A Holistic and Institutional Analysis of Islamic Education

Abstract

Introduction
Knowledge is the source of economic, social, and political energy
as well as divine enlightenment. An individual or a nation succeeds
only by gaining and using beneficial knowledge. Gaining useful
knowledge and using it for a proper cause for the pleasure of Allah is
emphasized in Islam. The Qur’an mentions repeatedly the importance
of knowledge (Qur’an 30:22, 36:36, 39:9, 58:11). The Prophet also
emphasized the importance of acquiring knowledge in many contexts:
“A person who follows the path of acquiring knowledge, Allah
will make easy for himher the passage to paradise” (Muslim) and “A
person who goes out of hisher house in search of knowledge, he/she
is on Allah’s way till the person returns” (Tirmidhi).
The Prophet encouraged Muslims to be unrelenting in their search
for useful knowledge and considered an ‘dim (learned person)
superior to an ‘abid (worshiper) (ibid.). In the Qur’an, Allah reserved
higher ranks for people of knowledge (Qur’an 58:11). The Prophet
said: “Wisdom is the lost property of the faithful, who deserve it most
wherever it may be found.” Muslim scholars accepted all useful
knowledge that is consistent with Shari‘ah (al Faruqi 1992).
We acquire knowledge through formal and informal education
systems. Schools, colleges, and universities are institutions that
provide formal education. In addition to schools and universities, we
gain knowledge from such informal sources as the family unit, social ‘
groups, and personal undertakings. Islam made the acquisition of ...