CHAPTER-2

Aims and Objectives of Madrasa Education in India

Some educational system emphasised on the submergence of

individual's identity into the totality of the society, whereas there are

other systems that insist on the maintenance of individuality of a

person. Contrary to both, Islam effected a balance between the two.

To the Muslim scholars, neither the individual excellence should be

sacrificed for the welfare of the society nor the social issues be

given a secondary place. The balance under discussion ranges through

all aspects of education particularly aims and objectives. 1

Muslim educationists unanimously agree that education is not to

cramp the pupil's minds with facts but to prepare them for a life

of purity and sincerity. The commitment for preparation is completely

based on ethical and moral values of Islam which are of immense

significance, for it insists on the indoctrination of the pupil's on the

line of belief and faith right from the very inception.2

The problem of aims and objectives of education is as old as

the civilization itself. This has been addressed differently during

different periods of human history. Unfortunately, we are mentally

hegemonised by the rising supremacy of the west. And we are

accustomed to accept the western thoughts and ideas without

any critical analysis. Perhaps we are faulty because the western

thoughts and ideas are flowing like flood where we are being

swept away along with other communities of the world.

1. Aims and objectives of Islamic education P. 104 2. Ibid P. 104

42

The basic idea we must keep in mind is that the educational policy

of all communities corresponds to their philosophy of life, political

system, status of morality and their culture. Within the framework of

philosophy of life, apart from relations between God and individual,

individual and universe, individual and society, we include morality,

law, cultural values and all sorts of affairs that, some way or the

other, influence the human life, that is why we should not discuss

knowledge without discussing wisdom, grace, realisation and feelings.

We should also bear in mind that the Muslim philosophers have

always defined knowledge as transmission of experiences.

In the opinion of Imam Ghazali, the best interpreter of Islamic

ideas on education, knowledge without purpose is meaningless. If

the human life is God's wisdom, it can't be without scheme, and

scheme has to be meaningful and purposeful. Knowledge thus

has to be purposeful. In other words, the objectives of knowledge

are identical to that of the objectives of life. In his opinion, the

purposes of Muslim education are the attainment of closeness to

God and understanding the relations of mankind with Him. 1 And

in the opinion of Syed Reyasat Ali Nadvi, the purposes of education

in the eyes of Islam are to seek the happiness of God without any

worldly interest, to decorate oneself and others with good morality

to remove the darkness of illiteracy, to guide the misguided to

disseminate the truth and to uproot the false. 2

1. Aims and objectives of Islamic education P. 104

2. I hid P. 104

43

As above, Imam Ghazali pointed out that education is nothing

more than transmission of both personal as well as collective

experiences from one generation to another in the forms of folklore,

customs, traditions, literature, arts etc.

However, the system of Islamic education can't well be

understood without the complete comprehension of the concept of

man, because the Islamic concept of man is altogether different

from the concepts of the religion. This is also worth mentioning

here that Islam, unlike other religion, does not believe in the theory

of original sin. Thus, one's status in the society can't be determined

by birth. According to Islam, every child like his primordial

grandfather is born in the state of innocence. It does not believe

that some children are doomed by reason of their birth and race to

exist at the level of beasts, whilst others, again by virtue of their

birth and race, are disposed to excellence. Without going into

variant interpretations of varna system of Hinduism or the

interpretations of exit of Adam from paradise according to the

Christianity, I think it will suffice to point out at this juncture that

Islam does not believe in the theory of original sin. Not only that,

Islam removed the great mental block i.e. the society based on the

theory of original sin", from the path of learning but Our' an

frequently described man as His viceroy on the earth. And to run

the Godly affairs and to implement His commandments on His

creatures He conferred on human being wisdom and knowledge.

By rising him to this elevated position God made him accountable

44

and answerable before Him for each and every activity. Now this

conception of human's responsibility to God solved the problem of

the nature of education in the Muslim society.

