DARUL HUDA ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY: A University with deference

The realization that the role of religiously educated scholars in the intellectual, social, cultural and even the spiritual spheres is so minimal, that hardly they can be described as ‘true heirs of the Holy Prophets of Allah’ was the main impetus re-kindled DHIA’s authority to re-assert its mission. Succinctly, the Holy Qur’an has described the role of a Prophet as one:
who recites to them His verses, and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and Wisdom, whereas afore they were surely in error manifest (al- Quran Al Ana’am: 164).

Spiritual and intellectual refinement of the Muslim community on every aspects of life, and guiding them on various issues at micro and macro levels were key to the roles of Holy Prophets of Allah. As true heirs of the Holy Prophets (PBUT), the Scholars of Islam (‘ulamā’) should be able to shoulder such heavy roles. They should not withdraw from to their own shells, leaving the Muslim community behind in the face of grievous challenges at every front.
The opponents of Islam and Muslims have strengthened their positions against Islam and have waged a full-fledged war at every front. The challenges at educational level are the most thunderous. The very framework of any science, -human and social, pure and natural- are constructed on worldviews alien to the essential spirit of Islam. The sense of ‘sacred’ is seen as no more viable; rather religion is seen as the greatest threat to the development. The challenges posed by various intellectual, socio-cultural ‘isms’ melted in the crucible of Western ideologies and narrow conception of science such Atheism, Polytheism, Humanism, Evolution, Psychoanalysis, Liberalism, Marxism, Capitalism, Orientalism, Dialectical Materialism, Historicism, Rationalism, Racism, Extremism, Terrorism and other scores of orientations are not only monstrous as such, but are profoundly organized and united to challenge. Through educational institutions, especially at higher levels, a paradigm shift was planned and executed in order to purge out everything ‘sacred’ and ‘religious’ and to weaken the attachment of Muslims to their religion.
Hence, it is vital that both the institutions of Islamic religious higher education and their graduates (‘ulamā’) take the issue as the most serious and pursue through concerted efforts to counter such ‘isms’, rather to guide the Muslim community and humanity at large in every faculties of life, religious and otherwise, for ‘ulamā’ are entrusted to act as exemplars of the prophets of Allah. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)’s rigorous personal concern about future scholars of Islam in the School of Bench (ashab al-Suffah) is the inspiration of DHIU. The main purpose of the Suffah School was to preserve the intellectual heritage of Islam, which in turn is the model that DHIU subscribes for itself. At Suffah, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) ‘aimed at establishing… a center of learning’ (Acikgenc, 1996: 83-84).
The Darul Huda Islamic Academy was formally upgraded to be an university on 10th May 2009.

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