ISLAMIC ONLINE UNIVERSITY

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN ISLAMIC STUDIES

WWW.ISLAMICONLINEUNIVERSITY.COM
 TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Dean’s Message .............................................................................................. 02
About Islamic Online University........................................................................ 03
Founder ........................................................................................................... 04
The Mission ..................................................................................................... 05
The Method ..................................................................................................... 08
Advisory Committee ........................................................................................ 09
Curriculum ....................................................................................................... 12
Enrollment & Fees ........................................................................................... 11
Frequent Asked Questions .............................................................................. 12
Accreditation .................................................................................................... 14
 Dean’s Message
“It is my great pleasure to welcome you, Islamically,
to the IOU experience in which the various
avenues of divinely-revealed knowledge have
been opened for you. This opportunity has been
made possible by the ‘accidental’ invention of the
Internet, a human creation resulting from divine
inspiration. At a time when Islamic learning is
caught between fossilization and revival, hijacked
by modernism and extremism, a chance to promote
its teachings in their 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 deeply understand the major areas of Islam, apply what you learn in your
lives, and share this divine legacy to the world around you.”

Dr. Bilal Philips

Founder & Dean

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 ABOUT ISLAMIC ONLINE
UNIVERSITY
The Islamic Online University (IOU) is
the brainchild of Dr. Bilal Philips. He
envi-sioned an institution that would
offer online intensive, undergraduate,
and graduate courses in Islamic Studies
completely tuition-free.

The IOU was initially launched in

2001 from UAE with an offering of a
few short courses. After a five year
interlude, it was restarted in 2007
from Qatar with a greater offering
of completely free short courses.

Alhamdulillah, although we began with

1,500 students in 2007, by the end of
2008, the number of registered students tripled, reaching 4,500. And
now, as 2009 has ended, Allah has blessed the IOU with a student
body of over 15,000 students from over 160 different countries .

The IOU is now launching the world’s first tuition-free, online Bachelor of
Arts in Is-lamic Studies. 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 .

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 FOUNDER
Dr. Bilal Philips – Founder and Dean

Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips is a Jamaican Canadian Islamic Scholar who
converted to Islam in the early 70’s after journeying politically and intellectually
from Christianity to Communism. Shortly after his reversion to Islam, he embarked
on a spiritual academic journey 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 90’s.

After graduation, Dr. Bilal became a teacher of Islamic studies for 10 years in an
Islamic high school, Minaret Al-Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and a lecturer of Arabic and
Islamic studies in the American University in Dubai, UAE, for another 10 years. During
his time in the UAE, he founded the Islamic Information Center in Dubai. During the
next 6 years, he served as the Islamic consultant for the Islamic Information wing
of Shaikh Eed Charity in Doha, Qatar and founded the Islamic Studies Academy.

He 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 many
years on Riyadh Channel 2TV, Sharjah TV for 10 years, as well as Peace
TV, Huda TV, Islam Channel, UK, and the Deen Show, Chicago, USA.

In 2000 Dr. Philips founded the Islamic Online University (www.

islamiconlineuniversity.com) offering free Islamic courses to over 18,000
registered students from over 160 different countries worldwide. He is
also the Founder and former Head of the Islamic Studies Department of
Preston University (2002), Ajman, UAE, the Founder and Head of the Islamic
Studies Academy (2007), Doha, Qatar, the current Founder and Head of the
English-medium Islamic Studies Department of Knowledge International
University (2008), Riyadh, and Head of the College of Da’wah and Islamic
Culture (English Section 2009), Omdurman Islamic University, Sudan.

Most recently, Dr. Bilal was appointed the Director of PERF (Professional Education
and Research Foundation) and Supervising Director of Preston International
College (www.prestonchennai.ac.in) and Al-Fajr International School
(www.alfajrinternational. com), Chennai, India.

04 www.islamiconlineuniversity.com
 THE MISSION
“Making authentic Islamic knowledge readily
available to the world through the Internet
solely for God’s pleasure is a noble life-goal
and a mission well worth sacrificing all of 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 education
programs for students at virtually no cost. Its
mission is “to change the Muslim nation and the world situation through
appropriate education.” The principles upon which the IOU is based are:

Divine Knowledge of the Quran and Sunnah

God said: “Indeed it is only the knowledgeable among His servants who truly
fear Allah.” (35:28) The Last Prophet said: “Seeking knowledge is obligatory on
every Muslim.”

