our values

Our first responsibility is to God in pursuing the ultimate directive--serving the best interests of human beings (tahqiq masalih al-ibad), which is the purpose of Islamic Law and Shari'ah - the path to and from the Divine. We believe that God is our audience, meaning that we aspire and are accountable to God's standards of love, mercy, kindness, justice, empathy, compassion and due diligence.

We are accountable to God in our efforts to achieve Godliness in ourselves, and to elevate those around us. We must strive to be the best version of ourselves. 

We believe we have a responsibility to the other human beings on the planet. We must affirm the dignity of all of God's creation, and exert our best efforts to minimize suffering, inspire beauty and elevate our collective humanity. 

We are charged with articulating in a meaningful and compelling way what Islam has to offer humanity; Islam must inspire both Muslims and non-Muslims. We must contribute meaningfully to the global dialogue on all matters human, from philosophy and ethics to beauty, reason and love. This humanist imperative is what we seek to reawaken, re-inspire and reinvestigate. 

Our work must improve lives in a real and tangible way for our current times and for future generations. Our work cannot simply be theoretical or distant in the face of real human suffering.  

We have a responsibility to adhere to the highest globally recognized standards of academic excellence in all of our intellectual endeavors. We are charged with pushing the leading edge of discovery, exploration and reasoning and to demonstrate due diligence in all of our intellectual engagements.

There is no embarrassment in religion, as we know from our beloved Prophet, thus any question of importance and impact to the humanity of the world is fair game.

We owe a duty to our donors to wisely and judiciously direct their funds, a trust from God, in the most responsible manner possible. All wealth is from God, and we will be accountable to God for how we manage that trust. However, we will not be beholden to any preference, influence or preferred outcome from any donations or financial support. We do not accept donations with any strings attached. 

We must feel duty bound to challenge especially that which is generally attributable to the Islamic, which is known to cause harm or suffering. We should always seek to improve upon the status quo.

As a research and education-based think tank institute, we explore all avenues of human thought, seeking wisdom wherever we may find it, as directed by the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad. We must be not only relevant and smart, but brave and aspirational in our work. There should be no limit or boundary to our curiosity; no stone unturned in our due diligence; no politic or advantage to dissuade our areas of investigation; and no fear of reprisal to close our pathways to knowledge. May God accept our efforts.