Professional Diploma in the Fiqh of Affliction and Building Certainty
Islamic Studies / Islamic Creed and Islamic Thought — Novera University
1. Program Overview:
An accredited professional and applied program extending over 3 months (80 hours of approved study load), aimed at consolidating the doctrinal, intellectual, and educational understanding of the patterns of affliction in the Islamic worldview, and building certainty and spiritual and psychological resilience among individuals and communities in confronting crises and tribulations. The program covers the concept of affliction and its divine patterns, clarifying divine wisdom and addressing the doubt of the “problem of evil and suffering,” the effect of belief in divine decree and destiny on psychological tranquility, understanding human nature, psychological reactions, and emotions during hardships, the levels and stations of faith-based dealing with affliction (patience, contentment, and gratitude), drawing inspiration from Qur’anic and Prophetic models, deconstructing crises of doubt and contemporary afflictions, and applications for building certainty and faith-based recovery.
2. Key Objectives:
- Doctrinal grounding of the patterns of affliction: understanding the Islamic worldview of the universe and life as an abode of testing and purification, and understanding the divine patterns governing trials and hardships.
- Deconstructing contemporary doubts concerning evil and suffering: possessing doctrinal and rational tools to respond to philosophical and atheistic problems concerning divine wisdom and human pain.
- Consolidating the foundations of contentment with divine decree and destiny: explaining the effect of belief in destiny and reliance on Allah in achieving tranquility of the heart and protection from brokenness, despair, and psychological disturbance.
- Understanding the human psyche in crises: studying innate human emotions and feelings during hardship, and regulating the scope of legitimate grief and the boundaries separating it from panic and discontent.
- Advancing through the stations of faith: training in activating the stations of beautiful patience, contentment and submission, and discovering blessings within trials.
- Building applied recovery and certainty programs: employing Qur’anic and Prophetic experiences in designing guidance and educational plans to strengthen the psychological and spiritual resilience of individuals and communities.
3. Target Audience:
- Preachers, imams, public speakers, and officials responsible for religious and educational guidance and counseling.
- Psychological and family counselors, and psychological and social support specialists in areas affected by crises, wars, and disasters.
- Teachers, educators, and supervisors of charitable and humanitarian centers and associations and the care of affected persons.
- Researchers and those interested in issues of creed, contemporary Islamic thought, and the psychology of religion.
- Youth and the general public interested in building their spiritual and intellectual resilience and confronting life challenges and afflictions with steadfastness and certainty.
4. Study Plan and Courses (8 Courses — 24 Interactive Lectures):
|
Course Code |
Course Name |
Number of Lectures |
Total Hours
|
|
FBY101 |
The Concept of Affliction in the Islamic Worldview and Its Divine Patterns |
3 |
6 hours |
|
FBY102 |
Divine Wisdom and the Problem of Evil and Suffering |
3 |
6 hours |
|
FBY103 |
Belief in Divine Decree and Destiny and Its Effect in Confronting Trials |
3 |
6 hours |
|
FBY104 |
The Human Being in Confronting Hardships: Emotions, Reactions, and Areas of Testing |
3 |
6 hours |
|
FBY105 |
Stations of Faith-Based Dealing with Affliction |
4 |
8 hours |
|
FBY106 |
Qur’anic and Prophetic Models in the Fiqh of Affliction |
3 |
6 hours |
|
FBY107 |
Contemporary Afflictions and Challenges of Building Certainty |
3 |
6 hours |
|
FBY108 |
From Understanding Affliction to Building Certainty: Applications and Case Study |
2 |
4 hours |
|
|
Total: 8 Courses |
24 Lectures |
48 Training Hours
|
5. Organizational Structure and Assessment System:
- Duration and sessions: 3 months (evening period), at a rate of two lectures per week, two hours per lecture = 48 interactive training hours.
- Language of study and delivery method: Arabic | fully remote interactive training (Online).
- Distribution of approved hours (80 hours):
· 48 hours: direct interactive lectures and discussion and reflection sessions.
· 14 hours: required readings and major references in creed, spiritual purification, and the jurisprudence of divine decree and destiny.
· 6 hours: guided enrichment readings on the psychological dimension of faith and refutation of philosophical doubts.
· 6 hours: assignments and practical applications (situation analysis and study of real cases).
· 6 hours: self-assessment questions, final review, and final completion examination.
- Attendance and assessment requirements: attendance of no less than 75% of the direct interactive lectures, and submission of the prescribed assignments and practical applications.
- Certificate and graduation project: the graduate is awarded a Professional Diploma in the Fiqh of Affliction and Building Certainty after passing the electronic examination (25 questions + 5 questions on practical cases and situations) and optionally preparing an integrated applied case study aimed at building a faith-based recovery and certainty plan for a real or contemporary case of affliction.
