One-year course in Islamic theology


Would you like to acquaint yourself with the Islamic way of life? Then explore from a genuine, inside point of view Islam in a spiritual atmosphere at the AIT seminary and let yourself be guided over a period of one year.

Modules

  • Foundations of Faith
  • Legal judgments
  • Quran recitation
  • Persian spoken and written
  • Basics of the Arabic language
  • Fundamentals of ethics

Spirituality

  • Daily lessons on self-education, spirituality and ethics
  • Congregational prayers
  • Daily Quran circles
  • Collective supplication readings

Additional features

  • Accommodation in the AIT student dormitory and meals included
  • Support from experienced mentors
  • Creation of an individual daily schedule based on Islamic criteria
  • Participation in the study trip to Iran

From the winter semester 20/21, the short course can be completed as part of a distance learning course.

However, it should be noted that there will also be an attendance requirement for distance learning students for certain events. 

The short course offers students an introduction to various Islamic disciplines, such as practical legal judgments, foundations of faith and Quranic recitation. Another essential component is the intensive learning of the Persian language, spoken and written, as well as the basics of the Arabic language. By learning the Persian language, students get access to a variety of books and lectures that have not been translated into European languages, or have been translated inadequately. This gives them the opportunity to continue their education independently of their studies and to take a closer look at their areas of interest. A more detailed description of the individual modules can be found below.

According to the three basic elements of AIT - research, spirituality, self-improvement- it is not just the transfer of knowledge that plays an important role. As part of the short-course, students learn about the Islamic lifestyle and benefit from mentoring by the scholars and lecturers. As a result, the students develop both spiritually and personally. Among other things, students receive support in the individual creation of a daily schedule that is based on Islamic criteria so that they can use their time as effectively as possible.

 

Daily lessons on the subject of self-improvement, spirituality and ethics, the performance of community prayers, Quran circles, collective supplication readings and regular special events are an integral part of the everyday student life at AIT.

 

Students also benefit from direct contact with the lecturers and scholars, in which they can also discuss personal religious questions and concerns outside of regular classes.


Module overview

  • Foundations of Faith

Exciting questions that everyone poses in their lives are dealt with: e.g. How do I prove God's existence? Is everything predetermined or do we have free will? What happens after death?

  • Practice-related legal judgments

Learning the religious commandments and legal judgments is a duty for every Muslim. Therefore legal judgments on the topics of prayer, fasting, ritual prayer washes and more are dealt with.

The subject of practice-related legal judgments offers students the opportunity to clarify their own questions and to answer questions from others.

  • Quran recitation

While the pronunciation of the individual letters is learned in Arabic classes, this class deals with further rules and the various recitation melodies, which are essential for the correct recitation of the Quran. The lecturers deal with the different levels of knowledge of the students so that everyone can develop individually.

  • Persian

Due to its simplicity, the Persian language is easy to learn and is taught at AIT using a unique method, so that our students can talk to native speakers without problems after about six to eight months.

  • Arabic

To read and recite the Quran correctly, knowledge of Arabic is essential. Therefore, the basics of the Arabic language are taught in the short course. Due to the similarity of the Persian and Arabic languages, mastering Persian contributes enormously to the understanding of Arabic.

An intensive examination of the Arabic language, syntax etc. takes place due to the complexity of the Arabic language in the Bachelor's program.

  • Fundamentals of ethics 

Daily lectures on topics that are not dealt with in a regular study of Islamic Studies, such as: How do I build a connection to the unseen? How can I properly build and maintain spirituality in the modern world? What is the fight with the soul and how do I win it?


Further information on the application and admission procedure of the Academy for Islamic Theology can be found here.