_ Muhammadullah Khalili Qasmi

Presently, there are four types of Islamic educational institutions prevailing all over India; Maktab, Madrasa, Jamia and Darul Qur’an. But in common all are called as madrasa.

Maktab: When a child grows he goes to Maktab where he is taught basic Islamic tenets with fundamentals of Math, Geography, Science, Social Science, Qur’an, Urdu, Hindi, English and regional language. It is, generally, of 5-year course. The child may pass easily the course up to 12 of his age. After that some students go either to school or to Madrasa. In states like UP, Bihar, Bengal the system is the same. But in some other states there is morning and evening maktabs where the school going boys and girls go and learn Qur’an, Urdu and basic tenet books. As I know in Kerala and Assam there is a good system where maktabs work outside of normal school hours. They function between 7 am and 9 am in the morning and between 6 pm and 8 pm in the evening. Mostly the maktabs are run by the Muslims of locality. They bear the expenses of management and salary that is paid to teachers. Usually, the teachers at maktabs are poorly paid since most of them are local and not highly educated. Maktabs offer education both boys and girls simultaneously.  

Madrasa: it means a building and boarding rooms where Muslim students having passed Maktab course are taught Aalimiat course. This course is generally of 8 years while some Madrasas have shortened one year. Every Madrasa does not have the 8-year course, but commonly, Madrasas have 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7-year course then they sent the students to complete graduation to big madrasas like Darul Uloom Deoband, Mazahir Uloom Saharanpur, Darul Uloom Nadvah Lucknow, Jamia Salafia Banaras, Alfalah Bilariaganj, Ashrafia Mubarakpur and others. Because the final year of this course that is called “Daura-e-Hadith” is taught in very few madrasas of the country. In the first year of madrasa the student is taught Persian language for having better knowledge of Urdu because Urdu is dominated by Persian words. Urdu is commonly the medium of madrasa education all over the country whether the madrasa is in Gujrat, Bengal, Assam or Kerala.  

Jamia: The term “Jamia” is basically a synonym word for university. Though there are many madrasas, which are named as Jamia, but in fact, only some Madrasas of the country deserve to be called as Jamia. A Madrasa that enjoys Daura-e-Hadith course along with specialization courses like Arabic literature course, Ifta course, Tafseer course, Islamic Studies course and Tajweed (Sab’a and Ashra) are basically Jamia. Many people do not care and name their maktabs and madrasas with Jamia that some times creates problem. In fact, only madrasas like Darul Uloom Deoband, Nadvatul Ulama etc. should be called Jamia.   

Darul Qur’an: There are some other madrasas made especially for Hifz and Tajweed (memorizing the Glorious Qur’an by heart and learning the art of reciting the Glorious Qur’an in ten different ways). These madrasas are called Darul Qur’an or Daruttahfiz etc. There is no fixed duration for Hifz (remembering the Glorious Qur’an by heart). It depends on the student. Nevertheless, the Tajweed course (learning the art of reciting the Glorious Qur’an in ten different ways) is of 3 years. There are some short-term courses in Tajweed in which the student learns the rules and regulations of pronouncing and articulating the Glorious Qur’an. 

Madrasas in India are, mostly, run by donations from Muslim community and even some receive foreign donations also. Madrasas operate from Shawwal {10th month of Islamic Hijra Calendar} to Ramazan {9th month of Hijra}. Thus are open for 10 months. They observe very less holidays; only on Friday in a week, on 26th January, 15 August and 10 leave on Idul Azha {Baqraid, Muslim Festival in which they perform animal sacrifice}. They observe big vacation from late of Shaban {8th Hijra month} to the half of Shawwal; nearly 40-45 days. It is not so that during the vacation days madrasas are closed at all, many madrasas have a good number of students who do not go home and students who come before time to seek enrolment in the respective madrasa. Therefore it will not be out of place to say that madrasas serve as orphanages also where poor and orphans get education besides every thing they need. Between this duration the teachers, some students, in many madrasas, and donation collectors set out to collect donations for next year. 

Madrasas, apart from free education, provide the students with free food, free lodge and other facilities like clothe, medicine, shoes and so on if they need. The students in madrasas are commonly from poor and middle class families. Still there are many students whose parents manage to pay for their food and lodge, but this amount is very low in comparison to modern institutions. The teachers are paid their salary from the donations the madrasas collect. The ratio of their salary ranges from 2500 to 4000. 

Generally, there are madrasas for boys only. Yet there are madrasas for girls also, but very few compared to boys’. Mostly madrasas have boarding rooms. The local students frequent while the students from distant places stay at madrasas. The classes start from morning 6-8 as per the season and last up to noon. After taking the lunch students and teachers take siesta for a while. Then go for Zuhr Salah, afternoon prayer. After the Salah the classes start up to Asr Salah, one and a half hour before the sunset. During this time they stroll and play. After sunset, they pray Maghrib Salah and then get busy in study and revise collectively or individually what they learn in the day until they are called for Isha prayer. They take dinned either after Maghrib or before Isha. Afters the prayer, some even go for study and some go to bed. Early in the morning they wake up for Fajr prayer.

The students as well as teachers in classes sit on mats on floor having desks before them. They do not use chair and table. Students open their books before teacher and one of them or all by turn read the text of the book. The teacher corrects the grammatical and pronunciation mistakes if any and then translates the text in to Urdu with detailed explanation. Some students make notes of what the teacher explain. In the meantime, if there is any doubt or question in to the student’s mind he puts it. The students are asked to read the text and understand as per they can and attend classes with good preparation. After that the students among themselves revise the lesson. 

Madrasas, in general, hold two examinations during a year. For the secondary classes they manage monthly tests. For the first year they give oral examination while for other classes they arrange writing examination. Usually the students write their papers in Urdu, but still there is a good number of such students who write their paper in Arabic. Writing papers in Arabic is encouraged in madrasas and students who write Arabic they are given 5 marks extra. Usually in madrasas’ examination papers there are 5 questions from different places of concerning book and the student has to answer out of the 5. One paper bears 50 marks, in some madrasas 20 and even in some 100.

Generally students complete their madrasa course in their teenage. From there they go in different fields. Some help their fathers or brothers in business and even some go for further modern studies. Some are appointed at madrasas for teaching managing and other purposes while some become Imam in mosques where they lead the congregation of prayer and deliver sermons. There are some places where there is Islamic Judicial system, some become Qazi there to settle issues related to Muslim Personal Law between two parties. Those who are interested in writing they join newspapers or magazines. Likewise, students who knew good Arabic and learn art of translation they join companies especially of Gulf as translator. The students who learn calligraphy, computer or handicrafts they have business of the same on part time basis. Some arrange small type of business while they teach or work at a madrasa.  The advantage of madrasa education is that those who are graduated from there though are less paid, but they never go wandering in the streets in search job and employment like those of modern institutions’ graduates. They are satisfied with what they learn in term of matter and spirituality.

[extract from: Madrasa Education Its Strength & Weakness]

by Muhammadullah Khalili Qasmi

Madrasas, not only in Muslim rule but also in British as well as secular and Independent India, have been of great importance and value for both Muslim and non-Muslim communities. They had never been out of mainstream in Islamic and British India. On every stage of life and in every field the madrasas played vital role. Madrasas had been the centers that enjoyed heavy influence on every class of the society. They have not distanced them from any matter whether it is related to Muslim community in particular or to the country in general.

Centres to Preserve Islamic Identity

First of all madrasas helped Indian Muslims to maintain their identity and entity as Muslims. Had their not been madrasas the Hindu-rooted Indian culture would have been assimilated Muslims far before in its folk. But by the grace of madrasas, Muslims not only managed to preserve their Islamic identity but also they influenced the Indian culture and made it a good synthesis Indo-Islamic culture. After the colonial occupation of the English and abolishment of educational institutions, Muslims feared that they would lose their Islamic assets and would either fall prey of western culture or merge in to majority. This time also, it was madrasas that came to rescue. And now too when the wind of globalization is blowing very fast Muslim community all across the world has no alternative for madrasas and Islamic institutions.

