| |
|
| |
|
|
| |
The
Prophet Muhammad said "it is the
duty of every Muslim man and woman to
seek education," and under his
influence, the Arabs were encouraged to
pursue knowledge for its own sake.
Fulfilling the duty to pursue knowledge
gave Muslims a head-start in education.
Among the early elementary educational
institutions were the mosque schools
which were founded by the Prophet
himself; he sat in the mosque surrounded
by a haiqa (circle) of listeners,
intent on his instructions. Muhammad also
sent teachers to the various tribes to
instruct their members in the Qur'an.
The formal pursuit of knowledge had
existed in one form or another since the
time of the Greeks. The Arabs translated
and preserved not only the teachings of
the Greeks but those of the Indians and
the Persians as well. More importantly,
they used these basic teachings as a
starting point from which to launch a
mass revolution in education beginning
during the Abbasid dynasty (750-1258
A.D.).
During the Abbasid period, thousands of
mosque schools were established
throughout the Arab empire and the
subjects of study were increased to
include hadith (the science of
tradition), fiqh (ju-risprudence),
philology, poetry, rhetoric and others.
In tenth century Baghdad alone there were
an estimated 3,000 mosques.
Fourteenth century Alexandria had some
12,000 mosques, all of which played an
important role in education.
In the mosque school, the teacher sat on
a cushion and leaned against a column or
wall as his students sat around him
listening and taking notes. Only Muslirns
were allowed to attend the Qur 'an or
hadiih sessions, but non-Muslims
could attend all other subjects. There
was no age limit, nor were there any
restrictions on women attending classes.
Historians such as Ibn Khallikan reported
that women also taught classes in which
men took lessons. Few westerners
recognize the extent to which Arab women
contributed to the social, economic and
political life of the empire. Arab women
excelled in medicine, mysticism, poetry,
teaching, and oratory and even took
active roles in military conllicts.
Current misconceptions are based on false
stereotypes of Arab life and culture
popularized by some journalists and
"Orientalists."
In the mosque schools, rich and poor
alike attended classes freely. Classes
were held at specific times and announced
in advance by the teacher. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Students
could attend several classes a day,
sometimes traveling from one mosque to
another. Teachers were respected by their
students and there were formal, if
unwritten, rules of behavior. laughmg,
talking, joking or disrespectful behavior
of any kind were not permitted.
Different teachers
used various methods of instruction. Some
preferred to teach from a text first and
then to answer questions. Others allowed
student assistants to read or elaborate
upon the instructor's theories while the
teachers themselves remained available to
comment or answer questions. Still others
taught without the benefit of texts.
In 1066 A.D., Nizam al-Mulk, a Seljuk
vizier, founded the Nizamiyya Madrasa in
Baghdad which became the forerunner of
secondary/college level education in the
Arab empire. Madrasas had existed
long before Nizam al-Mulk, but his
contribution was the popularization of
this type of school. The madrasa gave
rise to various universities in the Arab
empire and became the prototype of
several early European universities.
Founded in 969 A.D., AI-Azhar University
in Cairo preceded other universities in
Europe by two centuries. Today it
attracts students from all over the
world.
The madrasas, which literally mean
"places for learning," were the
beginning of departmentalized schools
where education was available to all. The
physical construction of the madrasas provided
student dormitories. Each madrasa, depending
on its location, had a specific
curriculum. The subjects taught were the
religious sciences (.e.g, the study of
the Qur'an, hadith, jurisprudence
and grammar) and the intellectual
sciences (e.g. mathematics, astronomy,
music and physics). As these schools
began to attract distinguished teachers
and specialists from all corners of the
Arab empire, the number of disciplines
increased. Teachers received substantial
salaries and scholarships and pensions
were available for students. Funds for
operation of the madrasas came
from both the government and private
contributions. Since the government
played an important role in promoting
these institutions, the subject matter,
choice of teachers and allocation of
funds were closely supervised and
regulated.
The
development of the madrasa evolved
from the various elementary and secondary
schools which were prevalent in the
Abbasid empire: the mosque school and
other traditional institutions;
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
