Islamic Online University
BACHELOR OF ARTS
IN ISLAMIC STUDIES Anyone... Anywhere... Anytime...
www.iou-global.com
Contents Dean’s Message....................................... 3 About IOU................................................ 4 Founder................................................... 5 The Mission........................................ 6 - 7 The Method............................................. 8 Advisory Committee................................ 9 Instructors...................................... 10 - 11 Curriculum...................................... 12 - 15 Enrollment & Fees................................. 16 Frequently Asked Questions...........17 - 18 Accreditation.................................. 19 - 21
3
Dean’s Message Salaam alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh, It is my great pleasure to welcome you Islamically to the Islamic Online University’s learning experience in which the various gates of divinely-revealed knowledge have been thrown open for you. This opportunity has been made possible by the ‘accidental’ invention of the Internet, a human creation resulting from divine intervention. At a time when Islamic teachings are caught between fossilization and revival, hijacked by modernism and extremism, a chance to promote true Islam in its original unadulterated form was born. Allahu Akbar - surely this is a mercy from Allah. I sincerely hope that you will take full advantage of this unique opportunity to please God by deeply understanding the major disciplines of Islamic academic study, applying whatever you learn in your lives, and by sharing this divine legacy with the world around you. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips Founder & Dean
4
About IOU The Islamic Online University (IOU) is the brainchild of Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips who envisioned an institution of learning that would offer online intensive diploma, undergraduate, and graduate courses in Islamic Studies completely free. The IOU was launched in 2007 from Qatar offering more than 22 completely free diploma short courses. In 2007 over 1,500 students registered in the diploma program. By the end of 2008, over 4,500 students were registered and 15,000 students from over 160 different countries in 2009. And in 2013, its student body has reached over 100,000 from over 217 countries. It is also worth noting that in 2010 the Islamic University of Madeenah, of which Dr Bilal is a graduate, celebrated its fortieth year of operation during which it had taught 30,000 students from various countries. In March 2010, the IOU broke new ground by launching the world’s first tuition-free, online Bachelor of Arts in Islamic Studies. This pathbreaking initiative utilizes the worldwide presence of the Internet and advanced open source online learning technology to bring incredibly low-cost, university level Islamic education within reach of virtually anyone on the planet who has access to a computer and the Internet. In the spring of 2013, IOU opened the virtual doors of the Global Quran Memorization Center (GQMC). With separate learning areas for males and females, students learn from instructors who
are certified (holding ijaazahs) in memorization. Also in the spring semester of 2013, IOU introduced the Higher Diploma which is a bridge program for those students already holding a BA or BSc in areas other than Islamic studies and wish to pursue higher education in Islamic studies. Instead of beginning again another BA program, holders of an undergraduate degree can take 16 core courses from the BA curriculum and begin their quest for the MAIS in as little as three semesters.
5
Founder Dr Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips is a Jamaican Canadian Islamic Scholar who converted to Islam in the early seventies after journeying politically and intellectually from Christianity to Communism. Shortly after his reversion to Islam, he embarked on a spiritual academic journey to the other side of the world seeking Islamic knowledge. This journey took him to Saudi Arabia where he completed a BA in Islamic studies in Madeenah, and an MA in Islamic Theology in Riyadh, then to the University of Wales, UK, where he completed a PhD in Islamic Theology in the early nineties. After graduation from Madeenah, Dr Bilal became a teacher of Islamic studies for 10 years in an Islamic High School, Manaret Riyadh, and a lecturer of Arabic and Islamic studies in the American University in Dubai, UAE, for another 10 years. During his 10 years in the UAE, he founded and taught at the Islamic Information Center in Dubai, and during his subsequent 7 years in Qatar he has been an Islamic consultant and lecturer for the Islamic Information wing of Sh. Eed Charity. Dr Bilal Philips has written, translated and commented on over 50 published books on various Islamic topics. He has also edited and published the 56 book Eemaan Reading Series for children and presented Islamic programs for a number of years on Riyadh Channel 2TV, Sharjah TV for ten years, as well as Peace TV, Huda TV, Islam Channel, UK, and the Deen Show, Chicago, USA. In 2002 Dr Philips founded and headed the Islamic studies department of Preston University, Ajman, UAE, and in 2007 he founded and headed the Islamic Studies Academy, Doha, Qatar, while simultaneously