“The Deeni madaris in India in the last 200 years have played a role, which has no parallel in history. When the British imperialists occupied this country, they drove away the Muslim not only from the seats of political power but also from other areas of influence. The Christian missionaries mounted a ruthless assault on Islam and the Muslim, in the subcontinent. In those turbulent times, the problem of maintaining and deepening the Islamic identity of the recently converted Muslim masses was a formidable task. And this task fell upon the ill-organized and poor Ulama in the country. History bears witness to the creditable manner in which the Ulama not only checked the inroads being made by the British masters and Christian missionaries in to the cultural life of Muslims but also prepared a generation of freedom fighters.” [1]

“The Indian Muslims were also experiencing serious danger to their faith and culture from the majority Hindu culture ‚ along with the threat of western culture, a product of globalization.  The way out Muslims in India thought was to establish their ancient Islamic institution of Madrasa on large scale for the teachings of Islamic fundamentals.  The Madrasas have been considered by the Indian Muslims as Centres to enclave and exclude the Islamic Identity and culture from the colonization by the non-Muslims culture.” [2]

This is the reason that intellectuals like Allma Iqbal have said “Let these maktabs as they are. Let the poor Muslims’ children study in these madrasas. Had there not been these Mullahs then what would have been, do you know? Whatever will happen I had all seen by my own eyes. If the Indian Muslims are deprived of the influence of these madrasas they will face situation like that of Muslims in Spain where in spite of 800 year Muslim rule one does not fine even a trace of Muslims except the monuments of Cordoba, Granada and Al-Hamra. Similarly, In India also we will find a trace of Muslims except Taj Mahal in Agra and Red Fort in Delhi.” [3]

National Affairs

It is needless to mention the great contribution that madrasas have given in the cause of freedom struggle. From 1857 to 1947 they never compromised with the British government and always held aloft the torch of freedom. It is now a known history that madrasa people not only participated enthusiastically in the 1857 revolution but also they led the movements at various places. Reshmi Rumal Tahrik (Silky Handkerchief Movement) was purely an Ulama-based movement. Jamiatul Ulama Hind, which came in to being in 1919, was the largest platform for Ulama. It was Jamiatul Ulama Hind that cooperated the nationalist movement of the Congress and inspired the plan of Complete Freedom and non-Cooperation. Later they were madrasa people who opposed the two-nation theory and creation of Pakistan. They strongly supported the Congress.

“Historically too, madrasas have contributed to the national cause. Graduates from the madrasas as well as the founders of some of the leading Muslim seminaries in India played an important role in the struggle against the British, a fact that is conveniently ignored in India’s school history textbooks. Prominent ulama-led uprisings against the British in the 1857 revolt, and, for decades after, the reformist ulama kept aloft the banner of defiance in the Pathan borderlands till they were forcibly put down by the British. Madrasa teachers and students, such as Maulana Obaidullah Sindhi and Maulana Barkatullah Khan Bhopali were among the first Indians to demand complete freedom for India, at a time when Hindu and Muslim communalist groups were supporting the British. It is a fact, lost to those in the Hindutva crusade as well as the larger populace, that most madrasas vehemently opposed the Muslim League and its two-nation theory, insisting on a united India where people of different faiths could live in harmony.” [4]

This is also an interesting part of our freedom history that madrasa people who are considered poorly educated, less intelligent and forward looking always opposed every disastrous policy of British government while those who are considered to be intelligent and well-educated were trusted loyal to the aliens.

“It is an irony of fate that while the people with western and modern education in the 19th century generally sided with the imperialists and made compromises to accommodate their whims and wishes, the Ulama opposed the policies of British in an uncompromising manner. It is also to be noted that a large number of patriots and leaders who fought for India’s independence came from these religious seminaries, while the modern universities produced many collaborators and officials to run the alien government. Those who could recount every detail of the French revolution, and every part of revolutionary literature, failed to understand the tyrannical nature of imperialism in their own lands. However, those who were termed as half-literate could see the true face of imperialism in the light provided by the Qur’an and Sunnah and confronted it with their entire mite. The contribution of the Indian Ulama to the Islamic awakening in other parts of the world has also been considerable and has been freely acknowledged by the scholars of the Muslim world.” [5]

Promotion of Education

Madrasas are the greatest NGOs in the world that promote education among the people. Madrasas and maktabs offer free education, free board and free books while the government of India yet could not managed to provide children with free education.

“The tradition of opening madaris with the help of voluntary local assistance for the preservation of our cultural identity in the wake of British aggressiveness spread through the subcontinent. At present there are more than 30,000 such non-governmental educational institutions, spread all over the Indian union. This is the largest peoples’ endeavour, on absolutely voluntary basis, in the field of education in history, any where in the world. These madaris do not accept government aid for fear dilution of their character and charter. Their contribution towards mass literacy, theological education and maintenance and deepening of Islamic identity has been incalculable and invaluable. So much has never been achieved in educational history with so little investment as these madaris function with ridiculously low financial resources, collected from the local communities.” [6]

There is, of course, no denying that for many Muslims madrasa education is the alternative to no education. Supported by endowments and charity, madrasas offer much cheaper education than even government schools. Had their not been madrasas the ratio of literacy in Muslim community has been even lower and worse:

“In fact, Siddiqui (S.U. Siddiqui, Director of the government-run Maulana Azad Education Foundation) argues that at the primary school level, Muslim literacy figures are on par with other communities largely because of the access to these schools where children get free food along with education. It is at the middle and high school level that dropout figures become distressingly high.  Hamid (Sayyid Hamid, former VC of AMU and present VC of Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi) too believes that with the government school system in a shambles, madrasas are often the only avenue open to the economically backward members of this minority community. “As it is, literacy figures for Muslims are far lower than the national average. Without madrasas they would be even lower,” he says.” [7]

For many poor families, madrasas are the only source of education for their children, since they charge no fees and provide free boarding and lodging to their students. Given what is said to be the dismal level of Muslim access to education, and the marked anti-Muslim bias that has been incorporated into the curricula of government schools, madrasas are often the only available educational option for children from poor Muslim families. Madrasas have thus been playing an important role in promoting literacy among the Muslims, who have the dubious distinction of being, along with Dalits, the least educated community in India. [8]

Literary and Academic works

Here is a report from neighbouring Pakistani madrasas that tells us something about the importance and energy that madrasa people have regarding academic works:

“In the past 50 years the people related to Arabic and Islamiat faculties of universities in Pakistan have written about one thousand books, 70% of them are in Urdu and are of no value. On the contrary, the people of madrasas that are run without any help from the government they have written nearly 50 thousand books in Arabic, Persian, English and Urdu. These Ulama who hardly meet with need of their necessities have carried out academic works which is thousand times better than the teachers who get all facilities.” [9]

The situation is not much different in India also. It is the people of madrasas who have translated and wrote all Islamic teachings and books in Urdu that Urdu became the richest literature of Islam after Arabic and Persian. Now if a Urdu knowing student does not know Arabic, it does not matter at all, since he can avail substitute Urdu books. There are only thousands of valuable books that were written by scholars of madrasas. And their countless works in Arabic and Persian also in such a high standard that scholars from Islamic world appreciate and admire:

“Madrasas in India evolved and achieved such a great eminence that Muslim countries of Asia and Africa, virtually the entire Arab world, looked towards them for inspiration and guidance in teaching and practice of religion. Eminent Indian teachers have been held in high regard by scholars in the Islamic world. Not only that, chapters from the curricula of our madrasas were adopted by the institutions of higher learning in Muslim countries.” [10]

“The contribution of the Indian Ulama to the Islamic awakening in other parts of the world has also been considerable and has been freely acknowledged by the scholars of the Muslim world.” [11]

Muslim Leadership

In Pakistan and Afghanistan, madrasas today play a crucial role in national politics. Pakistan has several ‘Ulama-based political parties with millions of supporters. The recent alliance of six religious parties Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) in Pakistan broke the previous records of victory in election. It got comfortable majority in North West Frontier Province (NWFR) and headed a coalition government in Bluchistan while it secured 45 National Assembly seats all across the country. The Taliban regime in neighbouring Afghanistan was entirely Ulama-based, products of Deobandi madrasas in Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province and Baluchistan. In India, the Ulama and their madrasas wield less direct political influence. Nevertheless, there are few Ulama active in Indian politics. Ulama, however, exercise an enormous influence on Muslim public opinion. The massive agitations that India witnessed against what was seen to be an attack on Muslim Personal Law in the 1980s were led principally by the Ulama. The Muslim Personal Law Board, which is considered to be the key spokesman of the Indian Muslims, is also largely in the hands of madrasa leaders. Recently the Uttar Paradesh government introduced a Religious Building Bill, in which it was prohibited to build any religious building and hold religious meeting without prior permission of the district administration. Muslim organizations, especially Jamiatul Ulama Hind, called rallies against the bill in Lucknow and Delhi; the Delhi rally is estimated to have had one million audiences who filled Ram Lila Ground for the first time after independence. Undoubtedly madrasas enjoy enormous support of Muslim masses more than every party and organization.