Accessibility
The Islamic Online University already provides a golden opportunity
to access Islamic courses wherever people 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 any-one, 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 continued commitment to spreading authentic
Islamic knowledge by progressing from an absolutely free certificate and
diploma level courses to a tuition free BA, thereby making higher Islamic
education easily afford-able worldwide. Free tuition for all students provides
equal access to an education that few could afford if they attended traditional
institutions of higher learning around the world.
God said: “Say: Are those who know equal to those who do not know?” (39:9)

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 Community
No student will be prevented from studying at Islamic Online University,
regardless of their religious, ethnic or social background. The IOU affirms
that its doors will remain open for all, irrespective of the borders existing
in the real world. It has already spawned a global community of over
18,000 students who seek Islamic knowledge from over 160 countries
and share their knowledge and concerns in supervised student forums.
God said: “Cooperate with each other in righteousness and piety…” (5:2)

Islamic ethics
It is the fundamental belief of the Islamic Online University that the Muslim
teacher is essentially different from a teacher who merely happens to be a
Muslim. Likewise, the Muslim student should be distinctly different from a
student who so happens to be a Muslim. The IOU expects all its students, faculty,
staff, administrators and vol-unteers to function as Muslims first and foremost in
their respective positions and fields. Doing so will naturally entail maintaining
the highest standards of personal integrity, honesty and responsibility.
The Last Prophet said: “Indeed, Allah loves from each of you that whenever he or
she does work, that is done according to the best of his or her ability.”

Quality and Application

Islamic Online University is committed to providing a top quality online academic
ex-perience, 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 the 21st century. IOU will assess and re-evaluate
every aspect of its 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.”
The Last Prophet’s disciple, Ibn Mas‘ood said, “We used to learn knowledge and
its application together.” Imaam Sufyaan ath-Thawree related that as a youth,
when he first began to attend classes, his mother advised him, “If you write
down 10 words and your faith hasn’t improved, check yourself.”

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07
 THE METHOD
IOU provides a unique learning
experience. The University recognizes
that many
students may not have studied online
before; it is quite different to traditional
classroom-based learning. Therefore, it
has put in place all the necessary demos
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 learning methods and processes
and that they have the required level of
English to enable them effectively and
successfully study in this environment.
Consequently, IOU has developed
a series of orientation courses that
are mandatory for all students.

Comprised of students from around the globe, the student body will learn
through watching and listening to video and audio lectures as well as
reading PDF format texts with the support of well trained tutorial assistants.
Within the online study communities, students may share resources,
exchange ideas, discuss weekly topics, submit assignments, and take exams.

IOU is thankful to Allah for having enabled us to earlier launch the first institution
offering completely free online courses and now the tuition-free BAIS. We are
dedicated to spreading authentic Islaamic knowledge and a proper understanding
of the true religion of God. As such, the students and professors who comprise
IOU represent a diverse group coming from both under-developed and developed
countries globally.

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 ADVISORY COMMIT TEE
Dr. Jafar Shaikh Idrees (Sudan), Founder of the American
Open University, Washington, USA

Dr. Abdul Hakim Quick (Canada), Peace University, South

Africa

Dr. James Jones (USA), Chair of World Religions,

Manhattanville College, USA

Dr. Khalifah Al-Tamimi (Saudi Arabia), Founder and

Chancellor of Madeenah International University,
Madeenah

Dr. Saad Al-Shithri (Saudi Arabia), Founder of Knowledge International

University, Riyadh
Dr. Ibrahim Al-Nu’aimi (Qatar), Former Chancellor of Qatar University

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 CURRICULUM
YEAR 1

Semester 1 Semester 11 Semester 111

Qur’aan and Tajweed Qur’aan and Tajweed Da’wah and Du’aat I
‘Aqeedah I ‘Aqeedah II Aqeedah III
Uloom al-Qur’aan I Uloom al-Qur’aan II Tafseer I
Computer Studies Hadeeth Terminology I Hadeeth Terminology II
Fiqh I Fiqh II Usool al-Fiqh I (iii)
English Language I English Language II Seerah an-Nabawiyyah I
Arabic Grammar I Arabic Grammar II Eloquence I Arabic