The system of education which has been the hallmark in the

intellectual history of Muslims, down the ages, has always been

committed to certain values. Thus, essential goodness of human

nature and man's accountability to God forms the basis of Muslim

education. As a result, we observe that a society, completely

different, emerged out" of odd circumstances wherein different

generations occupations and strata lived together in harmony and

peace binding themselves by a common faith. In this light, we

observe that Islamic education aims at producing men who have

faith as well as knowledge, one sustaining the other. Islam insists

that pursuit of knowledge alone without spiritual goal can't do

much service to humanity. Knowledge, devoid of faith in God is

partial, can even be termed as new ignorance and will lead to

nowhere. The man who has lost faith in God is not a knowledgeable

man in the eyes of Islam, he may be bookish but not a learned

man, because he has fragmentary view of the universe. At any

point of time, he may commit to immoral unethical and socially

dangerous behaviour, because he is far away from the fear of

God and only state law can't stop him from doing subversive and

destructive activities.

It is from this premise that Islam, more often than not,

45

emphasised that piety and faith must be given a due place as an

aim to be systematically pursued. And, invariably an awareness

of the divine presence in the universe should be tested in the

students. It is in this backdrop, the insistence on the study of

scripture at the first step comes up, where because indoctrination

on the level of faith is an easier task than any point of time in the

career. Once the pupil strengthened his foundation of faith, he

can proceed to higher studies without fear of loosing his faith.

Thus, faith and piety are two important points in the Islamic

system of education which distinguish it from the western mode

of education. In the west, the aim of education is to produce

good human beings and good citizens, Islam does not contradict

these two either, because through the God's fear these two

come along. The problem does not lie in the good human being

and good citizenship but it lies in the sterilization of educational

structure: that is no place for moral or ethical values. In the

absence of moral and ethical values, society has to face immorality

and social anarchy. The result is obvious everywhere. The west

and its followers in the field of education are facing identical

problems, which ultimately will lead to disintegration of entire socio­

political fabric. As it is said above, knowledge is transmission of

experience and transmission of experience can be divided into two

clear cut categories: (i) experience in the form of skills and technical

. knowledge whose nature is liable to change from one place to

another as per the requirement of space and time and (ii) Experience

46

based on certain specific values embodied in religious scripture.

These eternal values are not subject to change. Islam is more

concerned with the transference of experience of latter categories.

And that is why, it aims at the creation of good and righteous

man who worships God in the true sense of the term and builds

up the structure of his earthly life according to Shariah (Islamic

Law). Education should also aim at the balanced growth of the

total personality of man through the training of man's spirit,

intellect, the rational self feelings and bodily senses. Education

should, therefore, cater to the growth of man in all its aspects:

spiritual, intellectual, imaginative, physical, scientific, linguistics

both individually and collectively .1

To further clarify the aims and objectives of Islamic education,

we should have a glance on the development of educational

philosophers in the west. It appears, after a critical and analytical

assessment That entire educational theories, some way or the

other, based on certain aspects of human nature: social, material,

biological and so on so forth, being non-challant to the

comprehensive and dynamic character of the human beings. This

partial base of the education makes it feeble and short-lived. Apart

from partial base, each and every educational philosophy lacks a

liberal and broad minded concept of education. That is why, they

all easily succumb to criticism, and sometimes replacement in

totality. Besides, conflict is on among different political ideas.

1. Crisis in Muslim education PP. 36-38

47

From traditional point of view, however, the situation is grim and

critical, because due to the conflicts, lots of confusion are propping

up in the domain of education. The confusion is not confined to

nature, rather it involves the whole educational set up, including

the aims and objectives. As a rational being, one has to admit that

any educational system, devoid of certain values, is destined to

die its natural death. The confusion reached to an extent that a

group of educationists outrightly rejected the value-based education

and pleaded the cause, saying, like other sciences, the science of

education also should be natural to the values and rationality must

be given a top priority.

