Islamization in Education
Date:
Channel: Bilal Philips
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AI Generated Summary ©
The speakers discuss the importance of understanding the culture of the people who teach children to be successful in school and the importance of learning to be Islamically conscious. They propose five principles for achieving Islamization, including classroom environments, pictures, and clothing, and emphasize the need for teachers to bring back morality back into schools. The importance of science and the development of Islamization in schools is emphasized, along with the need for schools to provide alternative methods of learning and educate students in a integrated way. The challenges of achieving Islamization and the need for students to be conscious of their own values are also discussed.AI Generated Transcript ©
And I would like to
I would like to describe about his brief profile. Dr. Below is the founder of the International Open University or I O U, centered in Doha, Qatar,
and he is a Jamaican Canadian Islamic scholar. And he completed a Bachelor of art from the Islamic University of Medina, the Master of Arts from King Saud University in Rio, and a PhD in Islamic theology from the University of Wales, UK.
And most of all, his greatest achievement and the one for which he was listed in the Jordanian publication is called the 500 most influential Muslims. And this is his historic founding of a mega University on Doha, Qatar noun, now known as the International Open University, which has over 60 I'm sorry, 666 150,000 students registered from over 200 different countries around the world. Ladies and gentlemen, let us welcome Dr. Abu Amina. Hello, it's
okay, I saw my camera. Doctor Alaikum salam wa rahmatullah wa barakato. This is an honor to have you here. How are you doing doctor? I'm tombola I'm fine. Article article and I pray everyone present along with yourself are also fine. All right. So you're ready to deliver the presentation
on Islamization in education. Alright, so without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, here is Dr. Abu Amina.
Doctor, please take your time.
Al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil Alameen wa Salatu was Salam ala Rasulillah Hill, Kadeem Wila, Ali was hobby or many stainability laomi Dean
or praises due to Allah and Allah special blessings beyond the last prophet muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and and all those who follow the path of righteousness until the last day.
As the topic of our program, or our conference, has been stated, as the Islamization in education or Islamization of education, I would just like to briefly touch on the definition of what is education. And I after having looked through a number of different
encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc, you know, you could say that everywhere I found a definition, it varied from the others. So I couldn't find a single uniform definition, which always
was used by the various
texts, which tried to explain education. But the one definition which I found,
quite
at the point, we could say, or on the point, in that case, the case of Islam is a sari of education. What does education mean? was the one which said that education was the way by which a civilization conveys its culture, to the next generation,
the way by which,
as civilization conveys its culture to the next generation.
I'm just repeating that so that can sink in.
Now,
what we're talking about here
is the conveyance of culture, that this was the essence of what
education was, and is.
So when we talk about westernized education, this is Western civilization, conveying its culture, through the educational means and processes, etc.
So, this is what we are challenged to
tackle in our times. Of course, there were times before us when Islam was at its peak,
during what was the dark ages in the Middle Ages of Europe, etc. No knowledge was flourishing them
various Muslim centers of learning by the bad, and the Lucia, etc, etc.
Timbuktu and
what we are faced with today,
the scholars of the past,
they gathered the existing knowledge
and built on that knowledge.
And that has been the process from civilization to civilization. In argues history.
What we have today is the accumulated knowledge of
1000s and 1000s of generations of human beings.
And this is what distinguishes us from the rest of the creatures that Allah is created in this world.
They can pass on the knowledge, you teach a dog tricks.
And he's able to jump in the air catch Frisbees, he's able to do all kinds of things.
But he can't pass on what he has learned to his children, you have to learn teach them all over again each time. Well, in the case of human beings,
we are able to
build on the knowledge that we have acquired during our time. And that knowledge can be passed on to the next generation and they can use it directly.
Which is
found in the basic concept? Why am I the mother melasma Kula
Baba taught Adam
and Eve, the knowledge
of everything, the names of everything, names representing knowledge, because it's not just the name, you know, as we have names, but the names of the trees, grass, the fruit, the rivers,
and
the knowledge that came along with that
necessary for human beings at that stage of their existence, to live a life pleasing to Allah.
Like Adam and Eve,
the whole garden was there for them except one tree.
So the knowledge
should guide us to benefit from all the other trees. And to avoid that one tree specified that one tree which Allah has forbidden for us.
