Unity of Knowledge and the Definition of an Islamic University Through International Islamic University Malaysia Rectorial Leadership

The separation between religious and modern disciplinary knowledge remains a central challenge in Muslim higher education. This article examines how successive rectors of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) shaped its institutional mission from 1983 to July 2026. It adopts a documentary analysis approach, drawing on rectorial writings and institutional policies. Rectorial strategies are treated as one influential dimension of institutional experience; they do not exhaust the contributions of academics, students, and other stakeholders. The findings show that IIUM's identity was constructed through cumulative layering rather than a single model. Across these phases, four interdependent dimensions recur: epistemological unity grounded in Tawhid; curricular and scholarly integration; moral-spiritual formation; and ethical governance and societal engagement. The article proposes a working definition of an Islamic university in which worldview, curriculum, character formation, governance, and public engagement are coherently aligned toward the worship of God, human flourishing, justice, and civilisational contribution. This definition is an interpretive synthesis requiring further validation, rather than a demonstrated account of university-wide outcomes.