بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله
Intention of the book:
– Intention of the book is to define education as viewed by Islam and to inform the crisis present in our education system.
– It is a book of definitions relating to the essential elements in the concept of education and its processes as viewed by Islam
The Scientific Nature of the Arabic Language:
– The nature of the Arabic Language is that its semantic structure is established & constant throughout history because of the root words system.
– They have certain basic semantic fields that convey concepts and ideas from a Quranic view
– It was because of this scientific nature & precision that the science of Tafsir actualized.
– The Difference in Tafsir and Ta’wil is the former is derived from the scientific way on deciphering meaning from the language. And Ta’wil is an intensive form to interpret meanings from the ambiguous sentence.
The Semantic Field in the Context of Islam: (7-12)
– A semantic field is a conceptual structure described from a central word or term.
– A semantic field usually overlaps other concept structures as projected in the Islamic vocabulary and governed by Quran world-view.
– All the languages of Muslim peoples have already been infused with this basic Vocabulary. The infusion occurred historically with the spread of Islam.
– This phenomenon is called islamizations of language. This entails a shift in the mind and vision of the reality and truth of that word/term.
– The Arabic language also came into Islamisation during the Advent of the Quran. Although the words used were familiar to the Jahilias, the semantic fields were totally different. (eg. Karam)
– In order that the conceptual structures and network becomes an established principle in governing authentic meaning and usage as well as projecting the Islamic world view, each language of the non-Arabic Muslims have been infused by the Islamic basic vocabulary. (Islamic Language)
– The Modernist movement has caused much undermining of past scholarship on its spiritual and intellectual leadership and causes much confusion.
– In the past Muslim thinkers had grapple with foreign concepts and find suitable Arabic words and terms to symbolize them in the conceptual system and withstood the test.
– The reality of the problem now is not a matter of language but a matter of worldview.
– Semantic confusion as a result of misapplication of key concept in the Islamic vocab can change our perception of the Islamic world view.
The concept of education in Islam:
– Education is something progressively instilled in man.
– 3 elements that constitutes Education: 1) The content 2) The Process 3) The Recipient
– The Recipient is the Man. The Aql(Mind). This is a spiritual substance that is within. Not the Body and Animal aspect.
– The Content is the Something. The Something is the knowledge of the Purpose of seeking it.
– The Purpose and Content of education is the recognition & acknowledgement of the proper places of things in order of creation, such that it leads to the recognition and acknowledgement of the proper place of God in the order of being & existence.
– Acknowledgement is to make himself suitable to the requirements of the right and proper place of things & affairs. The requirements entail actions, termed Amal, in accordance to what is recognized, Ilm as the requirements.
– Recognition means discovering the proper place in relation to what is recognised; and Acknowledgement means concomitant action (amal) resulting from discovering the above information. Knowledge/Ilm is (Recognition) and then Amal (Acknowledgment).
– Proper place has 2 domains: 1) man and the empirical world 2) religious and ethical aspects of human existence.
– ‘Proper’ place means the Haqq. The reality to the 2 domains. The Reality that is conformed involves statements/words/propositions/beliefs based on revelations etc.
– Haqq (Truth): suitableness to the requirements of the proper places of things as recognised by true judgement
– Acknowledgement becomes the fundamental element in the true ‘Recognition’ on the concept of Education which means; ‘realisation’ & ‘actualization’ in oneself of what is required. This is term as Tahqiq. Which is from the word Haqq.
– Acknowledgement of what is recognised renders an education. Otherwise Recognition alone is but a ‘learning’ (Ta’allum) تعلّم.
– Wisdom: God-given knowledge which enables the recipient to discover the right and proper place for a thing to be.
– The condition of being in the proper place is what we have called Justice.
– Adab is a method of knowing by which we actualize the condition/requirements of being in the proper place.
– Adab is the discipline of body, mind and soul. Adab is the manifestation of Justice(adl’) as it is reflected by Wisdom. Wisdom->Adab->Justice.
– Adab itself is the knowledge of the purpose of seeking knowledge. (When you learn/get adab from wisdom you learn what is the purpose of seeking knowledge?) (pg 23)
– The purpose of seeking knowledge in Islam is to inculcate goodness in man as man and individual self. Good is the man of adab which is the spiritual and material life of man.
– Adab involves action to discipline the mind and soul. The acquisition of good qualities and attributes of mind and soul, perform correct against erroneous action, proper against wrong and preserving from disgrace. This constitutes the actualisation of the purpose of knowledge.
