Education in
Islamic Education
“The Koran”
At the beginning of the seventh century C.E., Muhammad, a native of the city of Mecca, was called to
communicate the Word of God: the Koran (meaning "[Scripture]
Reading," or "Reciting"). Shortly after his death, the
individual parts of the Koranic revelation were collected from both oral and
written sources, arranged in one text, and published by an authorized committee
of learned Muslims. Thus the Koran became Islam's first and only holy book.
Sura (chapter) 96, traditionally considered as the very
first revelation to the prophet Muhammad, starts with the divine command to
"Read" (or: "Recite"/"Proclaim" words of the holy
scripture).
It stresses that God "taught Man that which he knew
not" and that God did so "by [the use of] the pen"—suggesting
that God taught humankind "the holy scriptures," or "writing."
These verses seem to highlight that Islam, from its very beginning, expressly
prioritizes the imparting and acquisition of (religious) knowledge, learning
and education; and that God is humankind's undisputed supreme teacher.
Like the previous prophets, Muhammad was called to proclaim
the Word of God as contained in the heavenly archetype of the holy book.
However, he was also ordered first to listen to the revelation. Only then was
he to recite and read the divine text himself, to learn of its meanings by way
of explanation, and eventually to convey and teach God's message to others: in
Sura 75:15–18, for example, one notes the powerful way in which the Koran
addresses the oral components of receiving, listening, learning, and setting
forth the Word
This, as it appears, "divinely inaugurated" method
of instruction had a significant impact on the transmission of knowledge and on
education in Islam in general.
Further notions on teaching and learning are to be found at
Sura 2:282–283, which deals with the establishing of legal matters and
explicitly refers to the need for people who are able to write, to the
importance of written documents, and to the practice of writing and dictating;
detailed instructions are even given on how to proceed.
Sura 3:79 then reminds the "masters [in the
Scripture]" and "followers of the Lord" (rabbaniyyun) of their
twofold obligation: to teach and to continue studying. Other pedagogical
elements in the Koran extend to issues such as: the developmental stages,
habits, and socialization of the human being; ethical norms and values related
to education; and human psychology.
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