EDCI 7100

ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY OF
EDUCATION
ASST.PROF.DR. TAHRAOUI RAMDANE

PREPARED BY:

ZAKIAH BINTI MD ZAIN G1814154

SHARIFFAH HUSNA BINTI SYED ALWI G1819808

TUAN JUHAIDA BT TUAN MUHAMMAD AMIN G1816498

ROSMINI AISYAH BINTI MOHD RUSLI G1815364

There is no God but Allah and that Prophet Mohammed (peace be
upon him) is his messenger.
The Holy Quran and the Hadith are the two sources which Muslims
depend on their education.
Education is a necessity to civilize the individual, build his character
and to form the society as well as to reach a supreme level of
spirituality with God.
Aims Of Educations
● In islamic educational theory knowledge is gained in order to
actualized and perfect all dimensions of the human being.
● The goal of islamic education is not to simply fill student’s
minds with the information about islam, but rather to teach
them about being Muslim.
● The goal of islamic education is not people be able to live as
the Prophet Muhammad lived because he is the model of
perfection.
● Focus on personality and character development of children.
● Close attention to the real needs and concerns of students.
● Provides students with general understand of islam and how
to be a Muslim.
● Develop student’s understanding of the position of the
Qur’an in Islam.
● Preparation of students with the critical thinking and
problem-solving skill needed to function successfully as
Muslim in society.
● Enhance the the islamic perspective of students.
● Create an environment that reflects and islamic ideology and
lead students to faith and righteous path.
● Prepare the student for a life of purify and sincerity not
cramming their head with facts.
● To provide an environment which allow the student to realize
ideals imaginative,physical,scientific and linguistic growth.
● To make students aware of their responsibility as Muslim to
their environment.
● Acquiring intellectual knowledge of Muslim culture, societies,
and civilizations and the changes. [through the application of
reason and logic].
● Developing spiritual knowledge [derived from divine
revelation and spiritual experience]
● Develop the learner’s interest and understanding of Islam
and Muslims.
● Draw attention to Islam and its role in the world in terms of
politics, economies,social structure.
● Promote the appreciation of islamic, islamic and code of
personal practice.
Terms for Educations
1. “Ta’lim” - [to know, to be aware, to percieve to learn] which is used to
denoted knowledge being sought or imparted through instuction and teaching.
2. “Tarbiyah” - [to increase, to grow] implies a state of spiritual and ethical
nurturing in accordance.
3. “Ta’dib” -[to be cultured, refined, well mannered] suggested a person’s
development of sound social behaviour. What is meant by sounf requires a
deeper understanding of the islamic conception of the human being.
Method of Curriculum
● It has been acknowledge that educators throughout the world that
education serves a dual purpose, one is for the individual and one
for the society
● Through a proper education, individual potentials physical,
intellectual, moral, spiritual, and emotional grow up and develop.
The fast track of his development depends on his skills and the
ability of the teacher, because the teacher is the tool that delivers
the knowledge.
● Education serves another important role, which transmit and
transform the cultural values, and the legacy of a particular society
such as Islamic view toward education. Education is a reformer tool
to the society which leads to prosper and progressive life.
● Islam is a factor to enhance and empower the individual to think,
observe, and realize. The epistemological view of the quranic text ,
some passages exoteric while others obtain esoteric which consider
one of the epistemological features.
● Education is a lifelong process; Prophet Mohammed exhorts believers
to "seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave". Just recently the
new researches (LEAMAN, 1998)found that a child can receive stimuli
even when he/she is still embryo. The potential of learning begins as
early as a few months after conception.
● Education is divided into three types; informal, formal, and none
formal. The home is the most important institution of the informal
learning; it takes place with the indirect manner done by the first
teacher who is the mother.
● Then takes place with the formal institution which is the school, and in
it the learning experience are structured and organized systematically
to achieve specific learning outcomes.
● The curriculum in Islamic schools differs from other kinds of schools;
because it has been including religion subjects start from Quran and
other Islamic subjects to build the religion knowledge from the start
beside the religious subjects there comes, literature, history, science
and mathematics. According to Islam the students should be aware of
the world around him/her because that will lead to the truth which is
the existence of Allah.
● Education covers a broad spectrum of issues; some scholars
reasoned that as a discipline, education consists of five sub discipline,
namely; curriculum, counseling, management, instruction, and
evaluation.
Islamic perspectives that education is to produce righteous individual
who are willing to bring happiness to the world.
● Every country example is unique and cannot be used to generalize or
to make certain conclusions about the Islamic education system.
● Before we move on, it is important to understand the difference
between the terms Quranic and Madrassa education. The Quranic
school or Maktab is a place where Muslim children go to read and
recite the Koran only. Koranic schools can function in the mosque,
under a tree, in the house of the Koran teacher or under an open sky.
● The term Madrassa is usually used for a bit more organized
institutions with classrooms and teachers for different levels. Many
Madrassas have boarding and lodging facilities.
● In the meantime, the educational process has been developed and
started to focus on the scientific subjects and there have been
merging the scientific and the religious subject as has been at the
past, the history shows that Muslim people achieved a huge
contribution on the scientific movement.
ROLE OF TEACHER
❖ Teachers as inheritors of prophets’ knowledge
❖ Teacher’s morals will affect for students’ behaviors:
● Al- Ghazali: Teachers should display strong commitment to Islamic ethics and
values

