Doha: Qatar University's (QU) Ibn Khaldon for Humanities and Social Studies Center in cooperation with the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs (Awqaf) inaugurated the First Annual Conference on the Quran and Human Knowledge, along with the First Forum of Ummah Writers. The ceremony was attended by HE Undersecretary of the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Dr. Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed bin Ghanem Al-Thani, HE Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education Dr. Ibrahim bin Saleh Al Nuaimi, HE Vice President of the Court of Cassation Dr. Thaqeel Sayer Al Shammari; and a number of academic figures and officials.
According to Qatar News Agency, the conference began with a speech by HE Dr. Omar Al Ansari, President of QU, who welcomed the participating researchers and guests. In his speech, he highlighted that QU hosting this conference - organized by the Ibn Khaldon Center within the Research and Graduate Studies Sector - aligns with the University's strategic plan and research priorities. These priorities include emphasizing research in the humanities and social sciences to foster scholarly focus on cognitive, human, social, and cultural issues, thereby promoting ethical, value-based development and sustainable growth in societies. He also highlighted the conference's role in cultivating human knowledge awareness in accordance with the guidance of the Holy Quran.
HE Director of the Department of Islamic Research and Studies at the Ministry of Endowments, Sheikh Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Ghanem Al-Thani, also delivered a speech welcoming the attendees. He emphasized the significance of this occasion, which combines the conference and the forum, stating that the conference is part of broader efforts to restore the important role that Quranic knowledge has historically contributed to guide human sciences and methodologies, as well as in connecting researchers to it in both approach and objective.
He also emphasized the significance of the First Forum of Ummah Writers, which highlights the Kitab Al-Ummah series - a Qatari cultural and intellectual legacy that has been published for more than four decades since its inception. During this time, it has strived to achieve its intended goals, including rebuilding the Muslim character, reviving the concept of "Fardh Kifayah" (communal obligations) and the importance of specialization, contributing to the development of a righteous elite, and promoting awareness of the significance of the approach that addresses the cosmos' signs and laws - using the knowledge of divine revelation as its primary reference and source.
Dr. Badrane Benlahcene, Director of the Ibn Khaldon Center at QU, stated that the conference aligns with the Center's dual objectives of bridging and localization. Bridging aims to intellectually connect various disciplines to address human and social issues in an integrated and precise manner. Localization involves re-evaluating contemporary sciences, knowledge systems, and theories to ensure they align with religious and cultural identities and resonate with societal contexts, as well as methodological and practical requirements - thereby ensuring community benefit.
The conference aims to reaffirm the central role of the Holy Quran in shaping contemporary discourse on human and social knowledge. It seeks to bridge the gap between Islamic sciences and the humanities and social sciences by connecting researchers from diverse disciplines with the Quran, enabling them to utilize it as a framework for understanding and guiding various human and social phenomena. Additionally, the conference encourages scholars in Islamic disciplines to engage systematically with the humanities and social sciences and to contextualize these fields while considering Quranic guidance.