Islamic Educational Institutions

Abstract

Historical Background By way of background, I shall give a brief summary of Islamic educational institutions. First, according to Shalaby, the institution where the Qur’an, Hadith (sayings and deeds related to the Prophet Muhammad), Arabic grammar, stories of the prophets, reading, and writing were taught is the maktub (elementary school). This maktub is different from the Dar al-Arqam (see previous article), where the early Muslims received their “quality” of training (educational framework of thinking and practicing). Bashier describes the Dar al-Arqam as “a sort of school out of which the best cadres of nascent Islam graduated.” It is my contention that the Dar al-Arqam was more a nmjh (i.e., a place where discussion, teaching, and learning activities took place) Moreover, according to Makdisi the maktab became known as the institution of learning where elementary education took place and the studies which led to the level of higher education, such as specialization in law. For him, the maktab was recognized as an elementary school where “khan, calligraphy or writing, . . . [was] taught, as well as the Koran, the creed (i‘tiqad) and poetry.” This claim is supported by Tibawi who asserts that “teachers . . . receive[d] pupils in special places possibly a room in a house . . . for instruction . . . known as [m]aktab or [kuttab, both derived from the Arabic root ‘to write This idea of the maktab as having been an elementary school is vindicated by the fact that pupils entered the school at ages seven to ten, and were placed under the care of the mu‘allim (the most common term used to designate the teacher of pupils at elementary level). according to Makdisi, studies of the maktab led to study in a “masjid-college or madrasa and to the halqat of the Second, after the arrival of the Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in Madinah, the first mosque in Islam (Masjid Quba) was erected. The mosque became the major institution in Islam for the dissemination of Islamic education, and its importance cannot be denied. It was used as a political and cultural center, a court of justice, an educational institution, and above all a place of worship. For this reason, the mosque is considered the “first institution of learning.” ...