On the contrary to the western v1ews, Islam insisted on the

centrality of the heart in the human beings and asserted on interior

changes more than exterior ones because, to Islam, the human

being in relation to his unity and comprehensive nature, is not

purely a rationalistic creature, for, love, affection, emotion,

sympathy, miracle and death can't be defined in a rationalistic

paradigm. However, neglecting or negating the centrality of the

heart in education amounts to forgetfulness of the transcendental

dimension of human life and to captivating our thinking to a limited

sphere. To Islam, heart is not merely a piece of flesh rather it is

the centre of all human activities. If the heart is reformed, the

entire human activities will be put on the right track. As a result,

peace and tranquillity will be maintained not in the world but in

the universe as a whole.

48

The scientists view the heart as an organ of the body, which

is supposed to perform certain functions to maintain the body but

the Islamic philosophers, especially Imam Ghazali interpreted heart

in a different way. To him, heart means Rooh (spirit) and to some

other it means Nafs (soul). So long the Rooh is inside the body,

man executes his day-to-day routine and the moment it leaves the

body, the man is declared dead. Thus, it is Rooh which is important

not the body because body without Rooh is meaningless and

nothing more than skeleton. As far as Nafs is concerned, it plays

a significant role in regulating the human life. It is of two kinds: (i)

Nafs ammarah (Evil soul) and (ii) Nafs lawwamah (Virtuous soul).

If a man is governed by the earlier, he ushers in chaos and turmoil

in the society. Hence, Islamic education system pays due attention

to heart and gives it a supreme position so that Nafs Lawwamah

may become a guiding force in the life of human being.

Education Knowledge and philosophy are integral parts of human

life. Their integration with the human life brings human being,

close to the ultimate reality or absolute truth through the channel

of spiritual training. This unique feature distinguishes Islamic

educational system or for that matter, any traditional educational

system, from the existing modern one. Because of this unity,

peace and harmony appear in the human life.

Through aforementioned features, a kind of stability is

maintained in the human society. Without the interference of God

through the channel of spiritual training, neither harmony can be

49

established nor the human society can last for long.

Western system of education concentrates on the external

changes or outer development. We witness that outer development

or apparent progress is taking place in each and every corner of

the world. The world indeed is improving by leaps and bounds.

Material prosperity is at its saturation point. The day-to-day

developments, taking place everywhere, ratify the success of modern

education. But at the same time, chaos, turmoil, terrorism, disruption

destruction and the like, rampant throughout the world, are pointing

out to the sheer failure of the education system due to the negligence

showed to the inner change in the existing modern education

system. The fact is that it is the inner change which converts a

rational animal into a perfect human beings and that is what

Islamic education is based on. Through the process of inner change,

Islam enables man to be His viceroy on the earth. 1

Certainly, each and every person in the traditional society may

not have reached the state of perfect man, but at the same time,

this is also true that the entire traditional society also may not be

without a single perfect man. Existence of one perfect man suffices

to serve as a living example for the whole society. But since one

has to go a long way for the attainment of perfection in accordance

with his capabilities and capacities he has to be contended with

his pursuit till the last moment.

1. Crisis in Muslim education PP. 47-48

50

Since the foundation of Islamic education stands only on Our' an

and Hadith (Tradition) it is all but natural that it has to be inclined

towards religion; religion in a particular sense of the term not in

a sense of rituals and customs. It has to be aimed at the

understanding of relations between creator and creature as directed

by the holy Our'an. All educational activities of Madrasa have to

be governed by this aim only and nothing else. In fact, the

religious aim of Islamic education is the service of God, the

highest articulation of learning.

The aims and objectives of Madrasa education have been

changing due to the changing immediate causes. Some Islamic

educationists are of the opinion that the foundation of early

Madrasas was to counter the Mutazilites *, an intellectual and

philosophical sect in Islam originated from the debates between

the two disciples of Imam Jaffar Sadique Sixth Imam of Shii sect;

Hasan Basri, the Islamic mystic and philosopher and Wasil Bin Ata,

the founder of Mutazila sect. Some others are of the opinion that

formal Madrasas came into existence to counter the Brothers of

purity (lkhwanus-Safa) a secret organisation operating down the

middle east through its 51 booklets (Rasael) replete with the

philosophical ideas particularly Greek. And finally, there are men

who believe that Madrasas really came into existence just to

* The Mutazilites are called the followers of divine justice and unity they are also known as Qadariya and Adaliya. The views of all the Mutazilites of Baghdad on the prophethood and Imamate differ from those of the Mutazilites of Basra. Some of their leaders incline to the Rafidites and others to the Kharijites.

