How and Where to Learn About Islam

You can start with Islamic studies online Learning Islam at home.

With an ever increasing dominance of the internet there is a huge drive to allow people to study online. Muslims have experienced a massive shift in the way they study Islam using material online. In this advanced technological age with access to profound levels of readily accessible knowledge, Islamic knowledge is available for mass absorption at the end of our fingertips through the internet and online Islamic courses.

Only a decade ago, scholars and students had to search through their books and study material to get information. Today’s online access to Islamic knowledge has given students the chance to learn without leaving their homes and the ability to search for topics and get answers almost instantly.

It is quite often overlooked and students do not realize that studying Islam or any other subject through the internet requires a lot of self-discipline. It is easy to be distracted unless you develop that self-control. If you plan on studying Islam using online courses make sure to select an online Islamic course that provides direct interaction with other students and a reputable scholar of Islam.

At a basic level you are okay to study alone, however as your Islamic knowledge increases and you get to the stage where you need to apply your knowledge into practical form, it is advisable that you seek the experience and knowledge of a qualified Islamic Scholar who should guide you in how you can apply the learning in your practical day-to-day activities.

Those who are interested in beginning an Islamic course online should clarify why they are willing to spend this time learning and what they wish to achieve from that course. By taking time to analyse your requirements and the end goal will help in achieving success with your learning. Studying Islam online is not the best method for everyone, so it is up to each student to prepare themselves before they commit to a program.

Everything from the very basic principles of Islamic Theology to the most advanced Islamic courses can be studied online. There are online Islamic courses ranging from free to paid full-time degree or PhD level qualifications. The biggest disadvantage to studying online is the lack of interaction with a teacher. In many of the books on seeking knowledge in Islam, emphasis is placed on how a student should behave with their teacher.

Your teacher is not only the source of knowledge and wisdom, but also the source of manners. Therefore it is important for students who are taking a course of study online to focus on improving their character along with their knowledge of Islam. You should also remember that knowledge is a tool that needs manners to make it run. Knowledge and manners go hand in hand, and without manners, your knowledge will not take you far.

Listed below are only two sites of many such online Islamic study sites that you can use to learn Islam.

To learn the Quran online you should consider using the following site:

http://houseofquran.com/quransys/qsys.html

This distance learning Islamic study site gives you the ability to play the verses of the Quran so that you can recite the verses along with the reciter. You can set the repetition and the person who you want to recite the verses for you. You can also learn the meaning of each of the verses in English.

I find this site a very useful tool to learn and memorise the verses of the Quran.

To take a more advanced level of study you may consider visiting the following site:

http://www.islamiconlineuniversity.com/

This site provides you with the ability to study for a BA in Usool ud-Deen (Religious Foundations) curriculums of Madinah University, Saudi Arabia, Omdurman Islamic University, Sudan, Al-Azhar in Egypt and other similar reputable Islamic institutions.

6 subjects are offered for study each semester. The semesters consist of 5 months each, with an online mid-term exam after two and a half months and a supervised final online at the end of the fifth month.

Students are free to access their classes whenever it is convenient for them, however assignments have to be turned in and exams (mid-term and finals) have to be taken at fixed times.

I have just listed two of many such distance learning Islamic studies online courses and for learning the Quran. For additional resources please use Google search. Make sure that the site you visit and decide to study with is a reputable online Islamic Study site and is endorsed and supported by known Islamic Scholars.

Although learning Islam online is a possibility it should not be the only means to you acquiring Islamic knowledge. Nothing can replace the direct contact with an Islamic scholar and the value that interaction will add to your progress in gaining a better understand of Islam and developing the proficiency required for living your life as a Muslim.

Too many people often neglect the important role that a teacher of Islamic knowledge has on each and every student that wishes to learn and practice Islam.

Finding learning material online is easy, reading it, remembering it may also be easy but being able to comprehend the finer details and being able to put into practice what you have learned can not be done just from online learning. You need that interaction with a qualified reputable scholar of Islam. Islam is not what you read, it is how you apply it to your daily life in context to time, position, reality prevalent at that place, the social norms in the country you live in.

You cannot apply Islamic principles and justify your actions based on merely what you read; it has to be practiced in accordance to the Quran and Sunnah which clearly state the importance of ‘Context’. To learn how you can determine the right course of action in a particular situation you face based on Islamic principles you need to seek guidance from an Islamic Scholar. The scholar will guide you to developing the necessary skills to understand and appreciate what is right and that which is wrong. He will help you develop the skills to identify precedence in determining good and bad.

Yes by all means you can use to learn online, it should be used as an aid to enhancing your learning of Islam rather than the only way to study Islam.

May Allah make your journey to learning Islam and studying the Quran an easy, pleasurable and fruitful one.