Now, in looking at the educational because we're talking about Islamization, in education, the educational process, if we look at it in our basic school systems, kindergarten to grade 12
and beyond, but if we look at it primarily in our kindergarten to grade 12,
then the information which is being passed on currently through the various textbooks, etc, which have been produced in large quantities, variety of designs and images and all kinds of things.
We are tasked with conveying that knowledge
along with our culture
to the next generation.
Now, I'm
focusing on the
undergraduate before university level,
as this is the common struggle that we face, all over the world
because now all of the textbooks that we have, have all been westernized, they're under Western civilization's culture, which in this point in time, is a secular culture.
And the previous speaker spoke
at length about various aspects of this secularization of
knowledge and education. So,
there have been many conferences before, back in the late 70s, early 80s on
Islamization of knowledge,
and in Makkah,
where major conferences were held, material was gathered from the various lectures and presentations which were given
to the attendees and an insect Cyclopedia was put together, then 12 volumes, based on the papers, the works such were done by the scholars at that point.
After a smile for Okay, he was one of the leading figures in this Islamization of knowledge.
That approach was his writings, his lectures, etc, which came through that, you know, have benefited generations that came after him.
However, what is it? What is the reality today is that those conferences which were held back in the late 70s, early 80s,
which compiled a body of knowledge today, this is not accessible to the teaching staff of schools, around the world, Muslim schools around the world, it's not available to them.
Nobody even even knows about
because, to some degree, it was more philosophical,
than it was practical, of course, the intent of the philosophy philosophers to look into new approaches to understanding what is really mathematics What is this and, you know, sciences and, and social sciences, etc.
They were tasked with that,
what I would like to
present
as a model for
Islamization of, or in education, for schools, and this can be extrapolated to universities, etc.
But
first and foremost,
we should understand that the school
and what is a school,
a school
is as good as its owner.
Because most of the Muslim schools, Islamic schools around the world, they're owned by individuals.
Now, if the owner
was strictly a businessman,
he or she,
including business women, he or she would have seen an opportunity
as a business person, in the community,
do good business, people need education. So let's set up an institution as a business, make some money, no harm,
no harm.
However, if the person's
perception, that owner of the school's perception is merely making money, without problems,
that the that the school should be profitable is important, because how will it sustain itself? So that side from a business side needs to be there.
However,
that school will not be an Islamic school, right? We will not have Islamization in education in that school.
Because the owner
will give precedence to making profits over
what is right.
So very important step in terms of educational institutions
is that those people who found them
well established them should have the right intentions in the Mallamma vignette, we all know that. As the process is quoted as saying deeds are according to their intentions, they will be judged according to their intentions.
So that owner who is
strictly a businessman, that's what constrains him or her most.
When they have to get a principal for the school,
they will go and try and find the cheapest principal.
No, because it's a business, the more you have to pay the principal, the less you're profits
become.
So if you can find one, at a cheap price,
then you're selling.
However, that one came at the cheap price may not be good,
may not be proper, properly qualified.
And
that's who you're putting to help the school what's gonna happen after that?
So here's the problem.
To set up an Islamic school,
for Islamization in education,
we have to start at the root. Those who established the school they have to have the right intention, their intention should be to please Allah.
First and foremost, after that, yes,
that it be sound from a business perspective.
It's not incurring losses,
and it is affordable for the community, so that they can benefit from it, because if you put it out of the range of their affordability, then we're cutting off chunks of our
country's
youth from getting access to islamized education.
So, pillar number one, the owner,
good or number two, the principal,
the principal, having chosen a principal who is Islamically conscious and understands his or her responsibility,
then we move on to the teaching staff. Similarly, they are chosen, based on their proper understanding of Islam, proper practice of Islam,
and their skills that they are properly qualified to deliver the knowledge which has been placed in their hands to the students of the school.
In fact,
we could even go on to the janitorial services in school, people who sweep,
wash,
prepare,
they should also be Islamically conscious,
meaning that if in the school, they see some child doing something, which is not appropriate,
they stop them, warn them inform the administration, if they continue.
