For those of us who are serious about studying Islam and becoming full-time teachers and preachers, it is necessary to have a solid educational foundation in Islam. To achieve this, a person must systematically study each of the basic Islamic sciences while specializing in one or two that most interest them. It must be noted that without a solid educational foundation in Islamic sciences, the person will (generally) lack the depth to do any serious academic work.
But before we jump into the glorious world of Islamic sciences, we must satisfy the two mighty prerequisites: Qur’an and Arabic. The student of Islamic knowledge must be proficient in his/her reading of Qur’an (ideally, should be a hafidh of Qur’an), should know basic tafsir of the ayaat and should recite and ponder over the Qur’an habitually.
As for Arabic, proficiency in Arabic consists of reading comprehension, listening comprehension, writing/typing proficiency, and solid understanding of the grammar.
For those of us who satisfy these two prerequisites, we often face a stubborn obstacle: its not always feasible to travel abroad for a period of 4-6 years to study Islam.
But alhamdulillah, now there is a great alternative available. Those who are proficient in Qur’an and Arabic and want to study Islam from authentic sources systematically – which means studying all the basic sciences and specializing in one or two – there is Al-Madinah International University.
What is Al-Madinah International University?
The idea of establishing Al-Madinah International University (MEDIU) was mooted by a group of renowned Muslim scholars who wanted to provide contemporary Muslims with modern yet suitable educational tools which would equip them for the harsh reality of living in the Muslim world today – a world that is desperately plagued by war, prejudice, poverty, injustice and illiteracy.
By facilitating e-learning, MEDIU can be easily accessed by students from all corners of the world at any time or place of their own choosing.
MEDIU was named after Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, the holy and blessed city where Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) established the capital of the first Islamic state, which is also considered the qiblah for those seeking Islamic knowledge.
MEDIU obtained approval as a university from the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) Malaysia on 26 December 2006 and subsequently was registered on 20 June 2007 (KPT/JPS/DFT/US/B22).
MEDIU operates under Malaysia’s Private Higher Education Act of 1996 (Act 555) which governs its establishment and the administration in order to prepare and provide a conducive learning environment for students of higher learning.
Along with degrees and diplomas in IT, business admin and finance, MEDIU offers bachelor degrees in fiqh, hadith, ulum-ul Qur’an, daw’ah, and Arabic. They also offer master and PhD degrees. All these programs are in Arabic and the student who wants to enroll has to pass an Arabic proficiency test to qualify for the courses.
The degree is pretty affordable too. The entire degree (full-time) in fiqh for the 4 years costs $6,853 USD, which is pretty decent. Here is a complete breakdown of the fees and refund policy. They also have generous scholarships for students who cannot pay for their studies.
An important point to note is that unlike many online universities, the degrees are accredited.
Online and On-Campus
All the degrees are available online, which is the primary domain of MEDIU. However, they have also set up a campus in Malaysia recently. Students can apply either for studies online or on-campus.
Update: here is a look at the campus:
Here is a link to their youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/mediuvideo
Online Studies – How does it Work?
The online studies with MEDIU has four components:
1) Course Notes
2) Recorded Lectures
3) Live Lectures
4) Powerpoint-style summary of the Course Notes
All these components are tied together by a course management software (Moodle), and it is named ALIM (pronounced aleem). The ALIM system lists all your courses, due dates, announcements, what lessons are to be completed in each week, etc.
The course notes are the main component. These are divided into lessons and each lesson has sub-lessons. At the beginning of the semester, the student is given an outline of what lessons to complete on a weekly basis.
Attached are few snapshots of the course notes:
The recorded lectures come in a very interesting format: .exe. The executable file comes complete with the text from the course notes (sometimes with additions) and a small media player that plays the files. The recorded lecture is basically a teacher reading from the course notes and explaining anything that he feels necessary. Here are some snapshots:
The live lectures are conducted through an online software called Dimdim. The live lectures are basically a summary of the recorded lessons with question and answers. They take place around 6-7 times a semester. Each lecture is for an hour, so if you have the full course load (i.e. 5 courses) you will take 5 hours of live lectures. Here is a snapshot:
The last component of study is an online, powerpoint-style summary of the course notes. This is done in the ALIM system through a software module called SCORM. This component is a useful study tool because it tests your understanding with short questions and MCQs, etc. Here is a snapshot:
Tests and Exams
Assignments, quizzes, forum participation and short tests are conducted online through ALIM. These are generally not worth a lot of the course grade (20-30%). The larger portion is for the midterm (20%) and the final (50%). The midterm and the final exams are done in-person and for this, the student needs a proctor and a location where the exam can be administered. The University emails the exams to the proctor, who prints it, gives it to the student at the correct time, then takes the exams, scans and emails them and finally snail-mails them to the University.
Usually all the assignments, short tests and even the midterms are very straightforward. However the finals are tricky and they fully test the understanding of a student by making them write long answers. For example, during the finals, it is quite necessary to have many proofs from the Qur’an and sunnah memorized by heart.
MEDIU is a great system of learning for those who are proficient in Qur’an and Arabic. It is systematic and organized, allowing the student to gain a lot of benefit in a short time. In my opinion, MEDIU is perfect for people who:
- Have studied Arabic abroad and are looking for the next step.
- Are actively involved in dawah work in the West and thus cannot go abroad for formal studies.
- Have a diploma in Islamic studies/informal education in Islamic studies and want to enhance and deepen their knowledge.
- Have a bachelors in Islamic studies but cannot travel for masters.
Moreover, driven students can combine studies at MEDIU with specialization in any science that they wish. For example, a student can do the MEDIU degree in fiqh and specialize with a private teacher in the sciences of qiraa’aat, giving him a solid foundation in all Islamic sciences and a specialization that interests and drives him. This combination of general studies at MEDIU and specialized studies with a private teacher yields tremendous results.
I personally encourage those interested and qualified to give MEDIU a try. The application process is easy and doesn’t cost anything. Those interested in more details can contact MEDIU directly, or leave a comment here insha Allah.