First of all, we analyze the role played
by our institutions of religious education.
A rigorous analysis of their structure reveals a number of flaws.
Their gravest flaw is that they are
based upon the principle of Taqlīd.
Here a student from the very first day is labelled as an orthodox follower of a
particular sect. His destiny seems to be carved out beforehand as a devout
denouncer of every other sect and an ardent acclaimer of his own. He is made to
believe that only his brand of beliefs is in direct conformity with the Qur’ān
and Sunnah. He is brainwashed with the notion that only his sect has been
divinely blessed with the true version of Islam. An inference attributed to a
highly revered scholar of his sect stands supreme till the Day of Judgement.
That it can be challenged by explicit reasonings derived from the Qur’ān and
Sunnah cannot be dared thought of. On the contrary, it becomes a part of his
faith that such a scholar cannot falter.
It is this superhuman veneration that
has actually given rise to the menace of religious sectarianism. Differences in
opinion have often developed into severe conflicts. An atmosphere charged with
lightning and resounding with thunder prevails amongst our religious circles.
Every now and then a new episode of defamacy erupts form our mosques, which are
unfortunately being used for these malignant offensives. The intense disregard
they have for one another has led them to violate all norms of decency. Even
immoral tactics are employed to safeguard their own views and interests .
Prejudices and bigotry have severely hampered the long needed compilation of
Islamic law and its subsequent implementation. Like nations at war, they
continue their crusades against each other---meanwhile, very close to them the
forces of evil mock at them and continue to flourish.
There are some among them, who claim to
be liberal by not insisting upon the taqlīd of a single person, yet are adamant
that after the fourth century H*ijra, the process of direct deliberation and
reflection over the Qur’ān as a means for deduction and derivation can no more
be deemed admissible; a matter that stands closed and no one should dare open
it. To them the explanation of a Qur’ānic verse or a Hadīth contrary to the
conventionally understood meaning, outrightly amounts to heresy. Evident
omissions and apparent flaws in inferences are accepted vehemently simply
because no one ever disputed them. In their opinion, scholarship and research
only consist of enumerating, as much as possible, the views of previous scholars
in support of their own. As a result, all their mental pursuits are confined to
compilation and collection of references, while the faculties of reasoning and
intellect are impelled into a permanent state of dormancy.
The arguments, they give in their
support have no basis in the realms of reality. All of them acknowledge that the
Qur’ān is the first source of our religion. We need not elaborate upon the fact
that the Qur’ān has always remained under the protection of Allah, and there is
no question of anyone ever having tampered with it. Its authenticity stands
unchallenged, and it has been passed on to us as it was revealed. Its meanings
and implications like its language, Arabic, are very clear. All material
required to study the semantics of the language is available to us, just as it
was in the early days. After the Qur’ān, the Sunnah and Ahādīth are the second
source of our religion. Most of their contents have reached us by way of
‘amalee-tawaatur ,
while the remaining content is in the form of akhbār-i-ahād
which has been critically examined by our scholars and the portion found
authentic has been transferred to us. They have even recorded the reasons which
have led them to accept or reject a Hadīth. In short they have passed on the
smallest bit of information that might prove useful. These are the two sources
of our religion, designated as the final words of authority. They are as
accessible to us as they were to our predecessors.
Therefore, any argument on these grounds
cannot be entertained in support of their principle of taqlīd.
After this only two things can be
alleged: firstly, the degree of piety achieved by our forefathers is now
unattainable. Secondly, the extent of intellect and comprehension possessed by
them cannot be emulated in present times.
The latter is just a claim that finds no
basis in the Qur’ān and Sunnah, nor has it ever been justified in the field of
observation. While the former is, also, just another claim, which is actually in
contradiction with the Qur’ān itself. The Qur’ān unequivocally states that in
the Hereafter the highest honour would be bestowed upon the Asābiqūn---people
foremost in faith. They would grace this world in the earlier as well as the
later times:
“And those foremost [in faith] are foremost. They will be
nearest to Allah in gardens of bliss. A number of people from the old and a few
from those of later times.” [56:10-14]
Whatever else affirmed by the proponents of this viewpoint
is mere wishful thinking which has no place in the world of reason and
rationality.