● More responsibility (adab, honest, loyalty for the job = Allah

❖ Deal better with students. Humility, brotherhood, shouldering the responsibility
❖ Teach students to use reasoning – everything is created for a reason (reflect on
the universe)
❖ Teachers as trainers must make an impact on the young educators in terms of
desirable knowledge, moral, customs and behaviour.
❖ The teacher and student are equally responsible for the teaching-learning process.
❖ The Islamic philosophy of education is neither student-centered nor teacher-
centered.
❖ The philosophy of education which Islam presents is aimed at developing human
beings spiritually, emotionally, morally, ethically, socially as well as economically.
❖ Islam gives guidance to Muslims on how to lead their lives according to the
teaching of the Holy Quran and Sunnah and to achieve success in Dunia and
Akhirah.
❖ Teachers always give good examples to students because the teacher was
encouraged and imitated.

❖ Example is the best method applied by the teacher in teaching students

because students tend to imitate faster than giving a theory.

❖ Instilling discipline for students by giving examples or examples of good

behavior to students by the meaning of the teacher imitated.
Curriculum
Based on:

- Al-Quran and Hadith

- Religious and Intellectual
- Islamic education deals with all field of knowledge
1977~The 1st World Conference on Muslim
Education (WCOME)
Purpose of Islamic Curriculum
1. To include an Islamic perspective in the curriculum, which reflects the
contribution of Islam and Muslims to civilization.
2. To ensure that all students gain knowledge and understanding of the Islamic
legacy.
3. To unify the educational system by removing “the dualism of sacred and
secular from education”.
4. To prevent Muslims being influenced by “Godless ideologies”.
5. To emphasize that Islamic teaching is relevant to every aspect of life and
every subject of the curriculum.
 The Difference Between
Western Liberal Secular and Islamic Education :
Western Liberal Secular Education Islamic Education
The main characteristics of curriculum from Islam’s
point of view.
- The ruling of religion and ethics on the curriculum.
- Comprehensiveness with regard to different dimension such as physical,
rational, mental and social aspects.
- Balance among all the aspects.
- Attention to fine arts, sports, job skills and others.
- Attention to individual and local differences and being dynamic in relation to
changes.
The general foundation of curriculum in Islamic
education
a)

Religious foundation: The main sources include Quran and the manner of the
Prophet (sunnah) in the rest place and then consensus of religious scholars
(ijma’e), analogy in drawing new religious decrees (qeias), general benets of
people (masalih morsalah), and preference of intuitive interests of the scholar
(istehsan). Terefore, religious sciences and their tools (such as the principles of
Islamic beliefs and Arabic language) and this worldly beneficial sciences (such as
philosophy and natural sciences), as far as they are compatible with Islamic
thoughts and ethics, are part of the content.
b)

