History and Mission of Madrasas in India

By Grace Mubashir, New Age Islam 3 October 2022 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Most Importantly, Madrasa Students Should Be Taught That, According To Quran, Followers Of All Religions Will Be Judged On The Day Of Judgment, In Accordance With Tenets Of Their Own Faiths And Their Good Or Bad Deeds, And Rewarded Or Punished Accordingly. That Muslims Alone Will Go To Heaven Is A Lie That Madrasa Students Need To Be Told Repeatedly In Order To Dispel That False Notion That Leads To Islam Supremacism. Supremacism Of Any Sort Leads To Strife And Violence In The World, And We All Should Avoid It. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As madrasas are being surveyed for their teaching content, among other administrative issues, some are being summarily demolished in Assam, either by the government or people, as centres of terrorism, what the reader would want is to know if there is any truth in that. Do madrasas teach Islam supremacism, do they accept other religions, do they teach al wala wal bara or teach coexistence, do they present Islam as a totalitarian political system or as a spiritual path to salvation, do they teach exclusivism, with Islam as the only religion whose followers will go to heaven, why have they stopped teaching Persian books by Sufi masters, why do they spend so much time teaching students how to vehemently criticise other sects, do they create graduates who can fit in the multicultural and multi-religious milieu in which we live or create misfits, have they adjusted their content to times when Muslims are no longer rulers but a subservient people across the world for several hundred years now, are they still teaching books that were written at a time when Muslims ruled half the world and expected to conquer the whole world. And so on. Many questions about madrasas that are bothering Muslims and non-Muslims alike. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Also Read: Madrasa Education is a Clear Violation of the Human Rights of Children: Sultan Shahin asks UNHRC to make Muslim Countries Stick to their Pious Declarations ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Do we know which madrasa chain like Deobandi, Barelvi, Sufi, Ahl e Hadees, Jamaat e Islami, teaches what books? This is a good time to think through all these questions and many more about our madrasas. All Indians, indeed the world wants to know what is going on in madrasas. Madrasas are supposed to be centres of knowledge that ensure access to knowledge at all levels of the social hierarchy. They are the culminations of culture and training that mould generations of sanity, discernment and purposefulness to participate in the spheres of community formation and nation building. The madrasa curriculum, which teaches to know God as the Lord of the Universe and to recognize man as a co-creator, helps to overcome the limitations of work-oriented secular education. It is claimed, madrasa education is creating generations that have overcome the prestige emptiness of mere materialism with a definite sense of purpose in life. Despite its limitations, madrasa authorities’ claim, those fortunate enough to have a madrasa education are rich in spiritual inculcation. These cognitive motivations have played a significant role in enabling this large minority in India to survive the fires of crises. The greatest feature of madrasas is that the habits of justice, tolerance and love, in stark contrast to the sects which fill the land with the poison of hatred and training in the use of sharp weapons. Historical Routes Madrasa systems in the Muslim community were not formed in the context of any historical event or emergency situation. This practice was not initiated by governments, nor was it sustained under their patronage alone. It is an essential mechanism for acquiring knowledge which is one of the fundamental pillars of Islamic life. Madrasas can be described as a great mission that has existed naturally within the Muslim community since the beginning of Islam and has continued uninterrupted throughout the decades and lands of history. Dar al-Arqam, the place of study and consultation in Makka where the Prophet Muhammad started his Islamic teaching, the knowledge audience in the Prophet's mosque built in Madinah where he fled, the Ashabussuffa on its slope, and the knowledge platforms of the Prophet's disciples who settled in different countries can be considered as the first forms of madrasa systems. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Also Read: Evolution of Hadith Sciences and Need for Major Paradigm Shift in Role of Hadith Corpus and Scope of Madrasa Education ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maktabs, established for elementary Islamic learning, and the large education systems that emerged in mosques in Muslim centres including Mecca, Medina, and Cairo, were various expressions of the madrasa system. In Faz, Morocco, historical records show that the first systematic madrasa was established in 859. Madrasa of various schools in India have evolved over time by taking basic models from all these. Madrasa is a word that means 'school'. The concept of the word ‘Dars’ is teaching. In the Muslim world, madrasa was generally used to refer to institutions of higher learning at the college level. 