The College of Islamic Sciences was established in 1365 AH (1946) under the name “College of Sharia.” It was later affiliated with the University of Baghdad in the academic year 1962-1963. During the restructuring of the colleges of the University of Baghdad, it was decided to merge the College of Sharia with the College of Arts and convert it into a department named “Department of Religion.”
In 1967, Law No. (38) was issued to establish the College of Al-Imam Al-A’zam for Islamic Studies in Baghdad, affiliated with the Diwan Al-Awqaf (Religious Endowments). The highest authority of the college is the President of the Republic, and its focus is on higher education in the fields of theology, Sharia, and the Arabic language. The new college aims to preserve heritage, provide academic sufficiency, and enable individuals and society to adhere to the principles of Islamic Sharia.
The College was later affiliated with the Ministry of Higher Education at the University of Baghdad on January 1, 1979, and was renamed the College of Sharia instead of the College of Al-Imam Al-A’zam on July 11, 1979. The Department of Religion from the College of Arts at the University of Baghdad was attached to it on August 21, 1982. Thus, the College of Sharia became comprised of two departments: the Department of Religion and the Department of Islamic Studies.
In the summer of 1411 AH (1990), a qualitative adjustment was made to the curriculum of the college to enhance the academic standards. The curricula were finalized in the format found in the guide. The Department of Religion was changed to the Department of Islamic Principles, and the Department of Islamic Studies was changed to the Department of Sharia. Additionally, the name of the college was changed to the College of Islamic Sciences.
In the year 1434 AH (2012), two new departments were established: the Department of Comparative Religions and the Department of Islamic Philosophy. Additionally, evening studies were reintroduced in all departments. Following this, two more departments were established: the Department of Islamic Civilization and Archaeology, and the Department of Contemporary Islamic Financial and Banking Transactions.