Philosophical foundation: What is meant by this is the educational philosophy of

Islam derived from religious texts with an independent identity compared to other
educational philosophies. This independence does not prevent it from having
similarities to other philosophies of education. For example, there exists a
similarity to idealism in the emphasis on spiritual values; to naturalist realism in
being realistic in determining educational content; to scholastic realism in
accepting the position of divine revelation and rationality in curriculum; to romantic
naturalism in attending to individual needs and observing individual freedom; and
to pragmatism in the emphasis on experience and solving problems and acquiring
benets.
c)

Psychological foundation: Paying attention to the characteristics of physical,

mental, emotional, and social development of the students in organizing the
content. In Islamic thought, there is no obstacle for accepting and paying attention
to these characteristics.
d)

Social foundation: The transition of the heritage of the Islamic society, learning
social manners, strengthening the family and other social institutions, are among
the issues that should be addressed in determining the content of the curriculum.
Division of curriculum by Al-Sheibani:
(a) The first stage in Islamic education: This stage includes the learning of
essential subjects such as memorizing and reading Quran, the principles of
religion and ethics, reading, writing and arithmetic, the rules and grammar of
Arabic language, reciting moral poetry, calligraphy, the lifestyle of the Prophet,
swimming and riding. In addition to these essential subjects, others such as the
history of Prophet’s wars, giving speeches, social manners, etc. can be added if
needed.

(b) The advanced stage in Islamic education: After the first stage, one can start
a profession or career or, instead, continue with advanced stage that can lead up
to acquiring a speciality. Education in this stage has no limits except for beneting
in the world and the Hereafter, suitable to the local needs and the time’s findings.

The phrase Islamization of
knowledge was first used
and proposed by the
Malaysia Scholar Syed
Muhammad Naquib al -Attas in
his book “Islam and
Secularism”.
Al-Faruqi defines..
“Islamization of modern
knowledge as integrating
the new knowledge into the
corpus of the Islamic legacy
by eliminating, amending,
re-interpreting and adapting
its components as the world
view of Islam and its values
dictate.”
Definition : Islamization of Knowledge
 He said, the modern world has been
developed and structured upon knowledge
which cannot be considered Islamic.
There is nothing wrong with knowledge
weather it comes from Western or any
sources but it becomes wrong when it has
simply been misused.

Fazlur Rahman
Definition : Islamization of Knowledge
Al-Attas
● Islamization is the liberation of man first from magical, mythological, animistic,
national-cultural tradition (opposed to Islam), and then from secular control
over his reason and language.

● Isolation of Western elements and key concepts from existing body of

knowledge.

● Infusion of Islamic elements and key concept into it.

Al-Attas
Al-Attas
Al-Attas

● Nature of man ● Tauhid

● Religion ● Shariah
Islamic
● Knowledge ● Sirah
Elements
● Wisdom ● Sunnah
● Justice ● Tarikh
● Right action
● The concept of university
Al-Attas
● The reality and concept of God forms the major thrust of the Islamic world
view and this has deep implications for the concept of knowledge and the
concept, contents and methods of Islamic education. (Tauhid as the basic)

● The Western vision of reality and truth is not founded on revealed Truth but is
established upon philosophical speculations which are characterized by
uncertainty and relativity. Consequently, knowledge and sciences that
emerge from it are also relative, uncertain, always subject to change and
entail alterations in the worldview and the metaphysical system that project it.
Al-Attas
● Islam derives its source from revelation, confirmed by religion and affirmed by
intellectual and intuitive principles.

● Knowledge is not totally and purely the product of the human mind and
experience but is also based on revealed truth.

● Knowledge continuously requires direction, supervision and confirmation from

the revealed truth.
Al-Attas
Aspects Al-Attas

Problems Identified 1) Erroneous Knowledge

2) Loss of Adab
3) False Leader / Community

Root Causes Secularism

Reform Focus Individual Soul & Knowledge

Premise Knowledge is Value-Bond

Philosophical Framework Worldview

Goal Islamized Personality = Scholar

Social Manifestation Adabic Order

Al-Faruqi
● Islam derives its source from revelation, confirmed by religion and affirmed by
intellectual and intuitive principles.

