Licentiate IN ARABIC AND ISLAMIC STUDIES 2024-2025

The conviction which motivates PISAI is that the Christian task to meet face to face with Muslims should be based not solely on subjective good will but also on an objective, scientifically grounded knowledge of the other, sought in a spirit of mutual respect and understanding. PISAI aims, therefore, to train students, from the intellectual and spiritual point of view, in the specifically theological and cultural aspects of Islam, so as to equip them to undertake an informed dialogue with Muslims in academic, civil and religious-pastoral settings. To attain this aim, the Institute offers a specialised formation in the Arabic language, in Islamic Studies and in the historical and theological aspects of Christian-Muslim relations.

The spiritual formation is undertaken by means of a style of teaching which respects the beliefs of others and a programme of arranged encounters and informal exchanges. Weekly celebrations of the Eucharist, most often in Arabic, for both students and professors, help to promote this aim. The intellectual formation is offered by PISAI through a solid programme of teaching of Arab-Islamic culture, with particular emphasis on its religious heritage as lived by Muslim communities.

The study of the Arabic language is the principal means of accessing the fundamental texts of Islam (Qur’an and Sunna) and other related primary sources. Classical Arabic is the major ‘highway’ for understanding and appreciating the values of Islam. The PISAI offers a course of classical Arabic which covers a period of three years. It must be emphasized, however, that PISAI is not a language school: classical Arabic is studied because of its importance for the study of Islam. For worship and for accessing the great classical texts of the Tradition, Arabic is normally used by Muslim communities throughout the world.

The courses of Islamic Studies include the different disciplines of the Islamic sciences: history, the study of the Qur’an, theology, law, philosophy, ethics, Sufism, etc.; in this way, the student acquires a global view of the different literary and cultural forms of expression and of the current problems faced by the Islamic world. Admission to these courses is open to part-time students who wish to follow courses in Islamic religion and culture without following the intensive language course.

Finally, students of PISAI acquire a knowledge of the questions concerning Christian-Muslim relations; particular attention is given to the vicissitudes of the past, the situation as it stands at present and the theological aspects of relations between the two faiths.