Created by the late luminary Shaykh Muhammad Emin Er (c. 1914-2013), this is a series of twelve intermediate-level primers representing the prerequisites for scholarly literacy in the curriculum of the Ottoman seminary. These texts teach the fundamentals of language and thought, preparing students to move on to the advanced Islamic tradition, equipped to read religious and general texts closely, to understand complex ideas and arguments, and to truly strive for knowledge.
Translated into clear, idiomatic English and presented in a parallel bilingual Arabic/English format, the text is accompanied by explanatory notes and a comprehensive glossary containing translations and definitions of over 700 technical terms. This volume is intended as an expansive resource for the study of the traditional seminary sciences by English-speaking students, teachers and researchers alike.

With the ‘Verification and Renewal Curriculum Series’, ASIPT (The American Society of Islamic Philosophy and Theology) aims to re-imagine the Muslim seminary curriculum in light of modernity and the contemporary western world. Given the geographic scope of Islam, the Muslim scholastic tradition produced many different flavours of education, though each of these is ultimately rooted in the same religious texts. These programs of study are extensive, spanning from secondary education to high-level scholarship, with the aim of developing a strong thinker who is conversant with the sources and able to respond to challenges. We can think of these programs of education collectively as the Classical Islamic Seminary Curriculum.