● Knowledge is not totally and purely the product of the human mind and
experience but is also based on revealed truth.

● Knowledge continuously requires direction, supervision and confirmation from

the revealed truth
Al-Faruqi
● He affirms that in Islam, nature is neither bad nor evil, rather it is viewed as a
creation and a gift. As God’s creation it is purposive, perfect and orderly, and
as a gift it is created for the benefit of man.

● The main purpose of creation is to facilitate and assist man to act in good
deeds and attain happiness.
Fazlur Rahman
- He said that, ‘ilm in itself is good. It is its misuse or abuse that makes it bad.
But this decision of misuse does not depend on knowledge itself. It depends
on moral priorities.

- For him we must not get enamoured over making maps and chart of how to
go about creating Islamic knowledge. We have to invest our time, energy, and
money in the creation, not of propositions, but minds.

- Knowledge is extremely mysterious. One cannot map knowledge, it is created

by Allah in the human mind.
Conclusion in Islamic Philosophy Curriculum
Islamic revivalists convincingly argued that the contemporary secular knowledge
and modern Western educational system has to be islamised, to pave way for the
establishment of a comprehensive Islamisation of all dimensions of private and
public life. This is because, the present day curriculum does not manifest the spirit
of integration. It transmits knowledge and skills with utilitarian purposes which is
subjected to paper qualification and earn a living but not being a vicegerent
(khalifah) of the creator as it is in Islam. Hence, the need for Islamisation of
contemporary knowledge is a very important mission for the Muslim Ummah.
According to Al- Attas, Islamization of knowledge requires: the separation of
foreign elements and errors from the body of knowledge. It demands that what is
left be remoulded in accordance with Islam.
 Critique of Islamic Philosophy of Education

1. Orientalists and Islam

2. Secularist critique of Islamic education (Liberal)
3. Critique of Islamic Thinker (Amongst Muslim)
 ORIENTALIST Who?

1. Orientalists are individuals who teach, write or perform a series of research

works about the East. This group consists of anthropologists, sociologists
or philology.
2. Orientalism is a way of thinking upon differences of ontologism and
epistemology between East and West.
3. Orientalism is Western discipline to dominate, restructure and conquer
Eastern societies. Their interest is to create overviews about Eastern world,
particularly regarding religion, thru teaches and works then, alters the East
according to their needs.
Critique of Islamic Philosophy of Education
Orientalists and Islam

According to al-Attas (1978), the traditional hostility between

Christians and Muslims was initially constituted by the mission
of territorial expansion and military attacks, currently it's
switched to intellectual clash which assigns Muslim’s science
and thinking as the main target of circumvention.

He explains, "The confrontation between Western culture and

civilization and Islam ... has now moved on to the intellectual
level and we must realize, then, that this confrontation is by
nature a historically permanent one. Islam is seen by the West
as posing a challenge to its very way of life " (al-Attas 1978, p.
99).
 Critique of Islamic Philosophy of Education
Orientalists and Islam

● Al-Attas (1978) adds, implementation of Western education system is

obviously marginalize (meminggirkan) the essence and tradition of Islam,
where the subjects were previously considered important in the education
system however, has been abolished (dihapuskan).

For example: In Malaya

● In fact, Jawi writing and literature was eradicated driven to discontinue the
dominance of Islamic science. Of fact, Jawi is main interaction in the activities
and scientific tradition of Islam in Malaya.
 Critique of Islamic Philosophy of Education
Orientalists and Islam

Nik Aziz (1991) believes, the education system

introduced by British considers dualism i.e. separation
between national and religious schools. Moreover,
education program that being practiced in the West, is
seen as not suitable for people in Malaya because it
highlights the approach of secularism which separates
worldly knowledge and religious knowledge.
 Critique of Islamic Philosophy of Education
Secularist critique of Islamic education (Liberal)

