Hadith and Seerah Course Online, With a Live Teacher
A live, one-to-one course in the life of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and the hadith that record what he said and did. It is taught in English, from the first story of his life to reading a hadith with its chain and grade, for adults, teenagers and children from about six. Plans start at $34 a month and the first lesson is free.
Book a free lesson on WhatsApp How the free lesson works
Format
Live and one to one, with the same teacher each week
Taught in
English, with the Arabic of each hadith read with you
Ages
From about 6, and adults
Price
From $34 a month for two lessons a week
Female teacher
Available on request, at the same price
Changes
Move a lesson with two hours notice
Which level fits you
The first lesson finds where you are. The course then starts there, and the texts are agreed with you rather than handed out from a fixed list.
| Who | What the lessons cover | Usually first |
|---|---|---|
| A child of 6 to 10 | The Seerah as stories, in order, with the manners the Prophet taught | His childhood in Makkah and the first revelation |
| A teenager or an adult beginner | The Seerah in full, and short hadith on belief, prayer and character, each explained | The hadith of intentions, and the Makkan years |
| A reader who wants depth | A hadith collection read in order, with its chain, its grade and what scholars drew from it | Imam an-Nawawi’s Forty Hadith |
| A new Muslim | The Prophet’s life and the hadith behind daily worship | See classes for reverts |
The Seerah, in order
The Seerah is taught chronologically, from Makkah before the revelation to the Farewell Sermon, because each event makes sense of the next. These are the points the course moves through. Dates are the common reckoning; the earliest are approximate.
| Year (CE) | Event |
|---|---|
| c. 570 | Birth in Makkah, in the Year of the Elephant |
| c. 595 | Marriage to Khadijah |
| 610 | The first revelation in the cave of Hira: the opening verses of Surah al-Alaq |
| c. 613 | The call to Islam made public in Makkah |
| c. 615 | The first Muslims migrate to Abyssinia |
| c. 619 | The Year of Sorrow: Khadijah and Abu Talib die; the journey to Ta’if |
| c. 621 | The Night Journey and Ascension (al-Isra wal-Mi’raj) |
| 622 | The Hijrah to Madinah, where the Islamic calendar begins |
| 624 (2 AH) | The Battle of Badr |
| 625 (3 AH) | The Battle of Uhud |
| 627 (5 AH) | The Battle of the Trench (al-Khandaq) |
| 628 (6 AH) | The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah |
| 630 (8 AH) | The conquest of Makkah |
| 632 (10 to 11 AH) | The Farewell Hajj and Sermon; the Prophet passes away in Madinah |
Alongside the events, the lessons stay with who he was: how he treated his family, his neighbours and those who opposed him. For children, the Islamic months page ties several of these events to the calendar they still use.
The six books of hadith
Most hadith a student meets come from six collections, gathered in the third century after the Hijrah. Knowing which book a hadith is from is the first step to knowing how much weight it carries.
| Collection | Compiled by | Died |
|---|---|---|
| Sahih al-Bukhari | Imam al-Bukhari | 256 AH / 870 CE |
| Sahih Muslim | Imam Muslim | 261 AH / 875 CE |
| Sunan Abi Dawud | Abu Dawud | 275 AH / 889 CE |
| Jami’ at-Tirmidhi | at-Tirmidhi | 279 AH / 892 CE |
| Sunan an-Nasa’i | an-Nasa’i | 303 AH / 915 CE |
| Sunan Ibn Majah | Ibn Majah | 273 AH / 887 CE |
Many students begin instead with Imam an-Nawawi’s Forty Hadith, which in fact holds forty-two. He chose them because each states a principle of the religion, and they open with the hadith that actions are judged by their intentions, which is also the first hadith of Sahih al-Bukhari.
