islamic philosophy of education

ASSIGNMENT PHILOSOPY OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION

Subject: Educational Philosophy

Submitted To: Miss Shakeela

Submitted By: Aroosha Hussain and Amina Hussain

University Of Education Bank Road Campus Lahore

Table of Contents

PHILOSOPHY OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION __________________________________________ 1

1.2 INTRODUCTION TO ISLAM __________________________________________________ 1

1.3 PHILOSOPHY OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION ________________________________________ 1

1.4 BACKGROUND: FAMOUS MUSLIM PHILOSOPHERS ______________________________ 2

1.5 AREAS OF ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION ________________________________ 2

1.5.1 METAPHYSICAL BELIEVES / ONTOLOGY (Ultimate Reality: God and His Attributes) ____________ 2

1.5.1.1 NATURE OF REALITY__________________________________________________________ 3

1.5.1.2 WORLD/UNIVERSE ___________________________________________________________ 3

1.5.1.3 ALLAH’S RELATION TO MAN ___________________________________________________ 4

1.5.1.4 SOUL ______________________________________________________________________ 4

1.5.1.5 MAN’S POWER ______________________________________________________________ 5

1.5.1.6 DEATH _____________________________________________________________________ 5

1.5.1.7 LIFE AFTER DEATH ___________________________________________________________ 5

1.5.2 EPISTEMOLOGY: CONCEPT OF KNOWLEDGE IN ISLAM ___________________________________ 6

1.5.3 AXIOLOGY: CONCEPT OF VALUE IN ISLAM _____________________________________________ 8

1.5.3.1 LIFE _______________________________________________________________________ 8

1.5.3.2 RELIGION __________________________________________________________________ 8

1.5.3.3 ETERNITY (TIME WITHOUT END) ________________________________________________ 8

1.5.3.4 UNITY _____________________________________________________________________ 8

1.5.3.5 TRUTH OR WISDOM __________________________________________________________ 9

1.5.3.6 KNOWLEDGE _______________________________________________________________ 9

1.5.3.7 JUSTICE ____________________________________________________________________ 9

1.5.3.8 LOVE ______________________________________________________________________ 9

1.5.3.9 GOODNESS _________________________________________________________________ 9

1.5.3.10 BEAUTY ___________________________________________________________________ 10

1.6 EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS ______________________________________________ 10

1.6.1 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ___________________________________________________________ 10

1.6.2 TEACHER ______________________________________________________________________ 11

1.6.3 STUDENTS _____________________________________________________________________ 11

1.6.4 TEACHING METHODS ____________________________________________________________ 11

1.6.5 CURRICULUM __________________________________________________________________ 11

1.6.6 LEADERSHIP ____________________________________________________________________ 11

1.6.7 EVALUATION ___________________________________________________________________ 12

1.7 REFERENCES ____________________________________________________________ 12

SUMMARY ___________________________________________________________________ 13

Islamic Education Page 1

PHILOSOPHY OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION

1.2 INTRODUCTION TO ISLAM

Islam is a monotheistic Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of Muhammad

(SAW). The word Islam is derived from the Arabic word Aslama, which means “to accept,

surrender or submit" or "submission", or “the total surrender of oneself” to Allah. An

adherent of Islam is known as a Muslim, meaning "one who submits (to Allah)".

The prime message of Islam is the Unity of God, that the Creator of the world is One and He

alone is worthy of worship and that Muhammad (SAW) is His Messenger.

1.3 PHILOSOPHY OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION

The philosophy of Islamic education is

looking at the principles and concepts

underlying education in Islam, it is

analyzing and criticizing, deconstructing

and disintegrating of the existing

educational infrastructure and strives to

produce new concepts continuously or

displays what should be the concepts.

The Islamic Education is seeking to

achieve the distinct role of the human being which is reform and construction of human life.

This Islamic concept of life based on the fundamental concepts as individual, society and the

PHILOSOPY OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION


world, and education works to find a balanced relationship and equitable between the parties

to this equation which are based on a relationship characterized by a mutual and integration,

so one party cannot survive without the other parties.