launching the Islamic Online University (www. islamiconlineuniversity.com) which is currently offering free Islamic courses to over 100,000 registered students from over 217 different countries world wide, and for which he was included in the Jordanian publication, The 500 Most Influential Muslims (rissc.jo/muslim500v-1L. pdf). Dr Bilal subsequently founded and headed, in 2008, the English medium Islamic studies department of Knowledge International University (www.kiu.org), who’s Chancellor is Shaikh Dr. ‘Abdur-Rahman ibn ‘Abdil-Azeez Al Sudais and who’s President of the board of trustees is Shaikh ‘Abdul-Azeez ibn ‘Abdullah Al Shaikh, Mufti of Saudi Arabia. More recently, in 2009, Dr Bilal Philips founded and headed the College of Da’wah and Islamic Culture (English Section), Omdurman Islamic University, Sudan, and established and directed Preston International College (www. prestonchennai.ac.in) in Chennai, India. In March 2010, Dr Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips launched, for the first time in history, an accredited tuition-free BA in Islamic Studies degree course at the Islamic Online University (bais.islamiconlineuniversity.com). IOU now is expanding to four campuses: Islamic Studies Diploma, BA in Islamic Studies, The Global Quran Memorization Center and finally the anticipated opening of the MA in Islamic Studies. With plans to open a globally accessible English Language Center, IOU continues to add campuses and programs that will benefit the ummah and bring more opportunities to “change the nation through education”.
6
The Mission “Making authentic Islamic knowledge readily available to the world through the medium of the Internet solely for God’s pleasure is a noble goal and a dignified mission worthy of sacrificing one’s energies and means for.” [Dr. Bilal Philips] The Islamic Online University aims to grant global access to quality undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate level Islamic educational programs for students at virtually no cost. Its mission is to be a catalyst for change in the Global Muslim nation (the Ummah) in order to facilitate Islam’s contribution to the progress of human civilization through appropriate education. The knowledge-related principles upon which the IOU is based are:
Authenticity The foundation of the information conveyed in IOU is Divinely Revealed knowledge as found in the Qur’aan and the Sunnah (Prophetic Explanations). God said: “Indeed it is only the knowledgeable among His servants who truly fear Allah.” (35:28) Prophet Muhammad said: “Seeking knowledge is obligatory on every Muslim.”
Accessibility The Islamic Online University provides a golden opportunity for people to access Islamic courses wherever they may be and whenever they wish, without having to travel overseas or even leave the confines of their homes. Its goal is to be “for anyone, in any place, at any time”. The Last Prophet said: “If anyone travels on a road in search of knowledge, Allah will cause him to travel on one of the roads to Paradise.”
Affordability The IOU demonstrates its firm commitment to spreading authentic Islamic knowledge by progressing from absolutely free certificate and diploma level Islamic courses to a tuition-free BA in Islamic Studies (BAIS), thereby making graduate Islamic education easily affordable to the world. Free tuition for all students provides equal access to an education previously available to only the few given the opportunity to attend traditional Islamic institutions of higher learning around the world. God said: “Say: Are those who know equal to those who do not know?” (39:9)
Community No student will be prevented from studying at the Islamic Online University, regardless of his or her religious, ethnic or social background. The IOU affirms that its doors will remain open for all, irrespective of the artificial borders erected in the real world. It has already spawned, in less than four years, a global community of over 100,000 students seeking Islamic knowledge from over 217 countries and sharing their knowledge and concerns in supervised student forums. Furthermore, the members of IOU’s teaching staff come from all corners of the globe. God said: “Cooperate with each other in righteousness and piety…” (5:2)
7
Islamic ethics
Quality and Application
It is the fundamental belief of the Islamic Online University that the bond between the teacher and student is a sacred one. Therefore, the Muslim teacher and student must be essentially different from teachers and students who merely happen to be Muslim. The Last Prophet stated that “the world and its contents are cursed except the remembrance of Allah and means to do so, the teacher and the student.” Thus, the IOU expects all its students, teaching staff, administrators and volunteers to function as Muslims first and foremost in their respective positions and fields. Doing so will foster and maintain the highest standards of personal integrity, honesty and responsibility, as Prophet Muhammad said: “Indeed, Allah loves from each of you that you work according to the best of your ability.”
