Madrasas Should Maintain Their Prestige and the Curriculum Should Include Modern Sciences

By Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani Translated from Urdu by Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam 20 October 2022 Every Madrasa Must Offer Modern Education Along with the Religious Education Main Points: 1. Madrasas have played a good role in passing on morals to the next generation and fostering a spirit of humanitarian service. 2. Despite this advantage, a drawback is that some people think the entire Madrasa curriculum is unchangeable; nevertheless, this is inaccurate. 3. All Madrasas must offer education up to the matriculation level. 4. Even a large number of madrasas have started requiring their students to take the matriculation and inter examinations at an open school ------ File Photo: ------- The traditions of our religious Madrasas are wonderful. They have provided education to a section of people in this country who were ignored by the people and the government. Here, the idea of service is infused throughout the educational process. Despite the fact that education is no longer a service but trade and its objective is no longer the welfare of humanity but rather merely to make money, it is these Madrasas that are responsible for passing on morals to the next generation and fostering a spirit of humanitarian service, resisting blind greed for accumulating material wealth. Despite these advantages, a drawback is that some people think the entire Madrasa curriculum is unchangeable; nevertheless, this is inaccurate. Naturally, any deviance from the Quran and Hadith—however slight—is forbidden. Teaching the exegesis (Tafsir) of the entire Quran and the letter-by-letter reading of the important collections of Hadith is a very beneficial practice in India, even if some portions are taught in detail and others only briefly. The custom of teaching only a few verses from various Surahs of the Holy Quran and excerpts from a few volumes of Hadith is insufficient in many countries around the world. However, it is important to benefit from fresh insights presented in texts taught in other sciences. The textbooks used in the religious Madrasas were obviously not written with the curriculum mentality. But these books were included in the curriculum because of their value. Back ago, students used to dedicate a lot of time to their education and finish all of these books. In the modern day, textbooks are created with the psychology of students in mind. The curriculum is typically prepared by a team rather than a single person, and the materials are kept simple and age-appropriate. The use of Illustrations and diagrams aims to make the subject easier to understand. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Also Read: Had Muslims Gone For Universal, Modern Education There Would Have Been Peace in Islamic Societies and the World, Not Terrorism and Militancy, Either Religious or Social ------------------------------------------------------------------- Texts are periodically illustrated, with exercises and homework given for each subject, to engage students in education and learning. It is easier for students to understand the textbooks when a subject is covered in the curriculum over several years by classifying the quantity that should be covered each year. This approach complies with the command of the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to "Speak to people according to their comprehension." How much more beneficial it would be if texts, with the exception of the Quran, the Hadith, and the founding texts of other Islamic disciplines and works of literature, were compiled and taught along similar lines? With this approach, students won't be confused by challenging words, and their cognitive resources won't be diverted from the core ideas of the text in order to understand it. Some books continue to be relevant today. An excellent example of well-written literature with precisely chosen language is the jurisprudential treatise "Quduri." Such books also require a lot of work; for example, sub-headings must be added, paragraphs must be created in place of continuous text, exercises must be constructed, and the chapter's new challenges must be simplified at the end. The original text can be preserved while still being modified in this way to meet modern needs. It is essential to create a unified curriculum education committee of madrasas, where outstanding and experienced teachers continuously assess the texts, to make sure that our curriculum matches the demands of the present era. It is essential that the madrasa education system be divided into departments and phases. The current system, which requires students to enrol in the primary class of Darse Nizami and study the Arabic morphology book "Mizaan al-Sarf," and then complete their Darse Nizami course by reading the assigned textbooks up to the level of Sahih Bukhari, is unnatural. Every student has a varied aptitude level, and not every work in the community calls for someone with the same aptitude. In the future, some will have to impart the elementary Arabic book Noorani Qaida. Some will teach the recitation of the Quran. Some will teach the subjects of Aalamiyyat and Fazilat. Some will serve as instructors or teachers of Islamic studies at modern academic institutions. It is therefore not necessary for them to all have the same level of skills and expertise. We should separate education into various programmes and departments, much like modern educational institutions, and award separate certificates for each grade so that people can conduct service in line with their ability and become beneficial for the country and community. Since there is no such division, many students are required to complete Aalamiyyat and Fazilat-level coursework. They are forced into teaching after completing the degree, which has an impact on academic standards. Those who are unsuccessful teachers due to a lack of skills open Madrasas needlessly. These Madrasas, on which the community lavishes a great deal of money, serve more as means of subsistence than as centres of higher education. Therefore, a student's admission to the subsequent stage should be allowed if he [or she] successfully completes one department and stage and is qualified to read it. In the past, Darul Uloom Deoband had a department called "Daru al-Sana'i" where graduate and undergraduate students could enrol and take handicraft classes. The scope of skill education was somewhat limited back then, but it has significantly increased today for both boys and girls in the area of vocational courses. Some courses can be taken by people with no formal education, and they can earn good jobs. Students who lack the time or the inclination to pursue further theological studies or who are struggling to make family ends meet can enrol in these programmes after finishing a particular level of study. They can find a method to support themselves with a decent life as well as serve the religion as needed. The number of students in Madrasas was quite low in the past, and it was possible that if these men chose to pursue other livelihoods, there would be a gap in the provision of religious services. However, this is no longer the case. The fact that certain significant religious Madrasas in India are now advocating for the incorporation of contemporary education into their institutions is extremely encouraging. They suggest that all Madrasas must offer education up to the matriculation level. Even a large number of madrasas have started requiring their students to take the matriculation and inter examinations at an open school, and Masha Allah, madrasa students have done well on these tests. I wish this initiative had been launched at least 50 years ago. The world today would be substantially different, and India would have produced a generation of intellectuals who could have led people in all sectors of life. I have also witnessed the incident that led some to denigrate the Islamic scholar Hazrat Maulana Syed Abul Hasan Ali Nadvi and oppose the integration of contemporary education into Madrasas. I've written similar stuff carefully many times before. But our elders and friends thought it was a wandering imagination and deluded. A Madrasa circle once considered such concepts the same way they treated dualism and atheism. As a result, there is currently a large gap between the younger generation and the Madrasa scholars. They are unable to express their ideas clearly to one another. If we are unable to understand what others are saying and effectively communicate our stance to them, consider how we can prevail in this intellectual battle in the face of so many attacks on Islam. Then, how do we preserve the faith of our younger generation? As a result, it is crucial to incorporate contemporary sciences into madrasa curricula while taking into account all applicable legal requirements, guaranteeing that each madrasa offers a contemporary education. I'm not advocating that madrasas become wholly modern institutions, but there should be some minor adjustments to meet current needs. The circumstances are dire. There is a need to move forward carefully and to complete all jobs with wisdom and courage. However, there is no difficulty that cannot be solved, and there is no evening that the morning is not meant for. Urdu Article: Madrasas Should Maintain Their Prestige and the Curriculum Should Include Modern Sciences مدارس کی حیثیت باقی رہے اور نصاب تعلیم جدید علوم سے آراستہ ہو URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-society/madrasas-curriculum-modern-sciences/d/128221 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