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Advanced Diploma in Islamic Scholarship & Leadership
The Advanced Diploma in Islamic Scholarship & Leadership is a unique and innovative program that combines a commitment to the Islamic scholarly tradition, academic rigor, and an emphasis on khidma (service) and leadership. By the end of the Advanced Diploma Program, students will be equipped with a set of necessary, robust, and effective tools that will allow them to contribute to the advancement of the Islamic intellectual enterprise and serve as thought and community leaders at various scales.
Why the Advanced Diploma in Islamic Scholarship and Leadership?
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Foundations Program in Islamic StudiesFall Semester starting September 15th (12th Rabi ul Awal)
Course: Qurʾanic & Hadith Sciences The Foundations Program in Islamic Studies offers students a rich journey into the Islamic scholarly tradition, providing essential knowledge and wisdom to live a life pleasing to our Lord. It consists of four cornerstone courses: Islamic Theology - Aqidah, Sirah and Islamic History, Islamic Jurisprudence - Fiqh, and an integrated course on Qur’anic and Hadith sciences. These courses aim to deepen students' understanding, strengthen their faith, and lead them towards a fulfilling spiritual and intellectual life. |
Certificate Program in High School Islamic StudiesFall Semester starting September 15th (12th Rabi ul Awal)
Course: Faith for Life - ʿAqidah The high school Islamic studies program is a two-year program (four terms) which provides high school students with a firm understanding of Islam to prepare them for the intellectual challenges they will face later on in life. One course is offered every semester. |
Upcoming Events:
Upcoming CIK Talk: Rethinking Salafism: The Transnational Networks of Salafi 'Ulama in Egypt, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia
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Recurring Lecture Series:
An online lecture series on the first Friday of every month based on the seminal work of one of the leading twentieth-century Muslim scholars Shaykh ‘Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda’s (raḥimahu llah), Safahat min Sabr al-‘Ulama,’ on the patience of scholars in the face of the difficulties and hardships in seeking knowledge.
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A journey through some of the most influential personalities in the history of Islam. This selection of biographies, by one of the leading twentieth-century Muslim scholars, Shaykh Abu ’l-Hasan ‘Ali Nadwi (raḥimahu llāh), brings under three volumes, Muslim personalities whose contribution to the sustenance of the Islamic spirit through the centuries can never be oerstated. |
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Ihya’ Journal of Islamic ThoughtIhya’ Journal of Islamic Thought (“Ihya’”) is an international, interdisciplinary, and online open-access journal with the aim of promoting intellectual inquiry into topics of importance to Muslims around the world. Each issue relates to a distinct theme, approached from different disciplines. Ihya’ strives to contribute to the Islamic intellectual enterprise by a) promoting research that advances knowledge of Islamic sciences such as law (fiqh), ḥadīth, exegesis, theology, political and legal history, etc., and b) investigating the contributions and effects of social, political, and intellectual developments in Muslim life and thought. Ihya’ welcomes submissions from researchers across various fields, such as the Traditional Islamic Sciences, Religious Studies, History, Social Sciences, Law, Philosophy, and Education, among others. It also invites opinion pieces from practitioners, policymakers, and the like.
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Recent Publications by Scholars Associated with CIK
Integrated Encyclopedia of the Qurʾān (IEQ)
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The Integrated Encyclopedia of the Qurʾān (IEQ) draws on a wide range of classical works, including exegeses, Hadith collections and commentaries, lexicons, biographical dictionaries, universal histories, works of jurisprudence, Prophetic biographies, and treatises on spiritual and moral psychology--some of which have never before been used in any encyclopedic work on the Qur`an. Based on primary sources and held to a high standard of academic rigor, IEQ integrates source material at several levels: its conceptual structure presents an integrated view of the overall message of the Qurʾān; it incorporates and integrates various strands of Islamic scholarly tradition and presents a cohesive, cross-referenced text.