Their second flaw is that though these institutions are
centres of religious education, the Qur’ān, which occupies the cardinal position
in Islam, has been driven in the background within their confines. The lofty
status commanded by the Qur’ān as the Mīzān, the Balance of Justice and the
Furqaan, the Distinguisher between good and evil, demands that it should be made
the the pivot around which the whole curriculum should revolve. Students should
be reared with the notion that in the Qur’ān rests the final authority and that
it is the Qur’ān which rules over every matter in our religion. With this beacon
in hand, they should be made to explore the various domains of knowledge and at
every step seek its guidance. Every other subject taught should merely help the
students in having a better understanding of the Qur’ān. Everything accepted in
our religion should be rigorously scrutinized under the light of this Divine
Guidance. All basis of belief and faith should be directly derived from this
Word of God and it should be considered the ultimate authority not only in all
religious issues but should also be regarded as the ultimate linguistic standard
of Arabic. Students should be made to ponder over every word and meditate over
every verse they encounter. They should be made aware that even the works of
great jurists like Abū H*anīfa and Shā’fī scholars of H*adīth like Bukhārī and
Muslim, scholastics like Ash’arī and Māturīdi, sufis like Junaid and Shibli must
be weighed in the scales of this Meezaan and that nothing can be accepted from
them which is not in consonance with it.
Our religion confers this supreme status upon the Qur’ān
and consequently it should have held the same status in these institutions. But
here, unfortunately, we know that during the initial years the only stress is
upon its recital and committal to memory, while in the later years students have
a final glimpse of it in the commentaries of “Jalālain” and “Bidhaavi”.
This is all as far as Qur’ānic teaching is concerned.
This estranged attitude towards the Qur’ān has resulted in
there being no ultimate authority which can decide the correctness of a specific
thought or a particular course of action. All religious concepts have become
disputed and a subject of hot debate. Our religious-educational institutions
which could have enlightened us over these issues, are themselves plunged in
pitch darkness. Suffice to say that these institutions can have no access to the
exalted wisdom of the Qur’ān, just as a born blind person can have no idea about
the sun’s splendour.
The third essential flaw of these institutions is that the
syllabus they follow is both outdated and ill-suited to the requirements of
teaching and learning. It is generally believed that it was composed by Mullah
Nizām-ud-Din. While, according to Shah Suleman, the heir to the shrine of
Phulwaaree Shareef, its initial seeds were sown by Mullah Fateh ullah Sheraazee,
and after many subsequent changes and additions reached its present form.
Nevertheless, it was composed during the time when our religion had been
completely isolated from its sources. The aforementioned treatment given to the
Qur’ān speaks volumes about its inefficacy. The methodology of Daurah
employed in the study of H*adīth can never instil the fondness of contemplation,
neither in the teacher nor in the pupil. No importance has been given to the
pre-Islamic Arabic literature, which has rendered the subtleties of language
beyond appreciation. The books included for the teaching of Arabic grammar and
rhetoric have an approach in which logical terminologies have overshadowed the
diction of the language, and even if a student has an initial aptitude to relish
the finer aspects of a language, he finally ends up with its crudest
comprehension. His aesthetic faculties are made to remain passive and he
inevitably fails to acknowledge the finesse in a Qur’ānic expression. Whatever
has been set aside for philosophy, logic and ‘ilmi-kalaam
in the syllabus inflicts a harm that surpasses its utility. Only the Hanafite
Fiqh has been accommodated in the syllabus, and the concept of an Islamic Fiqh,
irrespective of any school of fiqh, is non-existent. ‘Ilmi-Usūl
is one discipline, pioneered and perfected by the Muslims; unfortunately, no
book about it has been incorporated which could cultivate and develop the skill
of Ijtihād
in the students. On the other hand, books like “Sadraa” and “Maibzee”10
are regarded with a sanctity which has rendered them an eternal part of the
syllabus. Any revision of old books or introduction of newer ones is considered
high treason. Two centuries have gone by since the enunciation of this syllabus
but the progress made in other branches of knowledge has failed to find any
place in it.