1.4 BACKGROUND: FAMOUS MUSLIM PHILOSOPHERS

The first Muslim philosopher of note was al-Kindi. He was of Arab descent and died

sometime before 870 A.D. Next was al-Razi (Rhazes), who died about 925 or 935 A.D. and

was known for his rejection of revealed

religion. Al-Farabi, who died in 950

A.D. was of Turkish descent and was

known among Muslims as the “second

teacher,” Ibn Sina (Avicenna), who

died in 1037 A.D., was without doubt

the most influential of all the Muslim

philosophers on the later development

of Islamic philosophy and theology. Ibn

Rushd (Averroes), a Spaniard who died

in 1198 A.D., was known mainly for his commentaries on Aristotle.

1.5 AREAS OF ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

1.5.1 METAPHYSICAL BELIEVES / ONTOLOGY (Ultimate Reality:

God and His Attributes)

The term reality, in its widest sense, includes everything that is, whether or not it is

observable or comprehensible.



1.5.1.1 NATURE OF REALITY

The ultimate Being or Reality is Allah. Allah, as described by the Quran for the

understanding of man, is the sole self-subsisting, all pervading, eternal and Absolute Reality.

He is the first and the last, the seen and unseen. No vision can grasp Him. He is above all

comprehension. He is transcendent also because He is beyond the limitation of time, space,

and sense-content.

God, is thus, a living, self-subsisting, eternal, and absolutely free creative reality which is

one, all powerful, al-knowing, all beauty, most just, most loving, and all good.

1.5.1.2 WORLD/UNIVERSE

Allah is omnipotent. To Him is due the primal origin of everything. It is He, the Creator, who

began the process of creation and adds

to creation as He pleases. To begin

with He created the heavens and the

earth.

The heavens and the earth as separate

existents with all their produce were

created by Him in six days (six great

epochs of evolution). He draws the

night as a veil over the day, each looking for the other in a rapid series. He created the sun,

the moon, and the stars, all governed by the laws designed by Him and under His command.

Every creature in the heavens and the earth willingly submits to his laws. The sun runs its

course for a determined period; so does the moon. The growth of a seed into a plant bearing

flowers and fruit, the constellations in the sky, the succession of the day and night-these and

all other things show proportion, measure, order, and law. He it is who is the creator, evolver,

and restorer of all forms. He it is who sends down water from the sky in due measure, causes



it to soak in the soil, raises the life to land that is dead, and then drains it off with ease”. He is

the Lord of Throne and Honor and the Throne of Glory Supreme, the Lord of the dawn and

all the ways of ascent. To Him belong the east and the west, where ever, you turn, there is His

presence.

It is He who spreads out the earth

like a carpet, sends down water

from the sky in due measure to

revive it with fruit, corn, and

plants, and has created pairs of

plants, each separate from the

others, and pairs of all other

things. It is He who gives life and

death and has power over all

things. God is not only the creator, but also the cherisher, sustainer, protector, helper, guide,

and reliever of distress and suffering, of all His creatures, and is most merciful, most kind,

and most forgiving.

1.5.1.3 ALLAH’S RELATION TO MAN

In reality, man is the highest of all the creation Allah has created him in the most beautiful of

moulds. He is born with the divine spirit breathed into him. The sole aim of man therefore is

a progressive achievement of all divine attributes. Allah is always near man nearer than his

jugular vein.

1.5.1.4 SOUL

The soul of man is of divine origin because Allah has breathed a bit of His own spirit into

him. It is a deep mystery, a command of Allah, of the knowledge of which only a little has

been communicated to man. The conscious self or mind is of three degrees. In the first degree



it is the impulsive mind (Nafs Ammarah) which man shares with animals; In the second

degree it is the careful or morally conscious mind (Nafs Lawwamah) struggling between

good and evil and regretful for the evil done; in the third degree it is the mind perfectly in

tune with the divine will, the mind in peace (Nafs Mutma”innah).

