DOCSLIB.ORG

Weekend Islamic Schools: Are They Preparing Children for Life Ahead?

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Weekend Islamic Schools: Are They Preparing Children for Life Ahead? Weekend Islamic Schools: Are They Preparing Children for Life Ahead? n July 25, 2017, the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) hosted a one-day convening in partnership with the John O Templeton Foundation (JTF) to identify the needs, opportunities, and challenges for weekend Islamic schools as they relate to character development in students between the ages of 6 and 18. Islamic Weekend Schools: Are They Preparing Children for Life Ahead? 1 Conference Team Host and Co-Convener Institute for Social Policy and Understanding The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) is a nonprofit research and education organization. ISPU conducts objective, solution-seeking research that empowers American Muslims to develop their community and fully contribute to democracy and pluralism in the United States. Since 2002, ISPU has been at the forefront of discovering trends and opportunities that impact the American Muslim community. ISPU’s research aims to educate the general public and enable community change agents, the media, and policymakers to make evidence-based decisions. In addition to building in-house capacity, ISPU has assembled leading experts across multiple disciplines, building a solid reputation as a trusted source for information for and about American Muslims. Co-Convener and Funder ISPU would like to acknowledge our generous co-convener and funder whose contribution made this report possible, the John Templeton Foundation (JTF). The John Templeton Foundation serves as a philanthropic catalyst for discoveries relating to the deepest and most perplexing questions facing humankind. JTF supports research on subjects ranging from complexity, evolution, and emergence to creativity, forgiveness, and free will. JTF encourages civil, informed dialogue among scientists, philosophers, and theologians, as well as between such experts and the public at large. In all cases, their goal is the same: to spur curiosity and accelerate discovery. In order to catalyze such discoveries, JTF provides grants for independent research that advances the mission of the Foundation. And their grants for public engagement help people worldwide engage the fruits of that research and explore the Big Questions. ISPU Convening Team Meira Neggaz Dalia Mogahed Faiqa Mahmood Maryam Jamali Katherine Coplen Mona Hagmagid ISPU Executive ISPU Director of ISPU Researcher ISPU Research ISPU Senior ISPU Logistics and Director Research and Report Author Manager Communications Notetaker Manager John Templeton Foundation Convening Team Michael J. Murray, PhD Sarah Clement, PhD Richard Bollinger, PhD Caitlin Younce Senior Vice President, Director, Character Program Officer, Character Senior Program Associate, Programs Virtue Development Virtue Development Character Virtue Development Convening Participants (listed alphabetically, see full bios on page 23) Amin G. Aaser, Managing Director of Noor Kids Reem Javed, doctoral candidate at the Anisha Ismail Patel, Founder and Chief Graduate Theological Union Education Officer of InnovusED Amaarah DeCuir, faculty member at American University in the teacher education department Sabith Khan, Assistant Professor at California Zahra Seif-Amirhosseini Rafie, Associate Lutheran University Professor of Sociology at Nova Community Susan Douglass, Education Outreach College Coordinator at the Center for Contemporary Habeeb Quadri, Principal at MCC Academy, Arab Studies at the Walsh School of Foreign part-time staff and advisory board member at Madiha Tahseen, research fellow and a Service the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s community educator at the Family and Youth professional development programs Institute Tasneema K. Ghazi, PhD, Executive Director and Co-founder of IQRA’ Foundation Aasim Padela, MD, MSc, Associate Professor Mohammad Usman Asrar, PhD student in of Medicine at the University of Chicago practical theory at Claremont School of Virginia Gray Henry-Blakemore, Director of Theology interfaith publishing houses Fons Vitae and Maryam Razvi Padela, doctoral candidate for Quinta Essentia EdD in curriculum and teaching from the University of Rochester For more information about the convening, please visit: http://www.ispu.org Contents Executive Summary 4 Introduction 6 What the Experts Say 8 Recommendations 19 Final Thoughts 22 Islamic Weekend Schools: Are They Preparing Children for Life Ahead? 3 Weekend Islamic Schools: Are They Preparing Children for Life Ahead? Executive Summary On July 25, 2017, the Institute for Social Policy and Weekend School Curricula Understanding (ISPU) hosted a one-day convening in The following recommendations would impact the in- partnership with the John Templeton Foundation (JTF) structional content and approach of weekend schools. to identify the needs, opportunities, and challenges for weekend Islamic schools as they relate to character de- • Expand educational focus from memorizing the velopment in students between the ages of 6 and 18. Quran and prayers to include behavioral goals A total of 14 participants presented their research and regarding Islamic character development. findings, and engaged in a rich exchange of ideas. The • Include issues of identity and belonging (particularly participants included major designers and publishers to the United States) within the curricula. of Islamic curricula, leaders and teachers of weekend • Improve theological literacy among teachers and Islamic schools, and researchers and scholar-practi- encourage tolerance of doctrinal diversity. tioners with significant experience working with Islamic schools and Muslim communities. Based on the ex- • Connect curriculum with contemporary issues change of ideas at the convening, the participants came facing Muslims today and broader social justice up with experience and evidence based recommenda- topics. tions that can be implemented by all those working in • Bring in guest speakers to delve into contemporary connection with Islamic schools. Divided into five core and even sensitive topics. areas of focus, those recommendations are listed below. Islamic Weekend Schools: Are They Preparing Children for Life Ahead? 