The Department of Aqida (Faith)

Brief:

Foundation:

The Department of Aqida became related to the College of Da'wa and Usul-ul-Din (the call to Islam and study of its fundamentals) in 1401 A.H.

Establishment:

In 1382 A.H. the Department of Aqida originally belonged to the Faculty of Shari`ah (Islamic Law) in King Abdul-Aziz University, the Holy Makkah.  However in Shaban 1401 A.H. a royal decree regarding the construction of Umm Al-Qura University in the Holy Makkah was given. When the college of Da'wa and Usul-ud-Din (the call to Islam and study of its fundamentals) was built in the new university in 1401 A.H the department in question was relocated there.

Objectives:

1-      Conforming people's genuine faith to the right methodology

2-      Strengthening people's beliefs that the way the Salaf (the prophet's companions and followers) understood reasoned with and protected the Islamic faith was correct and free from illusions

3-      Defending the Islamic Ummah (Nation) and keeping its faith free from deviations    whatsoever

4-      Cementing monotheism in the minds of students when they are made to study its issues profoundly and see into everything associated with them ;

5-      Developing the students' critical and innovative capabilities by means of getting them acquainted with the authentic religious ideology how to prove its correctness and refute any adverse suspicions 

6-      Getting students aware of what Islam has called for including unity alliance fighting differences and division. Teaching the main Islamic factions and reasons behind their emergence is hoped to make our students avoid them as well as their bad effects on Muslims

Duties:

1-      The department of Aqida runs courses on Islamic faith, factions, other religions, criticism of ancient, middle and modern philosophy, logic, scholastic theology, the Qur'anic verses and Prophet's traditions focusing on the matter of faith, library science and research for its students and any other ones whose syllabuses require studying any of those above

2-      Qualifying students for teaching and employment in the fields of Islamic affairs and/or Awqaf (endowments)

3-      Teaching as well as qualifying the other students who come from all over the Islamic world in such a way that enables them to spread this religion and its teachings while pointing out how tolerant Islam is, supreme its principles are and much are humans in need of it

4-      Protecting the Islamic Ummah (Nation) and its youth from any intellectual invasion, the contemporary intellectual schools of unfounded thought and futile trends

Activities:

1-      The department takes part in the monthly scientific meetings organized by the faculty

2-      It has contributions to pick, cater for and honors star students

The department staff members:

The department referred to includes thirty-four members mentioned below:

- Prof. Saud Bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Araify, the head

- Prof. Aisha Ali Rouzy Al-Ghutani, the head's deputy

- Twenty male Saudi staff members

- Seven female staff members

- Six foreign staff members on contracts

- One Saudi staff member on contract

With reference to the Aqida departments syllabus plans, a student may graduate upon finishing all the requirements of his syllabus.

http://www.uqu.edu.sa/timetable/timetable1.php

The degrees the department may award are as follows:

-          Bachelor's degree

-          Master's degree

-          Ph-d

The objectives of Bachelor's course of study

1-      Getting students acquainted with the issues included in the authentic Islamic faith along with their clear-cut proofs quoted from the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah

2-      Getting students aware of the reflection of going astray from the genuine Islamic faith, the muddles conducive to that and how to refute them, thus enhancing the same students' abilities in the fields of criticism and creativity

3-      Highlighting the advantages and characteristics of the Islamic faith as well as its importance for human beings

4-      Conducting critical studies on the wrong beliefs of the Islamic fractions and retorting them by means of comparatively analytical course

5-      Introducing the science of religion, along with its branches, to the student and comparing Islam with all the other religions, underlining the importance of depending on the Holy Qur'an in reasoning with the people of the Book (the Christians and Jews)

6-      Carrying out critical studies on the ancient, middle, modern and contemporary philosophy, human sciences and western theories on analyzing history

7-      Protecting the youth from any failure to adhere to Islam and keeping them immune from misleading trends, vain tendencies and contemporary intellectual schools of unjustifiable thought.

The objectives of the Master's degree course

1-      Making students academically able to write scientific research and do university studies

2-      Trying to foster the spirit of conservation and admiration of the Islamic heritage as well as manifest that its value and man's need to it are considerable. For the sake of a wider and wider good, the scientific methodology of investigation and publishing are to be verified and manuscripts as well as their accessibility are to be made free-for-all.

3-      Encouraging scientific methodology and constructively positive criticism

4-      Emphasizing the Islamic directions including unity, inhibiting divisions and differences and/or what triggers them out

5-      Pinning down our belief in the genuine Islamic faith and what happens in case of failure to do so

6-      Getting students aware of the reflection, bad effects and danger of descent, in belief and ideology, with the Islamic factions as well as those related to Islam.

7-      Looking into and criticizing philosophers' opinions

The conditions of enrolling on bachelor's degree courses

The conditions specified by the statute for the admission of new students also apply for bachelor's degree courses.  These are also made clear in the articles (2, 3 and 4) and the enforcement regulations of the statute of university stage study and tests in Umm Al-Qura University.

The conditions of enrolling on master's degree courses

The conditions specified in chapter five for admission and registration of the statute also apply for master's degree courses. These conditions are also stated in article no. 12, 13 and 15 and their enforcement regulations which are found in the statute for postgraduate studies in Saudi Arabian Universities. The applicant for the above-mentioned courses must obtain a bachelor's degree in a religious specialization, and not necessarily Aqida (faith).

The conditions of enrolling on philosophy degree (PhD) courses

1- Aqida (faith) must exclusively be the subject of specialization for the master's degree

2- Passing the written and oral placement tests

The names of the heads of the department since its establishment:

1-      Prof. Salih Zein Al-Abeedin Abdullah Al-Shaibi 1402:8 A.H.

2-      Prof. Safar Bin Abdul-Rahman Bin Ahmad Al-Hawali 1408-14 A.H.

3-      Prof.Ahmad Bin Atiah Al-Zahrani 1414:9 A.H.

4-      Prof. Ahmad Bin Abdul-Latif Al-abd Al-Latif as commissioned in 1419 A.H. (for six months)

5-      Prof. Abdullah Bin Muhammad Al-Qarni 1419:22 A.H.

6-      Prof. Abdul-Aziz Bin Ahmad Al-Hamadi 1422:24 A.H.

7-      Prof. Saud Bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Araifi from 1424 A.H. till now.

For contacts:

Address: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Umm Al-Qura University, College of Da'wa and Usul-El-Din (the call to Islam and study of its fundamentals), Department of Aqida (faith) and Religions.

P.O. : 7040

Telephone: 550 5017, ext 20/21

Fax: 5583 888

The University telephone exchanger no. 550 1000, ext 6350/6351