Contents

Chapter Three :

Objectives of Islamic Education

3.1. Unity of the Umma

It seems that the Muslim scholars, especially those involved in the teaching of Islamic education, did not define the objectives of this discipline in a clear and unified manner. Thus from a historical survey of this field, we notice that, in general, the student was free to choose for himself the teacher he liked as well as the courses he wished to study. Obviously, this led to the development of a rather individualistic type of education. For our part, we believe that if the programmes of study had been unified, it would have been much better. Indeed, the development of a collective mind, or conscience, is possible only through careful planning and purposeful orientation.

It is true that, at specific periods in Islamic history, attempts were made at devising educational strategies and programmes. Testifying to this fact is the appearance and development of different religious sects, each of which advocating its own doctrine and striving to make of it the most dominant ideology at a given epoch and in a given country.

Thus, for example, the Kharijites (the oldest religious sect of Islam) attempted to impose their theological theories ; the Mutazilites were concerned to convert the intellectual elite to their theological doctrine; the Brethren of Purity (Ikhwaan Al-Safaa) worked hard to set up a universal philosophical doctrine, while the Fatimide religious leaders launched a sectarian mission for the purpose of consolidating the foundations of their dynasty. Also, political entities (or states) were created on the basis of specific religious doctrines. Thus, the Almoravides established a dynasty on the idea of Jihaad (holy war), while the Almohades established their dynasty on a Monotheistic theory. The same goes for the leaders of the various reform movements. In fact, whenever a new religious brotherhood (or Sufi movement) emerged, it generated its own specific educational system.

However, none of these attempts could develop into a full-fledged educational programme to be implemented by educational institutions. This is because most of such attempts consisted simply of sets of rules of conduct of a sectarian character. The universal character of Islam requires unity in terms of education and its objectives. This, however, does not mean that all educational programmes should be uniform; rather, it means that the underlying motivations and principles of such educational programmes, or systems, should be clearly spelt out and explained. The following questions will hopefully make our point clearer : What is the basic aim of Islamic education ? Is it to educate a believing individual that will become an active member of a community of believers, or is it primarily to educate a believing community where everyone of its members would be working towards achieving the goals of the Quranic mission ?

It may seem that there is little difference between the two goals. In our view, however, there is a great difference between them. In the first case, the individual is supposed to be concerned only with his own well-being, assuming that, as long as he himself is on the right path, it would do him no harm if other members of his community went astray. This means that the individual does not care a jot about the unity of the Umma, or the community, but cares only about his own little self.

In the second case, by contrast, priority is given to the welfare of the Umma. However, this difference between the meanings of the two questions is not so great as to make them appear contradictory, or their goals incompatible.

By virtue of its moderate character, Islam is a religion that respects and gives equal importance to the rights of both the individual and the community. However, if we make of the community our prior objective in terms of education, we will not be minimizing the rights of the individual ; whereas if we give priority to the individual, we fear that we might not be able to achieve the required unity and cohesion upon which depends the success of our common Islamic action.

In presenting our conception of what we consider to be the main objective of Islamic education, we will, for conveniency sake, begin with the individual first. It is our belief that every member of the Umma should be deeply aware of the fact that he is a member of one organism, namely the Umma of Islam, about which God the Almighty says : “Lo! this, your Umma,* is one Umma, and I am your Lord, so worship Me”. (XXI : 92) Consequently, it is absolutely necessary that the individual Muslim understand, before anything else, and in consistency with the divine Quranic discourse, that the unity of the Umma is a vital necessity.

Indeed, the Prophet (PBUH) made clear the significance of such unity when he said : “Muslims, in being kind to one another, in respecting and loving one another, and in supporting one another, are like one body, so that if one single member of it is ill, the whole body collapses because of sleeplessness and fever”(36).