It's their duty, they don't see it as Oh, this is my job is just to clean this place, whatever the kids are doing. Not on me. That's their problem. I just keep cleaning. No, we want even the cleaner to be Islamically conscious. So we have a structure. superstructure, which is Islamically sound. So in that we bring in our students, and then we have to convey to them
Islam ized knowledge
that's what they're there for, for customized knowledge. Now,
more than back, teachers, we're not going to ask those teachers to go back to the late 70s. And get that encyclopedia, which was put together in Makkah,
and study it and come back, you know, as scholars of
Islam as a nation of knowledge. What we have in front of us right now is our qualified teachers, etc. Who
by delivering
the material which they are presented with to their students, in an Islamic way, have Islam ized the educational process in that school.
Towards that end,
I propose five principles
that need to be
addressed
Through which islamized education may be achieved.
The first principle
is
class, and school environment. In the school.
We have classrooms, always offices, etc. This cell environment itself in the school should be Islamist.
And one of the biggest and easiest ways to Islam eyes
is through images.
We have paintings, posters around the school,
that
convey an Islamic message, not just to beautify the school,
no know painting, carving all these other kinds of things.
As Muslims, the primary purpose purpose should be to convey a message.
You know, as one of the Chinese philosophers had said,
I was supposed to have said
one picture is worth 1000 words.
So every picture that we put up in that school,
and the classrooms, in the hallways,
in the cafeteria, we should vary them from time to time, every one of them should be conveying a visual message of Islam to the students.
So, the environment of the classroom, the school etc, should be itself. Islam iced, for example,
there is a standard chart,
which is used in the early grades, grade one, two, for teaching body parts,
teaching body parts, the head, the hand, the knee, the foot, the eyes, the air, etc.
And it's a picture of a little boy, this hands out
wearing underwear.
And this is what is used.
If you go to any shop, which specializes in school materials, that's the standard picture you'll see. Of course, in India, the little boy looks like an Indian. In China, the little boy looks like a Chinese, whereas countries, Europeans etc. This one does varied. But the main basic picture
is that of this boy there in his underwear. So
what do we do here, our art department should be tasked with taking that picture and give the boy proper clothing, at least covering his navel to his knee.
Because we know that's our,
of course in the middle for the middle kids grade one to start, but we retrain them visually and physically. We train them to be Islamically conscious in that sense. So they should feel shy to wear, you know, underwear and just walk around in the public. That's one thing in the homeless and limited areas of the home etc.
But that picture, our art department and most many, you know many schools that tried to
do so establish, you know, Islamization of the educational process in the schools. What they do is they cancel the art department. All right, well, where does that take us, takes us into the curses of Allah right
because of the curse on the those who make images, but
the point is that those images can be Islamic just as well as they can be an Islamic and we need an art department children like to draw color all these things this is part of their nature.
So what we should instead do is get a conscious art teacher and assistant etc. The Department of Art in the school are conscious Muslims. So wherever it is needed, like that chart for the body parts to Islam eyes it a coffee is put on the kid's head. Doesn't have to be but I'm just saying
but our between navel and is covered
and then the body
parts are named.
So this is a visual image. I mean, of course, school is gone, people have grown up with seeing the little naked boy, or half naked, three quarters naked. And people ignored it, but it's stuff going into their heads later on when you tried to tell them listen, your shorts are too short, you know, you're showing your thigh in your bellybutton.
So what's the deal, because they've, they've seen enough of it. And nobody has corrected for them that that shouldn't be. So the image in the classroom and it's especially those first early grades, nor kindergarten, upper kindergarten, grade 123456.
Many images are used. So we should always keep in mind that every image that we produce, and put up anywhere in the school, it should have an Islamic message behind it.
That the Islamization of educational artwork of the school,
of course, the other aspects, you know, of greeting each other Islamically. And when you sneeze, say Alhamdulillah and all the different Islamic cultural practices should be established in the classroom there by conscious Muslim
qualified teachers.
The second principle is what I refer to as historical relevance.
That one of the problems that we're faced with today
is that we have been cut off from our roots,
all the books, texts, etc, which come to us today when we are produced in the West. And they have ignored Muslims contributions to civilization. It is as if we never existed.
So our children
grow up. Go through school graduate, if you ask them who was Isaac Newton, Sir Isaac Newton, they'll tell you, Einstein, they'll tell you, you know, Madame Curie, they'll tell you, they know all these people. But if you ask them, Who is a Hassan Ebner, Haytham.
So, you see, like Zaidan, the football player is he on the same team with zeta, anything's ADA.
No idea.