1.5.1.5 MAN’S POWER

Allah has subjected for the use of man, everything in the heavens and the earth – the sun and

the moon, day and night, winds and rain, the rivers and the seas and the ships that sail, pearls

and corals, springs and

steams, mountains,

moisture, and pastures, and

animals to ride and grain

and fruit to eat.

1.5.1.6 DEATH

Death of the body has been

decreed by Allah to be the

common group of mankind.

Wherever a man is, death

will overtake him. Every

soul shall be given a taste of death and in the end brought back to Allah and duly judged on

the Day of Judgment, and only he who is saved from fire will admitted to paradise; it is than

he will have attained the goal of his life.

1.5.1.7 LIFE AFTER DEATH

For everyone after death there shall be an interval lasting till the Day of Resurrection. On that

day all the dead shall be raised up again. They shall all now meet their lord. The scale of

justice shall be set up. All in proportion to their respective deeds and for a period of longer



and shorter shall go to the state of pain and sorrow, designated in the Quran as hell, and the

righteous saved from hell shall enter a state of perpetual peace, designated as paradise.

1.5.2 EPISTEMOLOGY: CONCEPT OF KNOWLEDGE IN ISLAM

Knowledge can be defined as “The state or fact of knowing.”

The knowledge According to Islam has three degrees

1. Deductive knowledge: Knowledge by inference (Ilm al-Yaqin)

2. Observatory knowledge: Knowledge by perception (Ain al-Yaqin)

3. Empirical knowledge: Knowledge by personal experience or intuition (Haq al-

Yaqin)

Deductive knowledge is the lowest level of knowledge. Observation leads it to perfection

through experiencing. The empirical or experimental knowledge is last stage comes very late.

According to Islamic philosophy knowledge is mandatory for all men and women. When

angels questioned the superiority of Adam, it was his knowledge which made the angels

admit the fact and bow down to him as ordained by Allah. “He imparted knowledge to man

which He did not do to angels “Islam is the religion of knowledge.

(knowledge is mandatory for all men and women)



The first aayah of the Quran to be revealed enjoined reading which the key to knowledge is.

Allah says: “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” [al-‘Alaq 96:1-5]. Because of the importance of knowledge, Allah commanded

His Messenger to seek more of it. Allah says: “And say: ‘My Lord! Increase me in

knowledge” [Ta-Ha 20:114]

Islam calls us to seek knowledge. The Prophet (SAW) made seeking knowledge an

obligation upon every Muslim. He said that; “The scholars are the heirs of the Prophets

and that the Prophets did not leave behind dinars and dirhams (i.e., money), rather their

inheritance was knowledge, so whoever acquires it has gained a great share”.

The Prophet (SAW) said that seeking knowledge is a way to Paradise. He (SAW) said:

“Whoever follows a path in the pursuit of knowledge, Allah will make a path to Paradise

easy for him.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, Kitaab al-‘Ilm, 10)

Islam calls us to learn all kinds of beneficial knowledge. Branches of knowledge vary in

status, the highest of which is knowledge of sharee’ah, then knowledge of medicine, then the

other fields of knowledge. The best of all branches of knowledge are the sciences of

sharee’ah through which man comes to know his Lord, and his Prophet and religion. This is

the knowledge with which Allah honored His Messenger; He taught it to him so that he might

teach it to mankind. Knowledge brings a great reward. When the knowledgeable person dies,

his reward with Allah does not cease when he dies, rather it continues to increase so long as

people benefit from his knowledge. The Prophet (SAW) said: “When a man dies, all his

deeds come to an end except for three – an ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge or a

righteous son who will pray for him.” (Narrated by Muslim, 1631). The main purpose of



acquiring knowledge is to bring us closer to Allah. It is not simply for the satisfaction of the

mind or the senses.

1.5.3 AXIOLOGY: CONCEPT OF VALUE IN ISLAM

Values can be defined as “those things that are important to or valued by someone”.