In our view, this Prophetic tradition involves three stages in the development of the relationship between the members of the Muslim Umma. These three stages, which should be understood and respected by every member of the community, are as follows :

i. Mutual kindness, or the feeling of pity and compassion by every individual Muslim towards his brethren : This means that the individual Muslim should want and wish for his brother that which he wants and wishes for himself, so that his faith would be complete. This kind of relationship should be natural between the children of the same faith.

ii. Mutual respect and love : This relationship is not limited solely to the exchange of emotional love, but it also includes the desire to exchange goods and services. Tradition has it that whoever assists his believing brother in resolving a problem, God will assist him in solving his own problems. According to a Prophetic tradition, God will continue assisting his slave as long as the latter assists his brother. Thus, mutual respect and love can be attained only through cooperation.

iii. Solidarity and mutual affection : Mutual affection is a relation that holds among all Muslims, just as conjunction in language is a relation that holds among the elements of a sentence that have the same grammatical meaning or function. Such is the sense of solidarity referred to in the Prophetic tradition above : it means that all members of the Muslim community are related one to the other to form a cohesive and coherent unit in the same manner as the various parts of a building hold firmly together a strongly based and stable edifice. This notion of solidarity clearly indicates that the strength of the community depends on the strength of its members, just as its weakness is due to the weakness of its members.

In the light of the above, the believer understands that his duties are not limited to performing just those deeds for which he can get immediate reward. Rather, he must also commit himself to observing his duties towards his Creator, his own self, and his community. The ultimate goal behind his education in this fashion is to enable him to comply spontaneously, and as best as he could, with his Lord's Commands, and to avoid whatever is prohibited, except when compelled by necessity, neither craving nor transgressing ; to make of him an individual Muslim who knows his obligations towards his Creator and endeavours to perform them ; in short, a true believer who testifies that Allah is the Single Lord of the universe; that He is Unique; that He begot not, nor was He begotten ; and that there is none equal to him in His attributes; a believing Muslim who worships God as He deserves to be worshipped, yearning for His Mercy and fearing His Punishment. If he becomes needy because he has spent up to his last penny, he does not despair of God's beneficence and kindness, but his craving for God's all-encompassing kindness does not make him feel secure from God's cunning.

Having absolute faith in God, and trusting in Him, the true believer knows that neither a human nor a demon can help him or harm him except by God's leave. His trust in God leads him to seek refuge in Him, praying to Him that he would be among the happy winners of God's great reward, and seeking His protection against the evil in his own soul and the evil in every creature under His mighty control.

He thanks God for having guided him to Islam, for having made permissible for him all the pleasant and good things and forbidden him all repulsive and evil things; for having wanted for him ease instead of hardship, and for having charged him only according to his capacity.

He knows that the final return is unto Allah, who will reward doers of good deeds lavishly, and that “Whoso does good an atom's weight will see it then, and whoso does ill an atom's weight will also see it” (XCIX : 7-8).

The true believer also knows that starting by studying God's Holy Book is the right way towards true guidance, since Allah has invested His Book with His divine light to guide whosoever He wills to the right path. He equally knows that it is his duty to learn about the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad son of Abdullah (PBUH), whom he sent to the Worlds as a token of His Mercy, and revealed to him His Book so as to guide those who fear God. In addition, he should know that Muhammad (PBUH) is both a human being and a Messenger of God; that he carried the burden of the divine Mission and fought for its cause until the Word of God prevailed; that his marvellous Prophetic tradition contains that substance which illuminates the way of guidance; and that his biography provides the ideal example of success both in this world and in the hereafter.

3.2. The Muslim's Duties and Obligations

3.2.1. Towards the Self

Scholars have studied the various aspects and conditions of self-preservation and classified them into three categories : essential, necessary, and amelioratory. Thus, the individual is required to preserve not only his own life, by avoiding danger and perilous situations, for instance, but life in general; that is why Islam regards human life sacred, not to be taken by any other human. At the same time, a Muslim is required to preserve his faith, which amounts to saving his soul from hell and eternal suffering. It is also necessary for him to preserve his mind, which is the most important part of his being. It is for this reason that all kinds of alcoholic beverages and drugs are prohibited in Islam : If a beverage can cause intoxication when consumed in large quantities, then its consumption, even in small quantity, is prohibited. But the individual Muslim should also protect his honor by avoiding anything that might bring him shame and humiliation. In this regard, the Sharia plays a great role in the protection of the individual's honor, regarding it sacred, not to be violated, and fixing severe legal sanctions against those who dare calumniate or falsely accuse innocent people.

Another essential duty that a Muslim has towards himself consists in safeguarding his property. He is required not only to purify his wealth (by subtracting from it the prescribed capital levy), but also to avoid committing the sin of squandering it(37). In this regard, Prophetic tradition teaches us that God loves the professional man who does his job skilfully and professionally(38), and that a strong believer is worthier than a weak believer(39) .

