The second conference on the Holy Qur’an and Human Knowledge opened in Doha on October 5, gathering researchers, academics, and specialists from nine countries. The event, which coincided with the launch of the Book of the Ummah Forum, seeks to deepen understanding and promote scholarly engagement with the Qur’an’s guidance across various fields of knowledge.
Organized through a longstanding collaboration between Qatar’s Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs and Qatar University (QU), the conference highlights joint efforts underpinned by the Ministry’s Department of Islamic Research and Studies and QU’s Ibn Khaldun Center for Humanities and Social Sciences along with its College of Sharia and Islamic Studies. This partnership aligns with the Awqaf’s 2025-2030 strategic plan and the Qatar National Vision 2030, both emphasizing the advancement of scientific research and the development of a knowledge-based society.
Dr. Ibrahim bin Abdullah al-Ansari, Dean of the College of Sharia and Islamic Studies at QU, praised the scientific partnership as a national model for collaborative research. He emphasized the importance of integrating the Qur’an’s teachings to address modern intellectual challenges, noting the text’s historic role as a foundation for Islamic civilization and a source of inspiration for scholars in science, arts, and other disciplines. According to al-Ansari, the Muslim Ummah reached its civilizational peak by using the Qur’an as a guiding principle for intellectual and scientific progress, drawing on values of knowledge, faith, and action.
He further stressed the ongoing need to strengthen the connection with revelation to foster sound thinking and enhance the Ummah’s contribution amid rapidly changing global knowledge landscapes. Aligning with this vision, Dr. Badrane Benlahcene, Director of the Ibn Khaldun Center, described the conference’s aim to reconnect scientific inquiry with ethical and human considerations, moving beyond merely referencing Qur’anic texts to exploring their epistemological frameworks and value systems.
The conference received around 2,000 research abstracts spanning philosophy, linguistics, law, and politics, from which a rigorous peer-review process selected 17 final papers. Contributors represent countries including Qatar, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Turkiye, Yemen, Oman, Iraq, and Sudan, highlighting the regional breadth of scholarly interest.
Concurrent with the conference, the Book of the Ummah Forum attracted attention as a platform to review the scholarly impact of this research series, which has laid intellectual foundations over several decades. Sheikh Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed al-Thani, Director of Research and Islamic Studies at Awqaf, underscored the forum and conference as reflections of Awqaf’s dedication to harnessing Sharia knowledge for societal development. He noted that this edition builds upon the inaugural conference, which resulted in the publication of three scientific volumes, continuing an ongoing effort to enrich academic discourse on the Qur’an and human knowledge.