The Islamic University of Madinah, its History, Faculties and Objectives

The Islamic University of Madinah

The Islamic University of Madinah Munawwarah is an Islamic educational institution functioning on a world basis under the auspices of Saudi Arabia. It was founded by the government of Saudi Arabia by royal decree no. 11 issued on the 25^th of Rabi-ul-Awwal 1381 A.H.

The university is comprised primarily of 5 faculties and these faculties are as follows:

1. The Faculty of Shariah
2. The Faculty of Hadith
3. The Faculty of Qur`aan
4. The Faculty of Da`wah
5. The Faculty of the Arabic Language

The university also houses several other subsidiary institutes such as Mutawassit (middle school), Thaanawi (high school) and Ma`had (Institute of the Arabic language).

The 5 independent faculties form the backbone of the university and are geared to providing students with a Bachelors Degree, which spans over a four year period. The university further encourages students to advance through the Masters programme as well as the Doctorate programme.

The Faculty of Shariah is the oldest of the five faculties and specialises in Islamic Jurisprudence. The Faculty of Da`wah, founded 5 years after the Faculty of Shariah, specialises in Islamic Belief and the call to Islam. Eight years later, in 1394 A.H. the Faculty of Qur`aan was opened and comprises the Departments of the styles of Qur`aanic recitation and the Department of the exegesis of the Holy Qur`aan. A year later the Faculty of Language was formed, focusing on linguistics and literature. The youngest faculty, the Faculty of Hadith, was formed in 1396 A.H. after several separate colleges of Hadith were amalgamated to form the Faculty, which specialises in the jurisprudence of the Sunnah and its sources as well as in Hadith sciences.

The stated objectives of the university are:

• To convey the eternal message of Islam to the entire world by means of Da`wah and imparting religious knowledge to students coming from all corners of the globe.
• Unifying the Ummah upon practicing the teachings of Islam and the worship of Allah Almighty/
• Collecting, verifying and publishing Islamic works.
• Maintaining and fostering scholarly and cultural ties with other universities and scientific institutions and organisations throughout the world, to further the noble cause of Islam.

As the Islamic University of Madinah embraces a predominant non-Arab student base, most new enrolees into the university are required to spend two years in Ma`had (Institute of the Arabic Language) to ensure that students have obtained the required level of Arabic to succeed in the courses they wish to pursue. As the university houses the vast majority of its students, there is a span of student residences on and off campus as well as a variety of sporting and recreational facilities offered by the university.

Currently, the university is embarking on a major modernising programme aimed at bringing the university well into the 20^th Century, with the Faculty of Qur`aan and Hadith all having new premises which is currently under construction.

We ask Allah Almighty to accept our humble and noble efforts. Ameen!