How a hadith is graded
Every hadith has two parts: the chain of people who passed it on (the isnad) and the words themselves (the matn). Scholars grade it by how reliable that chain is. A student who knows these four words can read any collection with care.
| Grade | What it means |
|---|---|
| Sahih (sound) | An unbroken chain of trustworthy, precise narrators, with no hidden flaw and nothing contradicting stronger reports |
| Hasan (good) | The same conditions, with a narrator whose precision is slightly lower; still acted upon |
| Da’if (weak) | One of the conditions is missing, such as a break in the chain or a narrator known for errors |
| Mawdu’ (fabricated) | Invented and falsely attributed to the Prophet; never taught as his words |
This is the part that is hardest to learn alone. Collections are shared online without their chains or grades, and a reader who cannot check the Arabic has no way to tell a sound report from a weak one. The teacher reads each hadith with you, names its source and grade, and explains what it asks of you.
How a lesson runs
A lesson takes one event of the Seerah or one hadith. The teacher reads it with you in Arabic and English, asks what you notice, then explains its setting and what scholars have drawn from it. Lessons end with one thing to put into practice before the next.
Lessons are 30 or 60 minutes, and most students take two a week. You may sit in on your child’s lessons at any time, and lessons are not recorded unless you agree first. This course is part of our Islamic Studies programme, where belief and the rulings of worship are taught too.
What it costs
The hourly rate falls as you book more hours in a month. Every plan is four weeks of lessons, paid in advance, and unused lessons are refundable.
| Schedule | Hours a month | Rate | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 lessons a week, 30 minutes | 4 | $8.50 an hour | $34 |
| 3 lessons a week, 30 minutes | 6 | $8.00 an hour | $48 |
| 2 lessons a week, 60 minutes | 8 | $7.50 an hour | $60 |
| 3 lessons a week, 60 minutes | 12 | $7.00 an hour | $84 |
Brothers and sisters take 10 per cent off the family bill. Every plan is on the pricing page.
Who teaches
You are matched with one teacher, who stays with you. Our teachers are qualified, and many trained at Al-Azhar. Three who teach Islamic Studies are below; the whole faculty is on the about page.
Sister Nouran
Seerah, Aqeedah, Quran
An Islamic Studies diploma (Zad), with training in Seerah and Aqeedah, and study at Al-Azhar. More than ten years teaching children, teenagers and adults.
Mohamed Nayel
Taught in English
Teaches Quran, Arabic and Islamic Studies entirely in English, which suits a student who does not speak Arabic.
Samah El-Tayeb
Arabic and Islamic Studies
Teaches Arabic and Islamic Studies, and suits families who want a woman teaching their daughters.
Free study, first books, the Seerah and Arabic
Can I study hadith online for free?
Yes, the major collections are published free online with English translations, and free recorded lectures exist. What they cannot do is answer your questions or tell you how a hadith is graded as you read it. Our first lesson is free, so you can compare.
What is the best book to start learning hadith?
Imam an-Nawawi’s Forty Hadith is the usual first book. Each of its 42 hadith states a principle of the religion, and it is short enough to finish and review.
What will I learn in a Seerah course?
The life of the Prophet in order, from Makkah before the revelation through the Hijrah and the Madinan years to the Farewell Sermon, and what each stage teaches about faith, patience and character.
Do I need Arabic to study hadith?
No. Everything is explained in English, and the teacher reads the Arabic of each hadith with you, so you learn its key words as you go.
What age can children start the Seerah?
Around six, taught as stories in order. Hadith in any structured way works better from about ten, starting with short ones on manners and prayer.
Which school of thought do you teach?
Our teachers are trained in the Al-Azhar tradition, grounded in the four recognised Sunni schools. Where the schools differ on a point a hadith raises, the teacher says so.
Can I have a female teacher?
Yes. Female teachers are available on request at the same price. Give two or three possible times when you book, since availability depends on the hour.
Islamic Studies, daily duas and your first lesson
For the whole range of subjects, from belief to worship, see online Islamic Studies. For young children, daily duas for kids is a gentle place to start at home. When you are ready, book the free first lesson.