The geniuses, Muslim geniuses in the fields of science, optics, all in various fields, you know, who made their contributions, we have no knowledge of them. So we are tied directly to Western
scientists, etc, who made their contributions also. But then that were never told that they got that knowledge from Spain, they used to go to Spain and study under the Muslim scholars and take it back, put their names on it. And that's what we know. So we need to bring our students back in touch with their heritage,
issue of heritage. If we can't identify with that heritage, then we will identify with the heritage of today from the West, that westernized secular educational heritage is what we will take on and become
so very important for us whenever we're dealing with
any field of science etc.
We it is important for us to connect that with what Muslims have contributed to this various for these various fields.
A book called 1001 Muslim inventions was produced earlier
in the 21st century.
From a exhibition which has taken place in London, it's beautifully done. Every school should have that
in their library. In the classrooms, students can always refer back to it. And it should be referred, connecting us with our heritage. So we don't feel as if Islam has never and has nothing to offer.
It's all coming from the west from Greece.
enroll
their heritage, European heritage, but Muslim
who knows.
The third area is to add to whatever class that is being taught
a short verse from the ground
set in Arabic but explained in the language English if you're teaching an English medium, or know if you're teaching in Urdu or whatever,
but an idea to come up in every class
short, we don't give them a big long pass, you know, passage is the longest is in the Quran we have, you know, some pretty long is there longer than tourists? No, we picked for them something short.
From the crime, short
and relevant,
relevant to whatever class you're teaching.
What does that do? Well, it gives the student a sense that the Quran is relevant. What is the big sickness that we have today around the Muslim world? What Muslims are reading the Quran I don't even understand what it says. Let's just ritual reading,
covering, putting on a high place, kissing it when it falls on the ground, why we've invented all kinds of practices around the Quran,
which were not from the Sunnah at all.
What we have to focus on is
the meaning
of the Quran itself.
And
the context
that we're using it in for the teachers to be able
to convey to the students
this connection between students and
cry to rebuild that link.
The third principle
is
at the thick from the Sunnah,
that we should give them a hadith relevant to the class that is being taught. And in this process, we are educating them
to be connected with the Quran and understand that the Quran is relevant relevant to us even today.
Though it was revealed 1400 years ago.
Regardless, it is still relevant today.
Similarly, with the Sunnah, because much of our societies have strayed far away from the actual teachings of the sinner,
reconnect them
so that they don't think that Islam is not relevant. Oh, it's okay for the mosque. But after that, no place for Islam. No, let the students learn through this process, that the Quran and the Sunnah are relevant, they were relevant, and they will always be relevant.
So this is
Islamization of
education. That's the educational process.
And the last principle
is the moral message. And this is perhaps, of greatest importance that
in every class, a moral message should be given relevant to what the students are taking. Don't make moral message something not related at all to what the class was about. But no, this moral message should be integrated inside of that class. So the students don't feel like this is something separate from our class.
So the message should contain
an Islamic
moral principle
in order for the moral character
of the students to be sound when they graduate
as
Problem Solvers element said
in the mind where it's still new to me my my karma plot, I was only sent to perfect for you the highest of moral character traits.
The Prophet SAW Salem taught morality
that is foundation foundational to education.
And what has happened in our times is that education became secularized morality was removed from the classroom, because morality in the West came from the Bible. And they put the Bible aside and said, we have a democratic process in which we will use to decide what's right and what's wrong.
So
we need to fix that. We have been inundated with it. And we need to correct that this is
islamization. In educational process, we're bringing morality back into the classroom.
And can you imagine right now,
the school the countries, which have the worst standing,
as being the most corrupt countries, the top 10 countries in the world, which are considered to be the most corrupt by
researchers.
Half of them
are Muslim countries.
were among the top
you shouldn't be
our morality defined us to the rest of the world.
That was what brought many people into Islam without any fighting
on morality, so we have to bring that morality back into the classroom, so that the child from lower kindergarten till they graduate in grade 12, they have been receiving moral messages indoctrination, yes, oral messages have been passed on all the way through so when that student graduates
do you think you can bribe him or her know?
Their moral compass will be fixed,
clear, they will spot anytime something is not, you know, halaal really sounds but something wrong here. They'll see it right away.
That's what we want. Graduates who graduate with high moral standard,
do to make them capable of changing the world
as Allah had put on us,
in the live room are becoming hotter, euroma be unforeseen.
