Studies and documents drawn upon

in building and implementing this guide

To build a guide to the subject of Islamic Education, incorporate population and sustained development concepts as a social, economic and cultural system, the studies that have tackled the subject from an Islamic perspective have all innovated in firmly establishing these concepts culled from prophesy sources and the purposes of Islamic Sharia.

Builders of Islamic Education curriculum and its teachers need to consult a number of sources and references that will be mentioned in this section.

A) Specialized Intellectual Studies 

a) 1. In the year 1992, the World Institute of Islamic Thought published a study by Dr. Mohsine Abdulhamid entitled “Islam and Social Development”. This is a valuable study in building Islamic denominationalism in terms of its components, specificities and the human being’s playing a crucial role in it, according to a comprehensive vision that starts with the system of worship and its role in development, then the social, political, economic, and judicial system with all its branches, then the educational system, and lastly the general system of ethics. The study raises important questions with regard to identifying the obstacles that stand in the way of development in the Islamic world, and about finding new solutions according to a comprehensive approach that emanates from Islamic philosophy and which operates in the form of purposeful, practical, and reformative measures.

a) 2. In the field of the relationship between health and environment and its role in establishing equilibrium and in man’s good shouldering of the responsibility of vice-regency, Dar at-Atala’I’ in Cairo published a book by Dr. Mohammad Kamal Abdulaziz entitled : “Health and Environment”. The book tackles all forms of pollution and their impact on human health, and man’s role in this, as well as the repercussions of environment destructive behavior on the economic and social development. The book also includes important scientific and legal directives to reinstate the world’s environmental equilibrium through simple and less costly behaviors which the human being must adhere to on the basis of Islamic values.

a) 3. On the set of the components of Islamic personality, Dar Ibn Hazm in Beirut published in 1997 a book entitled “Health Care and Sports in Islam” by Professor Mohammad Hassan Raqit. The author collected valuable texts in this field which he culled from various sources of Islamic heritage. He divided the book into subtitled sections that simplify and organize the subject. Qur’anic texts and Hadiths, and Islamic thought texts are read in a new light and in the light of the modern concepts that clearly show that Islam was the first to have paid attention to this field whose subjects were scattered in books on Islamic jurisprudence, Hadith and Tafsir (Commentary). The truth is that such objective studies can project Islamic legacy in a new and modern image which strongly imposes itself as an alternative that competes with the existing theories.

 Despite its size, the book contains titles, such as “Islam’s Interest in Health”, “Health and Prevention Measures in Islam”, “Islamic Conduct in Nutrition”,“Adult Health Care”,“Youth Health Care”,“Patient Care”, “Psychological Health in Islam”, and other mind-edifying topics which combine authenticity and modernity.

a) 4.  A visitor to Islamic libraries may find a large number of studies on Islamic culture, but most of them tackle only one of its aspects that reduces culture to literary, scientific and intellectual innovation without viewing it as a broad system. Dr. Mohammed Sulaiman al-Ashqar, author of “Towards an Authentic Islamic Culture”, considers the concept of culture within a comprehensive view that does not isolate the cultural field from the economic, political and social fields. Dar an-Nafa’is, the Jordanian publishing house, has put forth several editions of this serious study. In addition to the classical studies that define the concept of Islamic culture, its characteristics and its relationships with other cultures, the book also contains important studies, entitled “Sharia Manners and Noble-mindedness”, that begin with the centrality of faith and that identify the values which govern relationships among people. In addition to other economic and political studies, the book also contains a modern vision of the family system in Islam with all its various issues, including the woman’s position in this system and the centrality of the family within the Islamic social system. It also reviews the various laws and legislations related to this.

a) 5. In a new and enriching reading of the Prophetic Sunnah and its studies, that utilizes the Ulema’s methods and methodologies in dealing with Sunnah texts which tackle modern issues from an Islamic perspective, and writing within the scope of a broad vision of Sharia issues and the age, Dr. Yousef al-Qardhawi composed his book entitled “Sunnah as a Source of Knowledge and Civilization” whose first edition was published in 1997 by Dar as-Sharq in Cairo. The book is divided into three sections the first of which deals with the legislative aspect in the prophetic Sunnah. The second section discusses Sunnah as a source of knowledge, and the third section tackles Sunnah as a source of civilization. Among the studies that are related to this Guide is one entitled “Sunnah and Education” which stresses the Holy Qur’an’s protection of the environment, Sunnah’s protection of the environment, protection of the fauna, and “Sunnah and Health Sciences” which includes such issues as: health as a grace from God, hygiene, interdicting drugs and alcoholic beverages, forbidding overspending and extravagance, seeking medical treatment, taking good care of psychological health ; forbidding putting too much strain on the body even in worship, etc. The other study that is also related to this Guide is “Sunnah and Economics” which urges productivity and the rationalization of consumption in the field of distribution and promotion.

