Education

Maqasid Institute offers educational programs based on its vision of valuing divine guidance in human affairs. The underlying theme of all of MI’s offerings is the higher objectives, or Maqasid of revelation. Participants gain deep insights into the Quran and Sunnah as they relate to their context and the purposes they seek to fulfill.

Maqasid Institute’s educational programs are divided into two interrelated educational tracks that are associated with two target groups. The first are those who seek to acquire the tools and methods to sharpen and enrich academic skills and scholarship, including upcoming scholars, academics, and professionals. The second are those who seek to enhance their knowledge of Islam and its moral precepts, including youth and women’s groups, and those seeking personal growth.

Graduate Studies

The Graduate Studies courses guide scholars and researchers to approach the Revelation (Quran and Sunnah) for perspectives and answers to address real-life challenges, questions, and issues. It concerns the scholarly examination of how Islam is understood and practiced in relation to foundational, disciplinary, phenomena, and strategic studies. Participants are introduced to the Maqasid Methodology and guided through a complete application of its five methodological steps and composite framework. A vital feature of this stream is an immersive, purpose-driven contemplation of the Quran to familiarize participants with its unique language, style, techniques, emphases, connections, and consistent relevance to human endeavors. The programs in this stream present a Quran-centric approach to knowledge, which is: Critical – Comprehensive – Future-oriented.

Courses

These courses focus on the higher objectives and comprehensive nature of Islam. It highlights the limitations of contemporary Islamic studies, like imitation, apologism, and partialism, among others, which produce distortions and contradictions. It also critiques modern approaches to knowledge that neglect unicity (tawhid) which is at the root of current global crises. Maqasid Institute is effecting a paradigm shift in Islamic scholarship through its challenge to the status quo in both Islamic and secular approaches to the definition, acquisition, and utilization of knowledge.

This course guides researchers to formulate an Islamic approach to address questions and issues using an original and comprehensive understanding drawn from the revelation (Quran & Sunnah).

This course guides knowledge seekers & researchers to approach the economic phenomena from a transdisciplinary Islamic perspective utilizing the new Maqasid Methodology.

This course provides a purpose-driven outlook into the civilizational nature of Islam, and its worldview based on the essential features of Islam: purposefulness, connectivity, and holism.

This course teaches Maqasid Methodology, integrating Quranic and Prophetic teachings into Islamic psychology for human behavior and mental health.

This course is the second part of the Qur’anic Exegesis program, building on classical approaches to explore modern interpretative frameworks.

Dr. Ammar Al-Hariri’s course explores how to understand and engage with the Prophetic Sunnah, emphasizing the role of the objectives-based (maqasid) approach in interpreting and accepting it within Islamic law.

The program examines the methodologies of classical and modern scholars in interpreting the Qur’an, tracing the evolution of Tafsīr from early Islamic to contemporary approaches.

Maqasid Fellowship

The Maqasid Fellowship Program is designed to comprehensively apply the Maqasid Methodology acquired during the graduate courses and the Qur’an Reflection Program in scientific research, resulting in a publishable paper. The research must address important contemporary issues in a purposeful, interconnected, and holistic manner, with the Qur’an and the Sunnah as the basis for Islamic thought.

General Education Programs

MI General Education Stream seeks to activate the Quran and Sunnah of our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) in the life of participants. This stream uses a novel and participant-friendly approach to conveying the higher objectives and moral principles needed to lead a beautiful and luminous life of faith. Participants are encouraged to refer to the Quran for guidance on every day questions and challenges. They are provided with the knowledge and skills to lead purposeful and fulfilling lives while enabling others to do the same.

All content and activities of the General Education Stream are based on the foundations of Revelational guidance, including purposefulness, connectivity, and holism. These are the flagships of Maqasidi Thinking and Living which take participants through an exciting journey of self-discovery, healing, and rectification.

Participants in the general stream will enhance their knowledge of Islamic morality, Quranic wisdom and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). They will develop the confidence to question, examine, synthesize and apply Quranic guidance to their specific contexts and concerns.

Courses

This course introduces the Book of Nature (Kitab Al-Kawn) and how to read it in conjunction with Allah’s Revelation – Al-Qur’an –

يتناول هذا المساق موضوعات جديدة في المحتوى والطرح يقف المشارك خلالها على منهج في فهم القرآن الكريم يتناوله الشيخ العلامة الدكتور محمد عناية الله أسد سبحاني.

Lectures Series

This Program provides researchers with a comprehensive and objective-oriented Maqasid Methodology (manhajiyyah) to contemporary Islamic law (fiqh).

Retreats and Camps

This retreat explores the Qur’anic concept of nature as Divine signs, offering a blend of spiritual reflection and ecological awareness for English-speaking Muslims, academics, and professionals.

Educational Partnerships

Maqasid Institute, continuing its successful engagement with institutions of higher learning such as International Peace College South Africa (IPSA) and UIN Imam Bonjol Indonesia, is open to proposals from partner institutions who are looking for innovative graduate-level programs utilizing comprehensive objectives-based Islamic scholarship. MI has previously offered a Master’s degree program on Applied Islamic Thought at IPSA (2019-2022) and a postgraduate level course on “Re-Envisioning Islamic Scholarship” at State Islamic University in Padang, Indonesia (2023), which was particularly well received.

Our core of well-established professors teach courses in the Islamic sciences, as well as: economics, politics, finance, governance and policy, climate and environment, society, and development. If your university or institution is interested in relevant, unique, and exciting courses we would be happy to explore your options which range from a pilot course, special offerings or even possible permanent additions, please contact us at insert email address.