| Studying at IIPS: The Best of Both Worlds |
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The new academic year at The Islamic Institute for Postgraduate Studies (IIPS) started in September 2009. The newly appointed Executive Dean, Dr. Mahmood Y. Abdulla, welcomed the students and staff of the IIPS in his opening address. Dr Abdulla emphasised the importance that The World Federation has placed on the Muballigheen Training Programme (MTP) and the IIPS curriculum. He stated that it is imperative that the students and teachers endeavour to earn the pleasure of Allah through their sincere efforts and must try to meet the community's expectations. Dr Abdulla outlined that this can be best achieved by maintaining focus on the objectives of the IIPS through inter-cooperation and coherence of efforts. He also gave good tidings that the MA programme which will be running parallel with the Hawza programme, has now been approved by Winchester University in the UK. The validation of the MA programme was a major breakthrough in the history of the community. Dr. Abdulla said that the four-years MTP programme aims to make the best of both the worlds. On the one hand, under the supervision of Shaykh Mohammad Khalfan from Qum, the quality, the standard of teaching and the training of students in the Hawza subjects will be closely monitored. On the other hand, under the surveillance of Winchester University, the students will get the opportunity of embarking upon further research at an advanced level.  The students were given a spiritually enlightening assignment during the last ten days of the holy month of Ramadhan by attending religious lectures in the Sayyida Zaynab area each night, taking notes and documenting the spiritual progress they attained by presenting a report at the end of Ramadhan. This personal reflective practice produced encouraging results.  With the Ziyarat season picking up, Dr. Mahmood Abdulla expressed his feelings that it will be a great pleasure to welcome any community member from any Jamat who comes for the Ziyarat of Janabe Zaynab or the interested students at IIPS, and to provide them with the details about the MTP programme in progress, which is running for the third year now. |
Google Translation
Sayyida Zainab as
Syria