The book also offers a new reading of Sunnah texts in the light of new concepts. The truth is that this approach is still feeling its way, and it is hoped that this study will be backed up by others very soon, because Sunnah and the glorious Sira (the Prophet’s biography) abound in pearls whose extraction requires excellent divers from amongst the honest Ulema and researchers of this Ummah.

a) 6. On the basis of the Qura’nic verse in which Allah says : “And the earth We have spread out (like a carpet) ; set thereon mountains firm and immovable; and produced therein all kinds of things in due balance. And We have provided therein means of subsistence, for you and for those for whose sustenance ye are not responsible. And there is not a thing but its (sources and) treasures (inexhaustible) are with Us ; but We only send down thereof in due and ascertainable measures. And We send the fecundating winds, then cause the rain to descend from the sky, therewith providing you with water (in abundance), though ye are not the guardians of its stores”(301). and In line with this Qur’anic vision of the world and life and subjecting the environment to man’s use, Professor Mohammed Ben Jelloun published a book entitled : “Environmental Issues” which is a collection of scientific pieces of research and Islamic truths. The book was published by al-Madaris in Casablanca in 1999.

The book deals, within a comprehensive vision, the concept of environment in Islam, and the causes of pollution of water and other natural resources. It also reviews the measures which Islamic values seek to consolidate in human behavior to preserve the environment and to combat pollution ; it closes with an examination of the relationships between the environment and health in Islam. The study is backed up by Qur’anic and Hadith texts and modern studies, pictures and charts all of which make up an easy reading text from which the reader can learn a great deal about incorporating the concepts of environmental education in educational programs at the various levels of education.

a) 7. This incorporation is clearly visible in Dr. Riyadh al-Janan’s  book “Environment Education : Policies and Solutions” published by Dar al-Fikr in 1997 in Syria. The book contains sections on school environment, the teaching of environmental education, rectification and evaluation of environmental education and other studies that reveal a rich experience in incorporating environmental education in educational programs from an Islamic perspective. The book boasts a detailed project ranging from research studies to the teaching methods and methodologies to evaluation methods.

 These are some of the recent studies that tackled population issues  from an Islamic perspective and with a comprehensive view and an objective approach which has dealt with the Islamic heritage, offering a new reading in the light of the age’s new data and needs.

B) Juristic and Sharia-based Studies

In this context, it is worth pointing out some other studies which are characterized by juristic studies that are related to Islamic Sharia rulings and juristic fatwas (pronouncements) as warranted by modern events. There are books that follow this line of study :

1. “Islamic Sharia Rulings on Medical Matters Relating to Gynecology and Reproductive Health”, by Sheikh Jad al-Haq of al-Azhar University (may Allah have mercy on his soul). This book is a topical comparative study of a number of juristic rulings in the field of medicine and health in its relation to the person obligated to observe the precepts of religion, such as prayer, fasting, purification, reading the Holy Qur’an, Hajj, conjugal life ; the book also contains some juristic independent judgments on matters related to reproduction and reproductive health, such as the ruling on abortion, artificial insemination, and sperm and fetus banks, etc.

Methodologically speaking, the book has two distinctive characteristics, the first is the combination of Islamic jurisprudence and medicine ; for the scientific subject is well prepared by specialists in medical fields which vary in terms of preparation and revision. The second characteristic is that the juristic answers draw heavily upon all the denominations, and compare the proofs in terms of their broadness and variety and in terms of disagreement between juristic independent judgments on these proofs, before coming to a preferable conclusion that takes into consideration the juristic proof and the goals of Islamic Sharia.

Therefore, the book is a reference in the field of Sharia rulings related to health and medicine in terms of its relationship to the person obligated to observe the precepts of religion. He can consult this reference to acquaint himself with the elaborate practical rulings and try to apply them in his life ; he can also guide the coming generations to these rulings.

2. “Raising Children in Islam” by Abdullah Nasih Alouan, a revised 2nd edition published by Dar as-Salam in Beirut in 1978, is another book which can be very useful to those interested in teaching juristic rulings.