YEAR 11

Semester 1V Semester V Semester V1

Da’wah and Du’aat II Qur’aan and Tajweed Da’wah and Du’aat III
‘Aqeedah IV Sects (Aqeedah V) Comparative I (Aqd VI)
Hadeeth I Public Speaking & Debate Tafseer III
Usool al-Fiqh II (Fiqh iv) Tafseer II Hadeeth II
Takhreej Hadeeth Usool al-Fiqh III (i) Usool al-Fiqh IV (ii)
Seerah an-Nabawiyyah II Seerah an-Nabawiyyah III Psychology
Eloquence II Arabic Arabic Arabic

YEAR 111

Semester V11 Semester V111 Semester IX

Qur’aan and Tajweed Islamic Thought Modern Philosophies
Logic Comparative II (Aqd VII) Islamic Sufism?
Tafseer Scholars’
English Language III History of Legislation
Methods
Hadeeth Scholars’ Meth-
Research Methodology Tafseer IV
ods
Fiqh of Inheritance Hadeeth IV Teaching Methodology
Hadeeth III English Language IV Islamic Philosophy
Arabic Arabic Arabic
*Click here for Course Descriptions*

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 ENROLLMENT & FEES
Islamic Online University is a tuition-free institution that seeks it profits
from Allaah. The University does not charge students to take classes.
Readings and other study materials will be available online free of charge.
There are two areas, enrollment and exam processing, which require modest
fees, based on the standard of living in the student’s country of residence:

Semester Enrollment Fee:

Enrollment for a semester has a registration fee which ranges from $10
to $50 based on the student’s country of residence.

Exam processing fee:

The semester’s courses end with comprehensive
examinations for which students must pay a flat fee based on a sliding
scale. The fee will range from to $10 - $50 per semester based on the
student’s country of residence.

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.

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 Frequently Asked Questions
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.

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.

How do I take exams?

All final exams will be administered online at IOU designated centers across the
globe. IOU will appoint centers in every city that has even one student. Students
will be required to pay associated fees to the center. This will vary from country to
country and may also be free in some places. IOU will charge a modest examination
fee of $10 or more per semester (according to a sliding scale depending on the
student’s country). This is a flat fee will be the same, irrespective of whether
the student is taking the exams of 1 course or all courses of the semester.

When will enrollment and classes begin?

Islamic Online University offers two terms each year (September – January and
March – July). Please click here for dates and deadlines.

If my transcripts are not in English, will you still accept them?

Any non-English transcripts of the high school Certificate must be fully
translated into English and authorized by a notary. You must also send an
authorized notary copy of the original transcript with the translated copy. The
copy of the translated notarized copy should be uploaded during the online
registration.

*Click here for further enquires and answers*

12 www.islamiconlineuniversity.com
Islamic Online University
Anyone...Anywhere...Anytime...

World`s First Tuition Free BA in Islamic

Studies - Register Now!

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Accreditation
Wisdom International School for
Higher Education Studies (WISHES)
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BAIS Consortium with
Islamic Online University (IOU)
The Wisdom International School for Higher
Education Studies (WISHES) and the Islamic Online
University (IOU)) are pleased to announce their
strategic consortium by virtue of a Memorandum
of Agreement (MOA) between them signed on 30th
July 2010. 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 WISHES – an
accredited institution of higher learning recognized by
the Philippine government through the Commission
on Higher Education, Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (CHED-ARMM) for higher Islamic Studies
degree programs relevant to professional growth,
well-balanced personality and ultimate success.
By virtue of the MOA, WISHES will award BAIS degree
certificates to IOU students who complete all the
requirements mandated by Philippine laws.
WISHES will also secure from the Commission on
Higher Education, Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao(CHED-ARMM) documentation of degree
authentication, namely the Special Order (SO) and
the Certificate of Authentication and Verification
(CAV).
IOU will be responsible for online teaching of all
students covered under the MOA.
www.islamiconlineuniversity.com
Islamic Online University
Admissions: Registrar@islamiconlineuniversity.com
Office of Admissions
Sponsorships: Asst.Dean@islamiconlineuniversity.com
P.O. Box 3955
General Enquiry: Registrar@islamiconlineuniversity.com
Doha, Qatar