51

counter aforementioned ideologies. To my mind, this may be an

immediate aim but the main aims and objectives were to cater to

the increasing educational needs of the society, because, had it

been the sole aim as I pointed out above, then after removing

their influences the Madrasa activities would have been stopped

for good.

As I made it explicit in the previous chapter that Madrasa

Nizamia at Baghdad was not the first Madrasa in the Islamic

history as widehy believed, because it came into existence after

many Madrasas down the Muslim empire. Nishapur in the east

was only second to Baghdad in the domain of education and

culture. This is also quite interesting to note that Nishapur has

been dominated by Shafi school of thought. Thus, all the Madrasas

at Nishapur were the centres of Shafii school of thought. To have

a clear-cut picture, I think it would be better to quote lbn-ul-lmad

ai-Hanbali who says in his monumental work "Shadharaat-udh­

dhahab" that a Madras a was founded by Al-lmam Abi-Bakr bin­

Faurik-al-lsfahani, (d. 1n 1014 AD.) He himself taught various

sciences over there. This was perhaps the first Madrasa ever

established in the traditional sense. Then the people of Nishapur

built a Madrasa for Abu lshaqe Ibrahim Asfaraini. (d. in 1027 AD)

to teach the principles of Fiqh. He was succeeded by Allama

Baihaqi (d.in 1 065 AD), once a student of Asfarani who taught

Hadith and Fiqh. He was comparatively a very staunch supporter

of Shafii Madhhab. Very soon, the Madrasa came to be known as

52

Madrasa Saadia. The Madrasa of Imam Abu Mansur Abdur Rahim­

bin-Muhammed-ai-Baihaqi (d. in 1061 AD), in Nishapur was already

on the move. He was a rich man who left a large property as

endowment for his Madrasa. Amir Nasr bin Subuktagin, brother of

Sultan Mahmud, during his governorship at Nishapur, built Madrasa

Saadia. Due to adequate number of Madrasa, Nishapur gained the

reputation of being the second important city after Baghdad in the

eastern Muslim world. As the Madrasas at Nishapur were controlled

by Shafii Sunnis, it consequently became a centre of Sunnism,

particularly of Shafii shade which carried on a crusade against the

Shii institutions and their influence on the social and religious life

of the Muslims.

Thus, we can conclude that the Shafiis were the founders of

Madrasa system of education in the world of Sunnite Islam.

However, the Madras a system of education that originated from

Nishapur in central Asia, very soon, spread throughout the width

and breadth of the Islamic empire. All kinds of private and public

Madrasas started coming up particularly in the Islamic east. At the

same time, it is worth-mentioning that the curriculum of these

Madrasas was quite different from their counterparts in Shii Muslim

world. Especially Hadith developed a content which has nothing to

do with the Hadith text book taught in the Madrasa of Shii sect.

The Shii movement which had led a life of Subjugation till the

middle of the 1Oth century, attained political power at the hands

of Bani Buwaihids in the middle-east and Fatimids in Africa by

53

giving a crushing defeat to the Sunni Kingdom Aghlabids, whose

Capital was in Tunis, began to propagate its ideas. Sunni ulemas

opine that the Shiis have fabricated a bunch of Hadith to justify

their empowerment for Imamate. Similarly, they ventured out in

the Islamic jurisprudence. Moreover, after closing old Islamic

institions, they established new ones to fulfil their long-awaited

desire. On the basis of their political power, they turned all instutions

into a propaganda machines for which they had long experience

out of political power. In the year 972 AD the University of AI­

Azhar was founded by Fatimids in Cairo, a great seat of Shii

learning which later turned into a Sunni institution and was devoted

to the study of law according to the Shafii system. The Darul

Hikhmah, on the pattern of Baitul Hikhmah, was one of the most

remarkable foundations of the Fatimids which was established by

AI-Hikim in 1 005 AD for the teaching and propagation of the

extreme Shiite doctrine.