Role of Madrasas in other Countries

Pakistan's madrasas also offered free board, accommodation and education for hundreds of thousands of local children, mainly boys, from poor families who could not otherwise afford to send their sons to school in a country with a weak public education system. Notably, the madrasas of Pakistan also do not accept any grant from the government and independently run them with the help of charities from Muslim masses. According to Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf in an interview with CNN:

“Actually those who know what is going on in Madrasas would support this point that I'm going to tell you, that this is the biggest welfare organization anywhere in the world is operated today. ---- About 600,000 to 700,000 children of the poor get free board and lodge, and they get free education.” [12]

“The madrasas unthinkably give free education, training, lodging and food to 17,00,000 students of the country. On the contrary, the government schools educate only 16,00,000 after spending huge amounts that go beyond billions of rupees…. They do neither offer free education nor free lodge and food. The products of government institutions are useless in practical life. Having spent billions of rupees the government supplies a generation of unemployed youths every year.” [13] Likewise, madrasas in Bangladesh and Indonesia also provide education to a large number of children that the local government may not be able to provide, especially free of cost:

“Muslim scholars in Bangladesh share a similar sentiment. There is no doubt that the madrasas are the main source of education for a large number of children in the country. These institutions exist in remote villages, even where neither formal nor non-formal education has reached. Education under this system is free.” [14]

“Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country, has many thousands of religious schools, including boarding schools known as pesantrens. These schools have come to play an even more important role in national education in the past few years as an economic slump and shortage of government funds have undermined the public school system.” [15]

[1] Islamic Education: redefinition of aims and methodology, Manzoor Ahmad, pp. 31,32, Genuine Publications & Media, Delhi
[2] Globalization And Growth Of Madrasas In India, Dr. Fahimuddin, www.bsos.com
[3] Monthly ‘Daru Uloom’ Deoband, December 1994
[4] (The Indian State and the Madrasa, Year 2001, No. 2 October, Yoginder Sikand, www.ercwilcom.net
[5] Islamic Education: redefinition of aims and methodology, Manzoor Ahmad, pp. 31,32, Genuine Publications & Media, Delhi
[6] Islamic Education: redefinition of aims and methodology, Manzoor Ahmad, pp. 31,32, Genuine Publications & Media, Delhi
[7] Old-School Ties, Saba Naqvi Bhaumik, Weekly Outlook, New Delhi, 31/12/2001
[8] The Indian State and the Madrasa, Year 2001, No. 2 October, Yoginder Sikand
[9] Weekly ‘Wujood’ Karachi, vol. 2, issue 16; Dini Madaris: Mazi, Hal, Mustaqbil, Ibnul Hasab Abbasi, 51
[10] Floodlights on Madrasas, Rizwan Ullah, Wed, June 19, 2002, Milli Gazette, Delhi
[11] Islamic Education: redefinition of aims and methodology, Manzoor Ahmad, pp. 31,32, Genuine Publications & Media, Delhi
[12] Amanpour, Kashif Iqbal Buttar, English 299, Lynn Leonard, Madrasa Schools In Pakistan
[13] Weekly ‘Wujood’ vol. 2, issue 16, Karachi; Dini Madaris, Ibnul Hasan Abbasi, 54,5, Deoband, 2001
[14] Madrasas: In Focus, www.bccbd.org
[15] International Herald Tribune, Asians take a closer look at Islamic schools, Michael Richardson, a senior Asia-Pacific correspondent, Tuesday, February 12, 2002

[A chapter from:
Madrasa Education: Its Strength & Weakness]

By Muhammadullah Khalili Qasmi

Education, in present age, being the most important and necessary thing for people, is considered to be a gift of this modern age whereas eventually it is only the Glorious Qur’an to which goes the credit of education's foundation and its boundless advancement.

It is an established truth that Islam has attached much emphasis on education. It is only Islam, which occupies this distinguished position of being the messenger of knowledge and leader of an educational revolution. According to Islamic viewpoint, the humanity set out for its journey in the light of knowledge, not in the darkness of ignorance as many civilized people say that man is a developed form of animals. Other systems have put education in the category of necessities of life but Islam has regarded it the utmost necessity of human life.

There is neither a religion nor a civilization that has termed education as basic right of every individual in the society. The Greece and China have made extraordinary progress in the field of education and art but they also did not favour the education for all. Plato has also dreamt of democracy and equality, but he also could not go beyond education for some particular segments of the society. In India, which once was the center of education and art, a lower caste person was not even allowed to hear the Vedic scriptures. If sometimes a lower caste person happened to gain a hearing by steal he used to be put melted lead in his ears. As if it was a heinous crime for him to listen the Vedic verses.[1] None can deny the glory of Nalanda and Taxila universities, but after all, the fact is that the common people were always deprived of education in Hindu periods. Education was only the monopoly of higher classes of the society.

When the sun of Islam was enlightening the world, Europe was passing through dark ages of history. The scientists, artists and men of learning were tortured and sometimes even they were torched to death. The Churches were rulers where life was a second name of wildness. Similarly, ignorance was prevailing all over Arabia. There was neither a school nor a college and a library. Not only that the entire tribes were illiterate but also some of them used to feel proud of being unlettered. Allama Bilazari has written that Quraish, the head of all tribes in Arabia, had only 17 persons who knew writing. Those who were assigned to write the revelation they also were 43 out of all Ansar and Muhajireen (the companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him). In this situation, imagine, whatever Islam has done is nothing short of a miracle.[2]

In 570 (AD), when the sun of Islam rose from the horizon of Arabian Peninsula in its fullest blaze the entire world was shrouded by darkness and steeped in ignorance and long slumber. The first slogan that Islam chanted in this horrible atmosphere was about 'education'. The earliest verses that revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him) invited people to education:

“Read in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher who created. Created man out of a (mere0 clot of congealed blood. Read and thy Lord is Most Bountiful. He, Who taught (the use of) the pen. Taught man that which he knew not”.[3]

These five verses of the holy Quran along with many others are considered to be fountainhead of education in post-Islamic history. They created a remarkable eagerness towards education and filled the followers of Islam with a tremendous spirit that carved a new history.

“Education has always received great weight age in the Islam religion. The religion emerged in the barren Arabian lands that were both culturally and socially backward. Thus education was put forward as the lamp to illumine darkness. The main theological text is the Koran, where the word ‘Ilam’ is used, which means knowledge. It is the second largest word used in the Koran.” [4]

The Glorious Qur’an and Hadith encouraged this spirit and gave it a good push by repeated mentioning of education's virtues and greatness like:

• ·“Allah will raise up, to (suitable) ranks (and degrees), those of you believe and who have been granted knowledge. And Allah is well acquainted with all ye do”[5]
• ·“Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know?” [6]
• ·“Ulama are the heirs of the prophets” [7]
• ·"An 'Alim is the trustee of Allah on this earth” [8]
• ·One who covers a way in search of knowledge Allah will lead him to the paradise”[9]

The Glorious Qur’an has laid much importance to 'education', that is why it regarded the education as the main purpose of the Prophet's advent in this world. As it says at numerous places, such as in Sura Jumuah:

“It He Who has sent amongst the unlettered an apostle from among themselves to rehearse to them His signs, to sanctify them and to instruct them in scripture and wisdom, although they had been, before, in manifest error” [10]

This is the reason that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) himself said, “I was sent down as a 'teacher'. Once upon a time the Prophet (peace be upon him) saw some of his companions sitting in to two circles. One circle was busy chanting the glory of Allah and the other was busy in learning and teaching. So the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: I was sent as teacher” and sat among them. [11]

The Prophet (PBUH), on one hand, described education as obligatory on every individual while on the other hand he asked each Muslim to enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong according to the instructions of the Qur’an:

"You are the best of the people evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong and believing in Allah (swt)" [12]

In this way he proclaimed that every believer should be a teacher of his brothers.

The above-mentioned verses of the holy Qur’an have laid down such a natural, easy and cheaper system that had made, unconsciously, the education free and compulsory. Every Muslim family turned in to a primary school and each person became its teacher. The first school of a child is a mother's lap where it is inculcated manners, habits and mental approach. That is why one finds the companions of the Prophet (pbuh) and their successors strived hard to get education, travelled over mountains and deserts and exposed them to countless hazards and hardships. Whenever they went engaged themselves in learning and teaching the people. They sat in a corner of a mosque or in a part of a house teaching wisdom and good behaviour. Due to these valuable efforts, in a short period of time the Arabs turned in to the most civilized nation, and wherever they went left their deep impressions on life, culture and language.

[1] Islami Nizami Zindagi 241
[2] Islami Nizami-e-Zindagi 240
[3] Sura Alaq 96/1,2,3,4,5
[4] Madrasa Education: Present Scenario & The Muslim Community, Moinul Hassan, Feature, Kolkata 25, March 2002, www.ganashakti.com
[5]  Sura Mujadila 58/11
[6] Sura Zumur 39/9
[7] Abudaud & Tirmizi, referred by Ihya-ul-uloom Urdu translation, 30
[8] Ihya-ul-Uloom 34, Ibn-e-Abdulbarr
[9] Muslim, Ihya-ul-Uloom 35
[10] The Quran, Sura Juma 66/2
[11] Ibn-e-Maja, Bab-u-Fazl-il-Ulama
[12] Sura Aal-e-Imran 3/110

[An extract from: Madrasa Education: Its Strength & Weakness by Muhammadullah Khalili Qasmi]

Atif Suhail Siddiqui

Media plays crucial role either for bottlenecking or widening the rifts between the civilizations. Any biased or maneuvered attempt of media against a particular system or group of persons or organization causes serious damages and mutilation of the facts leads towards a mayhem.