– Adab is recognition and acknowledgement of the reality of that knowledge and being are ordered hierarchically according to their various grades and degrees of ranks and of one’s proper place in relation to that reality and to one’s physical, intellectual & spiritual capacities and potentials.
– Tarbiyah means to feed, to nourish, to nurture. And its not limited to the man alone. Whilst the Education process in essence is set towards the aql’ which is only in Man, as defined from the islamic concept.
– Since the Tarbiyah is being passed on by the parents to the State/education system, there is a danger that ‘education’ becomes a secular exercise of material and physical concerns which will only refine the social and political life.
– God who creates, nourishes, sustains, provides, cherishes and possess such acts is by which He is al Rabb. When by analogy a man similarly when bringing up his offspring is called Tarbiyah.
– Tarbiyah simple means cherishing which are acts of Rahmah and that is divinely attributed to Al Rabb. Meaning: bringing a thing to a state of completion by degrees.
– Knowledge is distinct from Mercy/Rahmah. Hence Tarbiyah cannot be called education per se.
– Ta’dib includes; Knowledge (ilm) – Instruction ( ta’lim) – Good breeding (tarbiyah).
The problem & its solution:
– The problem is the confusion and error in knowledge (by the Islamic definition and its vision of reality and truth)
– It creates the condition for: Loss of adab within the community.
– Loss of adab means the loss of the capacity for discernment of the right and proper places of things, resulting in the levelling of all things, the confusion of the order of nature as arranged according to their maratib and darjat, the inability to recognise and acknowledge right leadership in all spheres of life.
– Example; the loss of the proper place of things in environment. Environmental degradation, where we throw our bottle anywhere beside the bin its shows that we dont have adab as to the proper place of the ocean and the world.
– The proper place of Education system in regards to Knowledge and teachers is also out of place. Education systems becomes a business where Knowledge now becomes a commodity and Teacher being service providers of that. Knowledge and Teachers are supposed to be sacred and highly respected.
– The solution is in an education process of Ta’dib.
– Why wasnt adab infused in the education system earlier if it was that crucial? Answer: it was already infused in the beginning of islamic scholarship based on exemplifying the Sunnah and began to translate itself into the islamic conceptual framework both in theory and practice. But due to specific causes resulting from the confusion and error in knowledge and its islamic vision and reality the meaning of adab/ta’dib underwent a restriction in the meanings which affected its role as a basic concept of education.
– Its due to the ignorance and error from the majority of men that have no knowledge of the purpose of life causes the change in the semantics of major key concepts that causes the degrading social change.
– The influence from dictionaries and the newspaper have upon the thinking of the masses on the language and technical terms and propagation of alien concepts are truly grave.
The form of the system of education in islam:
– The concept of education in Islam pertains to man alone, its formulation as a system describes the model of man as perfect in the sacred person of the Holy Prophet.
– So the Islamic University must reflect the Holy Prophet in terms of knowledge and right action and to produce people resembling him, people of Adab.
– The Man, Knowledge and University consist of 2 parts. Man; 1)His soul and inner being 2)His Physical faculties & senses. Knowledge; 1) God-given 2)Acquired. University; 1)Fardhu Ain 2) Kifayah.
– The connecting link for the Spiritual & Physical knowledge is the Aql. The Aql will understand realities and truth from the two sources of knowledge.
– Knowledge is fluid and thus increases in its scope and content as one increase in maturity and responsibility. Fardhu ain is then taught from the primary to the university level.
– But the Scope and content on University level must first be formulated before they can go to the lesser gradations.
– The islamization of knowledge means the deliverance of knowledge from its interpretations based on secular ideology; and from meanings and expressions of the secular.
– At the end the author is proposing ideas/theories on creating a new University that is untouched by the secular ideologies. And what does our secular education system now does to the mind of muslims and islam as a whole.
Post Reading Notes/Ideas: (shared by other readers)
Problems and Solution
- What does it mean by confusion and error knowledge?
Answer: It refers to things other than knowledge masquerading as knowledge. We can see this issue in imam ghazalis book in his Ihya. So when we talk about Ilm (knowledge) we have to recognise where is the Source. It’s from Allah. There are 2 great books that we must refer from this Source. The Book of Allah (Al Quran&Sunnah) And the Book of Nature (which is meant to direct our mind and soul to the Author)
- The loss of adab is basically from the failure of recognition of where is God and Prophet Saw is in the hierarchy order of knowledge. Resulting in people having all kinds of opinionated thinking they’re and have the superior knowledge. Adab is not just etiquette. We are limiting the term and meaning of Adab and of things.
