Madrasas and Ethical Education

By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan (Translated by Yoginder Sikand)

An important aspect of the madrasas is that they produce good citizens of the country and good human beings—people who live according to moral principles and human values. This is one of the major purposes of the madrasas, in accordance with the Hadith wherein the Prophet is said to have declared that he had been sent in order to perfect morality. In contrast, non-religious schools, colleges and universities aim basically at producing people whose primary purpose is material self-aggrandisement. These non-religious or secular institutions train their students to acquire good jobs, as if human beings are simply 'earning animals' or 'pleasure-seeking animals'. They reflect the understanding that the real and final aim of life is material acquisition, and that there are or can be no limitations to human freedom. Their educational philosophy is based on materialism and the belief that this world is all that exists. From this follows the belief that material acquisition and pleasure are the basic aim and purpose of life. This leads to moral relativism and ultimately to crass materialism, unstoppable greed, sheer utilitarianism and moral chaos. It also leads to a complete loss of real purpose in life.

In contrast to this job-oriented education, madrasas provide 'God-oriented education', aiming to uplift students from the material and onto the spiritual and moral plane. For them, material things are simply a need, not the aim. They are based on a spiritual, rather than materialist, philosophy. In addition to providing knowledge, they also focus on the spiritual uplift of their students, encouraging them to obey and to rely on God. This is in contrast to secular schools, where the spiritual dimension is missing. Madrasas recognize human freedom but also know its limits, for after a point it can turn into a curse. They also encourage respect for 'eternal' or God-given ethics, which forms the framework for an ideal society. Madrasa students are made aware of the real purpose of life, of where they have to start their life and what their final stage is. This creates a firm faith, based on the knowledge that this world is merely a path, a road to the life after death in the Hereafter. This promotes the realization that this world is a testing ground for the Hereafter, not something to be indulged in, and, that, hence, the aim of life should be success in the Hereafter, instead of in this world. Consequently, madrasa students are taught to restrict themselves to their bare needs, rather than hanker after luxuries, to remain content with what they have rather than to constantly think of acquiring more material comforts.

Of course, what I have written here pertains to the level of theory or principles. As far as the empirical reality of the madrasas is concerned, there are many faults and drawbacks that one can mention. But the basic point is that the drawbacks that I have indicated above with regard to secular or non-religious educational institutions are a result of their aims and their educational philosophy. Accordingly, they are an integral part of that system. In contrast, the drawbacks that exist in the madrasas are a result of their practical flaws, not because of shortcomings in their philosophy of education. While these practical flaws and errors can be corrected, the ideological flaws in the educational philosophy of non-religious educational institutions cannot be done away with unless this philosophy is itself accepted as fundamentally flawed.

Madrasa Reforms

Yet, madrasas, like everything else in this world, are capable of further improvement. So as to help them serve their purpose better, I have some suggestions to make. In order that the ulema can provide appropriate leadership and guidance they must give particular stress to the learning of the English language. It is not necessary that English be made a compulsory subject in the madrasa curriculum. However, along with various modern subjects it should be made an optional subject in every large madrasa, and students who wish to study English and these other subjects should be free to do so. I have participated in numerous international conferences and have been repeatedly struck by the fact that there are many people in other religious communities who can represent their faiths in such forums in English and in a modern idiom. In contrast, there are very few such Muslim ulema who can do so. It is very necessary for the madrasas to address this major problem by taking appropriate measures. For this, madrasas could consider organizing extension lectures on matters of contemporary import, adding certain books on these subjects in the existing madrasa curriculum, providing opportunities to their students to participate in inter-faith meetings, conducting training camps for their students during vacations, encouraging students' unions to arrange for talks and discussions on contemporary issues, and so on.

I would also suggest the setting up of a nodal Madrasa Centre to galvanise the efforts that are being currently made by individual madrasas so that this becomes a collective effort, and, hence, more effective. The Madrasa Centre would seek to promote unity between the madrasas, serve as their collective voice and work for their common objectives. It would relay information directly or otherwise related to the madrasas to them and would enable them to be aware of global and other such contemporary developments.

Another major task of the Madrasa Centre would be to help create such an atmosphere with the help of the madrasas that it may become possible for the madrasa curriculum to be re-looked at. There has been much discussion about this for a long time, but yet very little has been done in this regard. As is well known, the present system of madrasa education is based on two sorts of disciplines. The first are the 'revealed sciences', whose inerrancy and sanctity is not in doubt. Yet, it must be remembered that this sanctity pertains to the text [of the Quran and Hadith] and not to their [human] interpretation and commentaries thereon. Hence, while preserving these same sacred texts, changes can be allowed in the books that are used to interpret and to comment on them in accordance with the changing times. The second type of subjects are the ancillary 'rational sciences' [such as logic, astronomy, philosophy, etc.]. These are not in themselves sacred, and depend on spatial and temporal conditions, and so can be suitably changed if the need so arises. In place of the old 'rational sciences' that have lost their usefulness, new 'rational sciences' should be taught in the madrasas so that students can appropriately present Islam to the modern mind.

Presently, inadequate focus is paid in the madrasa curriculum on the Quran and Islamic History, and Hadith is often taught from a jurisprudential angle. These issues must be suitably addressed. The present syllabus contains a lot of material on 'false sects', but most of these sects no longer exist today. Instead, stress should be paid to such sects that remain in today's world. Another issue in need of reform concerns the teaching of polemics. Madrasas continue with the past tradition of training their students in polemics in order to relate to others. This approach needs to be abandoned and replaced by scientific dialogue. Unfortunately, our madrasa graduates are not at all trained for this, and nor are they made aware of scientific logic.

Very little introductory literature about the madrasas exists in English, Hindi and several other languages. This is a great problem. It is necessary for such literature to be produced so that non-Muslims can gain a proper understanding and appreciation of the madrasas. This could be arranged for by the proposed Madrasa Centre. Through this and other means the Madrasa Centre can play a crucial role in dispelling the prevailing misunderstandings about madrasas. These misunderstandings have promoted calls for steps to be taken against madrasas. Some call for a law to regulate madrasas, others insist on what they call their 'Indianisation'. Yet others claim that madrasas severely impede national integration and hamper the progress of the country because they allegedly prevent Muslims from joining the country's mainstream. It is true that these misunderstandings are wholly baseless, but they have become so widespread that it is wrong to ignore them. The proposed Madrasa Centre can counter these misunderstandings simply by putting forward the true picture of the madrasas before the public.
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Extracted from the chapter titled Islami Talim ['Islamic Education'] in Maulana Wahiduddin Khan's Urdu book Din-o-Shariat: Din-e Islam Ka Ek Fikri Mutala ('Religion and Divine Law: An Intellectual Study of Islam') [Al-Risala, New Delhi, 2002], pp.74-160.