Unfortunately, Islamic institutions associated with Islam or any organization apart from its nature are acrimoniously attacked by the Western media mostly after the 9/11 horrific terrorist attacks in the United States. The Islamic seminaries or ‘Madrasas’ in Indian subcontinent have come under strident criticism by the engineered reporting of the print as well as electronic media. I have been surprised on a report done by Miranda Kennedy on April 4, 2004 at the website of Boston Globe under the title of ‘Rumors of Jihad’. Unlike other bias reporting, she tried a healthy debate on the roles of the Islamic seminaries with some misconceptions either willingly or because of scant understanding of the subject.

There is no doubt, the US foreign and defense policies are being hijacked by the strong Jewish lobbyists who are dreaming for a ‘greater Israel’. For achieving the desired goals of the Zionists, the US military might is being exploited in their interests. This is a conspicuous fact that the hindrance between Israeli dreams and bringing them in reality, the biggest challenge comes from the Islamic world and their strongest ideological powers. The seminaries, which had been founded in a series after the failure of revolution in 1857 against the British occupiers, had the aim to retain the Muslim identity based on religion, belief, and strong ideology of the supremacy of God within the belief of absolute monotheism. The seminaries in the entire movement of independence in Indian subcontinent continued to play a crucial role for uprising the Muslim morale, thus, they were the epicenters of the Muslim revolt against the British Imperialist regime. Therefore, in the inaugurating period of the freedom struggle, the leadership of Indian freedom fighters was in the hand of Islamic clergies (ulama). These seminaries proved an axis of political as well as religious guidance for the Muslims.

Despite explicitly emerging challenges on material and economic fronts from non Islamic countries the Western powers are deliberately ignoring them. The West is continuously targeting materialistically and militarily dead Islamic world. Though ahead are several challenges on the fronts of economy, military and diplomacy from the non-Islamic world; but the West believes that the ideological as well as spiritual powers of the Islamic world are much powerful than any challenge from the non-Islamic world. They know that the spiritually and ideologically dead Indian, Chinese and other non-Islamic communities despite their strong material and military infrastructure may be tackled with easy tasks on any of the fronts; but the ideologically and spiritually enthusiastic and ambitious Muslim community cannot be brought down on the knees unless they lose their link with their sprit and ideology. These ideological and spiritual powers rest in the faith of Islamic religion and the seminaries are the best preservers and promoters of these ideologies and spirit. Therefore, as one of the conspiracies to cut off the Muslim masses from their spiritual resources the seminaries have been attacked with the slogan of reforms and a harboring place of terrorists. A state of suspicion is trying to be created even amongst the huge general masses of Muslims against the ‘Madrasas’. The Western media is trying to prove their uselessness in the 21st century without the inclusion of the so-called modern scientific knowledge. According to Western media, these seminaries are not giving anything creative to the Muslim communities. These seminaries are cutting off the students from the main stream because of their very old educational system, which is outdated and incapable for handling the sophisticated and modern world. The students after educating from these madrasas feel themselves isolated from rest of the world because of the lack of the appropriate modern knowledge; they finally choose the path of fundamentalism and extremism because of their frustration and become a warrior for ending their lives ‘in the path of God’.

Of course the above mentioned allegations against the madrasas are absolutely absurd and one sided without the appropriate and fair analysis. The madrasa system which was ‘systematically’ introduced in the last 19th century had the intentions of preserving and defending the Islamic faith and each religious community has the right to do so. Secondly, even in the modern educational system the frustration lies amongst the students after getting graduated. The numbers of the suicide attempts are in ample numbers only amongst the graduates of the modern educational system, conversely none of the suicide example could be presented amongst the ‘frustrated’ madrasa students. Speaking with Times of India in Oct 2001 on the issue of employment the deputy Rector of Darul Uloom Deoband Moulana Abdul Khaliq Madrasi said, “Like the modern University graduates the Madrasa graduates at least do not become a burden on the government for providing them employment in government enterprises where the severe scarcities and uncertainties prevail. Thus we make capable and self responsible graduates who adjust successfully in the mainstream society, who make later an ideal community.” Certainly, in these poor countries the madrasas are the basic sources of lifting the ratio or percentage of the literacy rate where they serve free those who even are incapable to sustain themselves and their families twice in a day. Finally, after graduating in madrasas the importance of education clearly reflects in their lives and we see them striving hard for a good future of their progenies.

Secondly, about the issue of so-called modernization of Madrasas, it is quite embarrassing to target them. The system of Madrasa education since their emergence was drafted for the Islamic religious sciences for preserving the Islamic identity of Muslims. Several modern institutions like Jamia Millia Islamia, Aligarh Muslim University etc. are the subject for fulfilling the needs of modern education to the Muslim community. The same rhetoric may be raised against such modern institutes, why do they not include pure Islamic religious sciences in their modern educational curriculum? Of course, we systematically have the rational answer; the two are the basic needs of Muslims. For elevating Muslim social status in the field of science and technology, we need modern institutes with their ultra-modern infrastructure. As well as to protect the faith and religious identity, we need pure Islamic religious sciences taught in the pure fundamental environment. This fact is patent that the Muslim community in Indian subcontinent emerged as one of the most successful Muslim communities amongst the entire Islamic world because of the madrasa movement in the last 19th century a separate Muslim identity is established. This sense never could be established without the strong ideological as well as spiritual bases. Further the worst experience of Balkans and Central Asian Islamic world, we had witnessed, what had happened to them? Because of the alienation with their spiritual and ideological bases the Muslim community either was eliminated or was being deprived of religious rights, a dark age in the lands of Bukhari, Ghazali, Tirmizi, Minghinani etc. (the statesmen of Islamic jurisprudence) prevailed until the fall of USSR. The right reason behind this decline of strong Islamic civilization was the decline of pure Islamic religious sciences from the then educational curriculum of those Muslim societies.

From the perspective of the Western media rhetoric, I would like to conclude; the need is not for the reformation or reviving madrasa system except some infrastructural developments. Despite declaring them inferior or outdated, a parallel approach of understanding is immense need for the sake of our successful attachment with the religion and our spiritual sources. The only need is to propagate and implement the concept of Islamization of the modern institutes prescribed by several Islamic-com-modern scholars. It will help Islamize the modern rational scientific education amongst Muslims.

(Atif Suhail Siddiqui, based in International Islamic University of Malasia, can be accessed at: atif@um.edu.my

MUFTI MOHAMMAD ANWAR KHAN

Once, the turbulent period of 1857 was brought under control by the British, the economic plight and the literacy rate of Muslims had dropped to an alarming degree. Their overall situation was so grave that they were suffering untold miseries and unbearable pains of having lost power to a military force of an alien country, which had no right to be in India. The Muslim scholars and spiritual leaders of the community were farsighted enough to visualize the nightmares that the Muslims were going through. The British had left such a deep impact on their memories after spilling their blood and killing those caught in the most savage manner, so much so, that they decided to erase from the subcontinent all traces of rich eastern values taught by Islam to Muslims along with their traditions and cultural heritage.

In turn, this inspired other Muslims to enter into the all-embracing fold of enrolling their wards in English Schools and Colleges, who became deeply impressed with the technical know-how that imparting knowledge to vulnerable young Muslim minds became the monopoly of the British who made light of their religion and culture of Islam until they started hating them. By and large, Muslims had become alien in their own lands. Having born and bred up as Muslims, they started despising everything about Islam under British tutelage, which encouraged them to learn more about the Western Thought by making Christianity as a subject that was taught compulsorily to all Muslims, until the Muslims knew more about Christianity than they knew about Islam. The process was contusing in different parts of the country with an alarming speed.

There were countless number of other Muslim intellectuals who could recite by heart large passages from Shakespearean dramas, and quoted Emmanuel, Kant, Marx, and Engels – the philosophers of Europe – much better than they knew about the tenets of the Religion of Islam, or the sacred book of Islam, the Qur’an.

For a time, chaos reigned in the minds of Muslims of India. The war of 1857 had also brought with it new ideologies, which were imported from foreign shores. All over the country, the Eastern values were being erased. The Western power had spread the network of modern English schools and colleges to change the mentality of Muslims. The foreign minds were busy making plans to this effect. For this reason, the parliament of London had dispatched a huge number of Christian priests and missionaries to India to obliterate the religious and cultural existence of the Muslims. The Muslims of India were introduced to foreign philosophers and English literature.

On the other hand, there was an accursed person who was born in India and who was raised under the supervision of the British power titled “Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiyani” who claimed to be the promised Messiah. At last, he came with the claim that he was the Messenger sent to the world by Allah. In this way, he impressed millions of Muslims negatively. It was felt by many that Islam was in great danger in the future. It was totally jeopardized. Under these pernicious times, some of the chosen servants of Allah started the campaign of Islamic education.

