Academic

The academic program at ISTAC emphasizes the study of all aspects of Islamic thought and
civilization, the major world religions and the modern, secular world. Its aim is to create a
learning institution which reflects the aspirations of man and encourages the development of
all his faculties to produce the perfect man, who is accountable to God. The emphasis is on
the universal rather than on the particular. The international character of the academic staff
and the student population testifies to this philosophy.

The graduate program is intellectually, spiritually and humanly linked to the sources of
Islamic revelation and to fourteen centuries of Islamic scholarship. It seeks to preserve the
traditional elements of Muslim education, one of which is the intimate master-disciple
relationship through which both ethical and intellectual guidance is imparted.

The teachers and their students come from various academic backgrounds—law, theology,
philosophy, political science, library science, psychology, medicine, biology, dentistry,
architecture, economics, history, education, business management, literature, engineering,
astronomy and Islamic studies. While the medium of instruction at ISTAC is English,
proficiency in the Arabic language is compulsory for all degree-seeking students.

The student body and teaching staff are made up of people from Malaysia, other parts of
Southeast Asia, the Far East, South Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and the United
States. ISTAC is a research and postgraduate institution of the International Islamic
University Malaysia offering master and doctoral degrees in Five main, distinct, yet
overlapping, areas of studies, namely, Islamic and other civilizations; philosophy, ethics and
contemporary issues; Islamic spirituality and contemporary society; Islamic Science; and
Muslim world issues.