Islamic Online University A Gateway of Ilm By Yaqeen Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander

Knowledge or Ilm is certainly a treasure and blessing of Allah (SWT). A Hadith reported by Baihaqi says, "Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim (male and female)." This knowledge primarily refers to the knowledge of Deen i.e. Islam. The Quran mentions, "And say: My Lord increase me in knowledge."(Qur'an, Ta-Ha 20:114). Also "Allah will raise up, to (suitable) ranks and (degrees), those of you who believe and who have been granted knowledge. And Allah is well-acquainted with all you do." (Qur'an, AlMujadilah 58:11). The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said, "If Allah wants to do good to a person, he makes him very knowledgeable in the Deen." (Related by Bukhari and Muslim). And "A learned one is as much above an (ordinary) worshiper as I am above the least of you; and he added: Allah, His angels and all those in the heavens and in the earth, even the ants in their holes and the fish in the water, call down blessings on those who instruct people in beneficent knowledge." (Related by Tirmithi). Also "The 'Ulama' are heirs of the Prophets, and the Prophets do not leave an inheritance of Dirhams and Dinars but (they left) only knowledge. He who acquires knowledge acquires a vast portion." (Related by Abu Dawud and Tirmithi). He is also reported to have said, If anyone travels on a road in search of knowledge, Allah will cause him to travel on one of the roads to Paradise.

So clearly acquiring knowledge of Deen is very virtuous and a worship in itself. There are a lot of people especially the youngsters who are curious to learn about Islam but unfortunately do not find the proper means to do so. They get discouraged on not getting the right platform for learning Deen. Some get disheartened for not having enough resources to travel and learn Islam. The young generation needs to be diverted towards the learning and a correct study of Islam. As such the taught courses must be relevant and flexible because most of the students do not study Islam primarily but want to learn it side by side along with their own studies. If you are also curious to learn Islam through free short courses without taking much of your daily time and without affecting your schedule, then Islamic Online University (IOU) is the best option for you. It provides a number of free short Islamic courses to students about Aqeeda, Dawah, Fiqh, Tahaarah, Prayer and much more. The students are also provided with an electronic certificate after duly completing a course. And the courses are flexible and do not carry any duration. Student can do the modules and assignments as per their will and time schedule. The Islamic Online University was actually founded by Dr. Bilal Philips. It was launched first in 2001 from UAE offering only a few short courses. Then it was restarted in 2007 from Qatar offering more short courses absolutely free. IOU started with 1500 students in 2007 but currently it has more than 15000 students from over 160 countries. In spring 2010, IOU launched the worlds first tuition free degree Bachelor of Arts in Islamic Studies (BAIS). The BAIS program has got the accreditation of Wisdom International School for Higher Education (WISHES), Philippines. The BAIS is a full-time three year graduation program having its syllabus at par with other International Universities. It is a very Ideal course especially for those students who want a degree in Islamic Studies but do not have enough resources to travel abroad. During the three years the students are duly taught Arabic, Uloom ul Quran, Uloom al Hadeeth, Usul al Fiqh, Dawah, Takhreej, Seerah, Tajweed and few other subjects like Computers, Islamic Psychology and English. Dr Bilal Philips is the Dean of the IOU and its advisory committee consists of other prominent scholars like Dr. Jafar Shaikh Idrees (Sudan), Dr Abdul Hakim Quick (Canada), Dr James Jones (USA), Dr Khalifa Al Tamimi, Dr Saad Al Shithri and Dr Ibrahim Al Nuaimi (Qatar). The teaching methodology at IOU is very unique and novel. It is quite different from the traditional class room based learning. The students first have to enrol themselves for a course. After that the students learn the course through watching and listening to video and audio lectures as well as reading texts in PDF format mostly. The students are also assisted by their tutorial assistants in live chat sessions and forums. The students also share resources between themselves and exchange ideas, discuss various topics, submit assignments and take exams. IOU really provides a best learning experience to all those who sincerely want to know their Deen. So why not give it a try? Just log on to www.islamiconlineuniversity.com
(The Author can be reached at www.yaqeenulhaq.info or can be mailed at yaqeen@ymail.com)