Had a chance to sit today with part of the committee who is deciding, amongst other things, the UK and US students who are going to be accepted this year. They are literally in the last few days of decision making, and the lists are being presented for final signatures this week, possibly early next week. There are still one or two countries that haven’t been finalised, but I know for example, that Pakistan was completed within the last couple of days and signed off, and that most countries are either done or almost done.

One of the interesting things I picked up on is that they group the applications within one country, according to ethnic background. So, all of the British-Pakistani students are being put in a pile, and all of the British-Somali students in a pile, and so on. They then compete against each other, instead of against the broader range of applicants. So, let’s imagine that in the top 10 for the UK there are 5 students whose parents are of Pakistani origin, only one or two of those top 5 would get accepted, unless they are (a) exceptionally gifted, beyond the normal expectation of students (b) the number of applications from indigenous applicants is less, or the standard is very poor, in which case they might take one or two more.

Will this result in a practical change to the balance of accepted students? maybe, maybe not, since they always talk about doing this, and in the end, the list ends up being quite balanced. Allah knows best.

I did make a point about who you class as indigenous in a country like the US – since I didn’t think there were that many Native Americans who applied…but I think the point was somewhat lost on them, and they basically define indigenous as: doesn’t look like he comes from a Muslim country with a lot of existing applicants.

I’ve said before that nobody should let this kind of thing put them off. Put your application together, apply, and make du’aa. Allah opens doors for people in ways that they could never imagine. We can only work within the system we have, and certainly ethnic background is by no means the only method of deciding between applications, and the university maintains that when they get a really exceptional applicant, they don’t look at ethnic background at all.

I think there’s a difference between getting a balanced list, which is praiseworthy, and being biased against certain ethnic groups, which is not. In shaa Allah, the university is aiming for the first and not the second.

We ask Allah for His tawfeeq,

Wassalaamu alaykum warahmatullah,

Muhammad

I have just finished a complete update of the blog, including updating and checking the information on all of the pages, a redesign of the site in general, and what I hope is an improved way of organising the information. A lot of old information has been removed or updated, and I have started a serious attempt to include other universities as part of the blog.

There are loads of changes to the actual WordPress options, including limiting the number of posts on the front page, and new comments appearing at the top of the list of comments, instead of the bottom, which should help for pages which have hundreds of comments.

If I am missing anything, or have inadvertently deleted something really important, please let me know!

The only thing left to do now is to answer all of those comments!!

Baarak Allahu feekum,

Wassalaamu alaykum warahmatullah,

Muhammad

I’ve had to stop answering questions for the last month or so, just from being snowed under with work.

A few updates for you all:

1. In shaa Allah, I’m going to get through the backlog of over a hundred comments which I need to reply to, over the next few days.
2. I’m going to set some time to revamp the website, to cover more universities, and generally update the information, in shaa Allah, within the coming week.
3. The electronic application for Madinah university is coming close to be ready to go live. I have submitted FAQs for the official site, and will soon post them here as well, for your comments.
4. The university seems now to be accepting requests from students to bring their wives, on the condition that the students are from countries in which Muslims are a minority, like Europe, the US, etc. They are currently accepting applications – so any students who are married should go and submit their papers. This seems to be a temporary measure to cope with the massive influx of new students this year, and requires the student to sign a pledge that they will not ask the university for any form of help and support, and will take full responsibility for the consequences of bringing their wives.

Finally, I am looking for brothers to help maintain this site. I would love to be able to respond to every question within a day or two, but often the response time is more like 2-4 weeks, simply because of the other projects I’m involved in. I also really need a brother from Makkah and a brother in Riyadh, so if anyone knows of someone who might be willing to help, please forward their details to me.

May Allah reward those who have posted comments and are having to be a little patient while I get round to replying to them all.
Baarak Allahu feekum,

Wassalaamu alaykum,

Muhammad

There are a few updates which I wanted to let everyone know about.

Firstly, as I have mentioned previously, there is going to be a four fold increase to the number of students accepted this year, in shaa Allah. Most of the places have already been allocated, and the main ‘deadline’ has already passed. However, I doubt that they will have filled every single place, because of the massive increase in places, and as I keep saying, there is no official cut-off date, in the sense that they stop accepting applications. However, once they have allocated all of the places (which was scheduled to happen about a month ago), all other applications will be considered for the following year. This can be thought of as an unofficial deadline, but people can still be accepted after it has passed, just not very many.

Secondly, there are some very big changes scheduled to happen in the coming few years which seem like they are going to change the Islamic University (for better or worse) – and Allah knows best.