The Islamic Online University is committed to providing a top quality online academic experience, suitable in its scope and depth to convey authentic and practical Islamic knowledge, while at the same time enabling its students to face the contemporary challenges of their era. IOU will assess and re-evaluate every aspect of its Islamic academic model on an ongoing basis and will not only encourage its students to study diligently, but also emphasize that they must strive their utmost to put the knowledge gained into practice. The Last Prophet said, “The best of you is one who learns the Qur’aan and teaches it to others.” He also said, “The best of you is the one most beneficial to people.”
8
The Method The University recognizes that many of its students may not have studied on the Internet before. Online education is a unique learning experience quite different from traditional classroom-based learning. Therefore, it has produced a variety of demos every step of the way and organized a user-friendly learning environment to help newcomers to the field of online education. It is vital that IOU students are fully prepared for its online teaching methods and that they possess the required level of English to effectively and successfully study in this environment. Consequently, IOU has developed a series of orientation courses that are
mandatory for all students as well as English courses (ENG 101 & 102) in the first year to help upgrade their language skills. The global student body learns through watching and listening to video and audio lectures as well as reading PDF format texts with the support of welltrained tutorial assistants. Within IOU’s online study communities, students may share resources, exchange ideas, discuss weekly topics, submit assignments, and take exams.
9
Advisory Committee
Dr. Jafar Shaikh Idrees
Dr. Abdul Hakim Quick
Dr. James Jones
Dr. Ibrahim Al-Nu’aimi
Dr. Saad Al-Shithri
Sudan
Canada
USA
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Founder of the American Open University, Washington, USA
Peace University, South Africa
Chair of World Religions, Manhattanville College, USA
Former Chancellor of Qatar University
Founder of Knowledge International University, Riyadh
10
Instructors
Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips
Wissam El Tom
James Jones
Jamaica, W.I.
Lebanon
USA
PhD
MA
D.Min, PhD
Aqeedah
Tajweed
Comparative Religion
Daud Abdullah
Shafiq Flynn
Imran Asif
Grenada, W.I.
New Zealand
UK
PhD
MA
MA
Seerah
Usool al-Hadeeth
Education
11
M. Anwar Sahib
Abdussalam Ghouse
Altijani Hussin
Fiji
India
Sudan
PhD
MA
MA
Fiqh
Hadeeth
Islamic Economics
Riaz Ansary
Francesca Bocca
Edo Omercevic
Sudan
Italy
Bosnia
PhD Candidate
PhD Student
PhD Candidate
Usool Al-Fiqh
Child Psychology in Islam
Economics
12
Curriculum
SEMESTER I COURSE CODE
YEAR 1
DESCRIPTION
SEMESTER II
COURSE CODE
DESCRIPTION
TAJ 101
Tajweed I
TAJ 102
Tajweed II
AQD 101
Aqeedah I (Ibaadah)
AQD 102
Aqeedah II (Asmaa & Sifaat)
FQH 101
Fiqh I (Math’habs)
FQH 102
Fiqh II (Ibaadaat)
ARB 100/ ARB 101
Arabic I (Reading & Writing)/ Arabic I (Grammar I)
ARB 102
Arabic II (Grammar II)
CMP 101
Computer Studies
SER 101
Seerah I (Prophetic Biography)
ETH 101
Etiquettes of Seeking Knowledge
ENG 102
English II
SEMESTER III COURSE CODE
DESCRIPTION
YEAR 2
SEMESTER IV COURSE CODE
DESCRIPTION
TAF 101
Tafseer I: Uloom al-Quraan
RMY 101
Research Methodology
AQD 201
Aqeedah III (Tahaawiyyah)
AQD 202
Aqeedah IV (Heresiology)
FQH 201
Fiqh III (Mu’aamalaat I)
FQH 202
Fiqh IV (Mu’aamalaat II)
HAD 101
Hadeeth I (Terminology)
HAD 102
Hadeeth II (The Best of Islam)
SER 102
Seerah II (Prophetic Biography)
PSY 101
Islamic Psychology
ARB 201
Arabic III (Grammar III)
ARB 202
Arabic IV (Grammar IV)
13
SEMESTER V COURSE CODE
YEAR 3
SEMESTER VI
DESCRIPTION
COURSE CODE
DESCRIPTION
TAF 201 AQD 301
