Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and President of the University of Sharjah, the University of Sharjah today, Sunday (January 12), concluded the 6th edition of the International Winter School for Graduate Students for the year 2025, organized by the Sharjah International Foundation for the History of Arab and Muslim Sciences at the university under the theme "Scientific Traditions in Islamic Civilization." The event was attended by 60 participants in person and more than 400 participants virtually, and it lasted for a week, in collaboration with the Sharjah Academy of Space Science and Technology, the University of Cologne in Germany, Al Qasimia University, and the Islamic Educational Society of Kerala, India.
During the opening ceremony, which was attended by Prof. Dr. Hamid Majoul Al-Nuaimi, Director of the University, he conveyed the greetings and welcome of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, and President of the University of Sharjah, to the attendees and participants in the sixth edition of the Winter School. The university director then emphasized that the Sharjah International Foundation for the History of Arab and Muslim Sciences, since its establishment by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah (may God protect and preserve him) ten years ago, has been working to enhance global awareness of the Arab and Islamic scientific heritage by shedding light on and studying the role and importance of the contributions of Arab and Muslim scholars to modern progress.
The university director added that the University of Sharjah aims for the Sharjah International Foundation for the History of Arab and Muslim Sciences to be one of the leading institutions globally in showcasing the contributions of Arab and Muslim scholars through research, translation, and cultural exchange, while raising the profile of this rich scientific heritage and integrating it into contemporary education, highlighting its global value, and fostering dialogue between nations in this field.
This year’s Winter School program included 10 scientific lectures spread over six days, with each lecture followed by a series of questions and discussions between the lecturer and attendees. The lecture topics covered: the concept of knowledge in Islamic civilization, original philosophical texts in Islamic civilization, the translation movement in Islamic civilization, the importance of preserving and distinguishing heritage in Islamic civilization, Islamic architecture and engineering, the documentation of Hadith and contemporary approaches to Hadith correction, Islamic economics and finance, the history of mathematics in Islamic scientific heritage, and the unique Islamic aspects of astronomical knowledge. Additionally, workshops were held on the uses of the astrolabe and how to determine the Qibla using ancient instruments from Islamic civilization.
In the closing ceremony, Prof. Dr. Hamid Majoul Al-Nuaimi, Director of the University of Sharjah, gave a lecture titled "The Wonders of the Universe in the Qur’an," in the presence of Prof. Dr. Mesut Idriz, Director of the Sharjah International Foundation for the History of Arab and Muslim Sciences.