The Muslim scholars of India did not lose hope of reforming the other Muslim intellectuals to revert back to the fold of Islam in its entirety. Keeping this objective in mind, the luminous personalities of Islam, Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanawtawi, his companions Maulana Zulfiqar Ali, Haji Abid Hussain and Maulana Fazlur Rahman and a few others laid the foundation of Darul Uloom, Deoband, the most prestigious university in the subcontinent. At the same time, Maulana Mazhar Nanawtawi laid the foundation of Mazahir Uloom at Saharanpur (U.P). The Tablighi Jama‘at, the largest grassroots Muslim organization in the world, headquartered in Nizamuddin, New Delhi, was founded in 1926 by Maulana Muhammad Ilyas, the greatest thinker of twentieth century. These Islamic institutions, especially Darul Uloom, and Tablighi Jama‘at have played a key role in the preservation of Islamic culture and heritage across the globe. The graduates trained in these institutions defended every possible attack against Islam and its teachings. These institutions produced a unique galaxy of Muslim scholars who performed permanent key roles in preserving the social background of the Indian Islamic culture and eastern values.

By Maulana Muhammad Rabe Nadwi, Rector, Nadwatul Ulama
Translated by Mufti Mohammad Anwar Khan

When Allah Almighty created the first human being on this earth, He gave him all the necessary articles to help him live in this world with ease, along with his progeny. He placed in him a curiosity, a very significant inherent nature: seeking knowledge. This quality is not found in other living creatures of the world. It is obvious that this quality has not been inculcated in the human beings without a purpose. The Holy Qur'an says, “So did you think that We created you for nothing and that you will not be brought back to Us?” (23:115). “And I did not create the jinns and the human beings except that they should worship Me.”(51:56)

Through these verses, two important points are highlighted for us. One of them is that Allah (swt) has given the human beings a purpose in their lives so that they understand their mission in this world - the meaning in their lives - and accordingly, lead their lives. The second important point is that Allah has created all worldly things like the earth, the sky, the space etc. to help us fulfill our mission. Along with these two important things, the biggest Divine gift presented to human beings is that Allah has bestowed upon all of us an inherent, inborn quality, a thirst for seeking knowledge. By seeking knowledge, a person can perform remarkable acts in this world. He can fulfill all his worldly needs. At the same time, he can perform all the Divine obligations assigned to him by his Creator. So, a person should understand his purpose in this life - spiritually and materially - and should try to maximize the benefits. But, at the same time, he should keep in his mind that he should not seek knowledge merely for meeting his worldly needs, and selfishly strive to further his goals in seeking material wealth. He should aim behind his education at seeking the greatest purpose of life. The Holy Qur'an has laid a great stress on this point. Allah (swt) says in the Holy Qur'an, “Read and your Lord is the most Gracious, Who imparted knowledge by means of the pen. He taught man what he did not know.” (96:3-5)

When the Prophet of Allah (saws) communicated this verse to his Companions, they at once paid their full attention towards attaining the knowledge that was required from them by their Creator. Within a short period of time, the focus on education became the center of public attention in the Muslim community. They started to make rapid achievements in different fields of study inspired by the lofty teachings of the Holy Qur'an, which taught them to ponder, reflect, and think about the world around them. Armed with the knowledge from the Holy Qur'an, they started taking a keen interest in other sciences around them, diversifying their studies, seeking to gain an excellence in all their educational endeavors, and other related undertakings.

Soon, a number of Muslims achieved the highest calibers in learning, and over a period of three centuries, they excelled over all the other nations in the world in various educational spheres. It was clearly the Golden Age of the Islamic Civilization, which was enriched by the Muslim society, and helped to shape the history of the whole world, giving it a sense of direction. Gradually, the neighboring nations started to benefit from the Muslims. At last, the wisdom of achieving a literary and scientific education became the most desirable achievement that was required for a Muslim in this world, to be recognized by others as a man of letters, talents, manners, cultivation of good taste and refinement of knowledge in order to improve his standing in the society - a trait that would soon be adopted by other European countries in the West.

But, after five glorious centuries of attaining excellence in different educational sectors and learning passed, the Muslims became negligent in seeking a quality education for themselves and their families and stagnated among the nations of this world for overlooking this inborn trait gifted to them since their birth by Allah. In this period, the nations which were uneducated, underdeveloped, and ill-equipped made vast strides in the field of education, after having learnt its importance from the Arabs. As a result, they took the center stage in the world, and started to dominate all fields of learning, which had been until then ignored by the Muslims and attained astonishing accomplishments in the field of knowledge. They became the leaders, dominating all the fields of education known to human beings.

Nowadays, the Muslims appear to have slowly started realizing that one of the reasons for their backwardness was neglecting the basic commandments of the Holy Qur'an that exhorted them to read, learn, think, ponder, and reflect upon various things around them, and in the process acquire sufficient knowledge to recognize the Grand Design of their Creator in His Divine Plan in creating His order in this Universe. They are now sharply feeling this defect in the Muslim society, and striving hard to overcome the obstacles in their way, to remove their shortcomings, which stand in the way of getting themselves a well-rounded education. Now, if Muslims start to thirst for knowledge like their illustrious predecessors had done in the past, then it will be just a matter of time before they can achieve their lost glories in the field of learning, and dominate all the educational sectors in different walks of life.

What we are trying to say here is that: the purpose of learning education to the Western countries is the means to obtain worldly pleasures and luxury. Islam does not forbid Muslims from seeking such legitimate pleasures. However, if the purpose of any education is only to seek material gain and worldly wealth, then the purpose of seeking such an education becomes limited, selfish in its nature, and is considered inhumane as it benefits only individuals and not the society at large.

It is not proper for a human being that he keeps his eyes only on seeking the worldly pleasures, and develops a hankering for material wealth in this life, enclosing himself in a world of his own, by cutting himself from all his surroundings. On the contrary, the person, especially, the Muslim who is seeking an education will strive hard to benefit others by his learning, in the society in which he lives, and extend a helping hand to all humanity who may be in need of his services and talents. He should widen his horizon of thinking, and extend the scope of learning from beyond the material world and extend it into the spiritual world. We may profit from the worldly things but at the same time, we should have our eyes fully focused on the life, which we are all destined to live in the Hereafter. We should never forget that we have to leave this world one day for our heavenly abode in the Hereafter.

We should, therefore, try to enrich the world around us by improving upon, and enhancing the lives of other human beings around us with the help of knowledge and education, which they have gained in this world. In the glorious era of Muslim dominance, the central educational points used to benefit people in this world and the world in the Hereafter. But, when the imperialist powers started dominating the educational fields, they took the education that could benefit people in this world, and make them abandon the education that could lead them to prosperity in the Hereafter.

The Islamic schools established in different corners of India are serving the Muslims, and also the nation in this field. The people who are learning education in modern colleges and universities do not care for the spiritual aspects of education. They do not pay much heed to religion; they only follow the educational patterns that are designed for them by the Western culture, and curriculum. They are unable to understand the fact that this kind of knowledge is designed to alienate human beings away from religion. Such people always keep questioning the necessity of Islamic schools. They should understand that the Islamic schools are established to enforce the Islamic way of life and to inform the people that they need to pay heed to this aspect in education. They are designed to convince the human beings that they should seek through the knowledge of the Holy Qur'an, which they have attained, the lofty goals on this earth. They should enrich humanity with all the well-rounded religious and a liberal education they have sought for themselves to supplement and develop the needs of human beings in their midst, and thereby earn for themselves the pleasure of Allah both in this world and in the Hereafter.

Nowadays all the Muslim schools have equipped themselves with the necessary manpower, and the modern educational tools required to provide a modern education to their students along with the religious. They do not forbid Muslims from learning contemporary education. What they say is that one should not learn education that leads one towards renouncing sound social and human values.

But, it is distressing to note that in spite of the lofty examples and the noble ideals set by the Islamic learning centers of the past, the modern Muslim scholars educated in contemporary learning centers of the world keep criticizing the Islamic schools fed by a steady stream of false propaganda by Western imperialists who are keen to see that the Muslims of the world never come close once again to attaining their past glory in dominating the leading Universities of the world. They don’t like that the Muslims achieve the accomplishments done by their illustrious predecessors in the past - making the world a better place to live in with their knowledge and love towards education.

Convinced by their Western masters, and fascinated by their way of life and ideology, many people rush to call all the Muslims gaining an education in Islamic schools as potential terrorists, and the places of worship built for the Muslims on the campuses of Muslim Universities as hubs of terrorism. Anybody who is seen growing a beard has all the beginnings of a budding terrorist. If one goes to mosque regularly to pray, he is labeled as a complete terrorist! This is an ignorant attitude.

