Education In The Early Years Of Islam

Education in the early years of Islam DURING THE PROPHETIC ERA AND THE ERA OF RIGHTLY GUIDED CALIPHS

TABLE OF CONTENTS  Introduction  Importance of the pursuit of knowledge  Prophet’s teaching methodology  The freedom of research  The Sahaba /Companions of the Prophet  Early intellectual achievements  Birth of sectarian groups

Continued……..  Cultural influences  Rise of leading centers for learning  Beginning of distinct academic disciplines  Wide travel by scholars in pursuit of knowledge  Conclusion  References

Introduction  The early Muslims were devoted to the cause of education.  Although theirs was an oral tradition, they began to wholeheartedly seek knowledge with great zeal and enthusiasm.  The Quran and Sunnah are replete with exhortations to gain knowledge. It’s for this reason that most of the Sahaba strove to learn reading and writing at a time when very few people were literate.

Importance of the pursuit of knowledge "Read! In the Name of your Lord Who has created (all that exists). He has created man from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood). Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous. Who has taught (the writing) by the pen. He has taught man that which he knew not" [Quran, 96: 1-5]

Importance of the pursuit of knowledge Surah Al-Zumar, ayah 9 reveals: ‘’Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know?’’ Surah Al-Baqarah, ayah 269 reveals: "Allah grants wisdom to whom He pleases and to whom wisdom is granted indeed he receives an overflowing benefit."

Continued …… "And Allaah has brought you out from the wombs of your mothers while you know nothing. And He gave you hearing, sight, and hearts that you might give thanks (to Allaah)" [Quran, 16:78]

Importance of pursuit of knowledge o Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim. [Bukhari]

o Whoever follows a path in the pursuit of knowledge, Allah will make a path to Paradise easy for him. [Muslim] o On the day of judgement the ink of the scholar will be weighed against the blood of the martyr. [Bukhari]

Continued….. "When a man dies, all his deeds come to an end except for three — an ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge or a righteous child who will pray for him." (Muslim)

Continued…….

 At the battle of Badr in which the Prophet gained victory over his opponents, seventy people of the enemy rank were taken prisoner.  These prisoners of war were literate people. In order to benefit from their education the Prophet declared that if one prisoner teaches ten Muslims how to read and write, this will serve as his ransom and he will be set free.

The Prophet’s teaching methodology Conduct a study circle

Ask questions Be innovative

Observe & correct

Solve problems

Be a role model

The Prophet Used to

Use Metaphors& similes

Tell stories

Draw daigrams Make rules

Repeat 3 times

The freedom of research 

     

One day the Prophet saw that some people were atop the date trees busy in doing something. On being asked what they were engaged in, they replied that they were pollinating. The Prophet suggested them not to do so. The following year date yield was considerably very low. The Prophet enquired them of the reason. They told him that the date crop depended on pollination. Since he suggested them to do otherwise, they had refrained from that. The Prophet then told them to go on doing as they used to, and that, "You know the worldly matters better than me."  (summarised from Al-Bukhari)

The Sahaba / Companions The Sahaba (Companions) are praised in many Quranic verses:

 "And the first to embrace Islam of the Muhajiroon (the Emigrants from Makkah) and the Ansar (the citizens of Al-Madeenah who helped the Muhajiroon) and also those who followed them exactly (in Faith). “Allah is well-pleased with them as they are well pleased with Him. He has prepared for them Gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein forever. That is the supreme success.” [Quran,9:100]

Continued …. "Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah and showed not their backs to the disbeliever's, of them some have fulfilled their obligations and some of them are still waiting, but they never changed (i.e. they never proved treacherous to their covenant which they concluded with Allah) in the least." [Quran,33:23]

Continued…  “Indeed, Allah was pleased with the believers when they gave their pledge to you (O Muhammad) under the tree. He knew what was in their hearts and He sent down calmness and tranquility upon them..." [Quran,48:18]

The sahaba / companions

 "The best of the people are my generation, then those after them, then those after them..." [Muslim]  Their main purpose in acquiring knowledge was to get closer to Allah, our Creator.  Some of them, often took years to learn a Surah, because they tried to internalize what they learnt.  Knowledge accordingly was linked with values and reflected in actions.