People will not be changed or change their circumstances until they change themselves. So this is the process. Islamization in education should be a changing process,
changing those who are exposed to that education into and turning them into metamorphosis them into proper Muslim educated
members of society.
So these, basically,
are the five principles. And of course, these five principles are just ones I set. You maybe you can find a six, maybe you can find a seven for others, or you want to only work with three, it's up to you. But
this message, which I call
LPI, or lesson plan, Islamization
begins with the lesson plans themselves.
So teachers are properly Islamically, conscious, etc. They should be required to put in every lesson plan that they prepare,
how they would be implementing all or at least one or two of these principles. In every lesson. The Mara message dot one is without question that needs to be there. Of course, mathematic teachers would ask me, How do you Islam eyes? Two plus two equals four.
I mean, that's just straightforward. I said to them, well, you can tell them
when you pray Fajr right. before Fajr you have sunnah.
And the Sunnah consists of how many records to
And the product consists of how many records to try out what's the total number of records that you do for?
Okay, this is I'm just giving this as a simple example it can go way beyond that.
But there is room where there's a will there's a way.
If we dedicate ourselves as educators,
then all that I have presented,
would be
integrated, and a part of what you would convey as instructors, to the OMA.
And remember,
the teacher and the student,
are
the greatest human individuals in the world.
As the Prophet SAW Solomon said, at dunya Melona, this world is cursed
by the owner mafia, everything in it is cursed, illogical,
except for the remembrance of Allah when Allah and what brings us closer to Allah.
Why, amen. Well, Mata Alima
scholar, the teacher and the student
medical Akiko.
I hope and pray that the message was clear and was a benefit for for those who are attending this webinar seminar in sha Allah
shall Allah Thank you very much. Dr. Bilal Philips for the wonderful presentation. And ladies and gentlemen, following that, I would like to inform you that if you want to have authentic Islamic knowledge with the terminal you can join I owe you International Open University through the website, I O u.edu dot D, M, and Q. And now ladies and gentlemen, we've come to the question and answer session. So as you can see on the
on the screen, it has been accumulated
a number of questions, but I will have to say that we have limited time here so we will try our best to provide the best explanation from our speakers today. So I will go first with the question one
Yeah, how is the science of Allah Quran therapy in medicine or the healing physical? And
I'm sorry, can you?
Alright,
physical and psychological.
Okay, no problem. Just maybe for the first question we can address we can address or you want to address them all at once or just one by one so that we save time?
Maybe we can. Okay, let's start with number one. Just general comment. I think
our brother is talking about how do we use the Islamic
therapy or the Quranic guidance on handling the physical and
psychological issues and problems. I think
if I look at it from the perspective of Islamization
of psychology, for example,
before we reach the level of using the the Islamic Guidance, the Islamic views on this part, we need to do the Islam if you wanted to do the process of Islamization of this side. I think there are several steps to be done from looking at the
current secular psychology in all its branches and also counseling and therapy so that you understand what they have and what techniques they use for this and then you come in and you see what the Quran provides. I think, looking at it from the Quranic perspective we have in the Quran itself, a lot of ways how we create that personality and soul of tranquil
at how we create balanced mental health, psychological health, there are a lot of things in Islam and basically related to our way of Riba and our relation with Allah subhanho wa taala.