Thus, fairly commonly held view that the Madrasas in the Sunni

world started as a reaction to the Shii missionary propaganda does

not seem to be correct, because Sunni Madrasas had already

existed as lbn-al-lmad ai-Hanbali pointed out. But at the same time

it is true that the hostile attitude of Shii Madrasas compelled the

Sunni rulers- especially Saljuques ( 1 037-1157) in the middle east

and the Aiyubids in Syria and Egypt to lend state support, after the

overthrow of Shii rule, to Sunni educational instutions. The first of

these new Madrasa "Madrasa Nizamia" was founded by Nizamul

54

Mulk Tusi, the great viazier of Saljuque rulers, Alp Arsalan and

Malik Shah (956-1157) in Baghdad and Nishapur, who was

assassinated in (1 092 AD) by lsmaili agents due to his hectic

academic patronage to the Sunni doctrine. As a result, these

Madrasas became fortresses of Sunni Oxthodoxy. Similarly, Sunni

Ash a rites* became so powerful that they eliminated the influences

of Shii doctrine propagated by Banibuwaihids to a large extent and

undermined the impacts of Mutazilites and Hanbalites.

Since we are dealing with the aims and objectives of Madrasa

education, we have to assess the educational views of the Shafii

school within Sunni Islam and its impact on the Hanafi school,

which is a dominating class in India. As it is said earlier that the

basic aim of Islamic eduction is to understand the relations between

God and His creature in the light of Ouranic injunctions. But even

in the . case of similarity of aims between the two schools the

methodology may differ. Allam a Burhanuddin ai-Zirnuji in his

monumental work 'Talimul Mutaallim' cities the statement of Imam

Azam Abu Hanifa saying, "the objective of education is to act

according to the knowledge received and the objective of action

is to renunciate the mortal for immortal. The man should not be

* The Asharites are followers of Abu/ Hasan Ali-b-!smail al-Ashari who is one of the attributists or belonged to Sifatiya school. Most of the pious leaders of the early community maintained eternal attributes of God, such as knowledge, power, life, will, hearing, speech, majesty, glory, generocity, beneficence etc. Moreover they did not differentiate between essential and operative attributes but spoke of both in the same way. They also believe in such Qur'anic descriptives as "two hand\·" and a ''face".

55

non-challant to the spiritual life. He should adopt things useful to

his spiritual life and leave the harmful, failing of which, his intellect

and knowledge may witness against him and his punishment may

be multiplied, God forbid. 1

The use of rationality in the Hanafi school is not only permitted

but-encouraged in fact. It persuaded the human beings to understand

the natural power and apply rationality for the progress of human

beings. Blind faith is not acceptable to the Hanafi school at any cost.

It is known to all that Imam Abu Hanifa strongly supported the

use of rationality in all spheres of life including religion and he

had keen interest in philosophy and theology. On the other hand,

Imam Shafii was a Muhaddith (Traditionist), had no truck with

philosophy and theology. This sheer contrast in the background

of two Imams parted their ways on all disciplines particularly

theology and philosophy. Knowledge from sources, other than

divine revelation, either has no importance or very little importance

in Shafii school. Use of rationality is strictly prohibited. Qadi

Badruddin Ibn Jamaah, usually known as Ibn Jamaah, maintains

in his famous work that education is meant to bring the masses

close to God, to keep the Shariah alive and to disseminate it

among the people. To the mind of this school of religious scholars,

Ulemas: are the heirs of prophet's knowledge received through

the divine revelation and it is their duty to enlighten the minds of

1. Ta!eem-ul-Matal/im P 2-1

56

their disciples with divine revelation. Contrary to the Hanifa school,

they believe that it is useless to take refuge to the rationality in

believing God and teachings of prophet. That is why, they dislike

philosophy and theology. Not to speak of the followers, Imam

Shafii himself was quite annoyed with these disciplines. His

statement reflects his disdain towards them. Once he said, "it is

better to involve in all kinds of sin (excluding Shirk) rather to

dedicate oneself to the study of philosophy and theology under

any circumstance."