4 • Facilitate the development of a standardized test of • Encourage schools to set aside a budget for Islamic studies for weekend Islamic schools. teacher’s professional development. • Encourage major publishers to focus on character development as a core subject area. Interfaith and Inter-organizational • Develop tools for evaluation of student character. Learning • Invest in research and development of Islamic Weekend Islamic schools can learn much from other books and teaching tools that address the needs of faith-based instructional approaches if they embrace contemporary Muslim students and Islamic schools. interfaith collaboration, specifically in the following areas: • How do other faith-based schools attract, retain, Professional Development for Teachers and train teachers? Beyond curriculum changes, several recommendations • How do other faith-based schools teach character? focus on teacher preparation and training. • How do other faith-based schools track students’ • Help shift teaching methods to a “student- progress on character growth? centered pedagogy,” rather than teaching religion Similarly, weekend Islamic schools can adopt relevant disconnected from student context and experience. practices from state schools and other organizations, • Mandate online video modules to train teachers and tailored to the Islamic school context, such as the “char- have them earn Islamic education certification. acter growth card” developed by Character Lab. • Encourage community service projects as a Data Collection and Resource teaching tool. Dissemination Weekend School Administration • There is an urgent need for gathering demographic data about weekend schools, as well as gathering Several recommendations focus on strengthening information to get a clearer picture of the weekend weekend schools’ administrative practices. Islamic school landscape nationally. • Help weekend schools utilize available quantifiable • Find and learn from success stories. measures for student application of character • Collect “best practices” for weekend Islamic education, rather than only assessing students’ schools. comprehension of the religious studies curriculum. • Promote and disseminate existing resources to • Help schools adopt the “eight strengths of weekend schools. character” identified by the Smart and Good High Schools study. Room for Innovation and Technology • Create “professional ethical learning committees” (PLEC) where parents, community members, • Create online spaces for like-minded Islamic school teachers, and students meet regularly, share principals, leaders, and teachers where they can expertise, and collaborate to improve teaching skills share ideas. and students’ academic performance. • Create a neutral online space for Islamic school • Facilitate the development of a board of education practitioners to upload information and resources, for weekend Islamic schools. collaborate, and share best practices. • Help schools create teacher policies to ensure that • Help develop a high-quality magazine at the teachers are consistent and that there is no conflict intersection of mosque, youth, and family. in how individual teachers interpret Islamic teachings • Help young Muslims find and connect with role and impart knowledge to students. models. • Lead efforts to foster women’s leadership, as most • Utilize online tools for visual storytelling. weekend schools
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 1 TRS 152 Islam: Beliefs and Practices Fall 2014 MWF 8:00 Am
    1 TRS 152 Islam: Beliefs and Practices Fall 2014 MWF 8:00 am – 9:05 am, Dante 113. Instructor: Ali Ataie, MA, PhD student, GTU. Office hours: Wednesdays 9:15­11:15am (Galileo 207D) [email protected] Course Description: The purpose of this course is to introduce undergraduate students to the basic tenets of the Islamic faith tradition. We will read and discuss the biography (sirah) of the Prophet Muhammad according to the earliest historical sources as well as analyze various sciences (‘ulum) of the Qur’an and hadith (prophetic traditions), and how these two primary Islamic sources influenced the codification of Islamic law (shari’a), creedal literature (‘aqidah), and Islamic mysticism (Sufism [tasawwuf]). We will also examine the intellectual contributions of classical and contemporary Muslim theologians, philosophers, mystics, and metaphysicians as well as examine both the history and work of the Western Academy’s critical engagement with Islam. This course will explore the fundamental religious beliefs held by Muslims for over 1400 years by covering the three dimensions of Islam as outlined in the famous hadith of Gabriel: practice (Islam), faith (Iman), and spirituality (Ihsan). In addition, we will look at various contemporary understandings and manifestations of the global phenomenon of Islam and how these understandings are shaped by various historical, societal, literary, and cultural factors. Course Objectives: 1. To inform and educate future religious, academic, and community leaders about the normative understandings of traditional Islam by Muslim scholars of the past and present as well as analyze critical responses to those understandings by scholars of Western Academy.