Tafseer II (Soorah Yaaseen) Aqeedah V (Comparative I)
TAF 202 AQD 302
Tafseer III (Soorah al-Kahf) Aqeedah VI (Comparative II)
FQH 301
Fiqh V (Usool al-Fiqh)
FQH 302
Fiqh VI (Inheritance)
BSA 101 DHD 101 ARB 301
Islamic Management Da’wah & Du’aat Arabic V (Grammar V)
HAD 201 PSY 102 ARB 302
Hadeeth III (The Best of Islam) Islamic Counselling Arabic VI (Grammar VI)
SEMESTER VII COURSE CODE
DESCRIPTION
YEAR 4
SEMESTER VIII
COURSE CODE
DESCRIPTION
HST 101 AQD 401
Islamic History I Aqeedah VII (Angels, Jinn & Humans)
HST 102 FQH 402
Islamic History II Fiqh VIII (Maxims & Maqaasid)
FQH 401
Fiqh VII (Criminal Law)
EDU 101
Teaching Methodology
ECM 101 ARB 401
Islamic Economics I Arabic VII (Grammar VII)
ARB 402 CVN 101
Arabic VIII (Grammar VIII) Islamic Civilization
DHD 102
Contemporary Da’wah Movements
THS 400
BA Theses
14
Students may choose to do an additional five or six elective subjects from any single minor or more during the course of their 4 years of study, and they will be awarded a BA with a minor or minors in the discipline(s) from which they completed all five or six electives offered.
IOU Degrees Offered Standard BAIS consisting of 48 courses: Students who have been granted a waiver for English or Computers course(s), due to their having already done advanced studies in them on a university level will have to take one or more (equal to the number of courses waived) of the courses offered in the electives and make up the required 48 courses to be able to complete the BAIS. BA with a Minor in a particular field consisting of 53 or 54 courses: An additional group of electives will be required from the available electives depending on the Minor the student wants their degree to be in. E.g., BAIS, Minor in Aqeedah, means that the student has done all the electives of the Aqeedah Minor. The courses of the minor may be taken as a separate semester after completing the BAIS courses.
ELECTIVES (FOR MINORS) COURSE CODE
AQEEDAH
COURSE CODE
TAFSEER
AQD 501 AQD 502
Aqeedah VIII (Sufism) Aqeedah IX (Shi’ism)
TAF 301 TAF 302
Tafseer (Subjective: Jesus) Tafseer (Subjective: Satan)
AQD 503
Aqeedah X (Usool al-Bid’ah)
TAF 401
Tafseer (Subjective: Adam)
AQD 504 AQD 505
Aqeedah XI (Sahaabah) Aqeedah XII (Tawassul)
TAF 402 TAF 501
Tafseer (Soorah al-Mulk) Tafseer (Soorah an-Noor)
COURSE CODE
HADEETH
COURSE CODE
FIQH
HAD 301 HAD 302
Hadeeth V (Islamic Excellence I) Hadeeth VI (Islamic Excellence II)
FQH 501 FQH 502
Human Rights Maqaasid
HAD 401
Hadeeth VII (Islamic Excellence III)
FQH 503
International Relations
HAD 402 HAD 501
Hadeeth IX (Takhreej) Hadeeth X Books of Hadeeth
FQH 504 FQH 505
Sharee’ah Governance Qadaa, Hisbah & Mathaalim
15
COURSE CODE
ISLAMIC BANKING & ECONOMICS
COURSE CODE
EDUCATION
ECM 102 ECM 201
Principles of Economics (Macro & Micro) Money and Banking
EDU 201 Subject Knowledge (Pedagogy) EDU 202 Managing Children
ECM 202
Accounting
EDU 301 Professional Development
ECM 301 BSA 301
Financial Management Intro to Business Administration
EDU 302 Differentiated Instruction PSY 501 Child Psychology
COURSE CODE
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
COURSE CODE
HISTORY
BSA 102 BSA 201
Human Resources Marketing Communications
CVN 102 CVN 201
Modern Middle-Eastern History The Ottomans
BSA 202
Marketing Research & Sales
CVN 202
Muslim Spain
BSA 301 ECM 202
Intro to Business Administration Accounting
CVN 301 CVN 302
Cordova Muslim Contributions to Civilization
COURSE CODE
DA’WAH
COURSE CODE
TAJWEED
DHD 201 DHD 202
Modern Da’wah Institutions Mass Media & Communications
TAJ 201 TAJ 202
Tajweed III (Intermediate I) Tajweed IV (Intermediate II)
DHD 301
Orientalism
TAJ 301
Tajweed V (Advanced I)
DHD 302 DHD 401
Muslim Minorities Practicum
TAJ 302 TAJ 401
Tajweed VI (Advanced II) Tajweed VII (Graduate)
COURSE CODE
PSYCHOLOGY
COURSE CODE
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
