Course Title: Tajdīd and Tradition: Fourteen Centuries of Islamic Intellectual Renewal

Course Overview:  GITS 506 – Tajdīd and Tradition: Fourteen Centuries of Islamic Intellectual Renewal

This course surveys Islamic intellectual history through the lens of the Prophetic ḥadīth that “at the head of every hundred years, God will raise for this community one who will renew its religion.” Treated as a conceptual framework, this ḥadīth guides a century-by-century exploration of tajdīd (renewal) as an internal process of continuity, reinterpretation, and disciplined critique. The course begins with the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as the paragon of renewal—reviving the Abrahamic faith while reforming both earlier religious practices and the moral order of Meccan pagan society—and uses this model to frame all later discussions.

In every century, we will examine multiple candidates who might be considered its reviver. Students will read primary texts in English translation, situate each scholar within their political and institutional context, and compare their contributions. Throughout the course, I will put forward arguments for why particular figures should—or should not—be regarded as the most significant scholar of their century, and students will critically evaluate these claims.

Examples include comparisons such as Ibn ʿAbbās, ʿĀʾisha, and Ḥasan al-Baṣrī in the first century; Abū Ḥanīfa, Mālik, and al-Shāfiʿī in the formative period; and later figures including al-Ashʿarī, al-Juwaynī, al-Ghazālī, al-Rāzī, Ibn Taymiyya, Ibn Ḥajar, al-Sakhāwī, al-Sirhindī, Shāh Walī Allāh, Ibn ʿĀbidīn, Muḥammad ʿAbduh, and al-Albānī, culminating in reflection on modern scholars such as Sherman Jackson and Fazlur Rahman.

By the end of the course, students will understand renewal not as rupture, but as a sustained intellectual and spiritual process within Islamic tradition.

Who Should Enroll: Ideal for working professionals and lifelong seekers.

Date: March 25, 2026 - May 20, 2026

Day: Every  Wednesday

Time: 5:00-7:00 PM

Location: IOK Diamond Bar (1009 Vía Sorella, Diamond Bar, CA 91789) in Room 104 Left Side-Musalla and ONLINE Via Zoom

Course Duration: 9 Sessions

Format: Weekly in-person or online lectures, interactive discussions with readings, and assignments.

Instructor: Shaykh Omar Qureshi, PhD in Religion, University of Southern California

Dr. Omar Qureshi was born and raised in Southern California and comes from a distinguished family of Subcontinent ulama from the city of Tonk, such as Haydar Hasan Khan, Mahmoud Hasan Khan, and Wali Hasan Khan. After earning his undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of California, Irvine, Dr. Qureshi traveled to Damascus, Syria where he spent three years (2008-2011) building a foundation in Arabic and Islamic sciences at Abu Noor University. He then enrolled at Cairo’s al-Azhar University (2011-2016), graduating from the Shari'ah College and receiving licenses (ijazat) to teach various Islamic sciences from numerous scholars. He then pursued his doctorate at the University of Southern California’s School of Religion (2016-2025). Specializing in Islamic intellectual history, Western philosophy, politics, and social theory, his research focused on the evolution of the Hanafi legal tradition, highlighting its dynamism and methods of continuity. After completing the PhD, Shaykh Omar began working on a monograph centered on the works of the Hanafi mufti Muhammad Amin Ibn 'Abidin and the societal role of fatwas. He is a full-time seminary instructor Institute of Knowledge Seminary. In addition to his legal scholarship, Professor Qureshi is also engaged in Quranic studies, writing an exegesis of selected verses from the Meccan and Medinan periods of revelation.

Enroll now! Join us on this transformative journey into the heart of the Islamic intellectual tradition and its relevance for today.

Cost: $300

If you are auditing, the class will be $200. Please email rsohail@instituteofknowledge.com to pay for the course. Please note that you may attend lectures and participate in discussions. You will not receive any assignments, grading, or credential for this course. It is ideal for personal enrichment and flexible learning.

Please note that this course is NON-REFUNDABLE and will close 2 weeks after the course ends.