Vision Indicators for an Islamic University in Reference to the Quran and Hadith

Developing a vision and planning for bright futures in a way that will envisage growth and progress form the first and most fundamental step in designing the structure of any organization and institution. However, in spite of all efforts aimed at elevating the institution of university to the desired status of a university in our country, and in spite of all the concerns for Islamicizing universities as sacred institutions, the vision for a university whose values are based on Islamic teachings is not adequately developed yet. This paper therefore aims to have a look on general aspects of concepts of vision and Islamic university in order to determine the main characteristics of an Islamic university and the indicators for developing a vision for such a university. It also refers to the Quran verses and Islamic narrations from ahl ul-bayt [the fourteen Infallibles in the belief of Shi‘a] and makes inferences from these teachings to present an adequate vision for and a befitting picture of an Islamic university. This study introduces the Islamic university as an institution with five key aspects: academic identity, religious orientation, research capacity, efficiency for the society, and satisfaction-centeredness. It then develops an ideal vision for an Islamic University based on four indicators which, together, propose a model for an Islamic type of university. They include: knowledge, capability, goodness, and beauty.