The Centre for Islamic Knowledge (CIK) is pleased to announce its second annual Summer Academic Intensive, to be held at the historic Süleymaniye Madrasa in Istanbul, Türkiye, from July 18–26, in collaboration with İbn Haldun University.
Set within one of the most significant intellectual landmarks of the Ottoman scholarly tradition, this nine-day program brings together a distinguished faculty of internationally recognized scholars to deliver a rigorous and immersive academic experience. Participants will engage both foundational and specialized subjects across the Islamic intellectual tradition, while also exploring contemporary scholarly debates and methodological questions.
In addition to structured coursework, the program will include guided visits to leading Turkish academic institutions, offering students an opportunity to encounter living traditions of scholarship and to engage with the broader intellectual landscape of Istanbul.
Set within one of the most significant intellectual landmarks of the Ottoman scholarly tradition, this nine-day program brings together a distinguished faculty of internationally recognized scholars to deliver a rigorous and immersive academic experience. Participants will engage both foundational and specialized subjects across the Islamic intellectual tradition, while also exploring contemporary scholarly debates and methodological questions.
In addition to structured coursework, the program will include guided visits to leading Turkish academic institutions, offering students an opportunity to encounter living traditions of scholarship and to engage with the broader intellectual landscape of Istanbul.
Accepting Applications (Deadline June 30th, 2026)
For any questions or further information, please reach out to us at [email protected].
Faculty
Venue
Fees
Admissions
Seminar Topics
Faculty
Confirmed Faculty Include:
Venue
The Summer Academic Intensive will be held within the Süleymaniye Madrasa Complex in Istanbul, a 16th-century institutional center of higher learning commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent and designed by the imperial architect Mimar Sinan. Constructed between 1550 and 1557, the complex represented the highest tier of the Ottoman madrasa system and functioned as a principal site of advanced scholarly training within the empire.
The Süleymaniye complex formed the apex of a carefully structured educational hierarchy. Its constituent colleges—including the Darulhadis (dedicated to advanced hadith studies), Darulkurra (specializing in Qur’anic sciences), and other senior madrasas—were associated with the training of jurists, theologians, exegetes, and scholars who would go on to occupy leading judicial and religious offices. In this respect, the Süleymaniye was not simply a local institution but a central node in the intellectual infrastructure of the Ottoman world.
Situated on one of Istanbul’s historic hills, the complex became architecturally and symbolically intertwined with the city’s scholarly identity. For several centuries, it remained among the most prestigious sites of Islamic higher learning in the eastern Mediterranean, reflecting both the institutional maturity of the Ottoman educational system and its integration of transmitted (naqlī) and rational (ʿaqlī) sciences.
In recent years, İbn Haldun University has restored several of the historic madrasa buildings within the complex—including the Mulazimler Madrasah, Darulhadis, Darulkurra, Salis Madrasah, and Imaret—and returned them to academic use. These structures now house the University’s Alliance of Civilizations Institute and Faculty of Islamic Sciences, thereby reactivating the site as a contemporary setting for advanced study.
The Süleymaniye complex formed the apex of a carefully structured educational hierarchy. Its constituent colleges—including the Darulhadis (dedicated to advanced hadith studies), Darulkurra (specializing in Qur’anic sciences), and other senior madrasas—were associated with the training of jurists, theologians, exegetes, and scholars who would go on to occupy leading judicial and religious offices. In this respect, the Süleymaniye was not simply a local institution but a central node in the intellectual infrastructure of the Ottoman world.
Situated on one of Istanbul’s historic hills, the complex became architecturally and symbolically intertwined with the city’s scholarly identity. For several centuries, it remained among the most prestigious sites of Islamic higher learning in the eastern Mediterranean, reflecting both the institutional maturity of the Ottoman educational system and its integration of transmitted (naqlī) and rational (ʿaqlī) sciences.
In recent years, İbn Haldun University has restored several of the historic madrasa buildings within the complex—including the Mulazimler Madrasah, Darulhadis, Darulkurra, Salis Madrasah, and Imaret—and returned them to academic use. These structures now house the University’s Alliance of Civilizations Institute and Faculty of Islamic Sciences, thereby reactivating the site as a contemporary setting for advanced study.
