i TRADITION AND MODERNITY IN MADRASSAH EDUCATION IN PUNJAB (PAKISTAN): AN ANALYTICAL STUDY RASHIDA AHMAD PHD PAKISTAN STUDIES PAKISTAN STUDY CENTRE UNIVERSITY OF THE PUNJAB LAHORE, PAKISTAN MARCH 2015 i TRADITION AND MODERNITY IN MADRASSAH EDUCATION IN PUNJAB (PAKISTAN): AN ANALYTICAL STUDY A THESIS SUBMITTED TO FACULTY OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES UNIVERSITY OF THE PUNJAB IN CANDIDACY FOR THE FULFILMENT OF THE DEGREE OF DOCOTR OF PHILOSPHY IN PAKISTAN STUDIES BY RASHIDA AHMAD 2006-UPC-1 PAKISTAN STUDY CENTRE UNIVERSITY OF THE PUNJAB LAHORE, PAKISTAN MARCH 2015 i D E C L A R A T I O N I hereby declare that this Ph.D. dissertation is the result of my individual effort, and that it has not been submitted concurrently to any other university for any other degree. _______________________________ RASHIDA AHMAD ii C E R T I F I C A T E This is to certify that the research work described in this thesis is the original work of the author and has been carried out under my direct supervision. I have personally gone through all the data/results/material reported in the manuscript and certify their correctness/authenticity. I further certify that the material included in this thesis has not been used in part or full in a manuscript already submitted or in the process of submission in partial/complete fulfilment of the award of any other degree from any other institution. I also certify that the thesis has been prepared under my supervision according to the prescribed format and I endorse its evaluation for the award of Ph.D. degree through the official procedures of the University. _______________________ PROF. DR. MASSARRAT ABID Professor & Director Pakistan Study Centre University of the Punjab, Lahore. iii To My Children Ayesha Mohammad Hassnain Ali Maryiam Batool & Mohammad Hassan Ali iv ABSTRACT The study was conducted to evaluate the concept of tradition and modernity historically and then to explore the demands and needs to rethink and reconstruct tradition and modernity of Islam with madrassah education in Pakistan. Tradition and modernity, both are essential; they are recognized as the complimentary means of arriving at the truth. Tradition helps to look back to the origin of life, to the foundations of divine religion and cultures. While modernity, on the other hand is the logical, practical and scientific thought that make human beings to function with their best capabilities in all spheres of life. Madrassah is the traditional school of learning where Islamic knowledge is imparted. It has always played vital role, socially, politically and economically in a Muslim society. Tradition and modernity in madrassah education means evolution of sources of knowledge and different aspects of madrassah education system. It takes into consideration both conceptual and institutional aspects of madrassah education in order to bring it at par with formal system of education. The study concludes that such a harmonious blend will result in producing graduates well versed in all spheres of knowledge. The study also explored and analyzed that the subject of madrassah education has acquired exceptional focus, nationally and internationally for number of reasons, particularly after 9/11. It has given momentum to already triggered debate about the need to reform Islam and religious educational institutions. The study found out that Muslims response to modernity is more specifically is the result of development within Islam itself, in addition to reaction to British colonialism in Indian Sub-Continent. The study also analyzed that the general reformist Islamic discourse is also synonymous with the extraordinary focus on the role of madrassah education in the society. It is evident historically that the madrassah education has always occupied a central position among the thoughts of religious scholars v (the ulema) in terms of denominational discourses or their aims to lead and safeguard the personal sphere of Muslims or in recent times over issue of reforms. The study explore that, in reality, most of these reformist movements for revival of Islam developed networks of madaris or at least make an effort to institutionalize their ideas and principles. Islamic education has therefore, been formed as one of the vital ‗building blocks‘ of any Islamic society. The reformist Islamic discourses, gave rise to three responses i.e., rejectionist, adoptionist and revivalists. These responses found manifestation in madaris. Different schools of thought in Islam interacted and interpreted these reforms according to their own doctrines. It is for this reason that the researcher selected five madaris representing all schools of thought for case studies to highlight these issues. `The study takes the Islamic concept of modernity, and clarifies that it is different