3.2.2. Towards His Family

One of the objectives of Islamic education is to enable the individual Muslim to be fully knowledgeable concerning the noble aims of the Sharia, especially with regard to his family life, so that he would be apt to perform his obligations towards his parents, who nurtured him and cared for him when he was a helpless little child. He must, therefore, be humble with them and honor them both in words and in deeds.

Marriage, which is a form of partnership for life, ensures the two partners their respective rights; but it also imposes on them very important responsibilities. As parents, they are required to bring up their children and to educate them in accordance with Islamic ethical principles. Indeed, God injects in the hearts of mothers and fathers a doze of His divine love, which makes the parents care for their children and protect them. Nevertheless, it is necessary to channel fatherhood and motherhood emotions into constructive activities that can benefit the children as well as the community as a whole.

3.2.3. Duties Towards the Community

The Muslim's observance of his duties towards his community counts among the acts of devotion performed in observing collective religious duties. Given that most of the religious observances that fall under the category of individual duties are performed individually, it is necessary to highlight collective duties in a marked manner, since they constitute the basis of the community's welfare. It is true that the welfare of a community depends on the efforts of each one of its members. But it is also true that the deeper the individual's awareness of his religious duties towards his community, the greater the results of his good works for his own benefit and for the benefit of the community.

God has ordered that Muslims be counselled. However, counselling is not limited to merely advising the individual to do good deeds and to restrain from doing evil. It also involves working for Muslims' interest both in this world and in the hereafter. People are God's dependents; and their rights lie with any one who has the ability to help them improve their lot. To deliver such rights is an act of devotion, no less important than any other religious observance.

This issue raises many questions which need to be addressed by Muslim scholars from the point of view of the Sharia. These questions include :

i. Should excessive supererogation in prayer be allowed for factory workers while on duty ?

ii. Is voluntary fasting to be allowed in circumstances where it can affect the individual's performance in his job, which constitutes the source of his living?

iii. What is better for someone who has performed the religious duty of pilgrimage : to spend the remainder of his money on successive pilgrimages or to donate it to the needy ?

iv. Could we consider job-offering as a form of charity ?

It is stated in authentic Prophetic tradition that the removal of a harmful object from the way is an act of charity deserving of reward(40). If this is the case, it is obvious that the reward would be even much greater for building roads and such public facilities as schools, hospitals, and factories, to ease the living conditions of Muslim people. These deeds, which are of a nature to strengthen the Islamic Umma and to enhance its prestige, constitute the appropriate response to the Quranic discourse which urges the Umma to develop good relations both internally, with its members, and externally, with other peoples and nations.

3.3. Developing Human Relations : Becoming Acquainted with One Another in the Quranic Sense

It is an obvious fact that the development of human relations among Muslim peoples that constitute the Islamic Umma has not yet been given due attention by scholars. In our view, this issue deserves to be studied extensively so as to enable Muslim peoples to be acquainted with one another in the way God intended them to be, and in accordance with the following Quranic verse, which we often recite, but seldom meditate on : “We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes so that ye may know one another”.(XLIX : 13)

Without intending to provide an exegetical explanation of this verse, I would nevertheless like to discuss what this Quranic mutual knowledge (taaruf) suggests to me. From the general sense of the verse, it is clear that what is meant by “knowing one another” is not just superficial mutual knowledge, which is limited to simple awareness of the existence of the other, or mere perception of his/her physical features and characteristics. Rather, what seems to be meant by the verse is that we should distinguish different dimensions of 'mutual knowledge' and apply them at different levels. For instance, we can distinguish :

i) Mutual knowledge through mass media ;

ii) Mutual knowledge through cooperation ; and

iii) Mutual knowledge through unification.

The Quranic verse quoted above is addressed to all human beings - i.e. to people in general, including Muslims as well as non-Muslims, which means that it is compulsory for all peoples and nations of the world to seek to achieve at least the required minimum of mutual knowledge. This point will be taken up later on, when we discuss mutual knowledge through mass media. As regards mutual knowledge through cooperation, it seems to go one step further to reach the stage where we become familiar with the other, even if he is not from our own faith. This kind of knowledge would enable us to propagate Islam in accordance with Quranic teachings. Finally, mutual knowledge through unification consists in establishing the kind of relations that should hold among all Muslim peoples on the basis of the principles that underlie the unity of the Muslim Umma.

