Jamia Uloom Al-Islamia Al-Faridia (), commonly known as Jamia Faridia (), is a

Deobandi The Deobandi movement or Deobandism is a revivalist movement within Sunni Islam that adheres to the Hanafi school of jurisprudence. It was formed in the late 19th century around the Darul Uloom Madrassa in Deoband, India, from which the nam ...

Islamic university situated near the

Faisal Mosque The Faisal Mosque () is the national mosque of Pakistan, located in the capital city, Islamabad. It is the List of largest mosques, sixth-largest mosque in the world, the largest mosque outside the Middle East, and the largest within South Asia ...

in Sector E-7 of

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. The university was established in 1971 by Sheikh al-Hadith Mawlānā Abdullah Ghazi, who remained the

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

until he was assassinated by unknown gunmen in October 1998. As of 2022, it is the largest and oldest

Jamia Jamia (جامعة ''jāmi‘a''; also ''jamiya'' 'h'' is the Arabic word for ''gathering''. It can also refer to a book Al-Jami'a or a mosque, or more generally, a university. In the latter sense it refers in official usage to a modern university ...

(Islamic university) in Islamabad, and has 1,600 students and more than 95 teachers and is considered one of the leading

Islamic educational institutions Institutions that have an Islamic or Muslim identity or charter include: Historical institutions in continuous operations Institutions founded before the Early modern period, colonial era and which are still in operation: * University of al-Qar ...

in Pakistan, and it attracts students from various parts of the country and from other countries as well. The seminary has produced a large number of graduates who have gone on to become prominent Islamic scholars and preachers.

History

In 1966, a small seminary was established at Lal Masjid by Maulana Abdullah Ghazi, in which there were about 20 to 25 students for the

Hifz In Islam, a Hafiz (; , pl. ''ḥuffāẓ'' , f. ''ḥāfiẓa'' ) is a person who has memorized the Quran. Hafiza is the female equivalent. A hafiz is highly respected by the community. A hafiz or hafiza are given titles such as "Hafiz Sahb" ...

class. After some time, a need was felt to have a bigger place for running this seminary so that a large number of students who were increasing with the passage of time could be accommodated. Hence, a place in the meadows of the

Margalla Hills The Margalla Hills () are a hill range within the Margalla Hills National Park on the northern edge of Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan, just south of Haripur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They are part of the Himalayas, Himalayan foothi ...

in Sector E-7 was acquired with the help and cooperation of Seth Haroon E. H. Jaffer (Jaffer Group of Companies), Haji Akhtar Hassan (OSD Kashmir Affairs & Finance Secretary of Azad Kashmir), and Admiral Mohammad. Shariff, NI(M), HJ (Rtd). The area where the Capital Development Authority built Sector E-7 of

originally housed several small settlements and the area where Jamia Faridia was specifically constructed had originally been a village by the name of "Dhok Jeevan", which had been inhabited since the rule of the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...

, and was one of the largest of these settlements and also included the area of (what is now) The

''.'' The seminary was relocated to its current building in 1984. Maulana Abdullah Ghazi served as the chancellor until his assassination by unidentified gunmen in the courtyard of Lal Masjid in October 1998. Moulana Abdullah Grave

After Maulana Abdullah's assassination, his son

Abdul Rashid Ghazi Abdul Rashid Ghazi ( – 10 July 2007) was a Pakistanis, Pakistani Islamic scholar and diplomat-turned Islamism, Islamist dissident who served as khatib of Lal Masjid, Islamabad, Lal Masjid and the Vice-chancellor, Chief Executive (President) of ...

—a

Quaid-i-Azam University Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), founded as the University of Islamabad, is a public research university in Islamabad, Pakistan. Founded as the University of Islamabad in 1967, it was initially dedicated to postgraduate study, but later expande ...

graduate and former

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

envoy took over as Chief Executive and modernized the institution. He established the free "'' Al Faridia Model School''" a tuition-free high school from grades 7 up until matriculation and he also introduced short courses in

information technology Information technology (IT) is a set of related fields within information and communications technology (ICT), that encompass computer systems, software, programming languages, data processing, data and information processing, and storage. Inf ...

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and

Tajweed In the context of the recitation of the Quran, or (, ) is a set of rules for the correct pronunciation of the letters with all their qualities and applying the various traditional methods of recitation, known as . In Arabic, the term is deriv ...

(Quranic phonetics). Following Ghazi's 2007 assassination, his elder brother Abdul Aziz Ghazi succeeded him as both Chief Executive & Chancellor.

Academic profile

Etymology

Initially called "''Madrasa Arabiya Islamia"'', the institute underwent a name change when it was relocated to Sector E-7. It was renamed the Faridia School following the recommendation of Seth Haroon E. H. Jaffer. Eventually, it became known as Al Faridia University or Jamia Faridia..''''

Reputation and rankings

The institute is the largest Islamic seminary/madrasa in Islamabad and the Federation of Madaris, ranks the institute among the top 5 madaris/institutes for Islamic learning in Pakistan. It is regarded as one of the most modern madaris. The institute has hosted several Pakistani and global personalities including Saudi Leader Abdullah Omar Nasseef,

Grand Mosque A congregational mosque or Friday mosque (, ''masjid jāmi‘'', or simply: , ''jāmi‘''; ), or sometimes great mosque or grand mosque (, ''jāmi‘ kabir''; ), is a mosque for hosting the Friday noon prayers known as ''jumu'ah''.See: * * * * ...

Imam Sheikh Mohammad Al Subail, Pakistani scientist Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, and scholars such as Mufti Taqi Usmani, Hafiz Hamdullah, Maulana Zahid Ur Rashdi, Dr. Qibla Ayaz,

Moavia Azam Tariq Mawlānā Moavia Azam Tariq (; born 28 August 1983) is a Pakistani far-right politician who had been a member of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab from August 2018 till January 2023. Early life He was born on 28 August 1983 in Chichawat ...

, Peer Mazhar Saeed Shah and

Muhammad Hanif Jalandhari Muhammad Hanif Jalandhari (born; 8 November 1963) محمد حنیف جالندھری) is a Pakistani Islamic scholar, incumbent General Secretary of Wifaq ul Madaris Al-Arabia, Pakistan the rector of Jamia Khairul Madaris since 1981. and Chairm ...

Academic degrees

The seminary is recognized for its extensive curriculum, which includes traditional

Dars-i Nizami Dars-i Nizami () is a study curriculum or system used in many Islamic institutions ( madrassas) and Darul Ulooms, which originated in the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century and can now also be found in parts of South Africa, Canada, the Unite ...

studies,

Arabic language Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

Quranic studies Quranic studies is the academic study of the Quran, the central religious text of Islam. Like in biblical studies, the field uses and applies a diverse set of Academic discipline, disciplines and methods, such as philology, textual criticism, lex ...

Islamic jurisprudence ''Fiqh'' (; ) is the term for Islamic jurisprudence.Fiqh
Encyclopædia Britannica ''Fiqh'' is of ...

Hadith studies Hadith studies is the academic study of hadith, a literature typically thought in Islamic religion to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval of the Muhammad as transmitted through chains of narrators. A major area of inter ...

Islamic history The history of Islam is believed, by most historians, to have originated with Muhammad's mission in Mecca and Medina at the start of the 7th century CE, although Muslims regard this time as a return to the original faith passed down by the Abra ...

, and other related subjects. Its certificates are issued to students under the Federation of Madaris, and its Dars-i Nizami degree is equivalent to a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

in Islamic studies. The following certificates are issued by the Institute: *Certificate of

Hafiz Hafiz () or Hafez may refer to: * Hafiz (Quran), a term used by Muslims for people who have completely memorized the Qur'an ** ''Al-Ḥafīẓ'', one of the names of God in Islam, meaning "the Ever-Preserving/Guardian/All-Watching/ Protector" Pe ...

-ul-

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

(Memorizing the Noble Qur'an) *Certificate of Secondary (Equivalent

Matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term ''matriculation'' is seldom used no ...

) *Certificate of Higher Secondary (Equivalent

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students pursuing a professional education in the visual arts, Fine art, or performing arts. In some instances, it is also called a Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA). Background ...

) *Certificate of Higher Education (Equivalent

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

Islamic studies Islamic studies is the academic study of Islam, which is analogous to related fields such as Jewish studies and Quranic studies. Islamic studies seeks to understand the past and the potential future of the Islamic world. In this multidiscipli ...

) *Certificate of

(Equivalent

)

Campus

The institute has a large

campus A campus traditionally refers to the land and buildings of a college or university. This will often include libraries, lecture halls, student centers and, for residential universities, residence halls and dining halls. By extension, a corp ...

with modern facilities, including a

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

lecture halls A lecture hall or lecture theatre is a large room used for lectures, typically at a college or university. Unlike flexible lecture rooms and classrooms with capacities normally below one hundred, the capacity of lecture halls can sometimes be m ...