Continued….

Two major factors led to the gradual spread of literacy among early Muslims.  The strong emphasis on knowledge, learning and teaching with the pen was a hint at the desirability of studying and learning the art of writing.  The second factor which further enhanced the first, was entrusting the Quranic text itself to writing.

Early intellectual achievements Prophet’s practice of the Quranic teaching of Shura, consulting his companions over all matters and occasionally yielding to the views of the majority against his own wisdom, emboldened the believers to think originally, to speak out their mind and tolerate each other’s opposed views.

Continued…. Some of the achievements of the Sahaba are:  Mental purity -Islam eradicated idol worship and superstitions, it made people think rationally, reasonably and analytically. It completely transformed the minds of the Sahaba and made them averse to idolatrous and superstitious practices.

Continued……  Compilation of the Quran:-The whole text of the Quran had been entrusted to writing, although these written pieces called the SUHUF were not collected and put together as a full copy prior to the prophet’s death.  This task of collecting these scattered pieces was done by Abu Bakr, who ordered them to be collected, examined, and carefully put together in the right order as was taught by the Prophet [saw] under the supervision of an able and well chosen committee headed by Zaid bin Thabit.

Continued……  Literacy –both basic and advanced spread widely among the formerly ignorant Arabs as a result of the Quranic and Prophetic urge to pursue knowledge.  The compilation of the Quran and it’s distribution across the muslim world during the reign of Uthman [r.a] further contributed to the literacy movement.  Oral method of teaching and learning hadith.

Birth of sectarian groups Birth of sectarian groups

KHAWARIJ outgoers

MURJI’AH deferers

SHIA Supporters Of Ali

Continued…….  Four groups of theological thoughts and doctrines began to develop and grow. Their rise can be traced to the political dispute among Muslims, directly like the case of the Khawarij and the Murji’ah.  Controversies among these schools, if they may be so called, led to the development of further division and dispute in subsequent years.

Cultural Influences  When foreign cultures like the Persians and Byzantines came in to the fold of Islam, there was great cultural integration.  This happened through different ways, bondage, marriage and conversion. All non-arab muslims came to be known as Mawali.  Some of these became prominent scholars and contributed significantly to the intellectual, literary, scientific and ethical progress of the world of Islam. For example, Imam Hasan Al Basri, who is described as the master of second generation of Islam.

Rise of leading centers for learning  Madina and Makkah in the Hijaz  Basrah in Iraq  Kufah in Iraq  Dimashq in Syria  Sanaa in Yemen  Fustat in Egypt

Beginning of distinct academic disciplines ILM AT TARIKH Study of History

ILM AL KALAM Study of Religious polemic

TAFSIR & QIRA’AH Study of The Quran

ILM AL FIQH Legal studies

ILM AL HADITH Study of Hadith

Wide travel by scholars in pursuit of knowledge  Most of the Muslim notable scholars did not remain in their centers, they moved from one centre to another in pursuit of knowledge, making long journeys, sometimes at great risks.  A good part of the biographies of the eminent scholars consists of stories about their roaming these centres.

Conclusion The prophetic era and the period of the righteous caliphs can truly be considered as the “GOLDEN AGE” of Islam as the Prophet [saw] educated and empowered the Sahaba by touching and transforming their lives. He did not merely transmit knowledge, rather he effected a complete transformation among the Sahaba by showing them how to live by the Quran. EDUCATION WAS A DYNAMIC PROCESS WHICH TRANSFORMED AND EMPOWERED THE SAHABA

References The Muslim Mind foundation and early manifestation by Muhammad Abdul Rauf www.islamweb.com/knowledge Retrieved on 7th Aug 2008 www.islammuslim.html Retrieved on 7th Aug 2008

THANK YOU MAY ALLAH GRANT US AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE DEEN AND ENABLE US TO LIVE BY THE KNOWLEDGE WE GAIN SO THAT IT TRANSFORMS AND EMPOWERS US MUCH THE SAME WAY, AS IT DID THE SAHABA [R.A]