1. Firstly, as mentioned above, the university is going to have much larger facilities and therefore accept more students. This has its good points and bad points. The concern is that the standard will be even more watered down than it already is, in terms of both teachers and students, as the university struggles to cope with the massive increase in numbers.
2. Secondly, masters may (this is still unofficial as far as I know) be changed to 2 years instead of 4-5 years, with no research paper (only a standard dissertation written over months not years). This will make the masters programme much more accessible, in shaa Allah, with a large increase in the number of students who are accepted. This again can be good and bad, since it represents yet another compromise in standards and quality, but on the other hand, makes the programme viable for more people.
3. Thirdly, there is a rumor that they are making progress in terms of the sisters’ facilities, and we may see something more concrete next year – and Allah knows best. Not only does this open the door to sisters who want to apply, but also could potentially make it much easier for married students.
4. Finally, the university is planning to expand to cover non-Islamic specialisations, making it a mainstream university, rather than a purely Islamic one. I don’t know the timescale for this, or whether any scholarships would be provided to students from outside of Saudi Arabia, but the change is something which is being seriously talked about.

On one hand, I’m really pleased that the university is becoming more accessible and many of the difficulties mentioned on this blog are becoming easier, in shaa Allah. On the other hand, there is a serious concern that if changes happen in an unplanned way, a lot of the quality and the atmosphere of the university may be lost. Also, there is a major push to lower the standards required of the students, which are already so much lower than they were five or six years ago, and a million miles away from what they were 10 or 20 years ago. It used to be that students graduated with a solid foundation in all of the major Islamic sciences, whereas it now seems that the gaping holes in the university syllabus are getting bigger and bigger, with each course becoming more and more specialised, and focusing less and less on classical sources (with some exceptions of course). The blame for that doesn’t rest solely with the administration; the students have to accept their fair share of the blame.

If you look at certain major Islamic universities in the world and what has happened to them, you can see how much they were affected by these kinds of changes. These kind of changes can be something very positive, in shaa Allah, if they are accompanied by adherence to the Sunnah and a solid Islamic framework, as well as a firm respect for the status of Islamic  knowledge. However, if they are implemented simply to make a university closer to its counterparts in the West, then they can be the beginning of a serious decline, making a university more concerned with quantity than quality, and turning what should be the single most important and comprehenive field of study in the world into little more than a token degree and a hobby course, no longer producing future scholars and serious students of knowledge. Some might say that has already happened to some extent.

We ask Allah to protect this university and to make it a source of benefit for the world, and to grant the teachers, students, and management the ability to fulfill the amaanah which they have been given.

Wassalaamu alaykum warahmatullah,

Muhammad

* There seems to actually be an opportunity for sisters to study in this university, as well as other universities in the Kingdom. However, the nature of this opportunity and its conditions need further research.

* I strongly advise the sisters not to use the method mentioned below, regardless of the intention of the people involved. You do not need to use this method any more than the brothers need to in order to apply to Madinah University. It can be daunting to apply to a university in Saudi Arabia, but with a little bit of guidance, it can be quite easy.

* In shaa Allah, I plan to do further research into the opportunities available, over the next few days, and where it is possible to add the information to the site, then we will do so, if Allah wills.

* With regard to not needing a mahram – even if this is correct according to the conditions of the university (which is not confirmed), it is not Islamically permissible. The Prophet – may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him – said, “It is not permissible for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to travel more than a day and a night’s travel, without a mahram.” This equates to a matter of a few miles, not thousands of miles to live in a different country. The correct opinion from the people of knowledge is that a woman cannot go to perform her obligatory Hajj without a mahram, so certainly she cannot do so for non-obligatory actions, no matter how good they are. How can a person go to seek the bounty of Allah in a way that angers and displeases Him? Whoever helps women to travel without a mahram is sinful and disobedient to Allah – the Exalted, and is turning people away from the path of Allah, not helping people towards it.
Allah knows best, and He is the One who guides to the right path.

——

I receieved this email from a normally very reliable source. However, it seems that this is not true. I don’t honestly know whether the opportunity is actually there, but it seems the fees are part of a scam. To be fair, I should have known better, because it is very unusual for a university here to charge fees, however, the source of the email made me think that it was legitimate.

http://ruwaydamustafah.com/2010/02/16/the-fake-princess-noora-bint-abdur-rahman-university-scholorship-program-riyaadh-saudi-arabia/

This message was passed on to me…ma shaa Allah tabaarak Allah, it sounds like great news.