The author boasts a rich experience in the field of education and teaching; he combines the advantages of scientific experience and juristic knowledge. The book consists of related chapters that begin with the bases of family building through reviewing the juristic rulings and the Prophetic educational directives, then the rulings on the newborn in Islamic jurisprudence, then the parents’ responsibility in raising children within a defective milieu, as well as the domains of this religious, moral, physical, mental, psychological, social, and sexual education.

The author tackles the teaching approaches ranging from Qudwa (role model), custom, direction (maw’idha), observation, guidance and accompaniment, punishment with the focus on fundamental rules which the author calls the rule of relating Islamic fundamentals, to the rule of warning against violating  Sharia tenets in terms of food, drinks, and dress. The book closes with important educational suggestions and directives.

This book may be considered a reference in its field ; it may even be a substitute for similar works because of the broadness of its themes, the comprehensiveness of its topics, and the combination of juristic rulings and educational issues. The book also avails itself of the modern education theories. It lends itself to improvements and is open to innovation, especially with regard to the educational means which had developed at a tremendous speed at the end of this century through the strong presence of the audio-visual multimedia and informatics. This would pave the way for innovative thinking that keeps pace with these developments, seeks to profit from their positive educational aspects, and warns against their negative ones.  

3.  “Thuhaft al-'arus aw az-zawaj al-islami as-sa’id” (The bride’s Gift or Happy Islamic Marriage) by the famed Professor Mohammed Mehdi al-Istanbuli, an expert on marriage Sharia rulings and on the family. The book is published by maktabat Jeddah in several editions. The author has dedicated it to every Muslim youth, man or woman, who whishes to lead a virtuous life, to enjoy a happy lawful marital life, and who seeks to raise a strong generation that believes in marriage as a sacred bond between the man and the woman.

The author believes that, from an Islamic perspective, sex education can help the spouses to open up to each other and to establish a balanced family that seeks to preserve progeny and to maintain human existence. This is why we find in the book important titles such as :  “Conjugal life Is Worship”, “Islam’s Views on Love”, “Making Marriage Easy”, “Pre-Marriage Advice” “The Joys of the Marriage Ceremony”, and “Sharia Directives Regarding Sexual Intercourse on the Wedding Night”, and all the related rulings and rights of the spouses, as well as directives on raising children and on how to avoid the dangers of separation.

The author closes with a section containing a series of questions and answers which he calls “You Ask and We Answer”. This section tackles medical and juristic aspects related to sex education from an Islamic perspective.

The book is rich in educational directives and juristic rulings that regulate the field of the youth’s reproductive health before, during and after marriage.

All these books, works and studies constitute an attempt to stir interest in the subject. The subject of population development in its own fields (health, society, and environment) lies at the heart of the concerns of contemporary Islamic Thought. The latter is an extremely rich literature, abounding in references that can be used to build the concepts related to these subjects and to convert them from scientific subjects to a teaching subject matter that can be indirectly incorporated in educational and teaching programs in general, and directly incorporated in the subject of Islamic Education.

C) Studies and Surveys Related to Instituting and Incorporating the Intended Concepts in Teaching Programs

This intellectual, juristic and medical literature, some of whose aspects have already been alluded to, has no doubt constituted the raw material for many studies and surveys presented in conferences and symposia on youth and adolescent reproductive health, family planning, the empowerment of women, the most rational ways to exploit the environment, organizing social relationships from an Islamic perspective whether at the level of Qur’anic and Prophetic tradition texts or at the level of developing a conception of incorporating these concepts in the educational programs. Below are some of these conferences and symposia:

 “Amman Declaration on the Consolidation of Health Through Adopting Islamic Modes of Life” published by the World Health Organization Middle East Regional Office. This declaration was drafted at the closing of the proceedings of the Symposium on Islamic Modes of Life and their impact on the enhancement of health and man’s development in general which was convened in Amman, Jordan during the period June 23-26, 1989. Participating in this symposium were a group of doctors, Ulema, jurists, Du’at (Muslim missionaries), educationalists, intellectuals, economists, sociologists, writers and journalists, in addition to the representatives of organizational agencies (WHO Middle-East Regional Office ; the Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences, The Royal Academy of Research in Islamic Civilization (the Al-Abait Foundation). The Declaration called upon all international organizations, governments, voluntary and non-government organizations to work on consolidating health through encouraging reproductive ways of life through :

- Introducing Islamic modes of life that strengthen health, and calling for their adoption through channels that are suitable to the circumstances of each country.

