V. Education in the Muslim world

1. Comment on the following quotations:

1. The knowledge from which no benefit is derived is like a treasure out of which nothing is spent in the cause of Allah. (Prophet Muhammad)

2. Whoever knows all things without knowing God-Great and Glorious-is not worthy to be called wise because he does not know the most sublime and highest of all things. (Imam Al-Ghazali)

2. Reading

Pre-Reading Tasks

Task 1. Are the following concepts the same or different? Discuss with your partner. Share your opinion with the rest of the group.

1. disaffection and depression

2. useful and utilitarian

3. wisdom and intelligence

Thinking skills

Engaging the intellect holistically By JEREMY HENZELL-THOMAS

Western education systems emphasize “thinking skills” either as a program or as a strand ideally woven into all subject areas. In Britain, for example, one factor behind the emphasis is a concern that the national curriculum has abandoned the philosophy and practice of holistic education and is dominated by a narrow concept of “schooling” geared to uninspiring utilitarian objectives.

The negative effects of this target driven schooling on the morale of school children have been well documented. Disaffection and truancy are rife, and self-harm, depression and even suicide are increasing alarmingly among young people.

The thrust for thinking skills education has focused on the development of a teaching and learning culture that promotes “critical and creative thinking.” There is a pressing need to revive such a teaching and learning culture in the Muslim world. Muhammad Asad eloquently reminds us of this in his foreword to The Message of the Qur’an, that the spirit of the Qur’an helped revive the culture of inquiry in Europe: “Through its insistence on consciousness and knowledge, it engendered among its followers a spirit of intellectual curiosity and independent inquiry, ultimately resulting in that splendid era of learning and scientific research which distinguished the world of Islam at the height of its cultural vigor; and the culture thus fostered by the Qur’an penetrated in countless ways and byways into the mind of medieval Europe and gave rise to that revival of Western culture which we call the Renaissance, and thus became in the course of time largely responsible for the birth of what is described as the ‘age of science.’

But the process of learning and inquiry engendered by the Qur’an was not restricted to a “rational” concept of “enlightenment,” which in its most debased form reduces rich and multilayered scientia sacra to the poverty of scientism. It was a spiritual “enlightenment” under which all other levels of enlightenment are subsumed in the natural order. It is the origin and goal of an authentic Islamic education as it is for all truly holistic systems of education in any culture that endeavor to “unwrap” (“develop” in its original meaning) our full humanness.

There is always the danger that supposedly enhanced thinking skills, both critical and creative, if detached from a higher vision of intellectual and spiritual capacities, will be pressed into the service of the utilitarian goals that govern the schooling process and its prevailing ideology.

Indeed, without understanding the intellect and an awareness of the moral and spiritual dimensions that animate human excellence, education in thinking skills can rarely go beyond the reductionism that focuses solely on sharpening the lower intellectual functions—the logical reasoning, argument and analysis that have been productive in scientific and technological advancement but cannot encompass the deeper needs of the soul and spirit.

An Islamic vision of education can re-animate holistic education that encompasses higher intellectual faculties and a human excellence (ihsan) that is inseparable from beauty and virtue and not limited to an individualistic concept of personal achievement, mastery and success. This is a vision of tawhid, in which cognitive, moral and spiritual functions are intertwined and interdependent.

“I seek refuge from God from a knowledge which has no use,” said the Prophet Muhammad. The useful knowledge he refers to is not merely utilitarian but that which enables us to live under the grace and guidance of our Creator. A solely utilitarian education prioritizes useful education and reduces the ideal of right livelihood to a solely materialistic enterprise in which we become “consumers” enslaved by “national economic development.”

Although cultivating rational thinking in any education system is important, ‘aql (intellect) encompasses not only the lower intellectual level, which depends on the power of definition and conceptualization through language skills, but also the organ of moral and spiritual intelligence and insight, which at its highest level can be equated with the heart.

In a detailed study of ‘aql, Karim Douglas Crow notes the re-appearance of “wisdom” in recent descriptions of intelligence to connote “a combination of social and moral intelligence, or in traditional terms: that blend of knowledge and understanding within one’s being manifested in personal integrity, conscience, and effective behavior.” He says one key component of “intelligence” expressed by the term ‘aql was “ethical spiritual.” (Islamica, 3:1, 1999, pp. 49‒64)

Through awakening and nurturing higher faculties in an authentically Islamic educational process, Muslims can contribute to reviving the best educational practice for all mankind.

After reading tasks

Task 1. True/false sentences

1. British education is characterized by holistic approach as its top priority.

2. Orientation of education to utilitarian objectives has proved rather positive.

3. “Thinking skills” is presented as a separate subject in British national curriculum.

4. There is a pressing need to develop teaching and learning culture that promotes critical and creative thinking.

5. An authentically Islamic education is acknowledged for fostering a spirit of intellectual curiosity and independent inquiry.