● Western liberal education encourages people to align their religious beliefs

with rational principles, helping children to become free agents independent
of the pressures of socialization. Without this ability to make independent
rational choices, people tend toward "blind reliance on authority"
(White 1982:50).
● In Islam, however, encouraging students to question their moral beliefs
may merely make them confused and "unmeshed with society as it is"
(Barrow as cited in Halstead 1995: 40).
 Critique of Islamic Philosophy of Education
Secularist critique of Islamic education (liberal)

● The Islamic conceptions of education as outlined above have featured promi-

nently in the educational debate in Egypt, but have had generally negligible
success in actual implementation.
● The secular/religious dichotomy in Egypt's education system remains
entrenched, and the integration of an Islamic perspective into the curricula
has yet to materialize in any substantial form.
● Contemporary Islamist thinking has done little in regard to educational reform
beyond the level of sloganization.
 Critique of Islamic Philosophy of Education
Secularist critique of Islamic education (liberal)

● From a liberal perspective, Islamic education is problematic because it

assumes a primacy of religious belief that is based on what Barrow would call
"unprovable propositions" (Barrow 1981: 147). Nor is it open to critical
scrutiny; both positions are contradictory to the process of educating.
● If schools seek to initiate students into a particular Islamic conception of the
world with the intention of committing them to those beliefs, this is not
education, according to secularists, but indoctrination.
Critique of Islamic Thinker

1. Philosophy has not been without criticism amongst Muslims, both

contemporary and past. The imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, for whom
the Hanbali school of thought is named, rebuked philosophical
discussion, once telling proponents of it that he was secure in his
religion, but that they were "in doubt, so go to a doubter and argue
with him (instead)."[109]

1. Today, Islamic philosophical thought has also been criticized by

scholars of the modern Salafi movement. The Salafist doctrine is
based on looking back to the early years of the religion to
understand how the contemporary Muslims should practise their
faith.They reject religious innovation or bid'ah, and support the
implementation of sharia (Islamic law).
 Critique of Islamic Philosophy of Education
3. There would be many Islamic thinkers who were not enthusiastic about its
potential, but it would be incorrect to assume that they opposed philosophy
simply because it was a "foreign science".

4. Oliver Leaman, an expert on Islamic philosophy, points out that the

objections of notable theologians are rarely directed at philosophy itself, but
rather at the conclusions the philosophers arrived at.
 Critique of Islamic Philosophy of Education

● Even the 11th century al-Ghazali, known for his Incoherence of the
Philosophers critique of philosophers, was himself an expert in philosophy and
logic.
● His criticism was that they arrived at theologically erroneous (incorrect)
conclusions.
● In his view the three most serious of these were:
1.believing in the co-eternity of the universe with God,
2.denying the bodily resurrection, and
3.asserting that God only has knowledge of abstract universals, not of particular
things, though not all philosophers subscribed to these same views.[110]
The Incoherence of the
Philosophers
The Incoherence of the Philosophers ( ‫تهافت الفالسفة‬
Tahāfut al-Falāsifaʰ in Arabic) is the title of a landmark
11th-century work by the Persian theologian Al-Ghazali
and a student of the Asharite school of Islamic theology
criticizing the Avicennian school of early Islamic
philosophy.[1] Muslim philosophers such as Ibn Sina
(Avicenna) and Al-Farabi (Alpharabius) are denounced in
this book, as they follow Greek philosophy even when it
contradicts (berlawanan) Islam.

The belief that all causal events and interactions are not
the product of material conjunctions but rather the
immediate and present Will of God, underlies the work.
Conclusion

The purpose of an Islamic education is essentially to create

an environment that reflects an Islamic philosophy. It is warm,
embracing, encouraging and its decor redirects its citizens
towards God remembrance and good actions.
Islam is an all-encompassing system which includes all
aspects of life.
Education is the key to that success
Questions

1. What is the meaning of ta’lim, tarbiyah and ta’dib?

2. Why teacher need to giving praise to student if they do the
job well?
3. Why Islamic curriculum refuse to use secular and
dualism?
4. Name 3 parties who criticize the Islamic philosophy of
education?
References
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1. http://hrmars.com/hrmars_papers/Orientalists_and_Islam_Ramifications_to_Educational_System_in_Malaya.pdf

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