EDUCATION AND
TRAINING IN ISLAM
ALI COURSE 349
Spring 2016
Shahnaaz Alidina
S. Alidina
Course objectives and outline
GOAL: Achieve a clear view of what Training and Education in Islam
looks like for the self and others.
Objective:
• 1.Provide an understanding on developing and training the intellect
versus knowledge
• 2. Engage in some practical tasks that demonstrate intellection
• 3. How can these teachings help us educate our children?
Course outline:
Spread over 4 weeks the course will look at: Aspects of intellectual
training and rational training, the enhancement of talents and skills, the
question of habit, morality, self development and dignity in terms of
growth and advancement.
S. Alidina
Shahid Murtaza Mutahhari
• Born into a family of clergymen on on Feb 3, 1920 in a village of Fariman,
near Mashhad
• Age of 12 went to Mashhad to begin his education of Islamic Studies and
then to Qum
• Studied under great scholars he held high esteem in the eyes of these
learned men and came to be known for his personality and philosophy.
Became a Professor at Tehran University teaching Islamic Sciences.
• Specially known for his eloquent speeches and of being a compassionate
teacher in the way of truth and freedom of thought. He was a great thinker.
• Imam Khomeini upon hearing of his death said: ‘In him I have lost a dear son;
I am mourning the death of one who was the fruit of my life.’
• His book Education and Training is based on series of Lectures delivered to
Religious teachers and Medical doctors
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Education and Training in Islam
Questions
• Does Islam favor the the enhancement of human mind or intellect or
not?
• Given that Islam is a religion that calls for upon people to seek
knowledge, what kind of human being is the model human being that
Islam wants to create?
Rationale
• The holistic nature of a school of thought can not be devoid of specific
educational system especially when it seeks to implement moral,
economic and social goals for the people
• Training of the individual versus training the collective or society
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Intellectual training
• The aspect of Knowledge [ilm]and learning [ta’allum]
• The aspect of intellect [‘aql] and intellection [ta’aqqul]
• The role of a teacher in education and his/her goal.
•
• Amirul Momineen Imam Ali (as): Knowledge/Intellect is of two
kinds….that knowledge/intellect which is absorbed [matbu’] and that
which is just heard [masmu’]
• ‘The one that is heard does not give benefit unless it is absorbed’.
• The concept of natural knowledge in the place of the old educational
system
• Question: Is it possible for a learned person to be ignorant?
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Product of thinking and Reflection
• The need for processing information and given examples
• Developing the power of analysis and scrutiny
• Negating the concept of pressurizing to fill the mind with facts
• Shahid Mutahhari’s (SM) opinion on those scholars who met
frequently with their teachers
• “The mind of a person is exactly like his stomach” (SM) Discuss this
concept.
• Islam’s view on thinking and learning
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Task
• Read the following and answer the questions that follow.
The old father held his son’s hand and led him towards the valley. He
said:
“Oh my son, I had a dream and want you to lie on this”.
The son realized what his father wanted him to do and replied:
“Father do what you have to do and you will not find me disobedient”
Questions:
Which father and son is having this conversation?
What did the father want to do?
What happened after the son laid down?
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The intellect must filter
So give good news to my servants who listen to the Word [of Allah],
Q. After listening what do they do? Do they believe in whatever they hear and act
upon it or do they reject whatever they hear?
And [they} follow the best [meaning] in it
Observe: They analyse, critique, evaluate and assess and chose what is best and
follow it. The Quran then states it they who are guided by Allah
those are the ones whom Allah has guided, and those are the ones endued with
understanding (Az-Zumar 39:17-18) .
Indeed the ones who apply reason use their intellect and receive Divine guidance.
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Being future oriented
• A man earnestly insisted that the Holy prophet give him some advice.
The Holy Prophet (saw) said:
• “If you intend to do something, think about the consequences”
Rumi Says:
This carnal desire is full of greed and is present-oriented
While the intellect thinks of the Judgment Day
Whoever is future oriented is a believer
And whoever is crib-oriented is an unbeliever
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Blending intellect and knowledge
• A fundamental criteria of intellect is that it goes hand in hand with
knowledge.
• A thinker without proper information is similar to factory without raw
materials.
• And these examples We present to the people, but none will
understand them except those of knowledge (Ankabut 29:43)
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Being free to think for oneself
• Being able to exercise reason and not follow blindly
• Declining on keeping with ancestral traditions that bear no relevance
• Refusing to go by the majority criterion and deciding what is right for
oneself
• Not allowing one to be influenced by other’s
• judgment
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Nurturing the Epistemic spirit
• The difference between being knowledgeable and having the spirit of
knowledge.
“they are any individuals who have epistemic spirit (ruh-e ilmi) yet they
are not knowledgeable (alim).And they are also many individuals who
are knowledgeable but have no epistemic spirit. A real alim is one
whose epistemic spirit is coupled by knowledge.” M. Mutahhari
What does epistemic spirit mean?
The knowledge that stems from human instinct to seek the truth.
To nurture epistemic spirit one be unbiased and want to discover the
truth as it is and not as he wants it to be.
Rumi says:
When self-interest appears, virtue becomes hidden:
A hundred veils rise from the heart to the eye
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Theories on Child & Adolescent Development
• Jean Piaget :Piaget's theory has four stages: sensorimotor,
preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational.
• sensorimotor – 0-2yrs: becoming familiar with senses and use of body
and language is developed
• Pre-operational – 2-7yrs: children start using mental symbols to
understand and interact with the world, and begin to learn language
and engage in pretend play.
• concrete operational – 7-11yrs: children gain the ability to think
logically to solve problems and organize information they learn. Yet
limited to concrete and not abstract
• formal operational 11 onwards>> adolescents learn how to think
more abstractly to solve problems and think symbolically, e.g., about
things that aren't really there concretely in front of them.
•
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Some tips in developing critical thinking in children
• Providing opportunities in play:
Rolling two marbles down a chute to see which is faster; seeing what
happens when you dip chalk in water; or mixing cornstarch and water
to make "goop”
• Helping children view themselves as problem solvers and thinkers by
asking open-ended questions.
• Don't solve all problems immediately for children
• Help children develop hypotheses.
• Encourage thinking in new and different ways.
• Support your child to research further information
• See more at: http://www.brighthorizons.com/family-resources/
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In Summary
• Importance of training the intellect
• Intellect versus knowledge
• Intellection goes hand in hand with knowledge
• Role of the educator in teaching
• Rational training of man
• In being a free thinker
• Nurturing the spirit to learn
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Take away task
• Assignment:
1. How would you explain simply to a year 4yr old how the baby is
born using words that you are comfortable and at the same time
avoiding any fantasies but sticking to the truth.
2. In the coming week, you will listen to some lectures. Keep a vigilant
ear and take note of anything you have heard but need to know
more, in need of further discussion, is questionable.
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