According to Islamic philosophy values are universal, permanent and not relative. Spiritual

values are regarded more valuable than material one.

There are some basic values in Islam and Islam preaches to that. A human being cannot live

without these basic values. Individuals and states are advised to protect or at least to respect

these basic values.

1.5.3.1 LIFE

Allah is living one Himself and gives life to others.

1.5.3.2 RELIGION

Religion is considered as a basic value or fundamental right of every individual.\

1.5.3.3 ETERNITY (TIME WITHOUT END)

This attribute in its fullness is exclusively Allah’s. Man is created within time for a stated

term; yet, he has within himself a deep desire of eternity and for a kingdom that never fails or

ends. The way is open for the finite and temporal man to attain life everlasting.

1.5.3.4 UNITY

The greatest emphasis in the Quran is on the unity of Allah. Faith in Allah is the necessary

prerequisite of moral life, but it should not be mere verbal acceptance; it must be

accompanied by good deeds, implying an attitude of mind which is motivated by a complete

submission to Allah’s will. All believing men and women are truthful in their words and

deeds.

This ideal of unity also implies peace and harmony among members of a family. Unity also

implies that members of a national or ideological group should develop ties of close



relationship among themselves so that the ideal of an organic whole may be realized in a

broader context. The Quran says that “All Muslims are brothers and have great love and

affection among themselves”.

1.5.3.5 TRUTH OR WISDOM

Wisdom as a human ideal stands for man’s search for knowledge or truth. It is something

which is distinguished form conjecture or imperfect knowledge and mere believe.

1.5.3.6 KNOWLEDGE

God is all knowledge. He is the Truth. He witnesses all things. Really, nothing on the earth or

in the heavens is hidden from Him, not even as much as the weight of an atom.

1.5.3.7 JUSTICE

Allah is the best to judge and is never unjust. He does not deal unjustly with man; it is man

that wrongs his own soul. On the Day of Judgment, He will set up the scales of justice and

even the smallest action will be taken in to account. He is swift in taking account, and

punishes with exemplary punishment. For those who refrain from wrong and do what is right

there is great reward. Divine punishment is equal to the evil done.

1.5.3.8 LOVE

Islam emphasized on the basic values of love. God is loving and He exercises His love in

creating, sustaining, nourishing, sheltering, helping, and guiding

1.5.3.9 GOODNESS

“Allah is all good, free from evil (Quddus). He is also the source of all good and worthy of all

praise” .Goodness is an attribute of Allah and therefore, it becomes the duty of every person

to obey his own impulse to good. He should do good as Allah has been good to all and love

those who do good. Believers hasten in every good work as all prophets were quick in

emulating good works so all people are advised to strive together towards all that is good.



1.5.3.10 BEAUTY

Inner beauty has more weightage than the apparent beauty alone. Allah possesses most

beautiful named and highest excellence and creates everything of great beauty. Man is

created in the best of moulds and is given a most beautiful shape. Allah created the universe

with beauty

1.6 EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS

1.6.1 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To provide the teachings of Holy Quran as first step of education

To provide experiences which are based on fundamentals of Islam.

To provide experiences in the form of knowledge and skills with clear understanding

that these experiences are likely to be changed in the light of changes in society.

To develop understanding that knowledge without the basis in faith and religion is

incomplete education

To develop commitment towards the basic values which have been prescribed in

religion.

To develop sense of accountability towards Almighty creator so that man passes his

life like a faithful servant

To encourage international brotherhood irrespective of differences in generations,

occupations and social class.

To foster great consciousness of the Divine presence in the Universe

To bring man nearer to an understanding of God and of the relation in which man

stands to his Creator

To develop piety and faith amongst the followers

To produce man who has faith as well as knowledge in spiritual development



To develop such qualities of a good man which are universally accepted by the

societies that have faith in religion.

1.6.2 TEACHER

Teacher is given the status of spiritual

father. Teacher is supposed to have

qualities of tolerance, patience,

hardworking, honesty and punctuality.

