Minhaja: Methods training
Minhaja is a doctoral-level methods training program, designed to support Muslim researchers meet academic standards of excellence through genuine command of the Islamic scholarly tradition.
A methods training to keep you grounded
As a methods program, Minhaja moves from exposure to methods towards mastery and the building of research capacities. It combines online and in-person study, focusing on modules that build unique, methodological skills rooted in the Islamic intellectual tradition.
Participants will receive a full year of mentored application to their own work. Our pilot cohort will be intentionally limited to 8–10 participants, ensuring close intellectual guidance and individually supervised practice.
A four-part curriculum
The curriculum follows a four-part sequence. We begin by establishing definitions and end by teaching you to apply what you’ve learned to your own work. The mentored year that follows is where you build mastery.
Part 1
Develops a shared account of knowledge and first principles.
Part 2
Explores foundational methods from across the Islamic sciences.
Part 3
Examines how Muslim scholars have critically engaged modernity.
Part 4
Prepares participants to engage Islamic methods in their own fields.
Minhaja program guide
For more information about the program’s objectives and the range of modules covered in the curriculum, download the Minhaja program guide.
Eligibility criteria
Applicants should be:
- Muslim doctoral researchers working in Islamic studies or a closely related field.
- In the writing phase of a doctoral research project for which engagement with the Islamic scholarly tradition and research methods is directly relevant.
- Ready for intensive reading, discussion, methodological reflection, and a year of mentored application.
- Capable of participating in the online and in-person components of the program.
- Fluent in English and have a good command of Arabic reading.
How to apply
The fees for attending the Minhaja program is $500. Accepted applicants will be able to apply for scholarships upon receiving their acceptance letter. International students are required to arrange their own travel tickets, but they will be provided with accommodation.
The deadline to apply to join the pilot cohort is 15 October 2026. Applicants will be notified on 1 November 2026. The timeline for the program is as follows:
- Online sessions: Weekly (beginning on 15 November)
- In-person modules: 13 to 17 December 2026
- Mentorship year: January 2027 to December 2027
Application form
You can apply to the Minhaja program by filling out the application form.
Ebrahim Moosa is the Mirza Family Professor of Islamic Thought and Muslim Societies at the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs. A prominent scholar of contemporary Muslim ethics and law, he co-directs the Contending Modernities program and holds additional appointments in the Department of History and the Law School. His extensive research explores the intersection of traditional Islamic thought and modern global challenges. His recent work includes Engaging the Madrasa (University of Notre Dame Press, 2026); and Muslim Theological Encounters with Science: Kaleidoscopes of Knowledge Over Time(Cambridge University Press, 2026); and a forthcoming short book in the Elements series that examines the historical and modern relationship between Islamic theology and scientific inquiry. Moosa’s previous publications include the award-winning Ghazali and the Poetics of Imagination and What is a Madrasa?.Recognized globally for his influence, he has been consistently listed among The Muslim 500 and has received major grants for his work on advancing scientific literacy and rethinking Muslim ethics.
Dr. Sohaira Siddiqui is the Executive Director of Al-Mujadilah Center and Mosque for Women, and a Professor of Islamic Studies at Georgetown University. For over two decades, she has been researching, editing and writing extensively on topics spanning classical Islamic legal theory, Islamic Law under colonialism, contemporary Islamic family law and issues of gender, authority and participation. Dr. Siddiqui has advanced nuanced understandings of Islamic law, colonialism, and Muslim societies, authoring over three dozen academic and public pieces of scholarship, and publishing three books: Islamic Law on Trial (2025), Locating the Sharia (2009), and Law and Politics Under the Abbasids (2009). She is currently editing The Cambridge Companion to Islamic Law and writing her fifth book. Dr. Sohaira is dedicated to building and strengthening educational institutions for Muslim communities and was named one of the 500 most influential Muslims in 2026.
SherAli Tareen is Professor of Religious Studies at Franklin and Marshall College and was a member in the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ during academic year 2024-25. His first book Defending Muhammad in Modernity (University of Notre Dame Press, 2020) received the American Institute of Pakistan Studies 2020 Book Prize. His second book called Perilous Intimacies: Debating Hindu-Muslim Friendship after Empire (Columbia University Press, 2023) was selected as a finalist for the 2024 American Academy of Religion Book Award. His third book Shah Waliyullah: Aspirations and Tensions of Islamic Cosmopolitanism is scheduled to be published in Oneworld Publications’ Makers of the Muslim World series in July 2026.
Dr. Ahmad Khan is Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies at the American University in Cairo. He gained his DPhil from the University of Oxford, and has since held positions at the University of Oxford, University of Hamburg (Research Associate), and Columbia University in New York (Arcapita Visiting Professor). He has studied the Islamic sciences with traditional ulema in Jordan and Egypt, where he currently specializes in Quranic exegesis, rhetoric, and linguistics. He is also the Co-Founder and Chief Content Officer of Behold.
Dr. Najah Nadi is Al-Mujadilah’s Research Manager. She is a traditionally trained academic with over two decades of learning experience and over a decade of teaching experience. Her research focuses on Islamic classical theories of knowledge across disciplines of philosophy, theology, law, and spirituality, as well as fatwas and fatwa institutions. Dr. Najah has completed several years of traditional training at al-Azhar Mosque, receiving teaching licenses (ijāzāt) in various Islamic sciences. She has served as a junior fellow at the Holberg seminar on Islamic history at Princeton University from 2015-2019.
Dr. Karim Lahham is a barrister and scholar with expertise in Islamic law and Islamic commercial jurisprudence, supported by a doctorate in Islamic Law from the University of Cambridge. His work encompasses Ottoman, Egyptian, and UAE civil law, as well as wider questions of Islamic legal thought, international law, and traditional institutions. Alongside his legal practice, he serves as an Academic Consultant and Senior Research Fellow at the Tabah Foundation. Dr. Lahham has published extensively and has lectured on Islamic law and related subjects at Oxford, Cambridge, SOAS, and the LSE.
Dr. Mustafa Steven Styer is a scholar, author, and educator with nearly three decades of work at the intersection of classical Islamic thought and modern pedagogy. He holds a DPhil in theology from the University of Oxford and an MA in curriculum development from the University of London. He also holds formal traditional licensure (ijāza) to teach logic and the works of Imām al-Ghazālī. He is currently Visiting Lecturer at Al-Azhar University. He is lead reviewer and editor of al-Azhar’s official English translation of the Qur’an.


