Beliefs in Education
"God will exalt those of you who believe and those who have knowledge to high degrees" (58:11)The Quran provides large motivations for the followers of Islam to pursue knowledge and learn about their religions and the world. In the seventh century when the Quran came into being, the majority of those who came to Islam were illiterate and could not read the words of their prophet and god. This began the practice of teaching to read for the purpose of reading and reciting the word of God. With an education system that was built upon reading their holy text, education practices moved through time hand-in-hand with the Islamic religion. (Cook, B.)
“Prevention of the child from playing games and constant insistence on learning deadens his heart, blunts his sharpness of wit and burdens his life. Thus, he looks for a ruse to escape his studies altogether.” - Al-Ghazali |
Today in Islam there is not only an emphasis on books, but a whole range of non-scholarly emphasis upon social, emotional, and physical health of the students. Not all institutions can boast this of centuries of instruction, but Islam can. In the 12th century there are writing of a physician al-Shayzari notes there should not be harsh punishment or busy work doles out to students because neither would benefit them. The quote from above is from al-Ghazali, an educator of the turn of the second millennium, believed that education should have many other activities that caused enjoyment to be intertwined with classroom instruction. These activities are varied, but some include sports, puppet theatre, and playing with toys. (Alkhateeb F.) So today, we can parallel this with gym class or recess. This was taking place in the early 1000s. Early Puritan schools in the Americas had schooling devoted purely to theological concerns like languages (English, Latin, Hebrew), but it was limited to only that with the intent of producing ministry officials, politicians, and doctors who were taught in the ways of Christianity. (Cothran, M., & Lowe, C.) Students were expected to learn their trades at home and on the farms. Comparatively, Islam taught not only Arabic for their holy text (reading and writing), but arithmetic and Islamic Laws. This is a brief comparison of early education. To learn more, visit the levels of education page.
MadrasasA madrasa is an Islamic place of education. Its roots form a word that means literally “a place where learning and studying take place”. Today these madrassas are places of multi-discipline learning. In the past, they were only for religious instruction with an emphasis on memorization and recitation of the Quran. Today, if a madrasa does not offer other subjects, it is not recognized by the Islamic state and the students within are considered to be out of school. This is controversial in areas because not all Muslim areas have the funds to be able to produce full-fledged education centers and can only teach literacy to the surrounding areas (Indian State, 2015).
On the other hand of the argument, having multi-faceted learning environments attracts non-Muslim students to attend. Even Hindu teachers in India teach in Madrasas there, so this shows a fundamental shift in the curriculum. Some of this shift came after 9/11 when there was suspicion surrounding schools that taught Islam only and their possible implications with radical Islam. As a direct response of this expanding curriculum, there are more Muslim doctors and scientists growing in the modern era and expanding their presence in a higher class of people. In the areas where this is becoming more common, it is serving to bridge cultural gaps between non-Muslim students and Muslim students. (Rahman, S. 2013)
Architecturally, madrasas are traditionally rooms built into or off of mosques where religious leaders would have been readily available to teach. The first learners were adults and followers of their respective religious leader before children began to attend as the norm although all ages still attended and still do. Larger cities developed secondary schools and universities as places of education with the building becoming larger and more elaborate. More in Islamic Architecture
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Women in Muslim EducationDuring the Golden Age of Islam (8th Century to 13th Century) there were little limits to the education of women. Outside the eyes of the law, women –depending on location– had equal opportunities with men in education. In many places, women were professors and aided in the founding of many universities. For example, “the princess Fatima Al-Fihri established the first degree-granting university in the world, University of Al Karaouine (pictured left), in Morocco in 859 CE. And during the Ayyubid dynasty, the regent queen Dafiya Khatun built numerous khanqas (Sufi convents) and madrasas (theological colleges) in Damascus and Aleppo.” (WISE)
The largest restriction that can face women today is regional and depends on circumstance. In some places, there is denial of education, early marriage which creates situations where women cannot leave their expected roles to pursue education, as well as local terrorism with women’s schools being burned and attacked. Women are attacked with acids and poisons just for their pursuit of knowledge. In other areas, women make up the majority of those attending madrasas (WISE). A large hindrance on women and their education is the traditional view than men are guardians of women which is used to suppress rights. To learn more about women's rights in modern Islamic cultures, go to Women. |
Text:
- Alkhateeb, F. (2012, December 8). Education is Islamic History. Retrieved November 20, 2015, from http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2133/Islam.html
- Cook, B. (n.d.). Islam - History of Islamic Education, Aims and Objectives of Islamic Education. Retrieved November 20, 2015, from http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2133/Islam.html
- Cothran, M., & Lowe, C. (2012). The Classical Education of the Puritans. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
- Indian state de-recognises madrasa education. (2015, July 3). Retrieved December 3, 2015, from http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/07/indian-state-derecognises-madrassa-education-150702141231360.html
- Rahman, S. (2013, December 2). Madrassas in India attract Hindu students. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
- WISE - Women's Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality. (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2015, from http://www.wisemuslimwomen.org/currentissues/accesstoeducation/
Images:
- Header - just_a_cheeseburger - https://flic.kr/p/beiYHX - Used with (CC by 2.0)
- First Image - "DiezAlbumsStudyingTheKoran" by unknown / (of the reproduction) Staatsbibliothek Berlin/Schacht - Dschingis Khan und seine Erben (exhibition catalogue), München 2005, p. 266. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DiezAlbumsStudyingTheKoran.jpg#/media/File:DiezAlbumsStudyingTheKoran.jpg
- Madrasas - Lietmotiv - https://flic.kr/p/2g4fXC - Used with (CC BY-SA 2.0)
- Women in Muslim Education - Defense Images - https://flic.kr/p/9cPkin - Used with (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
- Secular Education - brewbooks - https://flic.kr/p/nHW2bN - Used with (CC BY-SA 2.0)
- Alkhateeb, F. (2012, December 8). Education is Islamic History. Retrieved November 20, 2015, from http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2133/Islam.html
- Cook, B. (n.d.). Islam - History of Islamic Education, Aims and Objectives of Islamic Education. Retrieved November 20, 2015, from http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2133/Islam.html
- Cothran, M., & Lowe, C. (2012). The Classical Education of the Puritans. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
- Indian state de-recognises madrasa education. (2015, July 3). Retrieved December 3, 2015, from http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/07/indian-state-derecognises-madrassa-education-150702141231360.html
- Rahman, S. (2013, December 2). Madrassas in India attract Hindu students. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
- WISE - Women's Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality. (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2015, from http://www.wisemuslimwomen.org/currentissues/accesstoeducation/
Images:
- Header - just_a_cheeseburger - https://flic.kr/p/beiYHX - Used with (CC by 2.0)
- First Image - "DiezAlbumsStudyingTheKoran" by unknown / (of the reproduction) Staatsbibliothek Berlin/Schacht - Dschingis Khan und seine Erben (exhibition catalogue), München 2005, p. 266. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DiezAlbumsStudyingTheKoran.jpg#/media/File:DiezAlbumsStudyingTheKoran.jpg
- Madrasas - Lietmotiv - https://flic.kr/p/2g4fXC - Used with (CC BY-SA 2.0)
- Women in Muslim Education - Defense Images - https://flic.kr/p/9cPkin - Used with (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
- Secular Education - brewbooks - https://flic.kr/p/nHW2bN - Used with (CC BY-SA 2.0)