Hawzah al-Hikmah

Hawzah al-Hikmah (Arabic: حوزة الحكمة) is a proposed interdisciplinary seminary and research institute dedicated to reviving and integrating ancient Islamic, philosophical, mystical, and linguistic traditions with modern scientific disciplines.

Rooted in the culture of classical Hawzah (حوزة علمية) institutions such as those in Qom and Najaf, modelled on the intellectual rigour of leading Western universities such as Harvard and MIT, and inspired by the tradition of ancient centers of knowledge such as Bayt al-Hikmah (بَيْت الْحِكْمَة) and Academy of Gondishapur (فرهنگستان گندی‌شاپور), Hawzah al-Hikmah will seek to bridge Qur'anic studies (علوم القرآن), Neoplatonism, Syriac and Aramaic traditions, philology, theoretical physics, quantum mechanics, cognitive science, and political philosophy, offering a comprehensive platform for reshaping global knowledge.

The initiative aspires to cultivate a new generation of scholars, scientists, and intellectuals who can synthesize historical wisdom with contemporary advancements, fostering a holistic, critical, and transformative approach to knowledge and societal development.

Objectives

Revival of Ancient and Classical Knowledge: Restoring lost and underrepresented Islamic, Hellenistic, Persian, and Eastern philosophies alongside sacred texts and manuscripts.

Integration of Traditional and Modern Sciences: Merging theology (علم الكلام), Sufism (التصوف), and metaphysics with contemporary fields like quantum mechanics, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence.

Linguistic and Philological Excellence: Establishing research in classical Arabic, Persian, Syriac, Greek, Latin, Aramaic, Hebrew, and Sanskrit to reconstruct lost intellectual traditions.

Critical Historical Studies: Analyzing Islamic historiography, Biblical and Quranic textual criticism, and reconstructing early intellectual currents with rigorous academic methodology.

Political and Social Philosophy: Examining modern governance through the lens of Wilayat al-Faqih (ولاية الفقيه), Islamic ethics, and comparative political ideologies.

Art, Poetry, and Aesthetic Revival: Integrating classical Islamic art, Persian poetry, and aesthetics with modern artistic expression and philosophy of beauty.

Developing a New Paradigm of Global Knowledge: Establishing an intellectual movement that unites diverse philosophical and scientific traditions into a cohesive system for future generations.

Academic Departments

Faculty of Classical Languages

• Arabic
• Farsi
• Syriac
• Aramaic
• Hebrew
• Greek
• Latin
• Sumerian
• Ethiopic

Faculty of Philosophy

Dean: Hasnain Naqvi

• Epistemology
• Logic
• Metaphysics
• Ethics

Faculty of Critical History

Dean: Joshua Little

• Historical Critical Method
• Textual Criticism
• Source Criticism
• Form Criticism
• Redaction Criticism
• Tradition Criticism
• Radical Criticism
• Isnad-Cum-Matn Analysis

Faculty of Qur'anic and Theological Sciences

• Tafsir Studies (دراسات التفسير)
• Ilm al-Kalam (علم الكلام) and Islamic Theology
• Comparative Scriptural Studies
• Esoteric Qur'anic Interpretation (التفسير العرفاني)
• Philosophy of Prophethood and Imamate

Faculty of Qur'anic & Hadith Sciences

• Advanced Tafsīr (Exegesis) Studies
• Hadith Criticism and Isnad Analysis
• Semantics and Hermeneutics of Scripture

Faculty of Philosophical and Mystical Thought

• Islamic Neoplatonism (الفلسفة الإفلاطونية الحديثة)
• Suhrawardian Illuminationism (الإشراقية)
• Ibn Arabi’s Mysticism (ابن عربي والعرفان النظري)
• Sadrian Metaphysics (الحكمة المتعالية)
• Panpsychism and Islamic Perennialism

Faculty of Philosophy & Metaphysics

• Classical Islamic Philosophy (Peripatetic, Illuminationist, Sadrian Metaphysics)
• Neoplatonism and its Influence on Islamic Thought
• Comparative Metaphysics: Islamic, Hindu, and Greek Perspectives
• Theoretical Physics & Metaphysical Inquiry

Faculty of Historical Linguistics and Philology

• Arabic, Persian, Syriac, Aramaic, and Hebrew Studies
• Classical Textual Reconstruction and Manuscript Studies
• Semantics and Hermeneutics in Islamic and Western Thought
• Computational Linguistics and AI in Philology
• Syriac, Aramaic, and Ancient Islamic Texts
• Critical Historiography of Early Islam
• Reconstruction of Lost Philosophical Texts

Faculty of Modern Science and Metaphysics

• Quantum Mechanics and Islamic Ontology
• Theoretical Physics and the Multiverse
• Neuroscience, Cognitive Science, and Consciousness Studies
• Artificial Intelligence and Ethical Frameworks in Islamic Thought
• Philosophy of Science and Epistemology

Faculty of Cognitive Science & Consciousness Studies

• Neuroscience and Islamic Mysticism
• Panpsychism & Mind-Body Problem in Islamic Thought
• Quantum Mechanics and Theories of Consciousness

Faculty of Political and Social Sciences

• Wilayat al-Faqih and Contemporary Governance
• Comparative Political Philosophy
• Islamic Economics & Ethical Governance
• Islamic Economics and Global Financial Systems
• Postcolonial Studies and Islamic Modernity

Faculty of Arts, Aesthetics and Literary Studies

• Persian, Arabic, and Ottoman Poetry
• Islamic Calligraphy and Sacred Geometry
• Music and Sufi Aesthetics
• Modern and Postmodern Islamic Art

Academic Model and Curriculum

• Traditional Hawzah Methodologies – Classical Islamic study methods, including memorization, debate, and reasoning.
• Western Analytical Approaches – Incorporating methodologies from contemporary philosophy, history, and critical theory.
• Laboratory and Empirical Research – Experimental approaches in cognitive science, AI, and physics.
• Interdisciplinary Projects – Joint research between theologians, scientists, and philosophers.

Governance and Administration

• Supreme Council (المجلس الأعلى) – Composed of leading scholars in theology, philosophy, and science.
• Dean of the Hawzah (عميد الحوزة الكبرى) – A rotating position among top-tier scholars and intellectuals.
• Global Advisory Board – Collaboration with scholars from MIT, Harvard, Qom Seminary, and Aga Khan institutions.
• Funding and Endowments (التمويل والوقف العلمي) – Supported by international endowments, research grants, and philanthropic contributions.

Eligibility and Admission

• Undergraduate Program – Open to students with a background in Islamic Studies, Philosophy, or Natural Sciences.
• Graduate and Doctoral Studies – Requires demonstrated expertise in a relevant field with research proposals aligning with the Hawzah’s objectives.
• International Scholars and Researchers – Visiting programs for academics working on interreligious and interdisciplinary research.

Collaborations and Research Centers

• Joint projects with scientific institutions in fields like theoretical physics, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence.
• Translation and publication of classical texts into modern languages.
• Conferences and symposiums on bridging Islamic thought with modern epistemology.
• Dialogue with other religious traditions, including Christian, Jewish, and Eastern philosophies.

Impact and Global Influence

The Hawzah aspires to be a leading institution in reviving ancient knowledge while pioneering new intellectual paradigms. By fusing Islamic gnosis (معرفة), science, and philosophy, it seeks to reshape global discourse on epistemology, ethics, governance, and metaphysics.

This project represents an unparalleled effort to synthesize the sacred and the empirical, the ancient and the future, in a way that transcends intellectual and civilizational boundaries.