    [Show full text]
  • The Prophet, the Qur'an, and Islamic Ethics Conclusion
    Conclusion The Prophet, the Qur’an, and Islamic Ethics Rudolph Ware Nun. By the pen, and what they trace. You are not insane, by your Lord’s grace. And indeed for you, a reward forever For you are indeed, atop great character (Qur’an, Sura al-Qala 68:1–5). he Prophet Muhammad, bearer of the Qur’an, holds a lofty ontolog- ical status in Islam. He is a human being, but his very being is sacred.1 He is the mediating instrument responsible For transmitting to the T 2 world what Muslims believe to be God’s verbatim speech. And as such, he is the source, embodied example, and center of contemplation For Muslim approaches to knowing God.3 For Fourteen centuries, the traditional religious sciences (‘ulum al-din) have grappled with the meaning of this one man’s life.4 Countless volumes have sought to come to terms with his legacy. Collections of records (hadith) about his life and times, his words and deeds, his virtues and miracles are essential to Muslim jurists, theologians, and historians alike.5 Scholars have penned countless volumes trying to know the Book, the God that sent it, and the man who brought it.6 They have poured out their ink— and the letter “nun,” which opens the Chapter of The Pen is often likened to an inkwell—trying to understand the man who inscribed God’s fnal revealed Book onto the tablet of history. Knowing—indeed loving—the Prophet is also the very core of the tra- ditional religious science known as Sufsm.7 For in envisioning, enacting, and embodying his example (sunna), Muslims seek to cultivate ethical excellence and draw near to God.8 And if ethics are at the heart of Sufsm—and its 223 224 RuDolph Ware wellsprings, the Qur’an and the sunna—then Suf values are not only meta- physical but also political.9 While this essay will not sketch the political history of Sufsm in the region, it is important to get a sense of the sheer demographic signifcance of Sufsm in West Africa.
    [Show full text]
  • Islam (Part 2 of 2)
    Islam (Part 2 of 2) The first of five pillars of Islam’s faith is known as the shahadah (the act of bearing witness). The shahadah states that one must openly proclaim that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. Supposedly, the angel Gabriel visited Muhammad and a companion (Umar; second caliph) and quizzed them over the religion of Islam. Muhammad later explains to Umar that this event happened for his benefit that he may learn the five pillars of Islam and the six pillars of faith. The Quran explains how that one may come to have the faith of the shahadah in three steps that lead to “certainty.” The first step in gaining a faith in Allah and his messenger Muhammad is to consider the physical universe and know that it could not just accidentally happen. A creator was responsible for said creation. When one acknowledges that Allah must have created the heavens and the earth one has obtained “knowledge of certainty” (Quran 102:5). The second phase of faith is termed the “eye of certainty” (Quran 102:7). One obtains faith in Allah and Muhammad by being enlightened by the Quran (Quran 39:22). Lastly, one obtains a “certain” faith in Allah and his prophet when one obtains the “truth of certainty” (Quran 69:51). Said faith is evidenced by one’s obedience to the law of Islam (shariah). There are many aspects in Islam that sound familiar to the judicious Bible student. The true Christian obtains faith by viewing the physical universe (Rom.
