Seminary Open House

The theme for this event is: “Cultivating a Strong Islamic Identity” — highlighting how IOK Seminary anchors students in Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

Many Muslim youth begin seriously exploring their identity in college. Faced with intense pressure to conform to societal norms, they often equate “success” with secular achievements alone, only to find themselves feeling empty. As this void grows, some turn to Islam for answers, while others search elsewhere.

At IOK, we aim to educate and nurture the next generation of Muslim-American leaders — Parents, Professionals, Imams, Chaplains, Teachers, and Scholars — dedicated to serving the spiritual and religious needs for themselves, their families, and their communities. Our mornings-only schedule enables students to build a strong foundation in Islamic knowledge while allowing them to pursue their professional and academic goals.

We will have a panel with our instructors and students, who will share insights on how seminary transforms students into confident, purpose-driven Muslims.

Whether you're considering just the Foundation Year or the full five-year journey, IOK Seminary offers a transformative opportunity to grow—spiritually, intellectually, and personally. Consider joining for one year alongside your studies, or during your gap year!

Our graduates have gone on to prestigious institutions such as Harvard Law School, UCI Medical School, Loyola Law School, and Kaiser Medical School. Our students have successfully balanced their seminary studies alongside being a parent, being in university or having demanding careers, such as doctors, lawyers, programmers, and teachers—while keeping seminary studies their top priority. Whether you're a college student, young professional, a parent, or someone simply seeking sacred knowledge, IOK Seminary could be your next home.

Speakers:

Shaykh Furhan Zubairi
Shaykh Ahmed Billoo
Shaykh Zaid Khan
Shaykhah Ayesha Hussain
Shaykh Mudassir Mayet
Shaykh Bilal Bhakhrani

Is There an Islamic Secular?

A Special Evening with Professor Sherman Jackson Engaging the Islamic Secular: A Conversation Across Tradition and Futures

The Institute of Knowledge is honored to host Professor Sherman Jackson for an open Q&A on his Oxford University Press publication, The Islamic Secular. This event will place Dr. Jackson’s work in conversation with Dr. Omar Qureshi’s recent dissertation, exploring the intersections, tensions, and harmonies between Islamic tradition and the modern world.

Together, we will examine critical questions:

What makes something “Islamic”?
Where are the limits of Sharia in the public domain?
How do we move beyond the binaries of secular vs. religious and modernity vs. tradition?

This gathering seeks to chart a new intellectual path—one grounded in the Islamic tradition yet attuned to the challenges and possibilities of our shared global futures.

We’ll also be announcing the launch of a new one-year Certificate in Advanced Islamic Studies, taught by Dr. Qureshi—bringing together 15 years of study from al-Azhar (Cairo) to USC, designed to make Islamic knowledge accessible to the broader public.

The event will also mark the culminating session of Dr. Qureshi’s advanced seminar at IOK, Tradition and Transformation, which centers the legacy of the great Hanafi jurist, Ibn Abidin, as a model for adaptive continuity in Islamic thought.

Join us for a night of meaningful dialogue and visionary insight.