Dear colleagues and beloved students,

I enrolled in our Divinity School as a student in 1987 and was appointed as a Research Assistant in 1993. For nearly 37 years, I have been breathing the air of this beautiful environment. I owe all my material and spiritual knowledge and experience to this institution. On March 8, 2024, with the permission of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), our Rector, Prof. Dr. Mahmut AK, granted me the opportunity to serve as an administrator at our School. May Allah guide me to fulfill this responsibility with honor.

Our school was founded as a Higher Islamic Institute (Yüksek İslam Enstitüsü) in 1966 and has been providing education as Divinity School since 1982. Many prominent scholars, including its founder Dean, Prof. Dr. Ethem Ruhi FIĞLALI, as well as Prof. Dr. Mehmet S. AYDIN and Prof. Dr. Selahattin PARLADIR, have served as administrators here. I am truly happy to have had the privilege of meeting and learning from all of them. May Allah be pleased with them and grant them long and healthy lives.

I am honored to be the first dean who is also a graduate of our School. While this excites me, it also places a great responsibility on my shoulders. The field of theological education is both comprehensive and challenging, with a high level of responsibility. Leading such an institution and coordinating courses from various disciplines is not an easy task. However, with Allah’s help, the dedication of my colleagues, Prof. Dr. Necdet ŞENGÜN and Prof. Dr. Emrah DİNDİ, the efforts of our secretary, Salih AKAGÜNDÜZ, the commitment of our administrative staff, the support of my fellow academics, and the hard work of our students, we will successfully carry out this sacred duty, inshallah.

Our academic curriculum is structured into three main disciplines: Main Islamic Sciences, Philosophy and Religious Studies, and Islamic History and Arts. In the first area, our students learn traditional Islamic sciences such as Tafsir, Hadith, Fiqh, Kalam, and Sufism, all based on the Qur’an and Sunnah. In the field of philosophy, they refine their acquired knowledge through critical thinking, making it more functional. In the final area, they enrich their intellectual and theological background by integrating it with historical and artistic perspectives. Thus, our School produces graduates with a multidimensional perspective and a strong religious foundation, ready to serve as competent religious professionals.

Our School is located in the beautiful city of İzmir, where enemy forces were driven into the sea during the War of Independence. İzmir is a city where the fundamental principles of our Republic and Western global values are strongly felt and lived. In harmony with this unique cultural setting, our students spend five years in this city, integrating their knowledge of Islam’s primary sources with both national and universal values. This experience enables them to serve effectively anywhere in our country.

As administrators, our core principles are “Honesty” and “Transparency.” Through these values, we hope to establish “Justice” within our School. We expect our academic staff to uphold the highest levels of “Competence,” “Merit,” and “Sincerity,” and we expect our administrative personnel and students to embody “Diligence” and “Good Intentions.” In our administration’s perspective, no one has any superiority over another beyond these principles.

With these thoughts and sentiments, we aspire to build a happy and successful community in our school. Blessed are those who are part of this beautiful family.

Prof. Dr. Muammer ERBAŞ,
Dean