The Centre for Religious Studies (CRS – IS) at SAIACS offers top-calibre academic degrees in Islamic Studies in an evangelical, ministry-friendly, South Asian environment. The vision of Islamic Studies is to provide training and tools for Christians to effectively engage with Muslim friends in their workplace and neighbourhood. CRS – IS offers certificate-level courses to train ministry workers including pastors through online and on-site classes and one-day seminars on “Understanding Islam” (on request) in churches/organizations or regional areas.

The courses and seminars will help participants to understand the Islamic worldview, provide ideas to develop genuine relationships with Muslims, train the church to share their faith in dynamic and effective ways, and encourage the congregation to be confident and bold in their witness.

Certificate in Islamic Studies

(Online course; certified by SAIACS)

The CRS offers a three-course Certificate in Islamic Studies in order to strengthen Christian leadership for ministry among Muslims worldwide. This course provides a solid foundation for understanding Islam and Muslims with a view to joyful evangelism and disciple-making. The programme is meant for anyone who have a heart to serve among Muslims and would also like to know more about Islam, its origin, and its history.

Modules Offered:

The Emergence of Islam: June – July 2019

The Qur’an and the Bible: August – September 2019

The Sources of the Sunna: Sira & Hadith: October – November 2019

Key Highlights

• Become familiar with the best scholarly studies of Islamic history and theology.
• Explain the main themes of the content of the Qur’an.
• Identify key truth claims of Islam.
• Converse with Muslims in a relaxed and natural way while speaking about faith issues.

Eligibility

A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree with at least an aggregate pass. The Bachelor’s degree could be either theological (BTh, BD) or in any secular stream (BA, BSc, BTech, BE, BCA, BBM, BCom).

Special consideration will be given for mature candidates if they are over 30 years of age, have ministry experience, and show good academic capability.

Course Duration:

6 months

Register Online Now

For More Details:

Mukilan
mukilan@saiacs.net
+91 9916875522

The Emergence of Islam

June – July 2019

How can Christians understand the origins of Islam in a scholarly and realistic way? This course is an introduction to Islamic Studies that uses the textbook by world-renowned Qur’anic scholar Dr. Gabriel Said Reynolds. This module familiarizes students with the early development of Islam, as well as with many aspects of Muslim faith and life in the modern world. It is offered on the SAIACS campus in order to acquaint students with research methods and resources. Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:

• Tell the story of the origins and development of Islam as Muslims understand it. 
• Demonstrate the application of a scholarly perspective to the Muslim tradition. 
• Become familiar with the best scholarly studies of Islamic history and theology. 
• Write up their own research in a smooth flow of description, analysis, and evaluation. 
• Identify key truth claims of Islam and articulate helpful avenues of personal response. 
• Meet Muslims and learn how to develop meaningful ongoing relationships with them. 
• Converse with Muslims in a relaxed and natural way while speaking about faith issues. 

The Qur’an and the Bible

August – September 2019

In order to understand Islam one must know its primary sources. This course is a careful exploration of the contents of Muslim scripture based on a reading and discussion of the entire Qur’an. Reading the Qur’an, one soon encounters both stories of biblical characters and denials of key biblical truths. Therefore, the course always keeps the “biblical subtext” in the background. The course is offered as a hybrid of one week of classes at SAIACS followed by three weeks online. Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:

• Demonstrate a measure of facility in finding their way around the Qur’an.
• Appreciate the range of types of material and types of language in the Qur’an.
• Describe the way in which the diverse text units repeat and relate.
• Explain the main themes of the content of the Qur’an.
• Understand various aspects of the Muslim dogmatic approach to the Qur’an.
• Articulate a Christian theological response to the Muslim scripture.
• Locate passages that seem to either deny or support the gospel message.
• Respond to the Qur’an’s claims in the midst of gospel witness among Muslim friends.
• Make a case for the reliability of the New Testament and Old Testament.
• Challenge Muslim accusers of the Bible with scholarly questions about the Qur’an.

Sources of the Sunna: Sira and Hadith

October – November 2019

Apart from the Qur’an, Muslims look to the sunna for authority over faith and life. This module is an academic approach to Muslim tradition about the life and teaching of Islam’s messenger. It offers a close study of the most famous Muslim biographies and hadith collections, as well as the best scholarly studies on the development of these traditions, plus a Christian response. This course is offered in hybrid delivery similar to “The Qur’an and the Bible.” Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:

• Tell the main lines of the story of the messenger of Islam as Muslims understand it.
• Show familiarity with the primary sources of Muhammad’s narrative and sayings.
• Explain insights of the best scholarly studies on the development of these traditions.
• Write up their own research in a smooth flow of description, analysis and evaluation.
• Identify key truth claims about Muhammad and articulate helpful avenues of response.

Mr. Arputharaj, MDiv
Training Coordinator, Islamic Studies
Email: training.cis@saiacs.net
Phone: +91 9538328573