3.3.1. Mutual Acquaintance Through Mass Media

Islam has spread to all the continents of the globe; however, Muslim peoples suffer from lack of communication partly because they speak many different languages. If groups of Muslim intellectuals and professionals can communicate with one another when they meet at conferences and international political meetings, the fact remains that Muslim peoples themselves know very little about one another.

Thus, duties imposed by religion and neighbourhood, on the one hand, and the necessity to preserve our cultural identity, on the other, make it compulsory for Muslim nations to coordinate their efforts in order to ensure their own survival by ensuring a better life for their peoples and, also, in order to meet the so many challenges and difficulties that surround them. There is no denying that their getting to know each other constitutes the first step in the process of joining their efforts together. Yet, as we all know, the opposite of “knowledge” is “ignorance” ; and common sense says that ignorance breeds fear and hostility.

Indeed, we cannot hide the fact that there are many factors that make it difficult for peoples in general to communicate with one another or to get to know one another through communication. The most notable among such factors are : firstly, the multiplicity and diversity of peoples, their languages, their political systems, and their conflicts; and secondly, communication between peoples usually passes through channels that were initially established by the colonial system and which are now monopolized by the two technologically most powerful continents, namely Europe and America.

For many years it has been repeatedly argued that it is necessary to identify the means and modes of communication among the peoples of the Third World both at regional and international levels. Now, more than ever before, time has come for us to translate our words into deeds.

To do so, we need to consider all the possible means whereby we can improve our painfully poor condition. In this regard, it would be useful to exploit the traditional “political means”, though the latter tend very often to obey criteria dictated by particular systems of government. However, although some of these systems are not committed to Islam as a religion, it would be unwise to discard political means altogether, because such a move would have negative effects on other means. If we chose, for instance, to use religious means, we would have to prove to the political leaders that our aims are not in the least incompatible with their political responsibilities. In fact, Islam recognizes such responsibilities and supports them, because the common goal of both is to strengthen the Muslim Umma from which political leaders themselves derive their strength and power. Therefore, Islamic educational action and political action, in any Muslim state, should be complementary, not competitive.

In order to achieve efficient cooperation in the domain of information, it is necessary to invest more effort in education so as to improve both the written and the audio-visual media by focusing on what is essential and worthwhile rather than on what is futile and worthless. By “what is worthless” I refer to such information as news in brief (or“Faits divers”), which is meant to excite the imagination and saturate the mind by focusing essentially on unusual and perverse occurrences. By“what is worthwhile”, I refer to the type of information that enables us to know ourselves better and to gain more awareness and insight into the kinds of problems we are facing so that we can devise appropriate solutions to them.

In the Islamic world, there are about fifty nations that share more or less the same problems and face the same vital questions. These questions have been addressed by specialists on several occasions both at regional and international levels, and many studies have been submitted in this regard, including the Lagos Strategy for Development, the Arab States' Contract for Development, Unesco's Cultural Development Programme, and Alecso's Educational and Cultural Strategy.

This is at the regional level. At the national level, plans and strategies for national development are prepared by individual states on a regular basis. But all these projects are not known. Is access to them restricted to specialists ? If so, what is the use of knowing them ? And how can we practically have access to them ?

3.3.2. Mutual Knowledge Through Cooperation

We stated earlier that the second stage in the process of mutual acquaintance involves familiarization through cooperation. In fact, this is an issue that has always engrossed the attention of officials and intellectuals alike in Muslim countries. In this respect, many exhaustive studies have been carried out, and many independent institutions have been created for the purpose of establishing and organizing cooperation between regional organizations and Islamic organizations.

However, if there is any cooperation at all, it is only between officials and experts. It does not directly involve the masses in a way which would make them realize that cooperation is a form of solidarity among nations. Thus, in spite of the laudable efforts made in this regard by some Muslim states, by the Islamic Bank for Development, and by some charitable organizations, genuine cooperation among Muslim nations has not yet taken its right course.

