Pushed to the wall by the fast changing socio-economic conditions, Madrasas have been unable to move with the pace of time, says Mohammad Saleem Hayat
Ahmad sits cross-legged at his wooden desk in a corner of the Madrasa. He is busy memorising Arabic grammar and the first chapter of Hidayah, the famous book of Islamic jurisprudence. He burns the midnight lamp oil through the week and says “ilm ki khatir khud ko ghulaunga” (I will burn my energy for the sake of knowledge). Ahmad does not much care about understanding the text as he has no intention other than passing the exam and getting a certificate of Aalim.
When he goes to attend the period of Islamic jurisprudence,
he gets completely absorbed into the classroom discussion that revolves around the subject of Wazu (ablution) that is performed before Namaz. The topic of discussion: in case a dog fell into a well and died, how many buckets of water are to be drawn to make it pure and worthy of ablution. Then there is the debate about the dispute among the great imams of various schools of thought on the number of the buckets of water to be drawn from the well to make it pure and the debate on the subject goes on for weeks. This scene is by no means exclusive to Ahmad’s Madrasa. In fact, this is the norm. Correctly defined, Madrasas are centres of higher Islamic learning for a large number of Muslims in India. Along with these Madrasas, there are a large number of Maktabs or primary schools attached to the mosques or run separately. In the 11th century, famous Persian Islamic philosopher Ibn Sina (known as Avicenna in the west) laid down the guidelines on what Maktabs should do in a chapter titled "Role of the teacher in training and upbringing of children”. Since then, this has acted as guide and philosopher to teachers working at Maktabs.
The books of Islamic jurisprudence, namely Hidaya and Bidaya, are the part of Dars-e-Nizami syllabus developed by Mullah Nizamuddin Suhali during the 18th century. Almost all the books included in the syllabus were written between the ninth and the 14th centuries. Their authors were from central Asia, Iran and parts of the Arab world. Their understanding of fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) was shaped by the particular environment in which they lived. Bereft of the many issues of contemporary concern, the Indian madrasas still include these books in their syllabi. Professor SA Rahman, Chairperson, Centre of Arabic and African Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, told TSI: “Many religious books of Madrasas need to be revised and updated. Old books are complex. Even their footnotes are more difficult than the original.” This view is steadily being reinforced. “Madrasa teachers are not aware of contemporary economic and socio-political problems. The need of the hour is to understand the nitty-gritty of international trade and commerce and explain Islamic jurisprudence in the light of modern social and political conditions,” Amin Usmani, secretary general of Islamic Fiqh Academy, explains.
Dars-e-Nizami has traditionally provided well-rounded education that includes modern subjects as well as traditional education. Dars-e-Nizami, as Mullah Nizamuddin developed it, was not a fixed and unchanging syllabus. In place of the bookish learning that is the characteristic of many Madrasas today, Mullah Nizamuddin did not teach entire books to his students. He evolved a unique style. He taught them only some select chapters and encouraged them to study the rest of the book on their own, so that they could enhance their critical faculties. No wonder then, apart from producing Aalim and Mufti, Dars-e-Nizami produced government officials as well. US based Tarique Rasheed Firangi Mahli, a ninth generation descendent of Mullah Nizamuddin, says: “That is not the case with a majority of madrasas today. How can you produce Aalims or Islamic scholars if they are taught books which are 600 to 800 years old?”
When British acquired administrative control of India, they killed many scholars who opposed them and confiscated the endowed properties through which madrasas used to finance themselves. English replaced Persian as the official language and Persian scholars were rendered jobless. The arrival of British on Indian soil led to introspection among the Muslim community of India. On one hand, a large number of Madrasas were opened across the country – most prominent among them was Darul Uloom Deoband – to counter British hegemony and save Islam from the proselytising concerns of Christian missionaries. Another important response was the idea of reforming Muslim community. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan emphasised modern education and became the greatest torchbearer of Muslim reform. Apart from Deoband and Aligarh, another important institution Nadwah was established which gave the clarion call of “bridging the gap between the old good and the useful new". However, Nadwah itself, over the years, emphasised too heavily on old learning and did not keep pace with the times.