PRINCESS NOORA BINT ABDUR-RAHMAN UNIVERSITY  SCHOLORSHIP PROGRAM,
RHIYAD SAUDI ARABIA

(LOOKING FOR SERIOUS SISTERS UNDER 30 YRS OF AGE WHO ARE  INTERESTED IN LEARNING ARABIC AND ISLAMIC STUDIES)

INCLUDED:

AIR FAIR, ROOM AND BOARD, MONTHLY STIFFAN  AND
SPONSORSHIP FOR HUSBANDS AND OR MAHRAMS

FEE:

$700-$1000 FOR PROCESSING AND DOMESTIC AFFAIRS (VISAS)

ALL  APPLICANTS WILL NEED TO SUBMIT COPIES OF PASSPORTS, HIGHSCHOOL DIPLOMAS OR  GED BIRTH CERTIFICATE, AND ANY COLLEGE TRANSCRIPTS

ALL DOCUMENTS  AND FEES FOR SEPTEMBER 2010,
ADMISSIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY FEBRUARY  28, 2010

FOR ADMISSIONS SEPTEMBER 2011, ALL DOCUMENTS MUST
BE  SUBMITTED BY THE END OF MARCH 2010
(NO EXCEPTIONS)

FOR FURTHER  INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: UMM MARYAM RASHEEDAH (SAUDI CONSULTANT)  011966535300346 Umimaryam20@msn.com

OR

UMM MUHAMMAD  NAIMAH,  Ummnajimah@yahoo.com

One of the things that I have been thinking for a while is that the Islamic University should change the condition of not taking into account qualifications after high school/GCSE level.

There are some really good potential students who fulfill all of the conditions, except that they have gone on to study a degree, or even a post-graduate qualification, and so the time between their high school graduation and their application to the Islamic University is more than 5 years, and they are rejected on that basis.

The purpose of the condition is to stop applicants who have not done any study for more than 5 years, which is fine. However, stopping a student who graduated from another university a year or two ago doesn’t make any sense. Most students in the US/UK graduate from high school at 17 or 18. This effectively means that nobody older than 22 or 23 can apply to the university, because more than 5 years has passed. A student who has just received a first class degree might be rejected, simply because it has been six years since they passed their high school exams. The strange thing is that if they were to sit even one GCSE exam as an external candidate after their degree, they could still be accepted.

I mentioned this to one of the brothers who is responsible for accepting new students, and he has promised to make a formal suggestion at the next meeting that this condition be changed to include university degrees, as well as high school qualifications.

We need everyone to make du’aa that this is accepted, since it would make a huge impact for so many students.

Inshaa Allah, I will keep everyone updated,

Wassalaamu alaykum warahmatullah,

Muhammad

Update: here is the second term list for Imaam Ibn Saud University in Riyaadh: http://www.imamu.edu.sa/support_deanery/admissions/major_announcements/Pages/acceptlist1430-31.aspx

I got hold of the second list for the region which includes the UK & Europe, the US and Canada, and Australia.

From what I can see, there are no additional students from  Canada, or Australia. There is only one student from the UK, who I already mentioned in the previous post and one student from America.

All the others are from mainland Europe (with some bits of Asia and South America I think mixed in).

The names are handwritten and very hard to read, some of them may be way off the mark…be warned.

Germany (1): Muhammad Janil

Belgium (2): Yunus Kariche, Ibrahim Islaan

Turkmenistan (1): Aurazov Sha Muhammad Sazakovitch

Russia/Dagestan (1): Noor Bayev Waghif Maghamidovitch

Russia (2): Steba Ninko .. bin Borinovitch, Raslaan Faraj Ad-deen

Tajikistan (2):Tash Khojayev Bahraam, Abdullah Yefsharokh…

France (2): Jalou Saeed, … Irlian

Venezuela (1):Franclim Antonio Mareen

Kyrgyzstan (3): Adheem Jaan Qadeerov…, Ra’oof-ullah Ghuwaya Khotov, Farooq Jaan Sakhiybayov

Kazakhstan (3): Iblizov Zufr bin Tayir Janobitz?, Amitov Yarmik Kayir Janovitch, Jabakhov…Jardiovitch

Finland?? (1): Heemla …Anas Awlawi

Holland?? (6): Yasin Al-Alaa’i, ‘Abdul Ilah At-Taahiri, Waseem Qasimi, Al-Yusuf Ilyaas, Salih Al-Bazkadi, Muhammad Al-Bozakawi

Yugoslavia (1): Abu Bakr Khair Ad-Deen…

Columbia (2): Ibrahim…Mustafa ‘Abdul Ghani Ahmad, Noor ud Deen Mustafa ‘Abdul Ghani Ahmad

Kosovo (1): Koshtrim Manjo..a

Britain (1): ‘Abdi Muhammad Saalih

America (1): Abu Bakr Muhammad Saeed

Assalaamu alaykum warahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu,

Some interesting news for you all.