3.3.3. Mutual Acquaintance Through Unification

Mutual acquaintance becomes increasingly difficult to achieve as we move from one stage to the next. Indeed, harmonious cooperation aims at achieving an extremely difficult objective, namely to remove those factors that are responsible for disunity and discord among Muslim neighbours and brothers. The importance of this problem should not be underestimated, because its origins go far back in time to the beginnings of mankind's history. Although we do not believe that the original sin can be traced back to the story of Adam (on whom be peace), we nevertheless do not deny the fact that, since the day when Cain allowed himself to kill his brother, Abel, the same fratricidal picture has been repeatedly renewed, with grudge and secret hatred between brothers becoming more deeply rooted, to the extent that “relatives' injustice” has become a proverbial expression. This might provide an explanation for the stand which Islam has taken with regard to such relations as kinship, brotherhood, and neighbourhood. According to Prophetic tradition, the believer's faith will not be complete unless he wishes for his brother that which he wishes for himself. Also, Gabriel (on whom be peace) urged the Prophet (PBUH) to take care of his next door neighbour; and he persisted in urging him until the Prophet thought that the Archangel would appoint the neighbour as heir.(41) Finally, Allah says in His Holy Book : “Be mindful of your duty to Allah in Whose name you appeal to one another, and of your obligations in respect of ties of kinship. Verily, Allah watches over you” (IV : 1)

Have Muslims forgotten these teachings ? Why is it that even good neighbourhood treaties, which are signed by states, very often degenerate into dangerous conflicts, profiting only the enemies of Islam ? Indeed, the Islamic world has witnessed many such painful conflicts, which have been intensified by the effect of colonization. In fact, colonial powers left time bombs in a number of their former colonies so that when the latter became independent states, the bombs went off, generating several regional conflicts.

How then, given this state of affairs, can we develop the idea of a unified Umma in an Islamic world that is dominated by wars of dissension and deadly conflicts which do not allow even for a minimum of mutual understanding, let alone the spirit of Islamic unity ?

There is no doubt that the road leading to this goal is long, difficult, and fraught with risks and thorny obstacles. But this does not mean that we should lose hope and yield to despair. Nor should we believe that this Umma is doomed to destroy itself. To face this problem, it will not do to appeal to emotions, though a poet pretends that :

If someday the fight breaks out and her blood is shed,

She'll remember kinship and shed tears of regret.

The historical dimensions of this questions requires a mental and emotional mobilization within a religious framework. Then it would be possible to draw the true principles on the basis of which the unity of the Umma should be established. So, what can we do to achieve this ?

There is no doubt that remembrance is beneficial for those who believe. But this usually depends on the way in which the reminder is transmitted. This is so because each epoch has its own ways of communicating information. The effect of communication depends on the use of appropriate means. Therefore, if we want to influence our soul and embue it with a strong sense of responsibility, we should act according to the teachings of the Qur’an and work seriously and hard at consolidating the teachings of Islam regarding such issues as relations with relatives, obligations of Islamic brotherhood, and the rights of neighbourhood. It is not enough to have these teachings repeated by preachers from the pulpit, or published in newspapers. Information relevant to these and other questions should circulate on permanent basis, and the message should be focused and far-reaching, so that three subjects in educational curricula at all levels will yield good results, at least in the long run. Media organizations in Islamic countries are also capable of devising special programmes aiming at sensitivizing public opinion to convince it of the necessity of taking a new course of action that will ensure Arab and Muslim peoples their existence and identity and enable them to enjoy a reasonable degree of power and dignity in this world where the weak are prey of the powerful. God the Almighty wants us to respond to His Message :"Power belongs to Allah and to His Messenger and to those who believe” (LXIII : 8).

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* Pickthall (cf. The Meaning of the Glorious Qur’an) has translated the term “Umma” in this verse as “religion”, whereas Zafrulla Khan (1981) (cf. The Qur’an) has translated the same term in the same verse as “people”. Therefore, given that the lexeme “Umma” has other meanings which are equally relevant to the context, including “nation”, “community”, “society”, etc., we believe that it would be more appropriate to keep the Arabic term “Umma”, which is inclusive of all these interrelated senses, than to provide a rather restrictive English partial equivalent. (Translator)

(36) Sahiih Al-Bukhaari, on the authority of Al-Numaan Ben Bashiir.

(37) See Al-Muwaafaqaat by Ishaaq Al-Shaatibi.

(38) Produced by Al-Tabaraani and Ibn Adi, on the authority of Omar.

(39) Sahiih Al-Bukhaari.

(40) Sahiih Al-Bukhaari, on the authority of Maaqil Ibn Yasaar.

(41) Related by Imaam Maalik in his Al-Muwatta.

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