The Islamic Academy of Britain (IAB) is an institution of higher learning founded to provide excellence in Islamic education and the study of the Arabic language. The Academy was founded in Halifax, England in 2020. We hope that all of our graduates will be individuals who are patient, humble and sincere in their efforts to help and benefit others.
Our aim is to serve the `ummah of the last and best of the Prophets and Messengers while implementing the hadeeths of the Prophet ﷺ. `Imaam Muslim narrated in his Saheeh that the Prophet ﷺ said:
إِنَّ الإِسْلامَ بَدَأَ غَرِيْبًا وَسَيَعُوْدُ غَرِيْبًا كَمَا بَدَأَ فَطُوْبَى لِلْغُرَبَاءِ
This means: “Indeed, when the Sharee^ah of Muhammad ﷺ began most of the people rejected it and it shall again be like this, so blessings be upon those Ghurabaa`.” The companions asked, ‘O Messenger of `Allaah ﷺ, who are these Ghurabaa`?’
The Prophet ﷺ said:
اَلَّذِيْنَ يُصْلِحُوْنَ مَا أَفْسَدَ النَّاسُ مِنْ سُنَّتِيْ
This means: “They are those who bring the people back to my Sunnah[1] (i.e. to the teachings of `Islaam) when others have fabricated it.” Hence, the Prophet ﷺ himself told us that a time will come in which the one who adheres to the rules of the religion would be like a stranger among the people, but then the Prophet ﷺ said:
فَطُوْبَى لِلْغُرَبَاءِ
This means: “Glad tidings for the strangers,” i.e. those strangers would have a great reward for what they do in supporting the religion. Hence, in this hadeeth there are glad tidings for whoever in this era holds firmly to the Sunnah, to the methodology of the Messenger ﷺ when deviations have become widespread among the nation.
The way to support the religion while at the same time protecting oneself and others is by acquiring the religious knowledge and implementing it. `Imaam `Aboo Haneefah narrated in his Musnad and others that the Prophet ﷺ said:
طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ فَرِيْضَةٌ عَلَى كُـلِّ مُسْلِمٍ
This means: “Acquiring (a minimum amount of) the religious knowledge is an obligation upon all Muslims,” i.e. whether they are male or female.
[1] Sunnah in this hadeeth refers to the religious law of the Messenger ﷺ, i.e. the creed and the practices of the religion. This is evident from the first part of the hadeeth, because when `Islaam first appeared to the Mushriks of Makkah, most of them rejected it as something strange, as to the Sunnahs such as eating with the right hand, this is not what the Mushriks were rejecting.