Some other prominent Madrasas taught their students not only Persian but also divided the education into two parts, one dealt with Uloom-e-diniah (religious knowledge) and the other with Uloom-e-dunyawia (worldly knowledge). Sadly, the overemphasis on religious knowledge meant that worldly knowledge was almost neglected or sidelined.
During the glories of Mughal rule, Madrasas as centres of learning attracted students from noble Muslim families, who made huge donations. But the end of Mughal Empire deprived the madrasas of this source of income. Though the lack of a steady source of income did not stop madrasas from spreading in many remote parts of the country and attracting students from the lowest rungs of Muslim society, the lack of financial resources became the greatest hindrance for the recruitment of good teachers. “Madrasa teachers are hardly trained,” says Usmani. He also suggests the setting up of peace studies in prominent Madrasas because some of them over the years have been accused of promoting radical and extremist ideas. Suggests SA Rahman: “Old religious books should be compared with the new books written by modern scholars so that we could get some good books for teaching students.” Despite recent controversies, Madrasas have been held in high esteem because they were capable of producing great men such as Maulana Hali, Maulanna Shibli, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Syed Sulaiman Nadvi Maulana, Hussein Ahmad Madni and Maulana Abul Hasan Ali Nadvi. These scholars did not confine themselves to religious knowledge alone, but emphasised modern learning.
The truth is that Madrasas have hardly reformed their syllabi to keep pace with modern times. They have clinged on to centuries-old courses and ancient methods of teaching. The first winds of change appear to be arriving though. Many Madrasas today have affiliated themselves with universities like Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Isllamia. More and more young products from the Madrasas are opting for professional courses and competitive exams with a considerable degree of success. But the central question still remains unanswered. How long will students like Ahmad keep burning the midnight lamp? Will they be able to join the league of the great scholars? Is his efforts going to secure him a worthy future?
Ahmad sits cross-legged at his wooden desk in a corner of the Madrasa. He is busy memorising Arabic grammar and the first chapter of Hidayah, the famous book of Islamic jurisprudence. He burns the midnight lamp oil through the week and says “ilm ki khatir khud ko ghulaunga” (I will burn my energy for the sake of knowledge). Ahmad does not much care about understanding the text as he has no intention other than passing the exam and getting a certificate of Aalim.
When he goes to attend the period of Islamic jurisprudence,
he gets completely absorbed into the classroom discussion that revolves around the subject of Wazu (ablution) that is performed before Namaz. The topic of discussion: in case a dog fell into a well and died, how many buckets of water are to be drawn to make it pure and worthy of ablution. Then there is the debate about the dispute among the great imams of various schools of thought on the number of the buckets of water to be drawn from the well to make it pure and the debate on the subject goes on for weeks. This scene is by no means exclusive to Ahmad’s Madrasa. In fact, this is the norm. Correctly defined, Madrasas are centres of higher Islamic learning for a large number of Muslims in India. Along with these Madrasas, there are a large number of Maktabs or primary schools attached to the mosques or run separately. In the 11th century, famous Persian Islamic philosopher Ibn Sina (known as Avicenna in the west) laid down the guidelines on what Maktabs should do in a chapter titled "Role of the teacher in training and upbringing of children”. Since then, this has acted as guide and philosopher to teachers working at Maktabs.The books of Islamic jurisprudence, namely Hidaya and Bidaya, are the part of Dars-e-Nizami syllabus developed by Mullah Nizamuddin Suhali during the 18th century. Almost all the books included in the syllabus were written between the ninth and the 14th centuries. Their authors were from central Asia, Iran and parts of the Arab world. Their understanding of fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) was shaped by the particular environment in which they lived. Bereft of the many issues of contemporary concern, the Indian madrasas still include these books in their syllabi. Professor SA Rahman, Chairperson, Centre of Arabic and African Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, told TSI: “Many religious books of Madrasas need to be revised and updated. Old books are complex. Even their footnotes are more difficult than the original.” This view is steadily being reinforced. “Madrasa teachers are not aware of contemporary economic and socio-political problems. The need of the hour is to understand the nitty-gritty of international trade and commerce and explain Islamic jurisprudence in the light of modern social and political conditions,” Amin Usmani, secretary general of Islamic Fiqh Academy, explains.