Fees
The fee for the 2026 Summer Academic Intensive is $600 USD and includes full tuition, daily lunch, and refreshments for the duration of the program. Through the support of the Centre for Islamic Knowledge, the program is being offered at a subsidized rate in order to make participation more accessible to students.
Participants are responsible for their own accommodations, transportation, breakfast, and dinner. As space may be limited during the summer season in Istanbul, participants are advised to arrange their travel and lodging well in advance.
Participants are responsible for their own accommodations, transportation, breakfast, and dinner. As space may be limited during the summer season in Istanbul, participants are advised to arrange their travel and lodging well in advance.
Admissions
Minimum Requirements:
Undergraduate-level education: Applicants are required to have, at least, an undergraduate degree from a post-secondary institution. Applicants with higher degrees will be more competitive. Education in a specific field is not required. And while the Admission Committee does not stipulate a minimum GPA (as part of its holistic approach), a strong academic performance will make for a more competitive application.
Intermediate-level Islamic knowledge: While it is not a requirement for applicants to have trained in Islamic Studies at a formal institution, intermediate proficiency in Islamic sciences is expected, and advanced proficiency is desirable. The Admissions Committee will pay particular attention to the core sciences, such as: Fiqh, Ḥadīth, and ‘Aqīda.
Arabic proficiency: As a benchmark, applicants are expected to be able to read and comprehend classical Islamic texts as well Arabic instruction.
Undergraduate-level education: Applicants are required to have, at least, an undergraduate degree from a post-secondary institution. Applicants with higher degrees will be more competitive. Education in a specific field is not required. And while the Admission Committee does not stipulate a minimum GPA (as part of its holistic approach), a strong academic performance will make for a more competitive application.
Intermediate-level Islamic knowledge: While it is not a requirement for applicants to have trained in Islamic Studies at a formal institution, intermediate proficiency in Islamic sciences is expected, and advanced proficiency is desirable. The Admissions Committee will pay particular attention to the core sciences, such as: Fiqh, Ḥadīth, and ‘Aqīda.
Arabic proficiency: As a benchmark, applicants are expected to be able to read and comprehend classical Islamic texts as well Arabic instruction.
Seminar Topics
The intensive will involve instruction in a wide variety of topics, including:
Resident Scholars:
- Hadith and Islamic Legal and Theological Schools, with Readings from Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī - Dr. Issam Eido
- From the Prophet to al-Bukhārī (من النبي إلى البخاري) — Dr. Ahmad Snobar
- ʿAmal and the Formation of Knowledge in the Islamic Intellectual Tradition - Dr. Necmettin Kizilkaya
- The Science of Civilization (ʿIlm al-ʿUmrān): Reading Ibn Khaldun's Muqaddimah - Dr. Recep Şentürk
- How to Do Islamic Political Theory - Dr. Owais Khan
- The Idea of Tajdīd as Presented in the Prefaces (Dībājah) of Fiqh Commentaries on the Multaqā — Dr. Kasim Kopuz
- Navigating Knowledge in the Modern Age: Reflections on the Place of the Islamic Religious Sciences in the Educational Journey of Contemporary Students - Dr. Talal al-Azem
- Isnāds, Tawātur, and Rational Grounds for Affirming the Messengerhood of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ - Shaykh Hamza Karamali
- Order, Disorder, and Chaos: How to Read the World and Understand Societies - Dr. Heba Raouf Ezzat
- The Fundamental Principles of Islamic Bioethics: At the Intersection of Medicine and Islamic Jurisprudence - Dr. Merve Özaykal
- Islam in East Asia and Our Intellectual and Cultural Imperative - Dr. Naoki Yamamoto
- Reviving Islamic Historical Consciousness: Why History Matters for Muslims Today - Dr. Yakoob Ahmed
- Studies in Late Ottoman History - Dr. Yakoob Ahmed
- The Qur'an and the Patterns of History: An Introduction to al-Tafsīr al-Sunan - Dr. Safaruk Chowdhury
Resident Scholars:
