Ma in Islamic studies at SOAS

salma_51999

Hi,

I’m currently in my third year of a health related degree and wanted to do a masters in Islamic studies at SOAS. I just wanted to know, from anyone who goes / went to SOAS, what it’s like and what the course is like.

Thanks !

Reply 1

123356689

Original post by salma_51999

Hi,
I’m currently in my third year of a health related degree and wanted to do a masters in Islamic studies at SOAS. I just wanted to know, from anyone who goes / went to SOAS, what it’s like and what the course is like.
Thanks !

Wow I'm in a similar position to you! What made you choose islamic studies over islamic law

Reply 2

SOAS Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by salma_51999

Hi,
I’m currently in my third year of a health related degree and wanted to do a masters in Islamic studies at SOAS. I just wanted to know, from anyone who goes / went to SOAS, what it’s like and what the course is like.
Thanks !

Hi Salma

I'm a final year undergraduate at SOAS and I really enjoyed my time at the university. It's a small, friendly university in the heart of London with a really diverse and supportive student body where you can meet students from all over the world, immerse in different cultures and join over 165 different societies. Some of my favourite were the Pakistan society, badminton, consulting, UN Soc and there are regular conferences/lectures on professors' research and insights related to different regions of the world. The ISOC at SOAS is really big and active, holding weekly charity bake sales, hikes around the UK and iftaar nights in Ramadan. The location in Bloomsbury means its also a safe, student-friendly hot spot as UCL, Waterstones and Senate House Library are in its proximity.

The Masters course in Islamic studies https://www.soas.ac.uk/study/find-course/ma-islamic-studies will provide the opportunity to delve into the Quran, hadith material and other Islamic texts, learning about their theoretical importance and a deep understanding of the linguistic and rhetorical features of the Qur’an. It's a full 1 year course where you get the chance to complete a 60 credits dissertation, engage in classical texts and traditions that are not covered in the divine sources and examine modern and and contemporary reforms that shaped Islamic political thought in response to modern challenges. You'll also identify the similarities and differences between the premodern and modern reformist movements throughout Muslim-majority societies, and how Muslims have reformulated foundational dimensions of Islamic jurisprudence and theology to adapt to modern developments. It's a really interesting module where you also get to understand the similarities and differences between the prominent trends in contemporary Islamic thought (Islamist, Salafi, Progressive and Neo-Traditionalist) in relation to how they engage with the authoritative texts (Qur’an & hadiths), as well as the diversity of expressions within these trends and their different understandings of Islam.

Hope this helps and if you have any more questions, feel free to reach out!

Zainab
UG Arabic & IR

Reply 3

SOAS Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by 123356689

Wow I'm in a similar position to you! What made you choose islamic studies over islamic law

Hey, It's great that you're also considering Islamic studies or Islamic law at SOAS! I took an Islamic law module this year and found it super interesting as we not only had the chance to identify and understand the meanings behind the different verses in the Quran but also examine how jurisprudential rulings are derived from the divine sources (Quran and Sunnah) and the different schools of thought in Sunni and Shia Islam. We then explored how these rulings were applied in the legal codes of different Muslim-Majority countries including Morocco, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran and Tunisia. In the undergrad module, we focused on the jurisprudential rulings associated with marriage, divorce and child custody but in the masters programme https://www.soas.ac.uk/study/find-course/ma-islamic-law, you'll also delve into financial law, criminal law and human rights law, environmental law and international law.

The masters and undergrad course is taught by Professor Mashood Baderin. I really enjoyed his lectures and found that he made the content so enjoyable and entertaining, brining in real life case examples, adding humour and so much enthusiasm in his lectures. Whenever, I approached him in drop in hours, he was always so jolly, supportive and happy to help!

Good luck in choosing your masters programme!

Zainab
UG Arabic and IR

(edited 11 months ago)

Reply 4

amroman42

Original post by salma_51999

Hi,
I’m currently in my third year of a health related degree and wanted to do a masters in Islamic studies at SOAS. I just wanted to know, from anyone who goes / went to SOAS, what it’s like and what the course is like.
Thanks !

Hi,

Did you end taking this course? I am considering applying to it, however there isn’t much information available for it online so it would be nice to hear from someone who has taken the course.

Thanks!

Reply 5

SOAS Rep Marjaan

Official Rep

Original post by amroman42

Hi,
Did you end taking this course? I am considering applying to it, however there isn’t much information available for it online so it would be nice to hear from someone who has taken the course.
Thanks!

Hiya,

Unfortunately, Zainab is no longer in this role. But if you are interested in studying either LLM Islamic Law or MA Islamic Studies, and wanted to know more about these postgraduate programmes, it may be worth reaching out to [email protected] to see if you can organise a meeting with someone from the department. And possibly organise to speak to a student currently on the programme.

I hope this helps 🙂

--
SOAS Student Rep

Reply 6

grantdonley

Original post by salma_51999

Hi,
I’m currently in my third year of a health related degree and wanted to do a masters in Islamic studies at SOAS. I just wanted to know, from anyone who goes / went to SOAS, what it’s like and what the course is like.
Thanks !

If you're looking for information about the MA in Islamic Studies program at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies), University of London, here are some general details and frequently asked questions that might help: