I-SYLLABUS 2010-2011

The Solas Foundation was set up in the summer of 2009 by two Scottish Muslim Scholars ,Shaykh Amer Jamil and Shaykh Ruzwan Muhammed, with a view to effecting positive change  within the Scottish Muslim community  through catering for the knowledge and research demands of both the Muslim as well as the wider community in areas relating to Islam and Muslims. This came about after widescale consultation and correspondence with prospective stakeholders, leading to the establishment of the Solas Foundation.

As such ,it represents an innovative blue-print for cross organizational co-operation and support, focussing on capacity building within existent organizations and  just as significantly marks a normalization of scholarly muslim discourse on questions of public and private concern. The engagement model appropriated by the Solas foundation is to approach issues relating to Islam and Muslims from an authoritative theological and social policy frame of reference.

It aims to develop partner relationships with existent Muslim organizations and service providers in order to offer  bespoke counseling and training that helps the community in realizing its goal of building  its social capital base.

To facilitate the process of building leader capacity within the Muslim community and beyond in order for society as a whole to be better placed to address the social, environmental and economic issues affecting us all.

To pioneer in the provision of quality learning and education through channels of authentic and authoritative scholarship that faithfully  represent the Muslim knowledge tradition as well as the shared narrative inherited by generations of scholars throughout the history of islam.

The I Syllabus: Living Faith Through Contemporary Islamic Learning

The I Syllabus represents’ a unique and groundbreaking programme specifically catering for the contemporary knowledge needs of Muslims living in the West. Designed in close collaboration with existent knowledge providers in Scotland, it is structured to provide potential applicants from a wide array of backgrounds, such as university students, Muslim service providers, mosque teachers, professionals as well as lay individuals, a clear presentation of the essentials of the Islamic faith together with a deeper understanding of the spiritual and ethical characteristics of Islamic teachings.

The I Syllabus and Modular Learning

Distilled from the most authentic classical Islamic sources as well as authoritative contemporary studies, The I Syllabus offers students the unique opportunity to move towards living their faith in a Scottish context through Worship, Belief and Self-reflection, while at the same time developing a clear and balanced understanding of the sacred sources of Islamic learning as they relate to contemporary life.

The I Syllabus is formatted in a manageable, student friendly and accessible modular system with a high-quality computer-aided delivery system, using the latest learning techniques to aid successful study. Central to the philosophy of the I Syllabus is the belief in a non-sectarian and open Islamic learning environment, were students are able to interact and develop their religious understanding in confidence.

Unique Components of The I Syllabus

Far from being merely a course on the five pillars of Islam, the I Syllabus provides a unique insight into Islamic teaching in a way tailored to meet the needs of organisations and individuals in the West. Key to this is the development and promotion of two major themes as essential elements of the total teaching experience of the syllabus:

1. The exploration of the spiritual and ethical significance of outward acts of worship and devotion, seeking to give life and meaning to the lived reality that is Islam.


2. A search for a balanced understanding of Islamic text and sources through the innovative “Islamic text and contexts” motif. This seeks to demonstrate the complexity as well as the multi disciplinary skill with which the primary sources of Islamic teaching have been engaged with by Scholars in deriving authoritative religious positions