There are many things which people see that are simple, and some of them may be just they say,
like rituals. And that's one of our problem in understanding the Quran concept like so far, or a sloth Allah Rasool or, or dua, or these things all can be transformed into very dynamic and important tools and ways how to medicate our soul, ourselves, the Quran, she felt she felt lymph in the halls. And that's true. And that's proven. I don't want to lengthen the answer. But they wanted to say that in the tradition of Islam, also, we have our PSA Wolf, particularly the the balance tasawwuf, and the law, the test clear the tarbiyah, Ruhi
Tarbiat, Suki, tarbiyah GCD. And we can learn from the prophetic tradition and all this. But if I look at your question from solemnization perspective, there is a process to be undertaken, so that we can introduce the Islamic therapy, we can package it, you can prepare it in textbooks, in trainings in skills, teach, I think, and I am here, we have now some specialists in training people in this
psychological and mental healing and also Islamic therapy. And they have in fact, under my department here, there is one new manual introduced, they call it guideline to mental and spiritual health. It's like in the form of spiritual steps and so on and so forth to to help the people but in the end, we can say that the Quran is Shiva, and we need to do the olema. And the specialists, the psychologists and others, they need to be able to benefit from those things and transform them, translate them into
practical packages, practices, a better and I think as Dr. Bilal mentioned, I think the always the situation will be related to
an eco system. And then environment, how do you create the environment, the simple environment where people can leave the Islamic, they can see it, they can practice it, they can see it in their friends, in their colleagues in their teacher. So the environment creates impacts. I think that's what I wanted to say regarding the this first question and also it's relate to what should be done by lectures and student in providing the miracles of the Quran. This is another different question means how do you
deal with the Quran as a book that provides you a methodology that provides you an understanding how you explain to people science or scientific phenomenon? Or how do you explain the Sunon of Allah, the aim of Allah. And in this regard, we can in fact, use the current natural science, social science,
sciences, and the discoveries of science, in biology, in brain studies in artificial intelligence, all this can be held to, in fact, show that the Islamic teaching and the Quranic teachings are important they give you just last thing here, Imam Syed noci
our scholar, in one of his research, he will know he was mentioning that humanity towards the end of life and all this humanity will lean towards knowledge towards science, towards science. And at that time, alien and knowledge and Sciences will become another evidence of Islam. So I think it's a matter of us discovering the methodology of the Quran and explaining and the Quran never tells us don't use science or don't benefit from all this phenomenon or, or in fact, in fact, if I may say science itself is one approach to understanding the universe.
But unfortunately, that approach has some problems. Some shortcomings, the Quran provides a much more comprehensive
method and approach to understand the self, the universe and how to relate yourself with them. This is for the first two questions.
Alright, thank you so much for the answers. I hope it satisfies this to us. And maybe we can go to the question number four for Dr. below to answer.
All right, we get we can see on the screen. Yeah. So, Dr. Lilla.
Time
everybody is able to see these questions.
If everybody's able to see it, then I don't need to repeat what is there. But the main point that is being raised here
that the biggest obstacles that I see is the administration, she teaches or he teaches in a school that the administration of the school are nonpracticing Muslims in name or whatever, you know, and,
and the secular ideas and ideals are being spread in the school, Islamic goals are not nowhere to be found.
And the, the way in which it is the school is implemented, its practices, you know, it's not
conducive to produce
proper Muslim students. And, well, I agree with you 100%. If the administration of the school is not practicing, they don't care. You know, it's just Muslim in name, because it was a good business opportunity for the business people who set it up, then this is the
consequence, but at the same time, what do you do?
Still, the principles which I outlined, you can implement it to the degree that you're able in your class, because Allah will only hold you accountable for what you're able to do.
You are not in the administration, you cannot change the whole school like that, no, but at least you do your part. You know, so that the end of the day, you can feel
a lot more pleased with me, what I've done for the students, you know, is the best that I could.
So, I mean, of course, Allah is
doesn't
treat any of us unfairly. Wilaya Mirrabooka
This is a lot of promise, He will not oppress any of us. So the circumstance that you're in, you're required to do the best you can Islamically given the circumstances that you found yourself in.
And those principles, which I mentioned,
I had them implemented in schools. In Chennai, India, I spent a year there in Chennai, and worked with the Muslim schools there many of the times the teaching staff, were non Muslims, etc. But by discussing with them and explaining, um, even they were involved in conveying the moral message in the classrooms, etc. You know, because, of course, morality is something that all good people recognize, you know, so
much of what is required could even be done by nonnamous. Although preferably in your school, if it's supposed to be a Muslim school, the vast majority of its staff should be Muslim, practicing Muslims.
Alright, thank you so much for the explanation doctor. And now as we still have about 10 minutes to end this session, we will have
Professor, Professor answer the Ganesha see that question, question number three here. This is a very, this is a very important question.
