The Institute of Knowledge Integration (IKI), Georgia, is pleased to announce 2025/2026 as the Year of Learning the Heritage of Dr. Taha Jabir Al-Alwani (1935-2016). Al-Alwani, a graduate of Al-Azhar University, was a prominent advocate for promoting an integrative approach to knowledge that combines the two readings – the Revelation (Waḥī) and the real-existential – alongside a holistic and disciplined inquiry into contemporary issues that challenge Islamic thought. His reflections encompass the processes of revitalizing Muslim intellectual thought, restoring the equilibrium between Revelation and human intellect, constructing a contemporary Islamic epistemological framework, and formulating methods to engage with the Qur’an as a foundation and source of thought, knowledge, and civilization.
The ground-breaking paradigm suggested by Al-Alwani to restore the relationship between the Creator, the created universe, and man is central to the educational and research endeavors of IKI Academy, which aspires to establish itself as a leading center in the Central Eurasian region. The Institute seeks to foster a culture that integrates the Qur’anic worldview and Islamic value framework into the study of diverse socio-religious topics, and endeavors to steer knowledge in a direction where its foundational revealed premises guide it, fulfilling its Islamic objectives and advocating for a balanced and holistic perspective. Hence, a thorough exploration of Al-Alwani’s legacy through educational and research initiatives could significantly enhance the Institute’s direction and deepen its integrated approach that intertwines Divine Revelation and ‘reading’ the Divine Laws (sunān Allah) governing the created universe, ultimately aiming to reform Islamic thought.
The initiatives of the Institute for the years of 2025 and 2026 will include:
• Organizing an Annual Forum in Istanbul to explore the objectives of the Qur’an and the integration of knowledge perspective in the light of the ideas of Dr. Taha Jaber Al-Alwani (3-7 October 2025)
• Arranging Academic Discussion Panels, Public Lectures and Intellectual Discourses to deliberate the key themes of Al-Alwani’s legacy, such as the interpretation of the Qur’an through the Qur’an, the methodology of dealing with the Sunnah, the culture of disagreement in Islam, the Qur’anic worldview, and the method of integration between the Revelation and the real-existential
• Organizing specialized masterclasses, workshops, and trainings for early career researchers and postgraduate students.
• Providing short-term research grants (in Russian) to explore the legacy of Al-Alwani (the research proposal submission deadline - 15 September 2025).
• Publishing edited volumes in English and Russian to publicize the findings of research projects on the legacy of Al-Alwani and conference presentations (2026).
• Developing and offering a series of short courses and a specialized block-structured course centered on the ideas of Al-Alwani (throughout 2025 and 2026 in English and Russian).
The spectrum of topics promoted for the Institute’s educational and research endeavors to study the legacy of Al-Alwani encompasses the following:
• The message of the Qur’an as an alternative methodological and epistemological vision on a cosmic level
• The interpretation of the Qur’an through the Qur’an
• The maqāṣid (objectives) of the Qur’an
• The position of the Sunnah in Islam and its fundamental relationship to the Qur’an
• The culture of disagreement in Islam
• The method of Two-Readings to integrate the Revelation and the real-existential
• Divine Revelation and the created cosmos as the sources of ma’rifah (experiential knowledge)
• Paradigm of Islamization of Knowledge, causes, meaning, developments toward the idea of integration
• Building up a contemporary Islamic epistemological system
• Developing methods of dealing with the Qur’an and Sunnah as the sources of thought, knowledge and civilization
• The crisis of mentality and Muslim intellectual production deterioration
• Reforming of Islamic thought, Muslim educational curriculum and institutions
In-depth studies that compare the ideas of Al-Alwani with other contemporary scholars’ thought are also welcomed.
It is anticipated that the ground-breaking paradigm proposed by Al-Alwani to reform Muslim intellectual thought and the methods to engaging with the sources of Islam in the 21st century will stimulate interest among scholars, researchers, and readers within the Central Eurasian region. Furthermore, the outcomes of the initiatives pursued by the Institute will produce a substantial collection of reading material in Russian that addresses the ideas of revitalizing Muslim intellectual thought and restoring the equilibrium between Revelation and human reasoning. Therefore, we extend an invitation to the Institute’s instructors and students, along with regional researchers and scholars, to engage in the academic and educational endeavors focused on exploring the legacy of Dr. Taha Jabir Al-Alwani.
For further information, you may contact us via [email protected] (inquiries related to research grants), and [email protected] (inquiries related to an upcoming forum in October 2025).
Explore the works of Taha Jabir Al-Alwani in Russian, English, and Arabic:
Books in Russian: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1YEuXMdPeOy5_4d0-hDdcoy2PgEuYYnxT?usp=sharing
Books in English: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1a09NA_LmU5O1a3FxSgfVCBE_-ILMzL87?usp=sharing
Books in Arabic: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MoQUT5Wm6SKt4MYij5TGGdjSQTESa_FX?usp=drive_link