    [Show full text]
  • Muslim Voices: What Scholars Say …
    Muslim voices: what scholars say … In March 2017, a panel discussion was hosted by the Al-Khoei Foundation in London. Speaking on the panel were: Ayatollah Dr Sayyid Fadhel H Al-Milani (Shi’a) almilani.com/English Imam Monawar Hussain (Sunni) www.theoxfordfoundation.com/about Sheikh Mohammed Al-Hilli (Shi’a) en-gb.facebook.com/sheikhhilli/ Zameer Hussain (Shi’a) themuslimvibe.com/author/zameerhussain Dr Chris Hewer, a scholar of Christian-Muslim relations www.chrishewer.org Explain Muslim beliefs about weapons of mass destruction Sheikh Al-Hilli (Shi’a): The Muslim perspective is that in the Qur’an (5.32) God the Almighty states that ‘whomsoever kills another individual unjustly, it as if they have killed the whole of humanity’. Therefore, in Islam, using any means that causes death to a large number of people, innocent civilians included, is not acceptable. There is a lot of emphasis with regards to inclining towards peace. In Qur’an 8.61 God says ‘if the enemy inclines towards peace then you should also incline towards peace, and trust in God’. This was the practice of the Prophet, peace be upon Him and his family, and in Islam, the preservation of the life of innocent civilians is primarily important. You also need to take into consideration that Islam calls for the protection of the environment, as well as the people’s personal belongings. Ayatollah Al-Milani (Shi’a): In Islam, the ethics of warfare is that no poison, no chemical weapons, nothing like this is to be used in the battlefield. Elderly, children and women are safe and no one has the right to attack them.
    [Show full text]
  • The World's Muslims: Unity an Rld's Muslims: Unity and Diversity
    AUGUST 9, 2012 The World’s Muslims: Unity and Diversity FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Luis Lugo, Director Alan Cooperman, Associate Director, Research James Bell, Director of International Survey Research Erin O’Connell Associate Director, Communications Sandra Stencel Associate Director, Editorial (202) 419-4562 www.pewforum.org 2 PEW FORUM ON RELIGION & PUBLIC LIFE About the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life This report was produced by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life. The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. The center conducts public opinion polling, demographic studies, content analysis and other empirical social science research. It does not take positions on policy issues. The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life is a project of the Pew Research Center; it delivers timely, impartial information on the issues at the intersection of religion and public affairs in the U.S. and around the world. The Pew Research Center is an independently operated subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. The report is a collaborative effort based on the input and analysis of the following individuals: Primary Researcher James Bell, Director of International Survey Research, Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life Pew Forum Luis Lugo, Director Research Alan Cooperman, Associate Director, Research Jessica Hamar Martinez, Besheer Mohamed, Michael Robbins, Neha Sahgal and Katie Simmons, Research Associates Noble
    [Show full text]
  • Islam, Iman, Ihsan: Climbing the Spiritual Mountain
    2 | Islām, Īmān, Ihṣ ān: Climbing the Spiritual Mountain Author Biography Justin Parrott has BAs in Physics, English from Otterbein University, MLIS from Kent State University, MRes in Islamic Studies from the University of Wales, and is currently Research Librarian for Middle East Studies at NYU in Abu Dhabi. Disclaimer: The views, opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in these papers and articles are strictly those of the authors. Furthermore, Yaqeen does not endorse any of the personal views of the authors on any platform. Our team is diverse on all fronts, allowing for constant, enriching dialogue that helps us produce high-quality research. Copyright © 2019. Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research 3 | Islām, Īmān, Ihṣ ān: Climbing the Spiritual Mountain Abstract This paper presents the three levels of religious practice in Islam as expressed in the famous ḥadith of Gabriel: 1) Islām (outward submission to the will of Allah), ​ ​ 2) Īmān (faith), and 3) Iḥsān (spiritual excellence). Texts from the Qur’an, Sunnah, ​ ​ ​ ​ and classical scholarly works are cited to distinguish these three levels of religion (dīn) from each other. The purpose of this knowledge is to lay out the big picture ​ ​ before the worshipper, the highest religious goals in Islam, what the author refers to as the “spiritual mountain.” This includes a broad awareness of the Islamic disciplines: Qur’an, Tafsīr, Tajwīd, Ḥadith , Sīrah, ʿAqīdah, Sharīʿah, Fiqh, and ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ purification of the soul or spirituality. The prophetic method of self-improvement and habit formation will lastly be presented as the primary means to achieve stronger faith and spiritual excellence. Introduction Human beings were created with an internal drive to seek out purpose and to live for something greater than themselves.
