Adult Literacy

The Rational Creed: Aqidah and Kalam for the Thinking Muslim

What does it mean to believe with clarity in an age of confusion?

This course invites students into the heart of Islamic theology, where timeless truths meet the urgent questions of today. Through the rigorous tools of ʿIlm al-Kalām and the enduring light of revelation, learners will explore how reason and faith intersect—and why that intersection matters more than ever. Whether confronting atheism, grappling with science, or navigating moral relativism, this is a space to think deeply, believe firmly, and live faithfully.

Course Description

This course is an immersive journey into the heart of Islamic theology where timeless creed (ʿAqīdah) meets rigorous intellectual inquiry (ʿIlm al-Kalām). Designed for students who seek to understand, internalize, and articulate their faith with both conviction and clarity, this course explores how Islamic theology has historically engaged reason and how it can continue to do so in the face of modern-day challenges.

Across nine dynamic modules, students will examine the foundational doctrines of belief through a theological lens that is both rooted in classical Sunni orthodoxy and responsive to contemporary issues. From grappling with atheism and scientism to understanding evolution, AI, and pluralism, this course arms students with the theological depth and rational tools needed to stand firm in their faith in an era of doubt and disorientation.

Meet The Instructors

Select modules within The Rational Creed: Aqidah and Kalam for the Thinking Muslim will be taught by a distinguished lineup of scholars and subject-matter experts, each bringing their own depth of specialization to the classroom. This collaborative approach ensures that students benefit from a diversity of perspectives ranging from seasoned theologians to contemporary thinkers well-versed in philosophy, science, and sociopolitical thought. By learning from multiple voices rooted in the same tradition, students will experience a rich, dynamic, and multidimensional engagement with the topics at hand.

  • Born and raised in the greater Philadelphia area, Mawlana Dr. Mateen Khan is uniquely positioned at the intersection of two rigorous worlds: modern medicine and traditional Islamic scholarship. He earned his Doctor of Medicine from Temple University School of Medicine and went on to complete a residency in Emergency Medicine. While practicing as an ER physician, he also undertook the demanding ʿĀlimiyyah program at Darul Uloom Al-Madania in Buffalo, NY.

    His pursuit of sacred knowledge later took him to Chatham, Ontario, where he completed his seminary studies at Darul Uloom Canada. There, he received formal ijāzāt (authorizations) to teach the Islamic sciences, including the canonical six books of Hadith (Sihah Sittah). Mawlana Dr. Mateen’s current academic and teaching interests include ʿAqīdah (Islamic creed), Tafsīr (Qur’anic exegesis), and the dynamic engagement between theology and the lived experience of modern professionals. His teaching reflects a rare blend of precision, practicality, and deep reverence for Islamic tradition.

  • Mawlana Tahseen N. Khan was born and raised in the Philadelphia region. He completed the renowned Dars Nizami curriculum mainly through private, in-person studies under numerous authorized Islamic scholars. He currently resides with his family in the suburbs of Chicago while working full-time as a chemical engineer and pursuing advanced studies in Islamic theology under the tutelage of his teachers. He is also the author of Provenance of Man.

  • Mawlana Muhammad Umar completed his Alim course at Darul Uloom Canada in Cha-tham, Ontario, laying a strong foundation in the Islamic sciences. Seeking to refine his linguistic and analytical skills, he pursued an intensive six-month specialization in Arabic in Karachi. His academic journey culminated at Zaytuna College, where he earned a Master's in Islamic Texts, with a concentration in Islamic philosophy and theology. His thesis, From Dialectic to Demonstration: Exploring the Umur Amma and Their Impact on Later Kalam, delves into the evolution of key metaphysical concepts in Islamic theology.

    Before joining DarusSalam as an instructor, he immersed himself in both classical and contemporary Islamic thought, blending rigorous traditional study with a deep engagement in philosophical discourse.

Syllabus

Syllabus

Module 1
Foundations of Aqidah and the Framework of Kalam

Instructor:
Mawlana Muhammad Umar

Lays the intellectual and historical groundwork for Islamic theology. Introduces the emergence of kalām to defend revelation, articulate tawḥīd, and provide rational justification for belief. Revives classical and modern arguments for God’s existence and the role of intuition and experience in faith.

  • The enduring relevance of ʿAqīdah and kalām in modern times

  • Development of kalām schools and their contributions

  • Tawḥīd through rational and scriptural proofs

  • Sources of knowledge: revelation, reason, and sensory perception

  • Classical theistic proofs: cosmological, teleological, ontological

  • Engaging modern atheism and skepticism

  • Faith, intuition, and religious experience as valid epistemologies

Module II
Human Intellect, Fitrah, and the Function of ʿAql in Theology

Instructor:
Mawlana Numaan Cheema

Explores how the Qur’an and classical theology regard the intellect. Highlights human moral responsibility through fitrah and rational intuition, and addresses materialist and technological threats to the human cognitive and moral self.

