Doha, October 19 (QNA) - The Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs will launch the fifth season of its intellectual and cultural initiative, Ummah Seminar, on Tuesday with an opening session exploring the relationship between science and faith in Islamic thought.

The seminar will begin immediately after the Isha prayer at the Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque, bringing together academics, researchers, and Islamic preachers to examine the methodological foundations for integrating science and faith. The season is being held under the theme “Science and Faith: Foundations of Building and Pillars of Advancement.”

Director of Research and Islamic Studies Sheikh Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Thani said the initiative seeks to deepen intellectual awareness and promote substantive scholarly dialogue in line with the ministry's 2025–2030 strategic objectives for human development, a moderate Islamic identity, and greater societal awareness.

 It also supports Qatar National Vision 2030 and its goals of developing human capital and fostering a knowledge-based society grounded in values and creativity, he added.

Sheikh Dr. Ahmed said the fifth season highlights the complementary relationship between science and faith as cornerstones of civilizational development and societal advancement. The opening session will examine the methodological foundations and intellectual principles needed to strengthen the integration of science and faith in contemporary knowledge.

The initiative also aims to demonstrate how Islamic scholarship can reconcile the enduring authenticity of divine revelation with contemporary demands, address modern intellectual challenges, and advance renewal, knowledge production, and sustainable development. These efforts underscore the vitality of Islamic thought and its capacity to contribute to knowledge creation and guide development.

  The seminar will feature three main sessions examining the relationship between science and faith from religious, intellectual, and methodological perspectives.

The first panel, on the Holy Quran and Sunnah: reinforcing principles and laying the groundworks for advancement, will be moderated by Mohammed Jassim Al Jassim, a faculty member at Qatar University's (QU) College of Sharia.

It will examine how the integration of revelation and science shapes the values underpinning civilizational advancement, how the Quran and Sunnah establish principles that drive progress, and how this integration supports scientific research and critical thinking.

The second panel will focus on Islamic jurisprudence and intellectual contributions in light of scientific facts. It will be presented by Prof. Dr. Noureddine bin Mukhtar Al Khadimi, a professor of Islamic jurisprudence and its principles at QU's College of Sharia.

  Discussions will explore the flexibility of Islamic jurisprudence in responding to scientific and intellectual developments, the role of Islamic legal theory and objectives-based reasoning in shaping scientific thinking, and examples of Muslim scholars integrating religious and natural sciences. The panel will also examine contemporary approaches to emerging issues.

The third panel will address the methodological foundations for integrating science and faith, featuring Dr. Ibrahim Al Ahda, an imam and preacher under the Awqaf Ministry. Discussions will cover approaches to interpreting revelation amid changing knowledge frameworks, intellectual currents advocating the separation of religion and science, and the role of scientific and religious institutions in strengthening this integration.

The session will also outline a strategic vision and practical mechanisms for reinforcing the relationship between science and faith in intellectual discourse and society.

Launched in 2022, Ummah Seminar is held quarterly and serves as a sustained intellectual, cultural, and scholarly initiative aimed at enriching public discourse and fostering substantive academic dialogue on priority intellectual and knowledge-related issues.

Across successive seasons, it has established itself as a specialized platform bringing together researchers, academics, and intellectuals, particularly Qatari talent, to explore issues affecting thought, culture, and society while deepening public awareness and promoting a culture of research and dialogue.

To preserve the scholarly output of its cultural seasons and make the findings more widely accessible, the Department of Research and Islamic Studies compiles the proceedings of each season into specialized academic publications. The initiative's first publication, Cultural Incubators, was released in 2025. (QNA)