Firstly, there is a second list of accepted students. It came out about a week ago and comprises around 120 students in total, of which I think 29 are from Europe and the US. Unfortunately, the list is not published in its entirety, and the letters haven’t yet been sent out. I can confirm that there is one British student: ‘Abdi Kareem Saaleh, and one American student: Abu Bakr Ahmad Mas’ad (excuse any spelling mistakes), who have both been accepted as part of the ‘second list’. To the best of my knowledge these two are the only two from the US and UK, but like I said, I had to fight a bit to see those names and the list was not complete, so no guarantees. Also congratulations to Buba Sulle Dicko from Cameroon, who was also accepted as part of the second list. Inshaa Allah, I’ll try to get the whole second list by the end of the week.

Secondly, To all of the accepted students from the US. It seems like you are all waiting for a letter to be sent to the embassy, detailing how many years you will be studying and your visa numbers. This information was faxed to the cultural attache on Wednesday night, so the university requests all students to contact the cultural attache and chase this up. I presume that they will forward this information to the embassy, who will then process all of the visas inshaa Allah.

Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, I just signed up to work for the university in the Dept. of Admissions. This will inshaa Allah, help all of you in two ways. Firstly, I will be able to get information and answers to your questions promptly, since I will be there for at least an hour every day inshaa Allah and develop better contacts with the people who work there. Secondly, my first task will be to revamp the section of the university website which deals with admissions. That means a new fully electronic method of submitting applications (which is already under development), an accurate English translation of the website, and the most important and most frequent questions and comments from this site will inshaa Allah be incorporated into the official site, with the responses checked and signed off by university officials.

This is a chance for all of you to give your feedback and comments.

From the top of my head, these are some things I think we need to focus upon:

• The requirements, conditions, requested documents, and actions that are required from prospective students should be clear at all stages: before submitting documents, when you are accepted, and after you arrive. A google earth ‘map’ of the university wouldn’t be a bad idea for new students.
• The website should contain frequently asked questions based on this blog and others, and a means to effectively communicate with the university electronically.
• Accepted students’ names should be published on the website, even if it is that every student who applies is given a reference and has to enter the reference to find out. It would even be nice if they were informed of their acceptance by email.

Please post some comments with your ideas & suggestions, then I will collate them and present them, inshaa Allah.

Wassalaamu alaykum warahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu,

Muhammad

Just a couple of things that I picked up on for accepted students.

In terms of the visa, you can inshaa Allah, go through a travel agent, as an alternative to going to the embassy yourself. This seems to be a third method, apart from the two that I mentioned in the previous post, on the front page.

In terms of the ticket/visa number, you can call the university for the number, on 009664847080, extension 128. There should be someone who can speak English.

Alternatively,  and this seems easier, you can send an SMS message to +966 533 053 702, with your name, passport number, and your reference number from your letter of acceptance (you can find it directly underneath “NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE For the Year 2009/2010 AD”) – it is written in Arabic as ‘Raqm At-Talab’. They will send you back your ticket number inshaa Allah.

Since the tickets seem to be the normal electronic form, you need to find an agent who knows how to use the Saudi Airlines computer system. They’re not technically supposed to do it, as far as I know, they’re supposed to send you to a Saudi Airlines office. However, they probably can if they want to (they do in Madinah in some places). Alternatively, you could call up Saudi Airlines in London, and tell them that you have a ‘Government Ticket’ and want to book a flight. This normally works, although you might have to call more than once. Their number is 0207 989 890 (I think).

Once again feedback is appreciated,

Wassalaamu alaykum warahmatullah,

Muhammad

For those who have been accepted this year…

More than one of the brothers has asked about the website https://enjazit.com.sa which they are being told to register on by the embassies.

I spoke in detail with the people in charge today, and they were shocked when they saw it.

They say that it is totally unnecessary, since the university has already paid all of the relevant charges, and basically you end up paying twice for something you shouldn’t have to pay for at all.

They recommend the following procedure instead:-

Go to the Saudi Foreign Ministry Website here.

Choose the second link from the top “Search for visa issued from The Ministry of Labor \ Recruitment Agency \ MOFA“

You will be asked for two numbers, the first is the visa number. You have to call the university for this, if you don’t already have it. The second is the ID number, this is the university’s ID, which is 7000965068.

This should give you everything you need, without having to pay anything, or register anywhere else.

However, in case you are somehow forced to apply using the enjazit service, then the details which I mentioned seem to be correct:

Visa Type: Educational

Sponsor Name: The Islamic University of Madinah Sponsor Address: The Islamic University of Madinah, Al-Madinah An-Nabawiyyah, KSA Sponsor ID: 7000965068.

Fill your name in English and Arabic.

Arrival – By Air, Jeddah, Single Entry

Please post a comment if you have successfully got your visa using either of the two methods above, or if you know of a better way.

I ask Allah to make it easy for all,

Wassalaamu alaykum warahmatullah,

Muhammad