Islamization of Education an integrated approach

[ Part : 1 ]

It is the education which develops the person’s conscience. In fact, education is the arrangement to make people human. That is why it is said, “Education is the backbone of the nation”. And the more educated a nation is, the more developed it is. Mental and moral development is done through education. Now the question is, is there moral education in all education? If there was moral education in all the teachings, then there would not be so much unrest, corruption, fights and violence in the world today. We hold America in high esteem as a civilized nation. But we know the state of America! Rape is happening every second in this civilized place. Because, they could not initiate morality. They may have developed in the place of education but not in the place of morality. As a result, in the face of Western civilization, people are abandoning whatever morality they have. In criticizing American culture, many have already said that American civilization will not last long. Because, they have abandoned morality. And the lesson of history is that those who have abandoned morality have not been able to survive in this world. So, one has to acquire education that teaches people morality. In this case, we can highlight the Islamic education system. Because, this education system has gifted the society, the world with people whose moral character is like setting up a mountain on the ground.

What is education?

Education is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, morals, beliefs, habits, and personal development. Educational methods include teaching, training, storytelling, discussion and directed research. In the words of the poet Milton, “Education is the harmonious development of body mind and soul.” Like Socrates or Plato, education is the name of knowing oneself.
Education is in the language of Ghulam Azam, a renowned Islamic thinker, linguist and leader of the Islamic movement. There are two stages of understanding. First, to feel the underlying essence of a subject. Second, the decision about the existence or non-existence of a thing with the help of another thing.
Islamic education and knowledge:

Islamic knowledge or education is a very popular term. However, there are some criticisms about this term. One such approach is basically the Islamization of education; So that it means to restructure through the compilation of specific topics and thereby discuss the establishment of a basic issue called “Aqeedatut Tawheed”. The definition of Islamic teaching and knowledge has been presented by the scholars in different ways:
‘In the light of Islamic epistemology, knowledge is the specific concept or feeling and conviction through which the reality of responsibility, competence, skill and responsibility towards Allah and His purpose and guidance is created. Knowledge is the awareness of understanding the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah and the guidance of both, and acting on the basis of that understanding, the intellectual action of the experience. Therefore, from this point of view, the process of arranging, judging, analyzing and accepting the science of social knowledge in Islamic ideology means the Islamization of knowledge.
“Islamization of knowledge means redefining knowledge and refining information. The causality and relevance of the information needs to be reconsidered, the conclusions need to be re-evaluated, the objectives need to be rearranged and done in a way that enriches the philosophy of the subject and achieves the purpose of Islam. To this end, Islamic methodological categories, such as the unity of truth, the unity of knowledge, the unity of humanity, the unity of life, and the characteristics of creation the loyalty of creation to man and, above all, the loyalty of man to God must correct Western notions. Must be. In the same way, Islamic values ??should be re-established in place of Western values, and in that case, in each case, the work of enlightenment will be conducted. ”
“The Islamization of knowledge means involvement in intellectual pursuits, by examination, summarization, correlation, and publication, from the perspective of an Islamic outlook on life, humanity, and the Universe.”
“The Islamization of knowledge may be understood as a cultural and intellectual project aspiring to correct the processes of thinking within the Muslim mind so that it can produce Islamic, social, and humanistic knowledge based on the two sources Muslims accept as the established source for knowing the truth: Wahy (divine revelation) and would (existence). In this endeavor, we shall use reason and the senses to help us acquire such knowledge that cannot be established on revelation and existence. “

Necessity of Islamic education system:

Although Bangladesh ranks 4th as the population of the Muslim world, Islamic education and legal system has not been Islamized in Bangladesh. As the education system of the British is still in operation, the Bengali Muslims may be physically Muslims but in their minds they still cherish the teachings and thoughts of the British till the end. So even though the Bengalis are independent, they are still subjugated as a result of selling their heads to others. Malaysia has not been independent for a long time but considering the quality of their economy and education system, the rate of Bangladesh will not be more than 80%. Although the rank of DU, the best school in the country, could not be in the 800, but some universities in Malaysia are in the 50.
Wherever the British ruled, they carried on two kinds of work for state and administrative needs. First, to create employees for the administration. Second, to provide police training to control the police system.
Famous Ghanaian intellectuals, scholars and the Prime Minister of Africa. Talking about the education system of African countries, Kufi Busia said, “If we follow the foreign education system, we will be harmed. The disadvantage is that we will not be able to realize the significance of freedom and we will control our life in the same way as the previous education system. As a result, our lives will not flourish. ”
According to Imam Raghib Ispahani, there are two types of knowledge. That is, 1. Theoretical 2. Practical
Theoretical being, when the knowledge of principle is acquired, it is perfected.
And being practical, real knowledge is not complete until it can be put into action.
Example of the first: Knowledge about the existence or existence of this universe.
The second is the knowledge related to worship. Not only sound education but his alertness and dedication too are most required. There is another aspect of it, conscience-intellectual and traditional. Conscience is the intellectual knowledge that man acquires through thought-research and conjecture. And the traditional knowledge is the knowledge gained from Quran, Hadith and Imam, Mujtahid. That is, knowledge based on revelation and inspiration.
Education must have a purpose. That is, why education – what will we achieve through education? Or what is the harm if not education? What is the cause of the loss? These issues need to be clear to us.
In fact, education is essential for human beings. There is complete consensus among scholars and thinkers of all time in this regard. As human beings are advanced and evolving beings, their dignity, duties and future will also be in proportion to that advanced and developed standard. The difference between ordinary animals and humans is that humans are rational animals. Human life is purely intellectual. And because they rely on their intellect, they have denied Allah and turned every provision into a sport.
This notion of man is evident everywhere in the modern Western world that whether secular or secular. As a result, their education system is at a fairly biological level. As a result of that education, high quality creatures are being created and their civilization and culture is just as brutal as theirs. The people who are formed from this education are the bearers of society and culture. As a result, the nation that is being formed by their touch is like a robot and is immersed in brutality. And that is why the philosophy and science they have created is limited to brutality. What is commonly seen in the animal kingdom is also found in them. The behaviors of animals have naturally taken place in their intellectual space. There is no difference in terms of originality. As a result, in their education, flying animals like vultures and ferocious animals like tigers are being formed. People and leadership with real humanity and human qualities have not been developed.

So, in the end, Knowledge is gained in Islamic educational theory in order to actualize and perfect all dimensions of the human being. The prophet Muhammad is the highest and most useful model of perfection from an Islamic perspective, and the goal of Islamic education is for people to be able to live as he lived. While education does prepare people for happiness in this life, Seyyed Hossein Nasr wrote in 1984 that “its ultimate goal is the abode of permanence, and all education points to the permanent world of eternity”. According to Islam, determining truth solely through reason is limited because spiritual and temporal reality are two sides of the same coin. Many Muslim educators argue that emphasizing reason over spirituality impedes balanced development. Exclusive intellectual training, for example, is insufficient for developing and refining elements of love, kindness, compassion, and selflessness, all of which have an impact and can be engaged only by processes of spiritual training.
Education in Islam is twofold: acquiring intellectual knowledge (through the application of reason and logic) and developing spiritual knowledge (derived from divine revelation and spiritual experience). According to the worldview of Islam, provision in education must be made equally for both. Acquiring knowledge in Islam is not intended as an end but as a means to stimulate a more elevated moral and spiritual consciousness, leading to faith and righteous action.