Higher Fiqh & Islamic Law Research Department
Among the significant religious institutions of today's world, Jamia Islamia Obaidia Nanupur is one of the purest centres of Islamic learning. Among the Jamia's many important branches and faculties, one distinguished and cherished faculty is the Higher Fiqh & Islamic Law Research Department, which has for generations rendered outstanding service in the field of Fiqh and fatwa. The Jamia's administration is genuinely committed to keeping this department modern and of the highest standard, and takes every possible step to supply the resources needed for internationally rigorous Islamic research and for producing sound, consistent fatwas addressing contemporary questions.
Some features of Jamia Islamia Obaidia Nanupur's Darul Ifta (Fatwa Department):
1. The department operates under the constant supervision and guidance of pious, God-fearing muftis of deep learning in the Qur'an, Hadith, Fiqh, and fatwa, chosen for their judgement and experience.
2. The minimum qualification for admission is completion of Takmil (Dawra-e-Hadith).
3. After submitting an application, prospective students sit a written and oral examination on key subjects in Qur'an, Hadith, Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, and a set list of prescribed texts.
4. Among those who pass the entrance exam, admission is granted, within a fixed quota, to those with the highest marks.
5. Admission is for a two-year term; attendance from the start to the end of the year is mandatory (the optional third year excepted).
6. Students must report to the department's research room punctually each day for structured study (mutala'ah) and other scheduled activities, and must otherwise follow the department's 24-hour routine.
7. A calm, pleasant setting is maintained for continuous research.
8. The department holds an ample collection of Bangladeshi and foreign works on Qur'an, Hadith, Tafsir, Fiqh, and fatwa, along with other important reference material, of great help in verifying each issue, in practice exercises, and in issuing fatwas.
9. Each student practises issuing fatwas on a wide range of contemporary questions, with the aim of shaping every student into a capable, well-formed mufti.
10. Semester-based study and teaching builds student competence across every required subject.
11. Subject-based seminars are a regular feature of the department's programme, aimed at making students well-rounded across every relevant topic.
12. Important lectures are delivered on contemporary issues and on refuting false doctrines.
13. Handwriting practice is given serious attention in the first year, with the aim of producing clear, attractive penmanship.
14. Every second- and third-year student is provided a desktop computer by the Jamia, which students use for research and hadith referencing (takhrij) via Maktaba Shamila and Maktaba Jibril. This is a great help in storing and studying PDF copies of needed books and pamphlets.
15. Third-year students are given a dedicated one-year computer course, English grammar and speaking course, and every other measure that helps carry the message of Islam in the modern world, with the aim of forming committed soldiers of Islam.
16. To receive the final-year certificate, every student must hand-write at least a 200-page thesis on a subject assigned by the Fiqh Board.
17. A distinguishing feature of this department is that, alongside instruction, students receive complete moral and spiritual formation aimed at building their character. Among the department's daily routines is the mandatory practice of rising in the last part of the night for Tahajjud prayer. Students turban themselves and reach the front row of the mosque promptly at every adhan for congregational prayer, and a brief practice of the Sunnah prayers is held before every obligatory prayer.