1.6.3 STUDENTS

Student’s character building is given

importance because he/she is supposed to be an innocent soul.

1.6.4 TEACHING METHODS

Rote memorization, drill, dictation, discussion, lecture method, problem solving, in-depth

study method may be used by the teachers.

Teacher is free to use the teaching method of teaching which he supposes the best.

1.6.5 CURRICULUM

In Islamic philosophy the curriculum has two essential parts

Revealed knowledge: it is included in curriculum without any charge and is compulsory for

all. Knowledge of Quran, sayings of prophet (S.A.W), beliefs and worship includes in

revealed knowledge.

Acquired knowledge: It is included in curriculum and is not compulsory for all. It includes

all the types of knowledge that are beneficial for humanity like physics, chemistry,

mathematics, sociology, literature, geography etc.

1.6.6 LEADERSHIP

Leadership is democratic, based on service with consultancy. Answerable to Allah Almighty.



1.6.7 EVALUATION

Oral or written tests.

1.7 REFERENCES

Akgunduz, A. (2008). Norms and Values in Islam. Islamic University Rtterdam

Aelbrechtskade.

Heer, N. (2009). Papers on Islamic philosophy, theology and mysticism. Seattle,

Washington.

Rayan, S. (2012). Islamic Philosophy of Education. International Journal of Humanities and

Social Science, 2, 150-156.

Rizavi, S. S. (1986). Islamic Philosophy of Education.Malik Faiz Bakhsh (Secretary) Institute

of Islamic Culture. Lahore.

Sharif, M. M. (2004). A History of Muslim Philosophy (Vol. 1): Pakistan Philosophical

Congress.

Waghid, Y. (2011). Conceptions of Islamic education: pedagogical framings, New York:

Peter Lang.



SUMMARY

Introduction

Islam is a monotheistic Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of Muhammad

(SAW). The word Islam is derived from the Arabic word Aslama, which means “to accept,

surrender or submit" or "submission", or “the total surrender of oneself” to Allah.

The philosophy of Islamic education is looking at the principles and concepts underlying

education in Islam, it is analyzing and criticizing, deconstructing and disintegrating of the

existing educational infrastructure and strives to produce new concepts continuously or

displays what should be the concepts. There are number of Islamic philosophers who

contributed to the field of philosophy of Islamic education like al-Kindi, al-Razi (Rhazes),

Al-Farabi etc.

Areas of Islamic philosophy of education

The three main areas of Islamic philosophy are

1. Metaphysical believes / ontology: (ultimate reality: god and his attributes)

2. Epistemology: concept of knowledge in Islam: (knowledge is mandatory for all

men and women)

3. Axiology: concept of value in Islam : (are universal, permanent and not relative)

Educational Implications

1. Aims and Objectives: To bring man nearer to an understanding of God and of the

relation in which man stands to his Creator. To develop piety and faith amongst the

followers. To develop such qualities of a good man which are universally accepted.

2. Teacher: Teacher is given the status of spiritual father.

3. Students: Student’s character building is given importance because he/she is supposed to

be an innocent soul.

4. Teaching Methods: Rote memorization, drill, dictation, discussion, lecture method,

problem solving, in-depth study method may be used by the teachers.

5. Curriculum: In Islamic philosophy the curriculum has two essential parts

6. Revealed knowledge: Knowledge of Quran, sayings of prophet (S.A.W), beliefs and

worship Acquired knowledge: beneficial for humanity like physics, mathematics,

sociology, etc.

7. Leadership: Leadership is democratic, based on service with consultancy.

8. Evaluation: Oral or written tests.



(Rizavi, 1986)

(Sharif, 2004)

(Akgunduz, 2008)

(Heer, 2009)

(Waghid, 2011)

(Rayan, 2012)

islamic philosophy of education

Education

islamic concept of life

educational philosophy

word islam

adherent of islam

prime message of islam

famous muslim philosophersthe

fundamental concepts

new concepts