    [Show full text]
  • To Download the Handout Referred to in the Presentation
    1 “God is Beautiful, and (S)He loves Beauty”: Foundations of Practical Spirituality in Islam1 Handout prepared by Boston College Professor James Morris to accompany his presentation on April 19, 2017 MUSICAL VERSION OF THE PAINTING (TRADITIONAL IRANIAN MUSICIANS): two opening verses of a ghazal of Hafiz: The Musician of Love has a wondrous instrument and song: the impression of each chord (S)he strikes2 has a its way to a place. The world, may it never be without the lament of lovers: such a beautifully-sounding, joy-giving melody it has! OTHER KEY REFERENTS/SOURCES OF THIS “MANDALA” FROM FAMILIAR HADITH & QUR’ANIC VERSES: • “I was a Hidden Treasure, and I loved to be known; so I am creating creation/creatures/human beings (khalq), in order that that I might be truly-known.”3 (Divine saying) • God is Beautiful, and (S)He loves Beauty. (famous saying, circulating as hadith) • And among His Signs are the creating of the heavens and the earth, and the differing of your tongues and colors.” (22:33) • We shall show them Our Signs on the horizons and in their souls, so that it becomes clear to them that Hū4 is the Real.... (41:53) [= the “two Books” of creation/the Spirit] • God’s is the place-of-shining-forth and the place of darkening: so wheresoever you all turn around, there is the Face of God! certainly God is All-encompassing, All-knowing. (2:115) • [on Dhikr/ “Remembrance of God”]Certainly in the creating of the heavens and the earth...are Signs for the people of Hearts,/ Who remember God while standing, and sitting, 1 Boston College STM-Cadigan Alumni Hall (Wednesday, April 19, 6-7:30 pm).
    [Show full text]
  • Rhetoric, Philosophy and Politics in Ibn Khaldun's Critique of Sufism
    Harvard Middle Eastern and Islamic Review 8 (2009), 242–291 An Arab Machiavelli? Rhetoric, Philosophy and Politics in Ibn Khaldun’s Critique of Suªsm James Winston Morris Thoughtful and informed students of Ibn Khaldun’s Muqaddima (1377) are well aware that in many places his masterwork is anything but a straightforwardly objective or encyclopedic summary of the available histories and other Islamic sciences of his day. Instead, his writing throughout that unique work illustrates a highly complex, distinctive rhetoric that is constantly informed by the twofold focuses of his all- encompassing political philosophy. The ªrst and most obvious interest is discovering the essential preconditions for lastingly effective political and social organization—a task that involves far more than the outward passing forms of power. And the second is his ultimate end—the effec- tive reform of contemporary education, culture, and religion in direc- tions that would better encourage the ultimate human perfection of true scientiªc, philosophic knowing. In both of those areas, any understand- ing of Ibn Khaldun’s unique rhetoric—with its characteristic mix of multiple levels of meaning and intention expressed through irony, po- lemic satire, intentional misrepresentation and omissions, or equally un- expected inclusion and praise—necessarily presupposes an informed knowledge of the actual political, cultural, and intellectual worlds and corresponding attitudes and assumptions of various readers of his own time. It is not surprising that many modern-day students have over- looked or even misinterpreted many of the most powerful polemic ele- ments and intentions in his writing—elements that originally were often as intentionally provocative, shocking, and “politically incorrect” (in- deed frequently for very similar purposes) as the notorious writings of Nicolò Machiavelli (1536–1603) were in his time.
    [Show full text]
  • Nicholas of Cusa and Islam Studies in Medieval and Reformation Traditions
    Nicholas of Cusa and Islam Studies in Medieval and Reformation Traditions Edited by Andrew Colin Gow (Edmonton, Alberta) In cooperation with Sylvia Brown (Edmonton, Alberta) Falk Eisermann (Berlin) Berndt Hamm (Erlangen) Johannes Heil (Heidelberg) Susan C. Karant-Nunn (Tucson, Arizona) Martin Kaufhold (Augsburg) Erik Kwakkel (Leiden) Jürgen Miethke (Heidelberg) Christopher Ocker (San Anselmo and Berkeley, California) Founding Editor Heiko A. Oberman † VOLUME 183 The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/smrt Nicholas of Cusa and Islam Polemic and Dialogue in the Late Middle Ages Edited by Ian Christopher Levy Rita George-Tvrtković Donald F. Duclow LEIDEN | BOSTON This is an open access title distributed under the terms of the CC BY-NC 4.0 license, which permits any non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited. Further information and the complete license text can be found at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-nc/4.0/ The terms of the CC license apply only to the original material. The use of material from other sources (indicated by a reference) such as diagrams, illustrations, photos and text samples may require further permission from the respective copyright holder. An electronic version of this book is freely available, thanks to the support of libraries working with Knowledge Unlatched. More information about the initiative can be found at www. knowledgeunlatched.org. Cover illustration: Opening leaf of ‘De pace fidei’ in Codex Cusanus 219, fol. 24v. (April–August 1464). Photo: Erich Gutberlet / © St. Nikolaus-Hospital/Cusanusstift, Bernkastel-Kues, Germany. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Nicholas of Cusa and Islam : polemic and dialogue in the late Middle Ages / edited by Ian Christopher Levy, Rita George-Tvrtkovic, Donald F.
