ʿAbdullāh Muḥammad al-Maldivī is a Maldivian scholar, academic, educator, and curriculum developer whose work focuses on Islamic studies, Arabic language education, and higher education development in the Maldives.
He received his primary education in the Maldives before pursuing his secondary education in Pakistan and subsequently in al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah. He then enrolled in the College of Ḥadīth and Islamic Studies at the Islamic University of Madinah, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree. He later obtained a Master’s degree in Sharīʿah from the Faculty of Sharīʿah at Maldives National University. He is presently a doctoral candidate at the Islamic University of Maldives.
Since 2011, al-Maldivī has served as a lecturer at The Maldives National University. He began his academic career in the Faculty of Islamic Studies, where he was appointed Head of the Department of Qur’an and Sunnah. During his tenure, he established the University’s Department of Arabic Language and subsequently joined its faculty. He has since taught a wide range of subjects in Islamic and Sharīʿah studies, in addition to Arabic as a foreign language.
Al-Maldivī has played a leading role in academic planning and curriculum development. He has contributed to the design and revision of Arabic and Urdu language curricula and has been instrumental in advancing Arabic-medium higher education in the Maldives. Among his principal achievements is the successful transformation of the Bachelor of Islamic Studies programme into an Arabic-medium programme, thereby making Arabic the principal language of instruction. He also founded the University’s Diploma Programme in Arabic Language, significantly expanding opportunities for Arabic language education.
His university service has included membership of the Higher Academic Education Committee and the Curriculum Committee, where he contributed to academic policy, programme development, and curriculum reform. He is currently affiliated with the Department of Languages in the Faculty of Arts.
Beyond his academic career, al-Maldivī has participated in numerous television programmes on religious and educational topics, published articles in newspapers and periodicals, and composed poetry. His intellectual interests include Islamic scholarship, Arabic language pedagogy, curriculum development, journalism, reading, writing, reflective inquiry, and fostering intellectual dialogue and constructive social engagement.
” Communication and connecting with others form the foundation of knowledge and learning. I love studying, acquiring knowledge, and getting to know people learning about their experiences and life stories—and I always strive for excellence and creativity in everything I do. I detest looking down on others.”