  • Quranic emphasis on ʿaql (intellect), ʿilm (knowledge), and fahm (understanding)

  • Fitrah as an innate compass for recognizing truth

  • Humanity as Khalīfatullāh: moral responsibility and divine trust

  • Kalām responses to reductionism and naturalism

  • The impact of technology and digital media on human cognition

Module III
Science, Causality, and the Limits of Empiricism in Kalām

Instructor:
Mawlana Dr. Mateen Khan

Engages scientific thought from an Islamic metaphysical lens. Revisits foundational kalāmic arguments, explores causality, and reconciles natural law with divine agency and justice.

  • Islam and the philosophy of science

  • Revisiting ḥudūth al-ʿālam and the createdness of the universe

  • Causality in Ashʿarī and Māturīdī thought

  • Divine will and natural laws

  • Theodicy: understanding divine justice and the problem of evil

Module IV
Evolution and Islamic Theological Anthropology

Instructors:
Introduction - Mawlana Tahseen Khan
Model - Mawlana Dr. Mateen Khan

Critically assesses evolution and its compatibility with Islamic theology. Engages with classical and contemporary Muslim responses and builds a coherent theological anthropology rooted in revelation.

  • Core tenets of evolutionary theory and scientific framing

  • Historical and modern Muslim responses to evolution

  • Scriptural analysis of Adam’s creation and human distinctiveness

  • Concordance vs. conflict models between science and scripture

  • Divine purpose, contingency, and the kalāmic critique of naturalism

  • Building a balanced theological view of human origins

Module V
The Ghayb: Affirming the Unseen through Rational Theology

Instructor:
Mawlana Numaan Cheema

Defends belief in the unseen using rational tools. Demonstrates how belief in angels, jinn, soul, afterlife, and miracles aligns with reason and forms a vital part of the Islamic worldview.

  • Rational coherence of belief in angels and jinn

  • The soul and consciousness beyond materialist explanation

  • Afterlife doctrines and existential meaning

  • Miracles (muʿjizāt) and suspension of natural law

  • Divine intervention and prophetic signs

Module VI
Religious Pluralism and Islamic Exclusivism

Instructor:
Mawlana Numaan Cheema

Critically explores pluralism, inclusivism, and exclusivism in the context of Islam. Defends the uniqueness and finality of the Islamic message while outlining principles for respectful interfaith dialogue.

  • Philosophical models of pluralism and their truth claims

  • Islamic view of other religions: Qur’anic and Hadith foundations

  • Theological critiques of syncretism and relativized religion

  • Aqidah-based guidelines for interfaith engagement

Module VIII
Contemporary Frontiers: AI, Bioethics, and the Limits of Human Agency

Instructor:
Mawlana Dr. Mateen Khan

Examines theological challenges posed by artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and human enhancement. Frames contemporary issues within divine sovereignty and the ethics of intervention in creation

  • Islamic bioethics: foundations and case studies

  • AI and the nature of consciousness and personhood

  • Creation vs. manipulation: what defines human agency

  • The metaphysical limits of human control over life and nature

  • Divine ownership, will, and purpose in an age of technological power

Module IX
Prophethood, Revelation, and the Final Message

Instructor:
Mawlana Numaan Cheema

Explores the institution of prophethood as a theological necessity. Examines the miraculous nature and preservation of the Qur’an, the authority of the Sunnah, and addresses modern doubts about revelation and the Prophet’s mission.

  • The need for and function of Prophets in Islamic theology

  • Khatm al-Nubuwwah (Finality of Prophethood) and its significance

  • The Qur’an’s linguistic, legal, and structural inimitability (iʿjāz)

  • The Sunnah’s role in theology and law

  • Revelation in contrast with philosophical and mystical speculation

  • Responses to Qur’an-onlyism and Hadith rejection

  • Upholding revelation in a post-scriptural age

Module VII
Extremism, Deviance, and the Crisis of Modern Thought

Instructor:
Mawlana Muhammad Umar

Responds to both internal misuse and external attacks on Islamic theology. Critiques ideological extremism and theological deviance while deconstructing secularism, liberalism, postmodernism, and relativism from a kalāmic standpoint.

  • Deviant theological roots of modern extremism

  • Sunni critiques and principles of moderation

  • The role of ijmāʿ and contextual understanding in creed

  • Deconstructing secularism and its philosophical assumptions

  • Liberalism, autonomy, and religious ethics

  • Postmodernism and the denial of absolute truth

  • Philosophical relativism and Islam’s claim to universal truths

  • Cultivating yaqīn in a world of doubt and confusion

What Students Will Gain

By the end of The Rational Creed, students will:

  • Master the foundational principles of Sunni ʿAqīdah as articulated by the classical schools of Kalām (Ashʿarī and Māturīdī).

  • Understand how revelation and reason harmonize in constructing and defending Islamic theology.

  • Respond insightfully to intellectual and ideological currents such as materialism, liberalism, postmodernism, and relativism.

  • Develop confidence in articulating Islamic beliefs in both academic and public discourse.

  • Strengthen spiritual conviction by grounding belief in both scripture and rational clarity.