    [Show full text]
  • A Grounded Theory Study of the Prophet Muhammad's Leadership
    St. John Fisher College Fisher Digital Publications Education Doctoral Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education 12-2015 A Grounded Theory Study of the Prophet Muhammad’s Leadership Behaviors: A Model for Islamic School Principals Asif I. Padela St. John Fisher College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/education_etd Part of the Education Commons How has open access to Fisher Digital Publications benefited ou?y Recommended Citation Padela, Asif I., "A Grounded Theory Study of the Prophet Muhammad’s Leadership Behaviors: A Model for Islamic School Principals" (2015). Education Doctoral. Paper 243. Please note that the Recommended Citation provides general citation information and may not be appropriate for your discipline. To receive help in creating a citation based on your discipline, please visit http://libguides.sjfc.edu/citations. This document is posted at https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/education_etd/243 and is brought to you for free and open access by Fisher Digital Publications at St. John Fisher College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Grounded Theory Study of the Prophet Muhammad’s Leadership Behaviors: A Model for Islamic School Principals Abstract The Muslim population in the United States is expected to double over the next two decades. As the population grows, there will be a corresponding growth in the size and number of Islamic organizations, especially Islamic schools. Islamic schools were first established in the 1930s by the Nation of Islam and were followed by the establishment of Sunni Islamic schools in the 1970s. Islamic schools, similar to traditional schools, are operated by principals.
    [Show full text]
  • Aqeedah, Its Meaning and Importance [A+] [A-]
    ::Kalamullah.Com:: http://www.kalamullah.com/aqeedah01.html Aqeedah, Its Meaning and Importance [A+] [A-] In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful By Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Qari Intoduction One narration states, "You are going to a people from the People of the Book. Let the first thing that you call them to be the worship of Allah. If they acknowledge Allah, then inform them that Allah has obligated upon them five prayers during their days and nights." [Al-Bukhari, Muslim] This hadith is clear. It does not require much of an explanation. The Prophet (peace be upon him) applied this principle in his practical calling to Islam. He stayed in Makkah for thirteen years to teach the people iman and to educate his Companions on this point and to correct the beliefs of the people. That is the pattern upon which the Companions were brought up. Jundub Ibn Abdullah al-Bajaly said, "We learned iman (faith) and then we learned the Quran and it increased our iman." Abdullah ibn Umar said, "We lived during an instant of time in which one of us would receive faith first before receiving the Quran and when the surahs were revealed we would learn what they permitted and what they prohibited and what they forbade and what they ordered and what should be the stance towards them. But I have seen many men from whom one is given the Quran before iman and he reads it from the opening of the Book to its closing and he does not know what it orders and what it forbids and what should be his stance towards it.
    [Show full text]
  • An Islamic Seminary, Or Dar Al-Uloom in Modern Britain
    Article Between Tradition and Transition: An Islamic Seminary, or Dar al-Uloom in Modern Britain Haroon Sidat Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK, School of History, Archaeology and Religion, John Percival Building, Cardiff University, Colum Drive, Cardiff CF10 3EU, UK; [email protected] Received: 3 August 2018; Accepted: 9 October 2018; Published: 15 October 2018 Abstract: Based on detailed ethnographic fieldwork, this article provides an insider account of life inside a British Dar al-Uloom, or a traditional Islamic religious seminary, for the first time. Given that Dar al-Ulooms play an important role in the British Muslim landscape in providing training for religious leadership, the article argues that, far from the Dar al-Uloom tradition being static, it is undergoing continuous adaptation and change. After mapping the historical and geographical lineage of the modern Dar al-Uloom, the article explores its pedagogy. The postural tradition and adab (broadly translated as comportment or code of behavior) embody the notion of humility, as the classroom has become the locale for balancing a curriculum with depth and coverage, especially given the challenges young Muslims in Britain are facing. The current students of the Dar al-Uloom will become imams and faith leaders primarily responsible for addressing the changing needs of young Muslims. What has emerged is a traditional Dar al-Uloom that is in a dialogical relationship both with the modern world outside of it and within it. There is the need to embody a ‘tarbiyyatic pedagogy’ that is one that emphasises the student-teacher relationship where the student is transformed in the process of learning while interpreting Islam through the lens of the Deobandi universe.
    [Show full text]