The prominence of education in Islam is well known to all of us. The very first
verse of the Qur’an revealed to the Prophet of Al-Islam (SAS) on the night of
power (Laylathul Qadr) in the month of Ramadan in 611 CE reads:
Read: In the name of thy Lord who created
Created man from a leech like clot
Read: And thy Lord is the Most bounteous
Who taught by the Pen Taught man that which he knew not.
Surah: A1-’Alaq (The Clot), 96:1-5
As we see the very first word of the Qur’anic revelation starts with ‘IQRA’
(read) or recite. Some scholars rightly think “Iqra” should be the sixth pillar
of Islam. In Surah al-Zamar the Qur’an asks its readers “Can they be equal-those
who know and those who do not know? and the famous Ahadith that “The ink of the
scholar’s pen is more sacred than the blood of the martyr” and “The best form of
worship is the pursuit of knowledge” are known to all. The Glorious Qur’an
categorically states that those who are educated and enlightened can truly
understand the Glory and Majesty of the Creator. How can an illiterate Muslim
understand and appreciate the Signs of Allah (SWT) as commanded in the Qur’an. (2:118,164,219-220;
3:190; 10:5-6; 30:20-27; 45:3-6, etc.)
The followers of Islam should be educated believers and Islam is the religion of
the educated masses, otherwise they cannot read, understand and implement the
teachings and guidance of Qur’an Majid.
With such a magnificent background one would have expected the Muslim community
to be the world leaders in education leading various nations from darkness into
light. Yes, they did for almost one thousand years, starting from the eighth
century of the Common Era. Unfortunately the picture today is very different and
the average literacy rate is about 38% among the Muslims of the world.
In India, the national male literacy
rate is 54%, but the Muslim male literacy rate is 18%. The national female
literacy rate is 38%, whereas the Muslim female literacy rate is less than 5%.
The average literacy rate for Muslims of the world is around 38 percent and in
rural areas in Muslim countries, the illiteracy rate among Muslim women is 93 to
97 per cent. In spite of comparable levels of development the mean rate for
literacy for the Muslims is 35 per cent lower than that for the Third World, and
40 percent below the world’s average. The data suggests that almost two-thirds
of the Muslims worldwide are illiterate. This low level of literacy, evidently,
is responsible for the grinding poverty, the backwardness, and the deplorable
conditions under which the vast majority of the Muslims live at
present. Pakistan is the most scientifically and technologically advanced Muslim
country, however, the literacy rate for Pakistan, home to the world’s
second—largest Muslim Ummah, is even lower than the average for the Muslin
nations. What is most shocking is that India, the second most populous nation in
the world, has a significantly higher rate of literacy than Pakistan and
Bangladesh. Why this deplorable state? What can be done to change this gloomy
picture? There are hundreds, or even thousands of Madrasahs both in Pakistan and
India where the children receive instructions only to become Alim/Fazil.
Madrasahs are falsely accused of as
breeding grounds for extremism. The world conditions demand that
the education for Muslims should consist of an integration of modern and Islamic
education. Pakistan President
General Pervez Musharraf
recently said, "People send their children to madrasahs because
of the absence of educational institutions. We are working to bring the
madrasahs into the mainstream. Now when students come out of them, they are only
qualified to become religious scholars, which leads to the proliferation of
mosques. We are trying to get them to include a more modern syllabus, with
science and computer education. That way, madrasa graduates will qualify to get
jobs in other fields. "
Computer literacy should start right
from the primary school level. The aim of Islamic education is to initiate
total change in a person-beliefs, actions, potential, faculties, thoughts,
expressions, aspirations, energies and everything relating to that person; in
other words the balanced development of the whole personality of a human
being-the vice-regent of Allah on earth. It seeks to motivate every member of
society to promote and encourage everything good (right) and discourage and
forbid evil (wrong). Islamic education should facilitate the acquisition
of knowledge, skills and virtues to achieve success and happiness not only in
this life but also in the Aakhirah, by the Mercy and blessings of Allah (SWT).The
Islamic Research Foundation International has been established to uplift the
Muslim Ummah in general and particularly in the advancement of knowledge through
spiritual and intellectual growth. The foundations of both the spiritual and
intellectual growth are rooted in education. Hence the aims and objectives of
the Islamic Research Foundation International are to award scholarships to
Muslim students to advance their higher education in advanced countries, based
on merit and open competition and to establish centers of higher learning. The
most negligent area, which is vital for the intellectual growth of the Muslim
Ummah, is research and development. Hence the e Islamic Research Foundation
International has taken up this onerous responsibility to award grants to
research workers based on merit and open competition. It is soliciting generous
donations for an endowment fund to fulfill its aims and objectives.
We pray to Allah (SWT) for His
Blessings and Mercy for all of guidance and us to follow His right path. Ameen!
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