The Muslim Madrasas and schools across the country and the world should boldly invite impartial non-Muslim observers from the educational sectors and the Media to the Madrasas to monitor the Islamic teachings, which are imparted in these schools. Consequently, they can dispel the doubts created in the minds of the non-Muslim communities who are being fed with misinformation about these Madrasas. This process will effectively help set their minds at rest forever about the Muslim students and the community at large that the world would be benefited by encouraging more Madrasas to be opened in their midst. The teachers of the Muslim schools should take the burden of imparting quality education in these schools to all their students so that even the non-Muslims come forward to enroll their children and wards in these schools.

by Muahammadullah Khalili Qasmi

Madrasa Mazahir Uloom Saharanpur was established in November 1866 just months after Darul Uloom Deoband was founded in May 1866. One of the aims and objectives of Darul Uloom Deoband’s establishment was to introduce such madrasas and Islamic seminaries across the country. Following this policy, a number of such madrasas were started in several cities many of them not even exist rather flourish like Madrasa Mazahir Uloom Saharanpur and Madrasa Qasmia Shahi in Moradabad. Many such madrasas were started in Delhi, Meerut, Khurja, Buland Shahar, Amroha, Saharanpur etc. But, Madrasa Mazahir Uloom Saharanpur got more popularity among all these madrasas and was prominently known by the great UIama and scholars of Hadith it produced.

Madrasa Mazahir Uloom was established by luminaries like Hadhrat Maulana Ahmad Ali Saharanpuri (Muhaddith and Commentator of Sahih Bukhari), Hadhrat Maulana Mazhar Ali Nanotawi, Hadhrat Maulana Sa’adat Ali Faqih. The Madrasa was patronized by Hadhrat Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (1829-1905). The Madrasa touched the peak of fame and name during the time when Hadhrat Maulana Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri (185-1927) and later Shaikhul Hadith Maulana Muhammad Zakariya Kandhlawi (1898-1982) taught there as Shaikh al-Hadith.

The Madrasa produced a number prominent and distinguished Ulama, especially the scholars of hadith literature. The founder of Nadwatul Ulama Lucknow, Maulana Muhammad Ali (Kanpuri and later) Mongiri, Maulana Zafar Usmani of I’la al-Sunan, Maulana Badr Alam Meeruti, Maulana Idris Kandhlawi, Maulana Hayat Sambhali and Maulana Abdur Rahman Kamilpuri were products of this great seat of learning. In recent past, Maulana Yusuf Kandhlawi, Mufti Mahmood Hasan Gangohi, Hadhrat Qari Muhammad Siddiue Bandwi, Maulana Abdul Haleem Faizabad (Jaunpuri), Maulana Abrarul Haq Hardoi etc were alumni of this Madrasa. The famous Hadith commentaries like Bazl al-Majhood and Awjaz al-Masalik were written in Mazahir Uloom. Fazail Aamal was also written by Shaikh Zakariya in Mazahir Uloom.

Madrasa Mazahir Uloom Saharanpur is well known throughout Islamic world for its religious and cultural contributions. But, unfortunately this great Madrasa was also divided in 1983 and two madrasas came into being: (1) Jamia Mazahir Uloom Jadeed (2) Mazahir Uloom Waqf Qadeem. However, now both the Madrasas are actively busy in imparting high Islamic education to Muslims.

Here is the websites:
·         Jamia Mazahir Uloom Jadeed: http://jamiamazahiruloom.com
·         Mazahir Uloom Waqf Qadeem: http://mazahiruloom.org

Here are some articles regarding the great personalities of Mazahir Uloom Saharanpur:
·         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khalil_Ahmad_Saharanpuri
·         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Zakariya_al-Kandahlawi
·         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Ilyas_al-Kandhlawi
·         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Yusuf_Kandhalawi
·         http://www.daralmahmood.org/muftimahmood.html

BY: Muhammadullah Khalili Qasmi

It is the time of school examinations and subsequent summer vacation. This is an important turn in your child’s life. He or she is going to complete one year studies and is ready to stride towards the next class. At this stage of time, there are many things that should concern parents and the elder family members.

Children are the most valuable asset of a family and of a nation. They are to inherit the burden of responsibility to run a home, a society and even a nation. It is not so easy to bring up a child. It takes so much time, energy, understanding and wisdom. If the children are well-handled and well nourished they are transformed into civilized citizens and bring peace and honour to their family and country.

The children at their tender age are more vulnerable to contract physical, moral and spiritual diseases. Therefore, this age is very much significant for them and this increases the responsibility of parents many a fold. This is a stage of life from where the nature, habit and behaviour takes its direction. If the orientation of a child is not set right the same tender and little boy turns into violent and criminal man.  Of course, every criminal or bad person today has surely been a child at a previous time. It is not so that only children at unhealthy and poor environment develop bad habits and criminal mentality but there are many a heinous and monstrous acts and crimes that are being perpetrated by those who have been nourished even a better and healthful environment.

ROLE OF PARENTS AND TEACHERS

Parents and teachers are the best models and ideals for a child. Undoubtedly, the first school of a child is his or her mother’s lap. From there he unconsciously is inculcated good and bad habits. With the passage of time these habits grow and gain strength. If the overall development environment for a child is better he is instilled good character, but when the home environment does not offer the necessary support structure then he takes a wrong direction.

Therefore, it is recommended that the environment of a home should be quite healthy in term of morality and spirituality. The parents should get rid of family conflicts and domestic violence. This is common problem of younger ones in this era, when at the tenderness of his and her age the child witnesses breaking of ties rather than experiencing warmth of love and sympathy. The weakening of the family unit reduces it to be no longer able to function as a support system and to be able to supply the children with a sense of stability. AAs a reaction to the stress in the environment and lack of parenting skills their physical, moral and spiritual growth is affected.

It is the parents who can know their child better. Hence, they should try to evaluate the potentiality and capability of their child and provide him with necessary support. The limits and capabilities of child should neither be underestimated nor overestimated. And, once they are identified correctly should be given full freedom to function properly.

Teachers spend so much time with their students; therefore they also play an important part in shaping the life of a child. But, it is a tragic fact of our time that student-teacher relation has been reduced to a commercial level. Teachers shirk their duty of being a role model and avoid treating their students as their children.

AVOID GIVING STRESS OR PRESSURE

Due to overloaded education system and competitive environment in school and home the children are burdened to perform better beyond their limits and energy. Sometimes, the parents and in many cases school teachers exert a pressure on students to excel. This leaves many harmful consequences upon a child. Childhood and adolescence is a time when ordinary levels of stress are heightened by physical, psychological, emotional and social changes.

It is no doubt is a universal fact that all fingers are not equal. The children vary in mental power, understanding, vision, taste and natural orientations. In schools and studies some are brilliant and sharp-minded while some are lazy and dull. But, it does not mean that the dull ones are of no use. There is not a minor thing created useless by Allah in this universe so what about a human being! It is our duty to discover the inner abilities hidden in a person and utilize it in the right direction.

Some boys or girls may be slow in studies, but they must be having some other qualities that might not exist in their brilliant fellows. So, the task of the teacher and parents is to identify their skill and deal with them accordingly. Some teachers intentionally or unintentionally end up putting a lot of pressure on youngsters. It is due to the unhealthy student teacher ratio in Indian schools. Teachers as a result fail to deal with students on an individual basis. Stress and pressure is not necessarily a bad thing; it can often push students to a better performance. But, what is needed is a positive parenting and teaching skill that opens communication channels and provides the child a chance to prosper in his or her field. We should not expect from every one the same performance.

The pressure on children to score high should be moderated, both by parents and schools. Because, when they feel like they can't fulfil their wishes and can't satisfy hopes of parents they tend to adopt escapist measures such as drugs, withdrawal, and even some succumb to the pressures of exams and competition.  Suicide among teenagers was a syndrome that was known only with West till recently. But, now our own country India is witnessing an alarming upward trend of suicides among the younger generation. The highest suicide rate in the world has been reported among young women in South India. Suicide is one of the commonest causes of death among young people. Suicide is the sixth leading cause of death among children aged 5-14 years, and the third leading cause of death among all those 15-24 years old. The latest mean worldwide annual rates of suicide per 100 000 were 0.5 for females and 0.9 for males among 5-14-year-olds, and 12.0 for females and 14.2 for males among 15-24-year-olds, respectively. In most countries, males outnumber females in youth suicide statistics. Though female teens are much more likely to attempt suicide than males, male teens are four times more likely to actually kill themselves.

However, one of the main problems with our education system is that it has been made a commercial establishment rather than an educational organization. The target of education has been set fully to materialism and money-fetching industry; whereas it is more moral, spiritual and value-oriented than just earning a piece of bread. Due to this shifting of target and highly competitive society the parents and family members expect their children to surpass the competitions and overtake others.

GIVE THEM SOME TIME AND SHARE MATTERS

Today, mostly in cities and towns the parents are so busy and engaged in their daily routine that they find very little time for their children. This state of affairs is not a good thing for your child. Therefore, a generous emotional, material and intellectual support is necessary to have a child happy and confident. The lack of support and security breeds cconfusion and frustration in children. It is important to maintain open lines of communication with children. Parents need to be as open and as attentive as possible to their children's difficulties and to assure them that they can share their troubles, and gain support in the process. They should be given every opportunity to unburden their troubles and ventilate their feelings.

If you are having more than one child then any one of them should never feel that any injustice or inequality is being done against him or her. Girls deal with issues emotionally compared to boys, who handle their issues aggressively and violently. So they should not feel discouraged, controlled, rejected and abandoned. Do not let him or her unattended, but try to handle them with patience, sympathy and acceptance, and help them develop understanding.

