Ahmed Chowdhury

IIUM

The philosophy of the University was inspired by the recommendations of the first World Conference on Muslim Education held in Mecca in A.H. 1398/ A.D 1977. The spirit of this philosophy is based on the Holy Qur'an, in particular the five verses revealed to the Prophet Muhammad S.A.W., namely Al-Alaq, verses 1-5 : Read! In the name of the thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created Created man, out of a leech-like clot : Read! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful He Who taught (the use of) the Pen Taught man that which he knew not According to this philosophy, knowledge shall be propagated in the spirit of Tawhid, leading towards the recognition of Allah as the Absolute Creator and Master of mankind. The spirit behind this recognition of Allah as the Lord of the World (Rabbal-Alamin) represents the apex in the hierarchy of knowledge. Thus, all disciplines of knowledge should lead towards subservience of this truth. This is because knowledge is a form of trust (amanah) from Allah to man, and hence man should utilize knowledge according to Allah's will in performing his role as the servant and vicegerent (khalifah) of Allah on earth. In this way, the seeking of knowledge is regarded as an act of worship.