PSY 201
Lifespan Developmental Psychology Psychology of Personality, Motivation & Emotion
CMP 201
Graphics & Multimedia Digital Logic/Software Engineering/ Programming (Java or C++)
PSY 301
Social Psychology & Human Relations
CMP 202
Databases
PSY 302 PSY 401 PSY 501
Abnormal Psychology Counseling Psychology Child Pyschology
CMP 301 CMP 302
Web Development Networking
PSY 202
CMP 102
16
Enrollment & Fees The Islamic Online University is a tuition-free institution that does not charge students to take classes. Audio and video recordings of lectures and reading materials are available online free of charge. There is just one modest fee that students pay per semester, a semester registration fee that ranges from 40$ to 120$ per semester based on the standard of living in the student’s country of residence.
Sliding Scale Fee structure The cost of an Islamic Online University BA program will be only a fraction of the cost of a comparable degree from a public university, even for students who live in countries with a very low standard of living. The total fee for the whole program will range from $320 - $960 depending on the student’s country of residence. The semester’s courses end with comprehensive externally supervised examinations.. Therefore the cost of an Islamic Online University BA degree will be only a fraction of the cost of comparable degrees from other public and private universities, even for students who live in countries with very low standards of living. The IOU BA degree cost, according to current fee rates, will vary from $320 for Africans to $960 for Americans. In the Sudan, for example, a 4 year BA degree costs approximately $4,400 for foreign students and $2,200 for locals, while in India the 3 year BA costs approximately $1,200 for locals and $2,000 for foreigners.
FAQ Where is the Islamic Online University based? Although our head office is in Qatar, the Islamic Online University is accessible anywhere a computer and Internet connection exists and its administrative and academic staff live all around the world.
Where does the study take place? Islamic Online University classes take place wherever you are! Because study is completely online, people can learn wherever an Internet connection is available. To ensure that even those with slow Internet connections can fully participate, the IOU has provided audio and video lectures which may be played online or downloaded.
17 How do I take exams? Module tests and Midterm exams can be taken anywhere within the prescribed time. The final exams must be taken only in an IOU approved exam center. There are several designated IOU centers present across the globe. You may look for a center near your place before the semester exams and register for it. If there is no IOU approved exam center nearby, you can suggest an exam center and we will approve it even if you are the only student taking exams in it, Insha’Allah. When will enrolment begin and classes start?
own pace and time, with the exception of live sessions which must be attended when offered. The recorded sessions which comprise the bulk of the study material are available 24/7. Thus, the student may study whenever he or she is free and students may even take breaks during lectures! Live sessions are conducted weekly or bi weekly on Fri, Sat and Sun at two different times (morning and evening) and students may join whichever session suits them. Grades are assigned for class participation in live sessions accounting for 5% of the total grades, with the exception of Tajweed in which it counts for 50%.
Islamic Online University has two terms each year (Fall: September – January and Spring: March – July). Registration in each semester will continue until the end of the first month of classes. Please visit the website for dates and deadlines.