Tremendous advances made in philosophy, psychology,
astronomy, economics and political science have been treated with an almost
contemptuous disregard. We are well aware of the fact that the world of
knowledge continues to grow and expand and this dynamism constantly replaces
older concepts with newer ones. The last two centuries bear witness to this with
so much of material which once shaped the intellect of the world now being
regarded as redundant. But our religious-educational institutions, quite unaware
of these additions and abandonments, continue to blow their ancient trumpets.
These are the main flaws of our institutions of religious
education. No methodology for the enforcement of Islam in this country can
succeed unless it also aims at the reformation of these institutions. In our
estimation, the following measures should be adopted by the government in this
regard:
1. Besides persuading the pundits of the existing network
of religious institutions to reform their set-up, the government should
establish under its own supervision higher level religious educational
institutions.
2. Scholars entrusted with the task of teaching in these
institutions should be specifically those who consider only the Qur’ān and
Sunnah as the source and basis of Islam and, as far as possible, practice what
they preach.
3. These scholars will be freely allowed to form and
express their opinions about the various matters and issues of our religion,
wherever and whenever they want to do so within the limits set by the Qur’ān and
Sunnah, so that all distinguished scholars are provided with an opportunity to
lecture here.
4. Only students who have passed their intermediate should
be admitted in these institutions just as in the existing framework students
enter medical and engineering institutions after passing their intermediate
examination.
5. The total period of education should be five years. The
Qur’ān should occupy the same place in the syllabus as we have mentioned above.
Besides this the basic emphasis should be upon the disciplines of Arabic grammar
and rhetoric, pre-Islamic Arabic literature, usuli-fiqh, hadīth and Islamic law.
The students should just be made familiar with the medieval trends and
terminologies of philosophy and logic enabling them to read the works written in
the older diction. The essentials of modern philosophy, psychology, economics,
physics and politics should be expounded to the students so that they are able
to follow their methodology of reasoning and have the capability to explicate,
in contrast, the views held by the Qur’ān and Sunnah. The syllabus should also
constitute an anthology of world literature which will assist the students in
developing a literary taste and in having some idea about the delicacies of the
sublime language of the Qur’ān. A comprehensive book upon the principles and
basis of modern law should also be part of the syllabus. All schools of fiqh
should be taught and students should be made to consider themselves the
beneficiaries of this vast heritage and also made to realize that any biased
affiliation in this regard is intolerable in the world of knowledge and
learning. It should be made clear to them that from this profound legacy of our
scholars, only material found in accordance with the Qur’ān and Sunnah is
acceptable and everything else stands rejected without any hesitation
whatsoever.
6. Besides these mental pursuits, the character of the
students should be moulded so that they profess a high calibre of moral conduct.
They should be made to spend sometime everyday in the company of pious scholars,
and urged to pay special attention to the injunctions of the Qur’ān and Hadith
which pertain to self-purification and character-building. They should be
induced to offer their utmost support and co-operation in furthering the cause
of Islam, and also made conscious of the fact that after being enlightened with
the true understanding of Islam it is their responsibility to urge and exhort
the ruling class of our country to follow and implement the teachings of Islam.
7. The existing way of higher education in Islamiat should
be completely abolished and the degree given by these institutions should be
equivalent in level with the M.B.B.S degree.
If the framework of our religious education is established
on these lines, it can be hoped that the prevailing set-up of religious
institutions shall be forced to follow them as well. It is only then that a
mental and an intellectual reformation will take place and pave the way for an
Islamic revolution.
(Adapted from Ghamidi’s “Burhaan”)
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