About the Department

Department of Islamic Studies was established with University inception in 2005 with the approval of National Universities Commision (NUC) for B.A (Hons) Islamic Studies Programme. Presently the Department has 12 Permanent Academic Staff, 8 Visiting Academic Staff, 4 Part-time Academic Staff and 2 Non-Academic Staff.

The Department offers B.A, M.A and PhD Programmes. The B.A Programme started since the University’s inception in 2005/2006 session, the M.A Programme started in 2015/2016 session after getting full accreditation of the B.A Programme, while the PhD Programme started in 2018/2019 session. The Department also offers courses for students from the Departments of Arabic, Hausa, English and Education.

The values of the Department include, among others, high academic quality and institutional discipline, a vibrant and dedicated team spirit, passion for fairness, firmness, thoroughness, hard work and reputation for quality of graduates in character and learning.

The educational policy in Al-Qalam University Katsina attaches great importance to Islamic studies because it is one of the most important knowledge that students need especially in this age of defamation of Islam in general and of those who study Islamic studies in particular. It is well known that the progress and stability of nations depend on the safety of the minds of its members, the strength of the ideas of its people, the extent of their attachment to the principles of their religion, the truth of their civilization, and their trust in their leaders, their scholars and the administrators of their affairs.

Vision

To produce top quality graduates in the area of Islamic Studies for the development of Nigeria in particular and other countries in general.

Mission

To rigorously pursue productive research, which will promote rapid development of competent and professional manpower with sound background about knowledge of Islamic Sciences leading to social, economic and political development as well as the transformation of the society to an exemplary one.

Philosophy and Objectives of the Discipline

The Philosophy of Islamic Studies programme may be stated as follows:

In a country where Islam is a way of life for a large proportion of its population, where its study is mandatory for every believer, a study of Islamic Studies as an academic discipline becomes significant. A high level of competence in it becomes a great service seriously needed by the Nigerian society.

One of the virtues of Islamic law is to protect five essential values, namely: religion, life, intellect, lineage and property. The intellectual security protects individual, the society and the nation from all intellectual piracy, cultural hegemony or global infiltrations that shake its principles or scratch its values, so that it can live secured on its personal components, cultural, cognitive and societal distinctiveness. At the same time, there is now talking in all scientific fora about the development and quality of the product in line with requirements of the labor market, so that we have a generation capable of leading the nation to achieve the aspirations of society.

Islamic primary sources are in Arabic. This explains why proficiency in the Arabic language is crucial to the proper understanding and competence in the Islamic Studies discipline. Students should be able to read and digest the primary sources of Islamic Studies, which are the Qur’an, the Hadith and Fiqh as they are in the source language.

Proficiency in English is crucial for the purpose of participating in the modern trends in Islam which is usually advanced studies in secondary European sources. A graduate of Islamic Studies is one who is capable of obtaining knowledge from the source material and one who can impart it and marshal arguments in a world language.

The aims and objectives of the programme should be:

  • To Acquaint the student with the broad outlines of Islam as a religion and a way of life
  • To prepare the student to understand Islam as a culture and civilization.
  • To present Islam to the student as it is in its original sources: the Qur’an and Sunnah.
  • To present Islam to the student as it is in its original sources: the Qur’an and Sunnah.
  • To sustain rigorous academic research into all issues affecting contemporary Muslim communities with focus on Nigeria.
  • To place Islam in the context of other world religious traditions, especially those that are relevant to Nigeria.
  • To prepare the student who will progress to postgraduate level with intellectual capabilities and imaginative thoughts.
  • To produce graduates who would adequately fit into establishments of administration, Islamic legal departments, teaching at various levels, and Foreign Service.

Duration of Programme

The minimum duration for the BA Islamic Studies degree programme is four years, except for candidates who gained admission through Direct Entry (D.E.) at 200 Level. The duration for such candidates is three years. The maximum time is six years within which candidates must complete the programme.

Entry Requirements

There are two modes of entry into the programme of the department. They are: Direct Entry (D.E.) and entry through the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME).

Requirements for Direct Entry

  1. D.E. 200 Level: 10 points and above; 3 credits at “O” level including Islamic Studies/IRK and two ‘A’ level passes.
  2. D.E. 100 Level: 5-9 points; 3 credits at “O” level including a credit in Islamic Studies/IRK; and two “A” Level passes.

Requirements for UTME Candidates

In addition to scoring the acceptable standard cut-off points in Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations, to be admitted for the B.A. Islamic Studies programme, a candidate must obtain the following qualifications:

  • 5 credits, three in the relevant subjects, which include Islamic Studies/IRK, and any three arts subjects including English.

A Credit pass in Arabic is compulsory for those who want to pursue the programme using Arabic medium