On the other hand, Ulemas wanted to present the issues of faith

in the rational paradigm for, 'ilm-ui-Aqaaid' was in greater demand

in the society. To cater to the needs of the hour and to address

the challenges facing by them, study of these disciplines was

inevitable. Besides, there were individuals in the Shafii school itself

who did not endorse the extremists views of their Imam and some

followers with the passage of time, a group of Shaffi Ulemas

formed a moderate and vaibale view on the subject and evinced

their keen interest in the field. Imam Ghazali, as a Shafii Mujtahid

brioged this yawning gap between the two schools of Islamic law.

He thought that man should study all kinds of disciplines which

could help understanding relations between God and human being

and lead to good morality. He protested the view that Theology is

completely useless. He clarified that different subjects which

apparently look against each other, they are not, intact, they are

complementary to each other and very much interlinked. 1

1. Islam P. 86

57

As a matter of fact, Imam Ghazali neither supported blind

conformity nor relied on human Intellect for real knowledge. That

is why he made an attempt for some kind of adjustment between

mysticism and theology. Imam Nawawi, another Shafii scholar

also opposed the view of Imam Shafii Dr. Fazlur Rahman observe

" The synthesis thus achieved by ai-Ghazali between Sufism and

Kalam was largely adopted by orthodoxy and confirmed by

consensus. Its strength lies in the fact that it gave a spiritual bias

for the moral practical ilm of Islam and thus brought it back to its

original religious dimensions. But the balance was delicate and

could be maintained only within the limits of strictly moral ethos.

Within orthodoxy, there were two groups which did not adopt al

Ghazali's synthesis. One of these which actually opposed ai­

Ghazali's synthesis was the right Wing Ahl-ui-Hadith, the

traditionalists, who considered both parts of synthesis, the Kalam

and Sufism, as foreign, and therefore suspected elements, and

actually attacked ai-Ghazali for using weak and even forged

traditions to support this sufic interpretations. The other, the more

intellectualist, Mutakallims, could not accept the plea for a reduced

and purely practiced Kalam which did not satisfy demands of

formal intellectualism. They, thus expanded the thesis of the

Kalam to reckon with the new philosophical challenge and reinforce

the Islamic Creed.· 1

1. !.slam P.86

58

II

The beginning of 8th Century AD. marked the advent of Islam

in India. The arrival of Islam significantly marked the dawn of new

age. The original invaders of Sind were not other than Arabs.

Muhammed bin Qasim, the conqueror of Sindh and Baluchistan did

not come to India only with weapons to fight in the battle field but

also with a system of education prevalent, at that time, in

Damascus, the Capital of Ummayyid dynasty, and other prominent

cities of Muslim empire. The new system of education, alien to

Indians, became operational firstly in Mansura and Mahfooza, the

tow cities built by Muhammad bin Qasim, and later on other

territories of the newly established Muslim empire. This new system

of education continued during the five other successive dynasties

till the final blow at the hands of Mahmud of Ghanzna ( 1 025 AD)

and Muhammad of Gaur in (1192 AD) 1 However, the aims and

objectives of education remained unchanged due to the continuity

of the administrative affairs at the hands of the Arabs, for obvious

socio-political reasons.

With the full-fledged establishment of Muslim authority in 1206

AD, mad rasa system of education took a new turn. Yusuf Hussain

says, "before the advent of Muslims in India, they had already

developed a system of education suited to their genius. By the

eleventh century AD, the institutions of higher learning in the

1. See for detail Hindustan meen Arbon ki Hukumateen

59

Muslim Countries, called madrasa, had developed into centres of

learning with a distinct religious bias. There were essentially schools

of theology, with auxiliary linguistic studies. These madrasas were

the stronghold of orthodoxy and were subsidized by the state with

suitable recruits for the posts of Oadis (Judges) Muftis (experts on

Islamic law) and other administrators. Theology being the mode of

thought of medieval times, politics, philosophy and education were

brought under its control and adjusted to a technical theological

terminology. Men brought up theologically, and expressed

themselves theologically, but when we penetrate into this fromal

expression we find their aims and hopes at bottom not very different

from our own." 1

Besides, S.M. Jaffer maintains that the a1m of education

imparted during the Muslim India was to bring out the latest

faculties of students, to discipline the forces of their intellect and

to develop their character, to equip them with all that was required

for their material as well as moral improvement. Education was

regarded as a preparation for life after death, and hence it was

that religion that was at the root of all study. 2

The aims and objectives of madrasa education during the Muslim

India can be described under the following heads ...