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

computer lab A computer lab is a space where computer services are provided to a defined community. These are typically public libraries and academic institutions. Generally, users must follow a certain user policy to retain access to the computers. This usua ...

, dining halls and

residence halls A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...

for students. The campus is located north east of Hill Side Road in sector E-7 of

, around 1.5 km east of

, and at the foothills of the

, the westernmost foothills of the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

, putting it at the northernmost end of the city. It is located on an elevated area of land. The campus has been divided into four sections, each named after one of the four

Rashidun caliphs The Rashidun () are the first four caliphs () who led the Muslim community following the death of Muhammad: Abu Bakr (), Umar (), Uthman (), and Ali (). The reign of these caliphs, called the Rashidun Caliphate (632–661), is considered in ...

Jamia Mosque

Historically before the construction of the institute, an old mosque named Toobah Mosque was constructed by nearby village residents. However, the mosque was later incorporated into the institute and was expanded into a Jamia Mosque which was later re-named to Jamia Masjid Abdullah Ghazi Shaheed.''''

The Al Faridia High School

The Al Faridia High School is a public high school which offers students classes from 7th till the matriculation, and was established by Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi.

Library

Named after the renowned intellectual center in

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

during the

Islamic Golden Age The Islamic Golden Age was a period of scientific, economic, and cultural flourishing in the history of Islam, traditionally dated from the 8th century to the 13th century. This period is traditionally understood to have begun during the reign o ...

, the Bayt al-Ḥikmah Library is situated across from the main building. The library has over three thousand books and journals, including the complete 32-volume set of

Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...

Darul Iftaa Advisory Council

The seminary houses a Darul Iftaa, also known as the Institute of

Islamic Jurisprudence ''Fiqh'' (; ) is the term for Islamic jurisprudence.Fiqh
Encyclopædia Britannica ''Fiqh'' is of ...

, where a panel of muftis scholars conduct research and provide Islamic guidance and

fatwas A fatwa (; ; ; ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (sharia) given by a qualified Islamic jurist (''faqih'') in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist issuing fatwas is called a ''mufti'', ...

on a range of personal, social, and global issues. This institute also operates a branch at Lal Masjid.

Maktaba Faridia

Maktaba Faridia is a

bookstore Bookselling is the commercial trading of books, which is the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers, bookdealers, book people, bookmen, or bookwomen. History The found ...

and publisher that is a subsidiary company of Jamia Faridia. It was founded in 1982 to help students get their academic books and other accessories.

AQ Khan Forest Trail

In 2002,

extended an invitation to Pakistani scientist

Abdul Qadeer Khan Abdul Qadeer Khan (1 April 1936 – 10 October 2021) was a Pakistani Nuclear physics, nuclear physicist and metallurgist, metallurgical engineer. He is colloquially known as the "father of Pakistan and weapons of mass destruction, Pakistan's ...

to attend the Khatam-e-Bukhari ceremony at Jamia Faridia. Subsequently, Khan facilitated the creation of a forest pedestrian path leading from the seminary to Faisal Mosque, which was named AQ Khan Forest Trail in his honor, it is maintained by the seminary administration.

Dhok Jeevan Forest Trail

Trail 4, often referred to as the Dhok Jeevan Forest Trail—named after the historic village that once existed in the area prior to the establishment of Islamabad—also passes behind Jamia Faridia and is frequently used by the seminary's students.

Branches

The institute has a separate women's branch, known as Jamia Syeda Hafsa, located adjacent to Lal Masjid in

, which is considered as the largest women's madrasa in Pakistan. Additional branches include Jamia Abdullah Bin Ghazi, in

Basti-Abdullah Basti-Abdullah Shaheed ( ) is a Village situated a short distance from Rojhan in Rajanpur District, the border district of Punjab province in Pakistan. The town is named after Maulana Muhammad Abdullah and is also noted for being the resting pla ...

Rojhan Rojhan () is a city and headquarters of Rojhan Tehsil in Rajanpur District, Punjab Rajanpur () is a district of Dera Ghazi Khan Division in the Pakistani province of Punjab, with its administrative headquarters the city of Rajanpur. Distric ...

References

{{authority control Islamic universities and colleges Deobandi madrasas 1971 establishments in Pakistan Educational institutions established in 1971 Islam in Pakistan Madrasas in Pakistan Universities and colleges in Islamabad