- Ensuring the appropriate conditions for consolidating health and healthy modes of life that do not clash with the modes adverse to health, or through supporting or producing substances that are harmful to health, or through promoting conducts that are injurious to health.

- Encouraging and supporting the comprehensive development of communities to meet their basic needs through self-reliance, seeing that this constitutes a practical introduction to the implementation of healthy modes of life.

- Reorientation of the educational, health, cultural, and information institutions in a way that is compatible with the consolidation of health, and encouraging healthy modes of life, especially those mentioned in the document attached to this Declaration (the document includes Qur’anic and Sunnah reference texts which firmly establish the modes of healthcare in Islam).

-  Reorientation of health education institutions in a way that ensures the bestowal of the human character on health professions and makes it a mission rather than just a branch of knowledge.

 - Assigning a decade to the consolidation of the efforts aiming to implement a plan set up by the parties concerned with the implementation of the healthy modes of life(302). 

This Declaration has become a reference for the symposia, scientific meetings, and the studies carried out by many researchers in this field.

* The closing statement and the recommendations issued by the World Conference on Population and Reproductive Health in the Muslim World held in Cairo in February 21-24, 1998 in cooperation with the World Islamic Center for Population Studies and Research at Al-Azhar University and the United Nations Population Fund.

The aims of this conference were :

- Assessing the progress that was achieved in the field of population in the Muslim World since the First Population Conference in the Muslim world in 1987, and in the light of the work program of the Population and Development Conference held in Cairo 1994.

- Continuing and consolidating dialog between Sharia Ulema and cosmologists, and exchanging expertise between them and policy makers and the providers of health and social services.

- Presenting recommendations and adopting the strategy and the population work program within an Islamic framework. Below are the numerous valuable studies and surveys presented at the conference :

- Islamic countries’ reports on population and reproductive health.

- Environment and sustainable development issues.

- Women issues.

- Family issues.

- Reproductive health issues.

- Health issues, including those habits and practices that are injurious to health.

- Minority issues.

- Moral issues.

- Information, education, and communication issues and information techniques.

- Internal migration and immigration issues.

- Youth issues.

- Senior citizens’ issues

- Issues pertaining to people with disabilities.

After studying these axes thoroughly during the proceedings of the Conference, the ensuing recommendations, detailed and comprehensive, were meticulously drafted and easily drawn up in a way that can help in setting up implementation and execution programs in the concerned fields.

The Amman Declaration and the Cairo Communiqué constitute an important scientific matter for the regional meeting of experts to prepare the project of the Guide to ISESCO’s Islamic Education Curriculum in the formal and non-formal educational system. This Guide aims to incorporate the concepts of reproductive health and social gender issues and adolescent health education. The meeting was held in Cairo April 21-25, 2001.

Presented at this meeting, were several important studies which were inspired by Islamic heritage and the findings of recent population studies ; these studies, which provided an excellent subject for putting together this Guide, including the following :

- “Population, Environment and Development of the Islamic World at the Beginning of the Third Millennium” by Mohammed Sayid Jamil who backed up his study with figures, statistics, and the most recent studies on population in Islamic countries. He also presented proposals for dealing with their problems from an Islamic perspective.

- “Population Education in School Curricula” by Dr. Kawthar Cojak. This study describes in detail the experience of the Center for Developing School Curricula and Teaching Subjects in Egypt” in incorporating population concepts in terms of interests and priorities, then from the point of view of the method of incorporation in the various school subjects. One of them is Islamic Education subject which is introduced from Grade One of elementary education up to Grade Three of formal education, both general and vocational.

- “A Background to Social Gender Issues and Principles : A Theoretical and Scientific Framework” by Dr. Faiza Bin Hadid in which she draws a comparison between the views adopted by the Nairobi and the Beijing population conferences and the specificities of the Islamic conception of the relationships between the components of society. This study also examines the meeting points between them through reviewing samples and instances from the realities of the Islamic world in which inherited customs and traditions overlap with authentic Islamic rulings. The survey is a scientific research which attempts to define such concepts as development, social gender, the essential principles of social gender and development.

- “The Phenomenon of Violence Against Women from the Perspective of Public Heath and Reproductive Health” by the same author in which she identifies the forms of violence against women and the efforts deployed to lessen this phenomenon. The study also seeks to find ways to build a balanced and prosperous Muslim family ; one that considers the man and the woman partners in family life, and how to incorporate these reproductive concepts in Islamic education. 