- Rise of leaders who are not qualified – even in imam Ghazalis Kitabun Ilm cited that in his time there are a lot false teachers. It’s imperative that the person seeks a qualified Teachers and it’s upon him to seek and verify the credibility. One of the natures of being a good teacher is having great Yaqin of that knowledge. There are things that are established in knowledge. Where in the current times teachers can be quite flexible and open to change what is established due to the demand of the society’s nature. A degradation of knowledge. Authoritative teachers are needed to be in permanence to the established truth of knowledge.
Form of education
- Ultimately the University is to imply the Unity in Knowledge. This means that all knowledges are interconnected. This refers to the ultimate unifying factor, the Prophet Saw. Which then pointing to all knowledges unified, will lead Back to the main Source of reality and knowledge. There is a discrepancy in the notion of diversity in Knowledge.
- We must discuss and refer to the One Teacher, the Universal Man. Bcs all true knowledges are taught thru that One Man. The soul of the university is from the Universal Man. Which then we will realise that All Knowledges is to reflect the Source.
- A reflection of the secular state education system can be seen on the Certificates. We dont see the name of the teachers that directly contributed. ( opp from the sanad tradition) rather it’s the name of the institution. And the cert is also given by the Head of the Institution. Unlike the islamic institutions, where the ijazah is given by the teachers themselves.
- But to say that whether the idea of the Soul (teachers) of the University is higher than the Institution is debatable. The speaker gave an example of Mazhabs in Fiqh. That the School of jurisprudence (institution) has gone beyond the Man of the Mazhabs himself. So the speaker is saying that Institutions (jami’) is also playing a very important role maybe comparable to the teachers/souls themselves. So there should be more thought in comparing that.
Opinions shared by readers on how a secular state can be approach by Islamisation of Knowledge:
– One opinion is saying that the adab of ilm and amal is also to translate and distilled all this high level ideas and discussion to the lower tier like babies and teens etc. To the response and add on is saying about the adab to scholars. The proper place for the scholar is to enlighten others and not to translated and distills the knowledge.
– Rahmah in the sense of knowledge is that everyone’s proper place in this knowledge is to contribute to the civilization.
– A reader shared an amazing excerpts that is to address the community thru the weekend madrasahs and to unify the ‘2 worlds’ Eg. The importance of understanding that the fardhu ain subjects are actually for a bigger picture in contributing to the community to supplement and direct the knowledge we receive from the secular education to a bigger purpose of life. The Weekend Madrasahs should be a means of instill the proper place of Allah and the Prophet in their academic Educations and empower that knowledge for a greater good thru the Islamic Lens. We should stop the dichotomy of the 2 source of education as 2 different worlds. Where muslims will feel that the secular education its only purpose is to earn a living and doesnt contribute and enhance or support our ascension to the God. What happens is the students will have a very reduced idea on how to contribute to civilsation. So the notion of addressing the idea of the perfect university is a bit of a waste of time esp in a secular state. Rather we shld address the bottom up and accept that we are living in a very secular system.
– Another reader gave an idea/opinion is through the middle up and middle down approach. Meaning the bulk of the citizen should use the power of the masses to influence change by themselves by education the grassroot and the top tier by making change in the education system. But Prof attas is the up to bottom, the perfect University then to the grassroot. But the debate was how long did the changes took in the past and should we hasten process of change or should we trust the passage of time
Take away Questions:
- What was the most important thing you remember about the book?
- That the term and meaning of Adab has a very extended and profound reality to a person that pervades all aspects of one’s being and actions which ultimately reminds one to recognize the true position of God and His Messenger.
- What was the main message of the book?
- To give a definition to the concept of education from an Islamic worldview and detail the crisis it is facing due to the distortion of meanings behind certain keywords and basic concepts that relates to education in the Quranic worldview due to secularization.
- What do the ideas in this book relate to?
- Relates to definitions of keywords and how it is derive. The things that need to be aware of and acquired to recreate a new holistic education system borne out of the Islamic worldview whilst preserving the positive aspect of the secular system.
And Allah knows best.
Seedlings 