Dars-e-Nizami has traditionally provided well-rounded education that includes modern subjects as well as traditional education. Dars-e-Nizami, as Mullah Nizamuddin developed it, was not a fixed and unchanging syllabus. In place of the bookish learning that is the characteristic of many Madrasas today, Mullah Nizamuddin did not teach entire books to his students. He evolved a unique style. He taught them only some select chapters and encouraged them to study the rest of the book on their own, so that they could enhance their critical faculties. No wonder then, apart from producing Aalim and Mufti, Dars-e-Nizami produced government officials as well. US based Tarique Rasheed Firangi Mahli, a ninth generation descendent of Mullah Nizamuddin, says: “That is not the case with a majority of madrasas today. How can you produce Aalims or Islamic scholars if they are taught books which are 600 to 800 years old?”
When British acquired administrative control of India, they killed many scholars who opposed them and confiscated the endowed properties through which madrasas used to finance themselves. English replaced Persian as the official language and Persian scholars were rendered jobless. The arrival of British on Indian soil led to introspection among the Muslim community of India. On one hand, a large number of Madrasas were opened across the country – most prominent among them was Darul Uloom Deoband – to counter British hegemony and save Islam from the proselytising concerns of Christian missionaries. Another important response was the idea of reforming Muslim community. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan emphasised modern education and became the greatest torchbearer of Muslim reform. Apart from Deoband and Aligarh, another important institution Nadwah was established which gave the clarion call of “bridging the gap between the old good and the useful new". However, Nadwah itself, over the years, emphasised too heavily on old learning and did not keep pace with the times.
Some other prominent Madrasas taught their students not only Persian but also divided the education into two parts, one dealt with Uloom-e-diniah (religious knowledge) and the other with Uloom-e-dunyawia (worldly knowledge). Sadly, the overemphasis on religious knowledge meant that worldly knowledge was almost neglected or sidelined.
During the glories of Mughal rule, Madrasas as centres of learning attracted students from noble Muslim families, who made huge donations. But the end of Mughal Empire deprived the madrasas of this source of income. Though the lack of a steady source of income did not stop madrasas from spreading in many remote parts of the country and attracting students from the lowest rungs of Muslim society, the lack of financial resources became the greatest hindrance for the recruitment of good teachers. “Madrasa teachers are hardly trained,” says Usmani. He also suggests the setting up of peace studies in prominent Madrasas because some of them over the years have been accused of promoting radical and extremist ideas. Suggests SA Rahman: “Old religious books should be compared with the new books written by modern scholars so that we could get some good books for teaching students.” Despite recent controversies, Madrasas have been held in high esteem because they were capable of producing great men such as Maulana Hali, Maulanna Shibli, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Syed Sulaiman Nadvi Maulana, Hussein Ahmad Madni and Maulana Abul Hasan Ali Nadvi. These scholars did not confine themselves to religious knowledge alone, but emphasised modern learning.
The truth is that Madrasas have hardly reformed their syllabi to keep pace with modern times. They have clinged on to centuries-old courses and ancient methods of teaching. The first winds of change appear to be arriving though. Many Madrasas today have affiliated themselves with universities like Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Isllamia. More and more young products from the Madrasas are opting for professional courses and competitive exams with a considerable degree of success. But the central question still remains unanswered. How long will students like Ahmad keep burning the midnight lamp? Will they be able to join the league of the great scholars? Is his efforts going to secure him a worthy future?
Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus
Top Articles on IIPM:-
'This is one of Big B's best performances'
IIPM to come up at Rajarhat
IIPM awards four Bengali novelists
IIPM makes business education truly global-Education-The Times of ...
The Hindu : Education Plus : Honour for IIPM
IIPM ranked No.1 B-School in India, Management News - By ...
IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
Moneycontrol >> News >> Press- News >> IIPM ranked No1 B-School in ...
IIPM ranked No. 1 B-school in India- Zee Business Survey ...
IIPM ranked No1 B-School in India :: Education, Careers ...
The Hindu Business Line : IIPM placements hit a high of over 2000 jobs
Deccan Herald - IIPM ranked as top B-School in India
India eNews - IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...
IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs
No comments:
Post a Comment