- “Reproductive Health and Social Gender from an Islamic Perspective” by Dr. Abdulhalim al-Jukhdar. This is a detailed study, supported by Qur’anic texts and Hadiths ; it is also a reading in Islamic concepts in the fields of health, family and social relationships in the light of today’s realities. The study focuses on two main axes : the reproductive health axis, and the social gender axis in their relation to Islamic Sharia, stressing the good aspects of the Islamic conception in dealing with these issues in terms of theory and practice. This study constituted scientific material for the drafting of ISESCO’s Guide to Islamic Education, as it provided scientific answers to a host of problems facing young people, whether in terms of understanding the Islamic conception of a number of family issues (testimony, Islamic dress, polygamy, inheritance, qiwama, etc.), or in terms of the conduct that rests on the conception of dealing with the woman as sister, mother and daughter as defined by Islam, to honor her and her status.

- “Education and Reproductive Health, and Population Education Concepts from an Islamic Perspective” prepared by Mohammed Ridha Ali Ibrahim, Zainab Mohammad Qotb and Dr. Salma Jalal. This research is concerned with the scientific measures whose aim is to incorporate these concepts in the teaching curricula (Egyptian experience) whether in terms of defining the general goals of the program or in terms of the elements of success, or the fields of population education and its concepts, and how they can be identified in the teaching subjects through the grid of extent and sequence to limit population concepts to the courses of primary education. The research also mentions the efforts made to incorporate population concepts in non-formal education through the efforts of the non-governmental organizations and agencies, civil society institutions, and the forms of international support for their programs. The study closes with a glossary of the main concepts of adolescent health and nutrition, and of medical, social, educational, and juristic concepts relevant to the subject.

- “Incorporating Population Concepts in Teaching Programs” published by ISESCO in 1999. It contains research papers on population concepts and issues, the first of which is “The Concept of Population Education and its Role in Social and Economic Development” by Dr. Mohammed Sayid Jamil, Director of the Department of Population and Environment Education at the Ministry of Education, the Arab Republic of Egypt. The second is “Basic Concepts and Main Issues of School Population Education” By Abulhalim al-Jukhdar, the regional adviser on population education; the third paper is “Population Education from an Islamic Perspective” by Sheikh Madhhar Faiz Qima, senior school supervisor in Islamic Education in the United Arab Emirates.

- “A Simplified Guide to Population Concepts Demographic Situation and Population Issues In the Muslim World”, published by ISESCO in 2000. This book was put out by Dr. Jamal Abu Sorour, Dr. Amina Nasir  and Dr. Mohammed Talat al-Jarihi.

- “A Sample Program in School Population Education from an Islamic Perspective” published by ISESCO in 2000.

D) Research Papers and Studies on Building Islamic Education Curricula

There are two lines of research :

1) Concepts of Reproductive health, social gender and adolescent health education. The theoretical bases of this line of research have been defined by the literature reviewed earlier.

2) The subject of Islamic Education which has drawn on various  studies and research papers, some of which are :

- “The Unified Islamic Education Curriculum in Public Education”. Published by ISESCO in 1990, this curriculum consists of the basic units of the curriculum, namely the Holy Qur’an, Hadith, the Prophetic Sira, biographies, articles of worship, transactions and morals.

- Some specialized studies and research papers on building Islamic Education curricula and the way to teach them :

- “Islamic Religious Education : between authenticity and modernity” By Dr. Ali Younes, Mohammed Abdu Ahmed and Mostapha Abdullah Ibrahim.

- “The Philosophy of Islamic Education in the Qur’an and Sunnah”  by Dr. Abdulhamid as-Sit az-Zinati.

- “Islamic Education : A Mission and a Course of Action” by Dr. Abdurrahman an-Naqib.

- “Islamic Education and the Methods of Teaching it” by Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Shafii.

- “Islamic Education : between authenticity and modernity” By Dr. Ishaaq al-Farhan.

- “The Goals of Islamic Education in Educating the Individual, building the Ummah and Enhancing Brotherliness” by Dr. Majid Arsan al-Kailani.

- “Islamic Education between Tradition and Modernity” by Dr. Mohamed El-Mokhtar Ould Bah.

This work drew on two books put out by ISESCO : “Youth Problems in the Muslim World” by Dr. Abdulaziz al-Ghazi, and “Marginalized Children : Their Issues and Rights” by Dr. Rajaa Naji.