History

The Center for Islamic Sciences (CIS) was established in 2000 (then called Center for Islam and Science). CIS operates under an international advisory board and a local executive committee.

Governing Structure

CIS operates under an international advisory board and a local executive committee.

 Activities

The Center started publishing its semi-annual journal of Islamic Sciences in 2003. The journal (then entitled, Islam & Science) is dedicated to a creative exploration of the natural and human sciences. The journal publishes articles which critically evaluate contemporary knowledge as seen from within the framework of traditional Islamic thought and learning. It explores ways to renew rigorous and productive links with the intellectual tradition of Islam in order to enhance our understanding of God, life, the cosmos and the human condition.

In 2007, the Center initiated the Qur'an encyclopedia project. The seven-volume Integrated Encyclopedia of the Qurʾān (IEQ) is envisioned as a scholarly reference work, providing comprehensive and authoritative articles on all concepts, persons, events, things, and places mentioned in the Qurʾān. IEQ draws on a wide range of traditional Muslim sources, including exegeses, Hadith collections and commentaries, classical lexicons, biographical dictionaries, universal histories, works of jurisprudence, Prophetic biographies, and treatises on spiritual and moral psychology—some of which have never before been presented in any encyclopedic work in a Western language. Based entirely on primary sources and held to a high standard of academic rigor, IEQ integrates source material at several levels: its conceptual structure presents an integrated view of the overall message of the Qurʾān; it incorporates and integrates various strands of Islamic scholarly tradition on the Divine text; and presents a cohesive, cross-referenced text that is at once contemporary and classical. The first volume was published in January 2013. For details see the dedicated website for the project www.iequran.com.

The Center also organizes conferences, workshops, and symposia on various aspects of Islam, including Islamic perspective on education, science and philosophy. There are plans to start online courses geared toward specific needs of professionals in various areas. These include courses such as teaching science from an Islamic perspective, understanding the thought and works of specific scholars, courses designed to increase public awareness of, and appreciation for, the rich heritage of the Islamic intellectual sciences and their relevance for the contemporary world.

International Advisory Board

Zafar Ishaq Ansari, International Islamic University, Pakistan
Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, Malaysia
William C. Chittick, State University of New York, USA
Muhammad Hashim Kamali, IAIS, Malaysia
Seyyed Hossein Nasr, George Washington University, USA
Hamid Parsania, Al-Mostafa University, Iran
Roshdi Rashed, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France