'Madrasa Aliya' in Calcutta reflect this concept! The madrasa system in India is thirteen centuries old. With the growth of Islam in the 7th century, the first 'Maktabs' were established in Malabar, South India. Maktabs were the primary institutions of religious learning. It was started by Islamic preachers, Muslim traders and others. In later centuries, madrasas were started at the initiative of learned preachers, Sufis and administrators from other parts of India. During the Arab Muslim rulers who ruled Sindh in the 8th-10th centuries, Madrasas began to take formal forms. As markers of Islamic culture and civilization, madrasas were springing up in key areas. The madrasa system of education began to develop in a big way in the 13th century with the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate. With the formation of various provinces, madrasa chains were started. One of the earliest important madrasas in India was established in 1192 at Ajmer. During the Mughal rule (1526-1857) madrasas became widespread and institutionalized. It was a common practice of Muslim rulers to build mosques and religious educational institutions in the areas under their jurisdiction. Many of these later grew into large Madrasas. Some historians have recorded that there were 1000 madrasas in Delhi alone during the Tughlaq period. During Akbar's time, madrasas included more science subjects. In the late fifteenth century, the Iranian scholar Mir Fathullah Shirazi, a member of Akbar's court, introduced works on astronomy, mathematics, medicine, natural science, and polemics to scholars and incorporated them into the madrasa curriculum. Such formal Maktabs and Madrasas were the primary system of Islamic education in India. The second is the Deen classes (religious sermons) and lectures held by many Muslim scholars in their homes or local mosques. These can be described as informal madrasas. Rooms can be found on two sides of the magnificent and spacious mosques that were erected in major cities during the Muslim rule in India. Abul Hasan Ali Nadvi has observed that this is a sign of their utilization as centres of education, including Madrasas (Hindustan Ki Khadeem Islami Dargayem, Maktabe Maarif, Azamgarh, 1971, p. 15). Manalir Ahsan Geelani has observed that such madrasas were the prevailing system of education during Muslim rule (Hindustan me Musalman ka Nizame Taalim wa Tarbiyyah, Nadwatul Muswannifeen, Delhi- 1944, 1/13-15). The third was Gurukula Vidyalayas, run by private individuals known as Muallim and Mu'addib. There were many religious scholars who enthusiastically took it upon themselves to impart Islamic education to generations in their homes or mosques. Many of them did this voluntarily and without getting paid. Those who had other occupations as a way of life devoted their free time to religious teaching. Many of them did this without getting paid. Those who had other occupations as a way of life devoted their free time to religious teaching. Many of them did this without getting paid. Those who had other occupations as a way of life devoted their free time to religious teaching. Eminent thinker and educationalist Shibli Nomani's observation is noteworthy: “Once upon a time colleges were formed by focusing on individuals and marking them with their names. Where a scholar was, many students and seekers of knowledge would come and surround him. They took advantage of his day and night classes. Even his normal speech, movement and mannerisms were perceived as 'silent lecturing'. Gradually, there is an increase in the number of teachers and students. It forms a college and a Jamia (University). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Also Read: RESTRUCTURING MADRASA EDUCATION: Muslim Opponents of India’s 'Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act' are Enemies of Indian Muslims ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Today individuals can address colleges and universities. However, at that time students were known for being disciples of learned personalities. Colleges and universities today are mainly located in small or large towns. But at that time lively colleges functioned not only in the cities, but also in the villages and even in the huts. The Muslim rulers had prepared a system of education for the lower castes and captives who lived as servants and servants in houses and other places. During the reign of Firoz Shah Tughlaq (1309-1388), thousands of such people were educated at the expense of the government. Not only traditional knowledge, They practiced handicrafts and mechanical work (Tariqe Firuz Shahi 339-340). Ghiyasuddin Muhammad Khilji, a prominent slave dynasty leader, instituted an extensive system of education for women belonging to the lower classes (Tariqe Farishta 2/ 255). It was a gradual development of all this later. During the dark centuries of caste discrimination, Muslim scholars indiscriminately popularized knowledge through schools operating in cities, villages and even slums, in a social environment where knowledge was forbidden to a large number of people. On the one hand, religious judgments arose to 'melt lead into the ears of a Shudra who listens to the Vedas', while on the other hand, Islam extended the study of the Vedas to all mankind. The rich, the common man and the so-called different castes studied together in the same madrasa and witnessed the practical beauty of equality. The political relevance of madrasas that have crossed such boundaries should be measured in a time when casteism is forbidden to gather together in public mosques and even to walk in public streets. At that level, the impact of the madrasa system on the Indian social fabric remains to be studied. Prominent Madrasas There are madrasas in India that function according to the syllabus prepared by different Muslim sects based on their ideals. Schools such as Barelvi, Ahle Hadith, Deobandi, Tabligh Jamaat, and Sufi all run many Madrasas, large and small. Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama of Lucknow, supported by the Ash'ari-Hanafi Sarani, is a high-level mahad college of the madrasa system, with many features. The lion's share of madrasas in India are located in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bengal and Assam. Madrasas are also functioning in South Indian states, though not as extensive. There are many important madrasahs in India starting with madrasa Rahimiya Delhi, Jamia Naimiyyah Muradabad, Jamia Amjadiyya Rizviyyah, Al Jamiatul Islamiyya Mau- UP, Aljamiaatussalafiyyah Surat, Aljamiaatussalafiyyah Varanasi, Aljamiatul Ashrafiyyah Mubarakpur. Many of these, which started as primary madrasas and so on, are now universities with thousands of students. Uttar Pradesh has more madrasas. India's largest Madrasa system, Deoband Darul Uloom, founded by Mohammad Qasim Nanautavi, is also located in UP. An unofficial estimate is that there are more than 20,000 Deobandi Madrasas operating under the Jamiat Ulemaye Hind. The Deoband movement was the epitome of a movement that had a decisive impact not only on madrasa education but also on the history of India itself. Moreover, the madrasa movement was the foremost fighters of the Indian freedom struggle. The history of madrasas, which played a leading role in the anti-British struggles, including in 1857, and the hostile attitude adopted by the British against madrasas for that very reason, should be remembered in present-day India. Educational System While acknowledging that madrasas, not just religious schools , have various limitations, especially in northern states, three important points need to be understood. First, madrasas generally have extensive academic systems that range from elementary religious studies to higher-level research studies. Its nature may be different in different currents. Second, madrasas are not schools limited to liturgical legal subjects, which can be described as mere religious studies. Subjects like Language, Mathematics, Medicine, Science, Vocational and Computer Science are also taught in madrasas in different ways along with religious and ritual rules. India's oldest and largest Darul Uloom Deoband has degree courses in medicine. Barring some southern states, madrasas are generally a parallel education system to public schools and colleges in India. Although madrasas do not cover all the subjects and examinations taught in schools and colleges as per the government curriculum, many of the language and science subjects mentioned earlier are part of the madrasa syllabus. There are many madrasas that teach religious subjects as well as all the subjects of the school syllabus. These madrasas are the true educational institutions in thousands of villages of North India, imparting education from literacy to graduation to lakhs of children. In many places madrasas are comparable to government schools. It should also be noted that various state governments are giving recognition to such courses and equivalency certificates to those who pass them. Graduates from such colleges get admission to PG in other universities. Thousands of madrasas in India are also government-recognised. This is changing now. The financial cost of private education and the poor quality of government schools have drawn many to Madrasas. The disappearance of these madrasas, which provide free education to hundreds of thousands of poor children, does not mean that mere religious education will disappear, but that a section of the population will be denied education. The third is very important: students in madrasas, the public educational institutions of North India, particularly West Bengal, are not exclusively Muslim. People of other faiths have also studied in madrasas and continue to do so. Raja Ram Mohan Roy, who is described as the teacher of Hindu revival, former Indian President Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Hindi writer Munshi Premchand and others were also products of madrasas. Raja Ram Mohan Roy studied at a madrasa in Patna then in Madrasa Aaliya in Calcutta. He had a background in Sanskrit and Hinduism and was also knowledgeable in Persian and Arabic languages. If their names were recorded in this way because they were prominent personalities, then it is natural that many non-prominent brother community members were students in madrasas. Present Scenario Even today, members of the fraternal community are being educated in some madrasas in North India. There were earlier reports that non-Muslim students were studying in three madrasas in Chandigarh. The parents of those students explained that they get admission here because they get school-like education in the madrasas operating near their homes in their area. There were reports of children from Hindu families studying in madrasas in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Al Jazeera previously reported that 60 percent of the 1,400 students in a Madrasa in West Bengal were non-Muslims. Also read that out of the thirty-two teachers there, eleven were non-Muslims. At one stage, the non-Muslim representation in madrasas in the state was up to fifteen percent! Also relevant is the observation that non-Muslim participation in madrasas provides an opportunity to know and experience each other among religious groups and imparts lessons of social coexistence at the practical level. But timely changes are needed in madrasa education system. New secular subjects and concept of indigenous Islam should be added to the educational system. Along with it, the patterns should be streamlined with current pace of the country. Most importantly, madrasa students should be taught that, according to Quran, followers of all religions will be judged on the Day of Judgment, in accordance with tenets of their own faiths and their good or bad deeds, and rewarded or punished accordingly. That Muslims alone will go to heaven is a lie that madrasa students need to be told repeatedly in order to dispel that false notion that leads to Islam supremacism. Supremacism of any sort leads to strife and violence in the world, and we all should avoid it. ----- A regular columnist for NewAgeIslam.com, Mubashir V.P is a PhD scholar in Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia and freelance journalist. URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-society/history-mission-madrasas-india/d/128091 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism