A Modern Online Campus, Rooted in Classical Knowledge.

What is Mishkah University?

Mishkah University — also known as the Islamic University of North America — is the public-facing brand of the Sharia Academy of America (SAA). The institution delivers Islamic education entirely online, offering Associate, Bachelor's, and Graduate Studies alongside specialised certificates in Qur'an, Arabic language, and Islamic studies. Both English- and Arabic-medium tracks are available, serving a global student base.

The name Mishkah (مشكاة) is drawn from Sura An-Nur (24:35) — "a niche in the wall where a lamp is placed." The institutional voice mirrors that image: Authentic. Applicable. Illuminating Minds.

Mishkah's curriculum is rooted in the classical Islamic scholarly tradition. Students work with primary texts in their original Arabic, study under named scholars who hold ijāzāt in their disciplines, and pursue degrees that follow the structure of recognised Islamic universities. The online medium is treated as a delivery channel — not a compromise on rigor.

Who Mishkah is for

Mishkah serves three principal groups:

1. Arabic-speaking adult learners — working professionals in their twenties, thirties, and forties from across the Arab world, studying in their first language on mobile devices in the evenings.
2. Non-Arab Sharia and Arabic learners — students in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and across Europe. Most are Muslim converts seeking rigorous classical instruction, or second-generation diaspora Muslims pursuing their tradition seriously in their adult lives.
3. Continuing-education students — practising imams, Islamic-studies teachers, and professionals formalising their training or expanding into a sub-specialty.

Our approach to teaching

Mishkah is not a brick-and-mortar university with a Zoom link tacked on. Every part — curriculum, examinations, faculty — was designed from day one for online delivery. The academic rigor, examinations, and research output match what is asked of students at traditional Islamic universities in Egypt and the Gulf. We call this raising the reach without lowering the bar.

Accreditation

The degrees offered by the Sharia Academy of America are accredited by the International University of Latin America (UIAL), an official, independent, accredited university based in Latin America. The UIAL licence is publicly verifiable — see the UIAL licence page and our accreditation page for details.

We strongly encourage every serious prospective student to verify the institution's accreditation independently before enrolling.

Faculty and the Board of Trustees

Every course at Mishkah is taught by a named scholar whose credentials, institutional affiliations, and ijāzāt (where applicable) are publicly published. Academic governance is provided by the Board of Trustees, whose current members include:

• Dr. Hussein Hamid Hassan — President of the Board of Trustees; President of the Assembly of Muslim Jurists in America.
• Dr. Salah As-sawi — President of the Sharia Academy of America; former President of American Open University and President of UIAL.
• Dr. Muwaffak Abd Allah Al Ghaylany — Member.
• Dr. Ahmed Albatrawy — Member.
• Dr. Salem Morgen — Member.
• Sheikh Walid Bassiouni — Member.

For the full Board, see our Board of Trustees page.