VACATION PROGRAMME

Have you so far thought what programme you have for your child in the ongoing summer vacation? It is a precious time; either you are going to waste it in worthless things or to make it a beneficial period of time for your child. It is very important to chart out constructive programme and study materials that are helpful for developing the mental, moral and spiritual power of your child.

Muhammadullah Khalili Qasmi can be reached at: khaliliqasmi@gmail.com

‘Central Madrasa Board’ is Unacceptable
3500 Madrasa Delegates Take Unanimous Decision

Muhamamdullah Khalili Qasmi

The leading Islamic seminary of India, Darul Uloom Deoband convened an All India General Meeting of Rabta Madaris Islamia Arabia (Board of Islamic madrasas) in Deoband on 13, 14 May 2007 Sunday and Monday, in a bid to build a consensus on the Ministry of HRD’s ‘Central Madrasa Board’ proposal. The General Meeting was attended by more than 3500 delegates of 3000 Islamic madrasas from all over the country and unanimously passed the resolution that the proposed Madrasa Board is against the spirit of Islamic madrasas, therefore it is unacceptable. The huge response that this meeting received belied the government’s claim that it enjoyed the support of majority of the madrasas in forming the Board.  

The General Meeting will be remembered for years as it yielded presence of so many great scholars from all across the country even those who have some ideological differences among them. Darul Uloom Deoband tried to gather all of them on one platform to create consensus over the proposed Central Madrasa Board programme. The other biggest madrasas like Darul Uloom Waqf Deoband, Nadwatul Ulama Lucknow, Mazahir Uloom Saharanpur, Jamia Darus Salam Omarabad etc extended full support while Muslim socio-political organizations like Jamiat Ulama Hind, Muslim Personal Law Board, Milli Council, Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, Tanzim Abna-e-Qadeem etc came forward to back the initiative with full vigour and strength.  

Interestingly the General Meeting enjoyed representation from major madrasas of all states of the country. The delegates were from Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Bihar, Bengal, Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Orissa, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujrat, Cchattisgadh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.  

The meeting was held in three sessions in the grand marbled Rashid Mosque. The first session, on 13 May from 8 am to 12 pm, was presided over by Maulana Marghoobur Rahman, Mohtamim (Vice Chancellor) of Darul Uloom Deoband. The prominent participants who addressed the gathering were Maulana Muhammad Rabe Hasani (Nadwatul Ulama Lucknow), , Maulana Muhammad Salim Qasmi (Darul Uloom Waqf Deoband), Maulana Ghulam Rashool Khamosh (Gujrat), Maulana Nizamuddin General Secretary Muslim Personal Law Board, Maulana Mahmood Madani (General Secretary Jamiat Ulama Hind), Maulana Khalilur Rahman Sajjad Nomani (Lucknow), Maulana Ameeduz Zaman (Tanzeem Abna-e-Qadeem, Dlehi), Maulana Abdullah Mughisi (Meerut), Maulana Ghulam Muhammad Wustanwi (Maharashtra), Maulana Ashhad Rashidi (Madrasa Shahi Moradabad), Maulana Abul Aleem Farooqui (Lucknow), Maulana Burhanuddin Sambhali, Maulana Abul Qasim Nomani (Varansi), Maulana Rahmatullah (Jammu & Kashmir) etc.  

Maulana Shaukat Ali Bastawi, the General Secretary of the Rabta, in his report, described the background of the meeting. After 9/11 attacks, the attention of media was drawn to Taliban regime in Afghanistan who were supposed to be trained in Deobandi madrasas of Pakistan. The then central government on India set up a Ministerial Group to monitor the madrasa activities in the country. The group expressed its concern over growing of madrasas especially at border areas and regarded them as dens of terrorism and fundamentalism. But, the fact was disgorged by Home Minister L K Advani when he faced a question in Parliament about the so-called criminal data of the madrasas. He confessed that the government has no record of any madrasa involved in terrorism. The NDA government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee expressed its determination to set up a madrasa board and modernize the madrasa system. But for unknown reasons, it retreated and there was no further initiative taken in this regard. But, after transfer of power in 2004 when the reign of UPA came in Congress’s hand, the Ministry of Human Resources Development was entrusted to Mr Arjun Singh. According to its undeclared tradition, the Congress tried to fulfill the unfinished task of its predecessor. On 3 December 2006, the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutes convened a meeting under the supervision of HRD ministry and announced its plan of establishing central madrasa board. In response, the Executive Committee of Rabta Madaris held its meeting in Deoband and it expressed grave concerns over the proposal and warned the madrasas to shun supporting the board plan.  

In his presidential address Maulana Marghoobur Rahman (VC of Darul Uloom Deoband and President of Rabta Madaris Islamia) said that the Central Madrasa Board proposal is a dangerous poison that aims at killing madrasas. If we will not be able to comprehend the gravity of the matter and reach a timely decision the coming time shall never forgive us. He added that these madrasas were founded to impart the education of Quran, Hadith and other Islamic Sciences, to preserve the Islam legacy and culture, to spread the Islamic values and ethics and defend the religion against all misunderstandings and misconceptions, and to produce sincere and dedicated servants of Islam who can preach the message of Islam to common masses. He counted several stalwarts and outstanding personalities that Darul Uloom Deoband produced in the past 150 years. According to him, the global powers are afraid of madrasas’ historic role; therefore they are conspiring to divert them from their right track. He concluded that Madrasa Board is a part of this international plot.  

The Acting Mohtamim of Darul Uloom Deoband Maulana Ghulam Rasool Khamosh stated that we should deeply examine ourselves and assess our shortcomings. He said that mostly such circumstances come to remind us of our faults and give us a time to reform. Maulana Muhammad Salim Qasmi (Darul Uloom Waqf Deoband) said that under the disguise of modernization and reformation the proposal wants to kill the spirit the madrasas.  

Maulana Muhammad Rabe Hasani (Nadwatul Ulama Lucknow) in his message said that madrasas are facing dangers and joint action is necessary, while Maulana Nizamuddin, Patna said that the anti-Islamic powers consider the madrasas a threat. But, the fact is that madrasas are preserving the Islamic identity and promoting national integrity and unity. 

Maulana Abul Qasim Nomani (Varansi), said: The proposed Madrasa Board is an illusion and the promises made thereof are baseless. We should reject every offer and concentrate to rectify our internal system.  

Maulana Ghulam Muhammad Wustanwi (Maharashtra) asserted that the madrasas should remain on the track which was laid down by our forefathers. There is a need to reform the internal system of madrasas and to establish part-time seminaries (maktabs).  

Maulana Salman Mazahiri (Mazahir Uloom Saharanpur): First, the madrasas were threatened and persuaded and now they are appeased and shown the dream of handsome salaries. No madrasa board proposal is acceptable to us.  

Maulana Ameeduz Zaman (Tanzeem Abna-e-Qadeem, Dlehi): We should keep distance from the Madrasa Board. This board is much more dangerous than the state madrasa boards in Bengal and Bihar, and this is not a local phenomenon but a part of a global conspiracy.  

Maulana Arshad Madani, President of Jamiat Ulama Hind and Head of Education Department, Darul Uloom Deoband, said that the fate of the madrasas affiliated to state madrasa boards in Bengal, Bihar, Assam and Rajasthan is known to all. Their academic career is highly uncompetitive and below standard. He said that according to the Sachar Committee report, the madrasas have only 4% of Muslim children, the rest 96% either goes to school or remains uneducated. So, if the government is so sincere about Muslims it should pay attention to the larger majority of Muslim children and implement the other recommendations of Sachar Committee.  

Maulana Khalilur Rahman Sajjad Nomani spoke in length and said that the treasure of Quran and Hadith is safe and secure only in the boundaries of these madrasas and any effort to change the key syllabus may be dangerous. Mufti Saeed Ahmad Palanpuri expressed his satisfaction that the madrasas will not be deluded and this madrasa board scheme will end in fiasco.  

Maulana Burhanuddin Sambhali, Lucknow argued that the enemies of Islam, after long experimentations, have reached to a conclusion that the only way to rout out Islam is to dry up the sources from where it gains strength. As a result, they are trying hard to give a bad name to these centres of Islam and to eliminate them from the surface of the earth. 

Maulana Mahmood Madani (General Secretary Jamiat Ulama Hind) his fiery speech said: The proposal of madrasa board is a Zionist plot and any such step to regulate the normal functioning madrasas will not be tolerated. It is our democratic right to establish madrasas and Islamic schools and we can never give it up. He added that the government should be worried about the schools and colleges instead of madrasas.  

The speakers stressed at various topics ranging from transparency in accounts, rectification of madrasa system, modification in syllabus, raise the salary and hostel standard, establishing maktabs (part time seminaries mainly in mosques to teach basic Islamic tenets to Muslim children), need to affiliate to Rabta etc.  