6. An Islamic vision of education may be equated with scientism.

7. Islamic culture contributed in a great deal to the Renaissance.

8. Enhancing thinking skills should go hand in hand with development of intellectual and spiritual capacities.

9. Education in thinking skills sharpens both the lower intellectual functions and the higher intellectual facilities.

10. Cultivating rational thinking is not important in Islamic culture.

11. Wisdom is considered to be an integral part of intelligence.

Task 2. Find in the text the explanations for the following concepts

lower intellectual functions _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

intellect _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

heart _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

wisdom _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Task 3. Make the following collocations complete

thinking _ _ _ _ _ _

national _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

holistic _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ objectives

economic _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ priority

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ need

intellectual _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ vigor

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Islamic education

intellectual and spiritual _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ reasoning

scientific and technological _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Task 4. Find in the text synonyms for the words

Reduce –

Goals –

Capabilities –

Focus –

Vitality –

Encourage, promote –

Strive –

Dominate –

Include, embrace -

Task 5. Fill in the gaps with prepositions

1. To be woven _________ all areas

2. To gear ______

3. To have effect _______ schoolchildren

4. To focus ______ the development

5. Remind smb _____ smth

6. Foreword ______

7. Insistence _________

8. Penetrate _______ smth

9. To be restricted ________

10. To be detached _________

11. To be limited ________

12. To seek refuge ______

13. To be equated _________

14. To contribute _________

Task 6. Match the words and phrases with their Russian equivalents and definitions

A strand To be woven into To be equated with Gear to Foreword to Target Truancy Inquiry Solely rife	Согласовывать, подчинять Быть включенным/ вплетенным Предисловие Прогул, пропуск без уважительной причины Распространенный; в больших количествах Элемент системы Только, единственно Приравнивать Цель Вопрос, поиск ответов	to be equal purpose, goal, aim to be included as a part widespread, abundant to adjust or adapt (one thing) so as to fit in or work with another an introductory statement to a book only, entirely staying away from school without permission constituent element in a complex whole the act of asking questions or collecting information
To revive To foster, nurture To subsume To endeavor To enhance To encompass To enslave To connote To blend	Подчинять Включать, охватывать Воспитывать, пробуждать Ассоциировать Сочетаться Усиливать, улучшать Возрождать Относиться к категории Посягать, покушаться	to consider (an instance of something) as part of a general rule or principle to bring back, to flourish again to make smb dependant, to restrict smb’s freedom to intensify or increase to promote the growth or development to imply associations to mix or mingle to try very hard to do something to include, to enclose
Utilitarian objectives Cultural vigor Thinking skills National curriculum Holistic education Economic performance Top priority Pressing need Intellectual curiosity Authentic Islamic education Intellectual and spiritual capacities Logical reasoning Scientific and technological advancement	Любознательность, жажда знаний Высший приоритет, самое главное Подлинное исламское образование Культурный подъем Всестороннее образование Научный и технический прогресс Логическое мышление, рассуждение Навыки мышления Прикладные задачи Экономические показатели Национальная учебная программа Крайняя нужда Интеллектуальные и духовные способности /возможности	cultural vitality, force, prosperity economic situation and indexes state educational program progress in science and technology wish to learn the most important abilities to think and comprehend ability of intelligent logical speculation designed for use, with practical purposes comprehensive study drastic necessity the act or process of drawing conclusions from facts, evidence original Muslim study

Discussion

Complete the table comparing the western system of education with the Russian/Ukrainian one:

Western education	Russian/Ukrainian education
emphasis is on analysis and interpretation rather than memorization and theoretical knowledge
Creativity is appreciated
Grammar and spelling are important in teaching a language; grammar is seen as a way to make communication
learning by doing is encouraged in science lessons
in most subjects knowledge is seen as something to use not just to learn
exams focus on the application of knowledge rather than repeating it
giving facts and making students learn is out-of-date; up-to-date is to set up situations for students to find rules themselves
exams are an important part of curricula
continuous assessment
government financial support
recommended 2 years of pre-school education before compulsory
compulsory education begins at 5/6 years
primary education lasts for about 6 years
primary education focuses on literacy and numeracy skills, socialization, creative skills, sport
At elementary school children spend most of their time in the same class with the same teacher
Children sitting individually with textbooks is a thing from the past
brightly decorated classrooms for small children
Children pass exams to move to the next grade
After 11/12 children move from classroom to classroom and from one teacher to another
Public exams at the age of 16 and 18
Students are allowed to stop attending school at 15/16
After 15/16 students can choose subjects
education system favours breadth of knowledge
students can apply to university or college after school
After Bachelor degree it is possible to progress to Master’s and then to PhD degrees which focus entirely on student’s own research