السلام عليكم ورحمة الله 
 

Welcome to success!

If you are a current or future student of IQOU Theological College, I am pleased to welcome you to a success that encompasses both your current life and also goes beyond the boundaries of this earthly life and extends to your hereafter as well, inshaAllah.

The foundational philosophy which guides every aspect of IQOU Theological College is taken from one of the most profound lines of the Holy Quran. This is the ayah of Noor – Noor can be loosely translated as guidance, light, knowledge, enlightenment and love.

“Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light is as a niche and within it a lamp: the lamp is in a glass, the glass as it were a star Durriyyun (reflecting), lit from a blessed tree, an olive, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would almost glow forth, though no fire touched it. Light upon Light! Allah guides to His Light whom He wills.   And Allah sets forth parables for mankind, and Allah is All-Knower of everything.” (Surah 24 Noor, Ayah 35).

These words describe with symbolism the condition of a pure heart which shines brightly with the light of truth, knowledge, enlightenment and love, all reflections of Allah’s Noor. This heart is encased in the chest of the sincere believer and shines so brightly that it illuminates everything around it, thereby providing benefit to all who come in contact with such a heart. The goal of a true believer is to purify one’s heart in such a way that it reflects the Divine Noor to such an extent that selfhood and carnal desires are lost in favour of the Divine Will, whereby one becomes the embodiment of Allah’s viceroy on earth. I welcome our scholars to begin this exhilarating journey on the path to acquire the exoteric and esoteric knowledge required to develop such an enlightened heart.

Al-Nu’man ibn Bashir reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

أَلاَ وَإِنَّ فِي الْجَسَدِ مُضْغَةً إِذَا صَلَحَتْ صَلَحَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ وَإِذَا فَسَدَتْ فَسَدَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ أَلاَ وَهِيَ الْقَلْبُ

"Verily, in the body is a piece of flesh which, if sound, the entire body is sound, and if corrupt, the entire body is corrupt. Truly, it is the heart." Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 52, (All Agreed).