Owing to frequent conflicts arising about madrasas, Darul Uloom Deoband, being the mother of post 1857 Islamic madrasas, formed a joint platform of madrasas known as ‘Rabta Madaris Islamia Arabia’ (board of Islamic and Arabic madrasas) in 1995. The Board was established to achieve targets like forming a platform of madrasas to ward off conspiracies, discuss syllabus related matters and some other developmental issues. Though all the mainstream madrasas of the country are informally associated to Darul Uloom Deoband, but the formally affiliated madrasas are nearly 1500. The madrasas having Arabic classes are considered eligible to join this amalgam.

In the concluding meeting on 14 May Sunday, the General Meeting passed resolution against Central Madrasa Board proposal and expressed their resolve to oppose it. The resolution was supported by all the participants and some representatives of major madrasas came on the dais also to affirm the same. 

The next morning, the authorities of Darul Uloom Deoband cheered up to read the first headline in Urdu daily Hindustan Express that the Government has no plan of establishing Central Madrasa Board. This view was expressed by HRD ministry in response to SP leader Shaihd Siddiqui’s question in Parliament regarding the proposed board.

Muhammadullah Khalili Qasmi can be reached at: khaliliqasmi@gmail.com

by: Muhammadullah Khalili Qasmi

Education, in present age, being the most important and modern age whereas eventually it is only necessary thing for the people, is considered to be a gift of this the holy Quran to which goes the credit of education's foundation and its advancement. Before I go to describe the details about the topic, let's have a comparative look on the religions and civilisations that existed prior to Islam.

The Greece and China are said to make extraordinary progress, in past, in the field of education and art but they also did not favour the education for all. Plato has dreamt of democracy and equality but he also could not go beyond education for some particular segments of the society.1

Education in India, before he advent of Islam, was considered to be the monopoly of Brahmins. They excluded the lower class people from acquiring knowledge. They thought themselves to be superior and believed that educating them is “casting pearl before swine” as an English proverb says. The Indian society was divided into four categories; Brahmin, Chatri, Weshu and Shwudr. Only the Brahmins, among them, had right to get education even when their civilization was on its full swing. Though there were mass revolts against the notion and later took the shape of Buddhism and Jainism, but soon these religions grew weaker the previous condition returned. None can deny the glory of Nalanda and Takshila universities, but after all, the fact is that the common people were always deprived of education in Hindu periods. The lower caste person was not even allowed to hear the scriptures. If sometimes a lower-caste person happens to gain a hearing by steal used to be put melted lead in his ears. As if it was a heinous crime for him to listen the Vedic verses.2

Likewise, the Europe, those days, was passing through dark ages of history. The churches owned the ins and outs of the citizens. The scientists, artists and men of learning were tortured and sometimes even were torched to death. Galileo was sentenced to death because he came up with the idea that the earth evolves round the sun. Bruno was burned alive for he was of the opinion that the universe has some other planets like earth.3

An European writer describes the situation as: "When Europe was immersed in darkness of ignorance the Caliphs of Baghdad and Qurtuba had spread the light of culture and civilisation in Islamic world. When the leaders of Europe did not know even how to write their names the children of Islamic countries were accustomed to reading and writing"4

Similarly, ignorance was prevailing all over Arabia. There was neither a school nor a college and library. Not only the entire tribes were illiterate but also some of them used to feel proud of being unlettered. Allama Bilazari has asserted that Quraish, the head of all tribes, had only 17 persons who knew writing. Those who were assigned to write the revelation of the Prophet (PBUH) they also were 43 out of all Ansar and Muhajireen.5

It is an established truth that Islam has attached much emphasis on education. It is only Islam, which occupies this distinguished position of being the messenger of knowledge and leader of an educational revolution. According to Islamic viewpoint the humanity set out for its journey in the light of knowledge, not in the darkness of ignorance as modern people say that man is a developed form of animals. The other systems have put the education in the category of necessities of life but Islam has regarded it the utmost necessity of human life. There is neither a religion nor a civilisation that has termed education as basic right of every individual in the society.

In fact, in the 6th century, when the sun of Islam rose from the horizon of Arabian Peninsula in its fullest blaze the entire world was shrouded by darkness. People all around were steeped in ignorance and long slumber. The first slogan that Islam chanted in this horrible atmosphere was about 'education'. The earliest verses that revealed to the Prophet (PBUH) invited people to education:

“Read in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, who created. Created man out of a (mere clot of congealed blood. Read and thy Lord is Most Bountiful. He who taught (the use of) the pen. Taught man that which he knew not”. 6

These five verses of the holy Quran along with many others are the fountainhead of education in post-Islam history. They created a remarkable eagerness toward education and filled the followers of Islam with a tremendous spirit that carved a new history. The holy Quran and Hadith encouraged this spirit and gave it a good push by repeated mentioning of education's virtues and greatness:

“Allah will raise up, to (suitable) ranks (and degrees), those of you believe and who have been granted knowledge. And Allah is well acquainted with all ye do”7
“Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know?”8
“Ulama are the heirs of the prophets”
An A’alim is the trustee of Allah on this earth”10
One who covers a way in search of knowledge Allah will lead him to the paradise”11

Apart from this we find that the Holy Quran & Hadith have repeatedly asked Muslims to deliberate in the signs of the heavens and the earth. They encouraged the human spirit of curiosity and regarded mankind the supreme creature. There were many things in the universe, which people used to worship, but Islam asserted that every thing on the world has been created for the service of men. As the Quran says: "it is He who has created all things that are on earth"12

These were the reasons that the Arabs who were quite uncivilized and ignorant turned into the leader of the world in all section of life. They acquired the knowledge of philosophy, medical science, pharmacy, botany, surgery, geography, astronomy, agriculture and so on. In no less than hundred years they became experts in all these fields. They not only followed the previous theories but also they discovered countless facts and invented new things. The Islamic cities were the centres of education and science attracting students from all across Europe, Asia and Africa. Today's modern science and technology has been developed on the theories and philosophies of Muslims. An orientalist admits: "The Arabs have opened the door of arts and sciences, literature and philosophy for Europe. The Arabs taught Europe for six hundred years"13

Maulana Ali Miyan Nadvi writes: “The historians admit that the Loather’s reformation was profoundly impressed by Islamic teachings, and not only the Christianity but also the European life and culture has been influenced by Islam.

Robert Briffault writes in his book ‘The Making of Humanity’: “There is not even a part of Europe’s advancement which is not impressed by Islamic civilisation. Not only the natural sciences, for which we are obliged to the Arabs, have facilitated life in Europe but the Islamic culture also has influenced on various fields”14

There is another French writer who states: “As the Arabs have impressed the East they have impressed the west too. In 9th and 10th centuries when the muslims’ civilisation was onfull swing that European cities were like prisons where our leadres lived wildly. They used to boost of their ignorance, untill some personalities dared to break the ice and folded their knees before Arabs who were the teachers of that age”.15

In this situation, imagine, whatever Islam has done is nothing short of a miracle. In a short period of time the Arabs turned in to the most civilized nation, and whenever they went left their deep impressions on life, culture and language. The entire cultural and lingual structure of Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, Libya, Morocco and other countries…

It is extremely tragic that Muslims, today, with their past glory and bright history are lagging behind from contemporary communities in every field. The European and others have marched ahead while Muslims failed to treasure their elders' heritage and advance it to coming generations. Recalling the bygone era I do not wish you to feel proud of the past but regain that amazing grandeur and dazzling splendour by stepping forward in to the field of education and modern science.

1. Islami Nizam-e-Zindagi, p. 241, Pro. Sayyid Ata'ullah Hussaini, Taj Compony Delhi
2. Ibid., Taleem Hindustan ke Muslim ahd-e-Hukumat mein, pp. 17,18, SM Jaffar, Traqqi Urdu Bureau Delhi, 2nd ad. 1984
3. Insani Dnya par Musalmanon ke Uruj o Zawal ka Asar, pp. 220-21, M. Ali Miyan Nadvi, Lucknow 1422 AH/2001AC
4. Riyaz-ul-Janna, Riyaz-ul-Uloom Guraini Jaunpur, May & June 2000, p. 53
5. Islami Nizam-e-Zindagi, p. 240, Pro. Sayyid Ata'ullah Hussaini, Taj Compony Delhi
6. Sura Alaq 96/1,2,3,4,5
7. Sura Mujadila 58/11
8. Sura Zumur 39/9
9. Abudaud & Tirmizi, referred by Ihya-ul-uloom Urdu translation, 30
10. Ihya-ul-Uloom 34, Ibn-e-Abdulbarr
11. Muslim, Ihya-ul-Uloom 35
12. Sura Baqra, 2/29
13. Riyaz-ul-Janna, Riyaz-ul-Uloom Guraini Jaunpur, May & June 2000, p. 53
14. Insani Dnya par Musalmanon ke Uruj o Zawal ka Asar, p.154, M. Ali Miyan Nadvi, Lucknow 1422 AH/2001AC
15. Tamaddun-e-Arab, G Lebon, Translated in Urdu by Sayyid Ali Belgrami, p. 599,