Despite Bangladesh’s long-standing tradition of Islamic scholarship and religious education, the country has yet to develop a strong, sustainable, and well-planned research infrastructure for institutional and original Islamic research.
Although a number of initiatives have been undertaken in isolation, they have not yet given rise to a national research tradition capable of making a sustained contribution to the production of new knowledge, the Islamic analysis of contemporary problems, and the development of researchers who can meet international academic standards.
At the state level, the Islamic Foundation Bangladesh once played a significant role in Islamic research, translation, editing, and publication. Through dictionaries, encyclopaedias, original research works, and various translation projects, the institution contributed to the development of an important intellectual legacy in the country’s Islamic scholarship.
Over approximately the past fifteen years, however, this continuity has not been maintained. Although some publication activities continue, original research, long-term research projects, and academic initiatives capable of competing at the international level remain extremely limited.
The institution has long been publishing a quarterly research journal, which continues to make a positive contribution to Islamic scholarship in Bangladesh. Nevertheless, to achieve greater recognition and visibility in the international academic community, the journal needs to be upgraded in accordance with international standards. These include inclusion in recognised international indexing systems, the assignment of a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) to each article, and compliance with other standards of global scholarly publishing.
As far as is known, no significant progress is evident in these areas. Consequently, the journal has yet to achieve its expected level of influence, visibility, and recognition in international research circles or even within the country.
Some valuable initiatives can also be observed in the private sector.
The Bangladesh Islamic Law Research Centre has undertaken several noteworthy original research projects in Islamic law and related fields. It regularly publishes the quarterly journal *Islamic Law & Justice*, which demonstrates a sincere effort to adhere to international academic standards. The journal has DOI registration and is included in various international indexing systems. Efforts are also underway to meet the requirements for inclusion in Scopus.
Nevertheless, this promising initiative continues to face a number of practical constraints. Inadequate funding, a shortage of qualified personnel, and limitations in institutional capacity have prevented the expansion of its research, publishing, and other academic activities to the desired scale. With appropriate patronage and institutional support, the centre could make an even more significant contribution to Islamic law and research at both national and international levels.
Among the notable privately operated research institutions in Bangladesh is the Bangladesh Institute of Islamic Thought (BIIT).
The institute has played an important, albeit limited, role in research, publishing, and intellectual dialogue. Under its initiative, a biannual, peer-reviewed research journal entitled *Bangladesh Journal of Integrated Thoughts* (BJIT) is published regularly. The journal has DOI registration and is included in various international indexing systems. However, inclusion in some of the most widely recognised international databases, such as Scopus and the Web of Science Core Collection, has yet to be achieved.
At the same time, the number of large-scale research projects, long-term research programmes, and academic initiatives based on international collaboration remains limited in relation to the country’s needs. Various practical factors may contribute to this situation, including funding constraints, inadequate research infrastructure, a shortage of skilled human resources, and limitations in institutional capacity. With the necessary patronage and long-term planning, the institute could make a broader and more effective contribution to Islamic research nationally and internationally.
On the other hand, the major Islamic organisations in the country have, to date, shown relatively few visible signs of long-term, well-organised initiatives focused on research. Although they maintain an active presence in political, organisational, and *da‘wah*-related activities, their investment and planning in independent research, knowledge production, researcher development, and the establishment of internationally recognised research institutions have yet to become sufficiently evident. Yet there is no substitute for investing in research if lasting social and intellectual leadership is to be established.
Another fundamental problem is the intellectual insularity of research and publishing. Most research and publishing initiatives in the country operate within one ideological, institutional, or organisational circle or another. As a result, researchers and authors outside these particular circles have extremely limited opportunities to publish and disseminate their original work and bring it to the attention of readers. Although there are some exceptions, the institutional environment necessary for independent, open, and multidimensional Islamic research has yet to develop.
A further major obstacle to research is the lack of patronage. Producing an original research monograph requires years of time, effort, and financial investment. Since the financial return on such an investment is uncertain and often delayed, a substantial proportion of commercial publishers naturally show greater interest in books that are likely to sell quickly. This is not a phenomenon unique to Bangladesh; a similar tendency exists throughout the global publishing industry.
Nevertheless, unless research funds, grants, *waqf*-based financing, foundations, and endowment-supported publishing systems are established for scholarly works, it will be difficult to sustain original research over the long term.
The digital age has made this crisis even more complex. In many cases, an author’s public profile, online presence, or popularity exerts greater influence on the publishing market than the depth, accuracy, or originality of their research. Consequently, the valuable work of many talented researchers who remain outside the spotlight of publicity never reaches its intended readership. The loss is not confined to the researchers themselves; society’s collective body of knowledge also suffers.
A researcher’s greatest motivation lies in receiving due recognition for their work and having the opportunity to bring it to society. However, if the publication of a research monograph remains uncertain even after years of waiting, or if effective promotion and distribution mechanisms are absent after publication, many researchers naturally become discouraged. Publishing books at their own expense is not a realistic solution for most researchers either.
This reality is reflected in my own experience. Following the publication of the first volume of my *Comparative Fiqh* and the two volumes of my Qur’anic exegesis, I repeatedly received requests from various quarters for the subsequent volumes. Yet, in the absence of the institutional patronage and financial support required for such large-scale research projects, maintaining continuity has proved difficult. This is not merely a personal experience; it reflects the unspoken reality faced by many researchers.
Every year, universities produce a substantial number of MPhil, PhD, and other research projects. Undoubtedly, some of these studies are valuable. Nevertheless, criticism is often voiced that a significant proportion of research remains confined to conventional topic selection, limited research scope, or the fulfilment of requirements primarily associated with obtaining degrees and securing promotions.
As a result, a considerable body of research fails to make the expected contribution to society, the state, and policymaking. Research that addresses contemporary intellectual, ethical, legal, economic, and technological challenges through long-term, interdisciplinary, and policy-oriented approaches remains scarce.
Yet the need for Islamic research in the contemporary world is greater than ever before.
In a rapidly changing global context, high-quality, original, and interdisciplinary Islamic research has become an urgent necessity in numerous fields. These include Shariah-based legal and judicial systems, contemporary legal challenges, artificial intelligence (AI), bioethics, environmental and climate crises, Islamic banking and finance, human rights, minority rights, family structures, technology ethics, international relations, global law, good governance, and contemporary political thought.
In these fields, theoretical discussion alone is no longer sufficient. The production of research-based knowledge aimed at informing policymaking, legislation, judicial practice, and practical solutions to contemporary human problems has become indispensable.
Bangladesh, too, has considerable opportunities to make a significant contribution in these areas, provided that the necessary research environment, funding, and patronage are secured.
It is therefore time to move beyond individual initiatives and establish an institution-based research culture. What is needed includes a national research fund, fellowships and grants for independent researchers, research-oriented *waqf* and endowment funds, internationally recognised peer-reviewed journals, long-term national research projects, robust digital archives, and modern infrastructure for research and scholarly publishing. At the same time, an open intellectual environment must be ensured in which the quality of research, rather than the identity of its author, serves as the principal criterion of evaluation.
The true strength of a nation depends not only on its economic capacity but also on its ability to produce knowledge. Neglecting research does more than create a shortage of books; it impoverishes a nation’s intellectual resources, leaves future generations without adequate direction, and weakens the prospects for knowledge-based leadership.
Therefore, if Bangladesh aspires to attain a respected position in Islamic research at the regional and global levels, research must now be treated as a national priority. With timely patronage, far-sighted planning, and an open intellectual environment, Islamic research in Bangladesh can undoubtedly reach new heights.