General Editor: Dr. Muzaffar Iqbal |
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Islamic Political Theology - St Andrews Encyclopaedia of TheologyThe central idea within Islamic political theology is that sovereignty, or the authority of final judgment, in nature as well as law, belongs to God. At its heart lies God’s revealed command rather than a logically derived corollary of God’s nature or analogy with God’s governance. The Qur’an does not teach the rule of a class of men authorized by God; it teaches that the Prophet Muḥammad (d. 11 AH/632 CE) was the last of the prophets, after whom God no longer governs through a spokesperson. Hence the question naturally arose: who could possibly succeed the Prophet? For the Sunnī majority, the answer was the Umma, the community of those who believe in the Prophet’s message, who were to be governed and led in their mission by a successor (khalīfa or caliph) chosen from the Prophet’s tribe, the Quraysh. This position lay between two radically opposed alternatives: the Khārijites, who questioned any hierarchy in favour of plain reading of scripture and a violent, exclusionary piety; and the Shīʿa, for whom chosen men in the lineage of the Prophet’s cousin ʿAlī inherited infallible knowledge and the exclusive right to rule as Imām. Throughout history, the tension between Umma-centred and Imām-centred interpretations of Islamic political theology have generated creative reinterpretations. The aftermath of colonialism and the encounter with secularism has been particularly fertile in intellectual experimentation. In our arguably post-secular age, Islamic political theology is witnessing a robust revival in interest and creativity.
Author: Dr. Ovamir Anjum |
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From Gold to Paper: The Applicability of Ribā to Modern Currencies in Shāfiʿī JurisprudenceThis article examines the Shāfiʿī school’s position on ribā in contemporary fiat currencies. It analyzes the definition of ribā, the underlying legal rationale for its prohibition (ʿillah), and engages with historical debates on the valuation of currencies and the applicability of ribā laws to non-gold-and-silver currencies (fulūs). By tracing the evolution of currency within Shāfiʿī jurisprudence from the 9th to the 20th century, the article identifies key trends among Shāfiʿī jurists regarding the legal characterization of bonds and paper money in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The paper argues that the traditional Shāfiʿī exemption of fulūs from ribā laws is not absolute and does not solely depend on the physical attributes of the currency. Historically, Shāfiʿī jurists have emphasized the subjective value of gold and silver, owing to their longstanding roles as primary mediums of exchange. Furthermore, the potential for future currencies to share a similar legal basis for the prohibition of ribā—akin to that of gold and silver—is acknowledged, reflecting the adaptability of Shāfiʿī jurisprudence to evolving economic conditions.
Author: Shaykh Yousef Wahb |
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The Straight Path: How Surah al-Fatiha addresses modern ideologiesWhat is the meaning of Surah al-Fatiha? Muslims recite this opening chapter of the Qur’an at least 17 times daily in their prayers. It’s a prayer for guidance and a source of healing. But are we letting it shape the way we see our world?
The Straight Path offers a bold perspective, showing how Surah al-Fatiha directly challenges the dominant ideologies of our time—ideologies that underpin the confusion, injustice, and even atrocities we see today. Nowhere is this failure more evident than in the genocide in Gaza, a grim example of the ethical collapse of secular modernity. Examine ten major ideologies — atheism, materialism, deism, secularism, polytheism, naturalism, relativism, progressivism, liberalism, and postmodernism — and discover how Surah al-Fatiha dismantles each one, offering clarity where they sow confusion. Through the process of knowledge decolonization, we are invited to free our minds of oppressive systems of thought and return to the ethical worldview of Islam. This book is a direct and urgent call to reawaken humanity to the message of truth and justice emphasized in Islam's teachings. It challenges readers to rethink the values of modernity and explore how Islamic principles offer a way out of the confusion, injustice, and misguidance of our time. Download The Straight Path ebook and discover the Qur’an’s guidance towards a moral and just future for humanity. Author: Dr. Nazir Khan |
Featured CIK Talk:
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The Ummatic Imperative to Decolonize the Social Sciences: Multiplexity: New Approaches to Knowledge by Dr. Recep ŞentürkOne of the most critical issues facing the Ummah is achieving intellectual and academic independence in social sciences, moving away from the dominant Eurocentric perspectives that are often positivistic, materialistic, modern, or postmodern. In this CIK Talk, Prof. Recep Şentürk, a leading Muslim intellectual and institution builder, discussed how the Ummah can leverage its rich intellectual heritage to offer new alternatives to modern Eurocentric social sciences.
Prof. Şentürk introduced the concept of multiplexity and explored its potential to critique the reductionist ontologies rooted in positivism and idealism in the social sciences. |
Archived Recordings of Past CIK Talks:
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