In fact,
I think what what what Dr. Bilal was explaining that the educational level at the tarbiyah level at the practical level is very important. And in fact, Islamization of knowledge should end up there and in providing practical solutions to education to all other
aspects of our life from parenting to education to economix to that's, in fact what we are aiming for. But unfortunately, some of our processes of Islamization, they took a long time, the theoretical level of the epistemology and methodology and so on and so forth. Now, to answer this question here, as I mentioned in the presentation, things, I think, in society, things are dynamic. You don't wait for this process until it ends and then you go to the second or you go to the other process know, if we are able to do things in it and easily, and in balance, it will be great because our society is dynamic, and maybe some civil society groups some private universities someday can do
and they can advance certain areas of Islamization of curriculum is Islamization of science of psychology, and they can provide
alternatives practical alternative that will be very great. But what I am, I tried to mention here is that because of the challenge, put the intellectual challenge by the Western civilization, by producing all this body of knowledge and all these applications, in all areas of life, based on that worldview, the Islamic civilization need to respond intellectually also, so that we bring our worldview, our epistemology, our methodology, and our application and alternative to the form. So that people can see that there is alternative, because many of this western knowledge in human science and social science, they go against the core of human values, against the core of religion,
against the core of fitrah, against the core of Sunon. So what we are trying to do to to bring that Islamic knowledge that shows that we can create a balanced understanding a balanced worldview, and so on and so forth. But all this what we are producing, you need to go down into the process of education at Cal duration, culture, society, so that we create that bigger environment, which understands Islam and implement Sharia naturally, normally, but but to reach that level. I think we need this processes. So we if we can implement Islamization of the self Islamization of knowledge, Islamization of tarbiyah, Islamization of society, of economy, it's great. We go on we pray, we
provide alternatives, we provide practices, because just keep talking about Islam as a great epistemology, great methodology, but we cannot translate into methods, and then applications and then solutions, we will. So there is no need for us to wait until we create all these then we can get people Oh, we got a good example of how we educate primary school people or second, we try whatever thing we have based on our understanding of the Quran, and Sunnah and Islamic practices, we do. But these intellectual groups of Islamization, elite scholars, researchers, they should give up the work to help also the OMA so we work all together. The last thing I wanted to say regarding the
I know that there are other
groups other they also criticize the western model of knowledge, like you mentioned here, post colonial groups and all this. Yes, yes, I think there is no issue to have other nations other people other worldviews also giving their input on this western
positivistic model, there is no harm what what is important is how Islam provides that integrated approach to knowledge, to education, to psychology, to human science to me, we should be starting from the Quran, from the Sunnah, from the legacy that we have, and build our
framework, our understanding, I think the Quran is not my word, my column or is not the column of Rasulullah it is the column of Allah. Allah knows what is psychology, what is sociology? What is a human what is universe what is Gene What is malaika and when he put in the Koran all these laws and Sunon and cherry and all put with hikma and and and the implementation, the proper implementation of those things for sure. They create, hire don't pay you have a good life but the issue rests now on us as Muslims whether we understand the integrated, comprehensive IT
epistemology methodology value system Sharia and are not. So I think that's what they wanted to comment on this we need to go on and each group working in any area whether theoretical, practical in the field in political unification you go on what is important is we always reference ourselves to the Quran and Sunnah and the great practices of this civilization of Islam while benefiting from other civilizations.
Mashallah.
All right. Thank you so much, Professor. And now for the last five minutes, we will have to answer question number five and six.
Number five is stating that
the Islamization of education or in education that I was referring to depends on the existence of a liberal space that gives autonomy to Muslims to develop schools with their own curriculum, no, it's not resist, it's not, it's not
limited there. It you do have it what you can.
This is the reality if the if you're allowed to do more, because some countries have different policies regarding what is taught, we're not talking about taking different textbooks from which
a state or a country has decided that this these are the standard textbooks, we need to be taught to teach those same textbooks. But
how you teach the textbook in your letter lesson plan, you teach the same material is there, but you now integrate Islam into the various elements of that teaching process. So obviously, I mean, if you're in a situation where you're in,
where the wiggers are, where the schools have been taken away from them, and you know, the culture is just being eradicated the Islamic elements of it in one way or another, all kinds of things that are going through right now. I mean, of course, obviously, there's going to be the very difficult there. But you know, we're talking about the majority of the places in the world, majority place in the world, you know, where Muslims are able to set up schools and run them and utilize these principles
to
to benefit the community.
A person says here, but the situation in my opinion is more complex than such a liberal situation, it can be said that there is an anti liberal tendency on the ground of anti radicalism and anti terrorism such as,
how can Islamization be carried out in such a situation?
As I explained, you do from it, what you're able to do.