from western concept of modernity, modernisation, modern, and modernisms. Numbers of studies are available on different aspects of madrassah education, but none of the studies give full length detail to the concept of tradition and modernity with reference to madrassah education . There is a strong emphasis on the pursuit of madrassah education in the ongoing educational reforms in the country. Identifying researches on madrassah education around the globe, the discussion is broad in coverage and narrow in its focus when we emphasize the tradition and modernity in the madrassah education with special reference to Punjab (Pakistan). The study provides an overview of the current state of knowledge and evaluates the extent and needs of rethinking and reconstruction of tradition and modernity with madrassah education. vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS All praises to Almighty ALLAH, the Most Beneficent and the Most Exalted, and His Holy Prophet MUHAMMAD (PBUH). I would like to express my special appreciation and thanks to Professor Dr. Massarrat Abid, for her inspiring guidance and enlightened supervision. Without her deep interest and proper guidance this work would have been impossible. I would also like to thank, Prof. S. Qalb-i-Abid, Prof. Ali Abbass and Prof. Javed Iqbal. They proved themselves very helpful and kind in their commitment to see this manuscript taking its final shape. All of them have been supporting me when I recruit patience and collected data for my Ph.D. thesis. I would especially like to express gratitude to Prof. David GilMartin for his valuabe comments and suggestions. I would also like to extend my deepest gratitude to the library staff of the Pakistan Study Centre, Department of History, and National Archives Islamabad. I gratefully acknowledge the assistance and support provided to me by the staff of the Pakistan Study Centre, University of the Punjab, particularly of Hammad Abdullah, Malik Arshad Ali, Shakeel Ahmad and Nasir javed. I thank my colleagues particularly Dr. Naumana Kiran Imran and Dr. Zahida Sulaiman for their encouragement. They have been supporting me morally all the time and providing me with some of the important data related to my thesis. I had been awarded ‗Indigenous Ph.D. fellowship‘ of Higher Education Commission, Pakistan. It enabled me to get financial support for my research for which I am grateful to Higher Education Commission. I am also obliged to the staff of Institute of Policy Study vii (IPS), Islamabad, Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Islamabad for helping me to provide some of the rare research material related to my study. A special thanks to my family. Words cannot expres how grateful I am to my husband, Dr. Muhammad Arshad Dahar for his endless support and all of the sacrifices that he has made on my behalf. He helped me in writing my thesis, and gave valuable suggestions, engaged with me in discussion over multifaceted points, which always culminated in one step forward towards achieving my goal. I would also like to express thanks to my Mother–in-law, and sisters- in-law Kausar, Rukhsana and especially Riffat Tahira, who have been taking care of my toddlers during my PhD studies and research work. It would have been impossible without their support to continue my study. I am also thank full to my brothers–in-law Naeem, Mohsin, Tahir and especially Dr. Altaf Hussain Dahar for his tirelessly travelling and immense help for the collection of data for case studies of my thesis. I am grateful to all of my friends, Dr. Shakeela, Zainab, Sofia, Zahida, Nadia and Humaira who supported me through all my hard times, and always boosted my spirit to strive towards my objectives of learning all the times. I would also like to express deep appreciation and love for my children, Ayesha, Mohammad Hussnain Ali, Maryiam Batool and and Mohammad Hassan Ali, who have to bear the entire crunch of my Doctoral research, because of my hectic schedule, they could not get due share of their prime toddler caring time. The main reason was that I and my husband were busy in doing their PhDs simultaneously. In the end, I would like to express my gratitude to all those who were directly or indirectly involved in the completion of this study. October 2015 RASHIDA AHMAD viii ABBREVIATIONS CII Council of Islamic Ideology CZA Central Zakat Administration ESRA Education Sector Reform Assistance FATA Federally Administered Tribal Area IRI Islamic Research Institute JUI Jamiat-i-Ulamai Islam JU Jamiat –i-Ulamai Pakistan MRD Movement for Restoration of Democracy NGO Non-Government Organization PNA Pakistan National Alliance PPP Pakistan People‘s Party PZA Provincial Zakat Administration SRO Societies Registration Ordinance ix LIST OF TABLES Table No. Title Page Table 2.1: Organizations