Islamisation of knowledge and education

I had the privilege of attending the First Islamic Conference on Islamisation of Knowledge, 30th October, 2021. It was hosted by the Postgraduate Muslim Association of Universities, Indonesia. There were several distinguished speakers including Dr Syamsuddin Arif (Institute of Islamic Study of Islamic Thought and Civilisation), Professor Abdelazizi Berghout (Dean of International Institute Islamic Thought and Civilisation, International Islamic University, Malaysia) and Dr Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips (Founder of International Open University).

These scholars discussed the central importance of Islamic values and ideals in the pursuit of knowledge and education. Because knowledge and our education cannot be devoid of a worldview or message. For instance, the study of science since the 18th century has been driven by serving the industrial and capitalistic perspective, which is basically seeking wealth and power.

Dr Philips highlighted the basic definition of education, which is to convey the culture of a civilisation to the next generation. In our current context, our education system is disseminating the western secular perspective and the Islamic perspective is being ignored. We need our Muslim students to realise that the purpose of their education is to pursue the pleasure of Allah. There is a profound hadith that reminds us to be mindful of our priorities.

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “The world, with all that it contains, is accursed except for the remembrance of Allah that which pleases Allah; and the religious scholars and seekers of knowledge.” [At- Tirmidhi].

Dr Philips further presented 5 practical principles or pillars to establish the Islamic ethos and pedagogy in our schools. These include:

1. The first pillar is that the owner of the Islamic school should have the correct niyah, intention to serve and please Allah and not have their profit as their main goal. If a school is driven by business and profit over Islam, then it no longer becomes an Islamic school.

2. An Islamically conscious and qualified administration and staff: where the principal and all staff such as teachers and even maintenance personal are conscious of Allah and are proactive in implementing Islam.

3. The school environment and culture should be Islamised: where the message of Islam is conveyed across the school with posters, images, extra-curricular to help the students be immersed and grow in an Islamic setting and culture.

4. Make connections to Islamic history: Our students must connect to Islamic history and the great Muslim contributions. The current education ignores Muslim contributions; our students learn about Sir Isaac Newton but have no idea who Hasan ibn Haytham was. Therefore, the book, 1001 Inventions, should be accessible in every Islamic classroom and library, as it is an excellent resource helping our students appreciate the Muslim contributions and the Muslim relevance in history.

5. Every lesson plan should integrate Islam through reference to either the Qur’an or hadith. Teachers should be proactive in integrating in every lesson a verse from the Qur’an; it should be a short and concise ayah relevant to what the students’ study. This will help our students to appreciate the Qur’an and realise how the Qur’an is relevant in their lives and will build their connection to Islam. Another important reference point is the hadith. In every lesson, a relevant hadith of the Prophet should be taught to the students. This will reconnect the Muslim students to the Sunnah of the Prophet and help them appreciate its importance in their lives. Finally, every lesson should convey a moral message relevant to the lesson plan. The purpose of these moral principles should be to build the moral character of the Muslim student. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “I was sent to perfect good character.” This emphasises that morality is central in education. In the west, secularism has sidelined morality from the education system and made it relative to the democratic whims. However, Dr Philips argues that when students are immersed in moral values then they will graduate with a high moral standing and thus they will be a positive influence upon society.

I provided below the link to this inspiring conference for you to consider watching. Altogether it is 8 hours long, but you can browse through and find key speakers whose talks are at most 50 minutes long and give invaluable insight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypKZcVcw344&t=27091s

You can also use the free infographic (click here) that I designed based on Dr Bilal Philips’ talk: “The idea of Islamization of Knowledge and its Relevance to the Islamic Community Development.”

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