees who have fundamental knowledge and understanding of a topic, but in general, courses of technical texts are best for the online venue so as to protect the ijaza system.
I personally look forward to continuing my own growth with an expanding CA. As for the texts I would like to see, both of those under seerah but especially the Sham'il, as for fiqh, matn Akhdari, as for the Hadith sciences, The Muqadimah though not on the list...as for what is on the list, I will trust my sheikh as for what should be taught next. The rest of my selections can be discerned from my lengthy post.
I hope that something in this verbose post is of some benefit to someone. I apologize if I in anyway came off as rude or offending to anyone in anything that I said. I pray Allah grant the CA and everyone associated with it, staff, students, support and especially our scholars, success in this life and the hereafter...ameen.
Wa alaikum salaam,
Wm. Halim Breiannis