Allah doesn't hold you accountable for what you're not able to do. So some elements of it can be done. And if you find in your school is situation, you can't do any of this, then that's the time for idre when the Prophet SAW Salem, you know, explain he when his era his time ran out in Mecca, yes, Megadroid went to Medina. So that's the time that's a signal of life telling you time to pack up and move. So otherwise, there's always you know, in most places that I've been to, I've been all over the world, people are able to do this, you know, that is far as possible. So, to different levels. But as I said, you know, even working with non Muslim teachers, it's possible for them to do
it, as I outlined it. Then the second question after listen to your speech, what is the criteria Islamic school? Well, basically, I laid it out already, you know, you should have an owner who
is starting this institution to serve Allah.
God says a bada
he knows he looks at it as a bother and in the same way that we treat our Ibadah we have to, you know, make will do properly, not just any old will do we live in parts of your will do not done etc, no, not acceptable, you have to do properly. So similarly, you know, that person in worshiping a law through the setting of the school, he makes sure that he gets the top
principal who is properly qualified, Islamically conscious, etc, etc. And he makes sure that that principle now will make sure that the teachers that he hires or she hires are Islamically conscious and and so on.
So far, so if at each of those levels, we have people who are Islamically, conscious and dedicated, then we can do wonders. And I've seen Hamidullah schools in different parts of the world, whether in Bangladesh, in the Philippines, you know, in Guyana, South America, where, you know, people have striven and done wonderful things wonders in our time, because, you know, the availability and accessibility of knowledge today, you know, far exceeds what it was 50 years ago.
So Hamdulillah
I feel happy with how things are developing, because a lot of people say, you know, you know, we are in the worst of times, now is the worst Muslims are this nothing, but you know, it's, you need to get a final stone and hide underneath it, you know, we're in going back 50 years, go back 100 years, look at where Muslims were, then, you know, we are far ahead of where we were, no, these are some of the best times of the latter times, obviously, I'm not talking about time of Rasul Allah is the best of all times, but you know, and the early generations, but after that,
things went down, some came up for a while, went down again and up. And that's how life is. So, we are in a time where it is possible in most countries, to Islam eyes, your educational institutions, just be conscious of all of these elements, which are critical for the development, psychological, spiritual, physiological development of the students, because they are our products. You know, this is what we are, you know, hiring for, for creating a generation, a generation, which is like the generation of the Sahaba,
one of stern people who are sternly on the truth, standing, you know, firmly. And just as a last point,
having visited Muslim schools, as I said, in Mindanao, Philippines, Malaysia, Bangladesh,
in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, in
Qatar, where I'm based now, across America, US, Canada, going down to West Indies, South America. And each in each of these schools that I visited.
I would ask this, the students of grade 11th and 12th graduating students and ask them one question. I would ask them,
do you consider yourselves to be true Muslim students? And they are inevitably all of them raise their hand? Yes, yes, yes. True Muslim students? I'll say that. Okay. That's a claim. We have a test a litmus test to determine how truthful your claim is. So I say to them,
of course, I remind them what's a litmus test? They all know it. Anyway. Then I say to them, okay. Now I want you all to raise your hands. Right? And say after me, well, lucky. I have never cheated on any test or examination, in my school career, all the hands down immediately.
That's the proof
at the proof,
sometimes the principal's who have been with me, they will have the time limit for question and answer session. And when you can have the final statement.
Final statements, I was making my final statement. Anyway, the point is that we have a job to do, Allah has blessed us to be conscious and, and put us in positions where we are involved in educating the next generation passing on that culture, the cultural Package, which includes everything of Islam in it. We ask Allah to give us success in these types of endeavor endeavors. And, of course, we should always try to do our utmost best knowing that this education, the teaching and the learning, this is a part of Ibadah and those who are on that path of knowledge, are on a path to paradise as the process alum toeless
Baraka lafay
Professor big final statements
I thought you will be the final Okay.
May Allah bless you all I think this was a wonderful session with our participant here I think what is important is to
what is important to all of us here is to understand that the Quran is our point of reference. You want an epistemology, Koran, you want a methodology, Koran, you want guidance is in the Quran. And I think with this understanding, we can make big difference in our life and in the life of other people. Islam and Islamic worldview has proved earlier that it can establish a balance civilization. We can do it again Inshallah, with great souls, great minds and hearts and great people. Celebrate, my goodness Allah