Kolej Islam Malaya (Malayan Islamic College) was a significant educational institution established in 1955 in Klang, Selangor, then part of the Federation of Malaya. It is recognized as the first modern institution of higher Islamic learning in the country, founded to integrate traditional Islamic sciences with contemporary academic disciplines.
The establishment of the college was initiated by the Muslim community and supported by the Malay Rulers. Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah, the Sultan of Selangor, played a central role by donating his palace, Istana Jemaah, to serve as the college's campus. The institution's primary objective was to produce scholars and civil servants who were proficient in both religious and secular knowledge, addressing the educational needs of the Malay-Muslim population during the period leading to and following national independence.
Throughout its history, Kolej Islam Malaya underwent several institutional transitions. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, its higher education functions were gradually integrated into the national university system. The university-level component of the college became the basis for the Faculty of Islamic Studies at the University of Malaya (UM) and influenced the subsequent establishment of the Faculty of Islamic Studies at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).
The secondary education division of the institution remained in Klang and was eventually renamed Kolej Islam Sultan Alam Shah (KISAS) in 1972, when it was brought under the administration of the Ministry of Education as a premier religious residential school. The legacy of Kolej Islam Malaya is noted for its role in formalizing Islamic tertiary education in Malaysia and developing a curriculum that bridged the gap between traditional madrasah systems and modern university standards.