The BA course offered by IOU was designed to accommodate a wide range of study schedules. However, there are some deadlines that must be met. For example, mid-term and final exam dates, add and drop course dates and assignment submission dates.
How does full-time and part-time study work at the IOU?
If my transcripts are not in English, will you still accept them?
An IOU semester usually has 6 courses and lasts for a total of around 5 months. Each course consists of 2 recorded lectures and one live lecture per week. Full-time students are expected to devote at least 3 hours per week per subject - or preferably 4 hours, in which they will listen and or read the lecture materials, take the lecture quiz and prepare class assignments. This translates into between 18-24 hours per week of study. Part-time students taking half of the full load of 6 courses (i.e. 3 classes) would need to spend half of that (i.e. 9-12 hours).
Any non-English transcripts of the high school Certificate must be fully translated into English and authorized by a notary public or any other attesting body. You must also send an authorized notary copy of the original attested transcript with the translated copy. The copy of the translated notarized copy should be uploaded during online registration procedures.
The BAIS degree is a four year degree which may be completed in a minimum of 3 years (if students take more than a full course load) and a maximum of 8 years. Within that period, students may study at their
18
Accreditation The government of Somalia’s Ministry of Higher Education, recently granted a university license to the Islamic Online University, adding it to its list of accredited universities in Somalia which are recognized by the UN and therefore recognized by accredited universities globally.
The Universitas Muhammadiyah Sukabumi (UMMI) and the Islamic Online University (IOU) are pleased that a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) has been signed between them on 04th May 2011. They have agreed to embark on a strategic alliance to provide curricular programs designed to promote core competence and excellence in authentic Islamic education and other disciplines from the Islamic perspective. The IOU has recently launched the world’s first tuition-free, online Bachelor of Arts in Islamic Studies (BAIS). This path-breaking initiative plans to utilize the worldwide presence of the Internet and advanced open source online learning technology to bring low-cost, university level Islamic education within reach of anyone on the planet who has access to a computer and the Internet. In line with this, IOU has embarked on a consortium with UMMI – an accredited institution of higher learning recognized by the Indonesian government for higher Islamic Studies degree programs relevant to professional growth, well-balanced personality and ultimate success. By virtue of the MOA, UMMI will award BAIS degree certificates to successful IOU students who meet all the requirements mandated by Indonesian laws. UMMI will secure from the Indonesian Higher Educational Authorities the essential documentation of degree authentication. IOU will be responsible for online teaching of all students covered under the MOA.
19
The Gollis University of Somaliland and the Islamic Online University (IOU) are glad to announce signing of Memorandum of Agreement on 31st March, 2013. Both the universities have embarked upon strategic alliance to provide curricular program aimed at promoting core compliance & excellence in authentic Islamic education and other disciplines within the viabilities of the institutions. IOU has been successfully conducting, since 2010, the world’s first tuition free online Bachelor of Arts in Islamic Studies program, utilizing the state of the art online learning technology. IOU thus pioneered the task of making low cost university level Islamic education available to anyone having the access to Internet.
Furthermore, IOU has embarked on a consortium with Gollis University, which offers various degree courses, accredited by the Government of Somaliland. As agreed upon by the MOA, Gollis University will grant a Bachelor of Arts in Islamic Studies (BAIS) degree, accredited by the Somaliland Ministry of Higher Education, to the successful BA students of IOU, who opt for Gollis degree. IOU will provide technical and academic expertise where requested and will offer Gollis’ teaching faculty members the access to its audio, video & pdf text for references. Aiming to have technical cooperation, Gollis will have teacher access to IOU BAIS courses for monitoring and evaluation. Both the Universities will have mutual linking of their websites and Social Media platforms.
ISLAMIC ONLINE UNIVERSITY Office of Admissions P.O. Box 4096 Doha, Qatar Student Affairs Department Email:
[email protected] Call: +91 8688429865 (8am to 12pm, Qatar Time, Mon to Sat) Admissions Email:
[email protected] Call: +91 9849331289 (12pm to 4pm, Qatar Time, Mon to Sat) Sponsorships Email:
[email protected]
www.iou-global.com