Subservience of material approach to the spiritual one: The

1. Glimpses of Medicral Indian culture P. 69

2. Some Cultural aspects of Muslim rule in India PP. 79-80

60

holy Ouran prescribes that the life after death is better and

permanent whereas the worldly life is to be finished. It does not

mean that Islam denied the importance of the world in totality

rather it balanced the two ... spiritual and material. To Islam, the

wordly life is for the preparation of hereafter, hence this life is

like means to achieve the ends. In other worlds, it is a necessity

not the aim. Once prophet said that worldly life is like a dream

which has nothing to do with the reality. Reality is something

which is not visible, but one has to prepare for that invisible life,

this is what I man is all about. Anyway, Islam neither supports

ultra spiritualism nor pure materialism rather it wants synthesis of

the two maintaining the superiority of the spirit to the matter.

Through education, Islamic faith and beliefs were communicated

to all the sections of the society. Once again I would like to cite

Jaffar (SM) who says, "Education was regarded as a preparation

for life and for life after death. " 1

Character Building : Contrary to the widely commonly held

view that intellect and characters are two different things, and

both necessarily may not go side by side, because character is a

personal property of a person which has nothing to do with the

intellectual public life. Islam through its educational system

disciplines the intellectual force of the students with all concerned

for their moral and spiritual programme. In the words of Herbert

1. Some Cultural a.~pects of Muslim rule in India P. 28

61

Spencer, one and whole work of education may be summed up

in the single concept of morality. Thus, Muslim education is

based on the reconciliation of the two. It will not be out of place

to quote welton who says as follows:

"A compromise which gives intellectual training one hour and

religious and moral training at another, does not meet the needs

of the case, for in life intelligence and morality are not separable." 1

Indeed, the true education system can't be devoid of character

and morality. Education system devoid of character and morality

can be anything but not education in the true sense of the term.

Welton further stresses that;

II Education, then is more essentially the cultivation of character

than the training of intellect: As wives put it: II He who knows

none of the arts yet has a practiced knowledge of virtue, and has

formed and ordered his life by its rules, is so far from being

blamed that he is deserving of praise. On the other hand, he is

worthy of ignoring and dishonour who is learned and instructed in

human arts but is destitute of virtue. " 2

In the ·light of the above statement by a moralist western

writer, one can assess the importance of character in the formation

of a corruption free society and make a comparative study of

Western education system (Modern education system) and the

1. What do we mean hy education P. 56

2. What do we mean hy education PP. 57-58

62

Islamic education system (Traditional education system) and their

impact on their respective societies keeping in view their

contributions to the social control. Fortunately or unfortunately

Mad rasa education system aimed at the coordination of both ...

cultivation of intellect as well as character building.

Communal-Cum-Cultural Harmony: Before the advent of Islam

education was confined to a privileged religious class i.e. Brahamins

who were, according to the scriptures, meant for intellectual

activities. Due to the varna system, the lower castes i.e., Shudras

who were meant to serve Duaij (who had the right to thread) were

deprived of the fruits of education. Islam, due to its opposition to

the "theory of sin", attached immense importance to the

generalisation of education irrespective of religion, community,

gender, caste and creed. Since the time of Sikandar Lodi, the

Hindus got admission in all madarsas without any discrimination.

This created a fellow-felling, mutual understanding and peaceful

co-existance among the various sections of the society. The ties

between the two wheels of the nation: the Hindus and the Muslims

were also strengthened due to this educational policy. The whole

education imparted by the institutions aimed at fostering the cultural

unity of India. Jaffar says:

"Hindus and Muslims studying side by side in the same state

schools without any restrictions of rank, race or religion, compulsory

education in Persian, cultivation of Sanskrit and Hindi, mutual

63

exchange, adoption and incorporation of words, thoughts and

ideas ... all these things combined and cumulatively contributed

to the cultural unity of India during that period. 1

He further says, "The doors of all educational institutions were

thrown open to them and often their own national and religious

books were included in their courses of study. Muslim Kings also

encouraged education among their Hindu subjects by granting Jagirs

to deserving teachers, by making liberal allowances to them and

creating endowments for temples associated with their educational

institutions and by ordering translations of Sanskrit ,books into

Arabic and Persian and patronising Sanskrit Literature as a whole." 2

According to the caste system, knowledge was an exclusive

monopoly of the Brahamins. Here knowledge means spiritual

knowledge or sacred lore to which none but they could have free

access. Though, against these, there were some reactions, yet are

not sure of their results. One thing is nevertheless certain:

"When Musalmans appeared in India they found the same state

of affairs. I am not aware of the Universities of Nalanda, Taxila

etc, but my point is that mass education was unknown to India

even during the best days of ascendency. The famous universities

just named were not open to all, admission being restricted to a

very limited number. Referring to them, Prof. K.T.Shrah says,

"Students were not admitted unitil they had proved themselves 1. Some Cultural a~pects of Muslim rule in India P 33 2. Some Cultural aspects of Muslim rule in India P 15

64

men of parts and well-red in books, old and new, by word public

discussion: and that of ten cadi dates for admission seven or eight

were rejected." 1

Moreover, education during the Muslim India, though,

inadequate, from the modern point of view, was the best suited

to the social condition of the country. The impact of Sufis and

the emergence of Bhakti movement during that era clearly indicate

the spiritual dominance in the system of education. Further, the

education of ruling class and the ruled together without any racial

and religious antagonism speaks volumes of the climax of

humbleness and morality. In other words, the enhancement of

certain religious and social values which helped the divergent

groups and various sections of the society to lead a harmonious

life. The objective of education. was, thus, further communal as

well as cultural harmony among the Indians.

To train the officials: Last but not the least, training of the

officials, bureaucrats, judges and other functionaries was also one

of the motive of madrasa education. During the Muslim India, all

sorts of recruitment were made from the madrasa graduates, for

that time there was no compartmentalisation of education. During

early and later medieval period, madrasa curriculum was enough

competent to cater to the needs of the society.

1. The wonder that was India P 111

65

Ill

By the end of 17th century declining trend in the mighty

Mughal Empire started coming to the fore with the demise of

Aurangazeb in ( 1707 AD). The disintegration process of vast

Mughal empire came into effect. Regional powers raised their

heads against the Central authority. There was none among the

successors of Aurangazeb who could unite the dissatisfied sections

or crush the scattered rebellion down the kingdom. With the ever

increasing weakness of the central rule, entire socio-cultural fabric

of the ruling Muslim community was at stake.

On the external front, the later Mughal kings had to check the

increasing interference of the East India Co .. that wanted to take

advantage of the weakness of internal strife of the indigenous

forces. This external enemy was more dangerous than any of the

internal foes like Maratha, Sikh and others. At this crucial juncture,

it was imperative on the part of the intellectuals to ponder over

the situation and find a way out of the problem. In this given

backdrop, new kind of madrasas owed their existence to private

efforts through public contributions. First madrasa of this kind

was founded in 1962 AD. by a great savant, Maulana Abdur

Rahim father of Shah Waliullah and named after himself "Madrasa

Rahimya". Though. at the outset, it was worth the name and

nobody including the founder, could well predict that this simple

madrasa, started in a small residence, would, in the coming days,

66

guide the whole nation and convert into a centre of freedom

fighters. This coincided with the foundation of Darul ulum at Firangi

Mahal, Lucknow. Both the madras as introduced a syllabus in

consonace with the requirements of age, different from the

curriculum in vogue during the medieval times. (The curricula of

both the madras as will be dealt with in chapter 4). After the death

of his father, Shah Waliullah took the charge of the madrasa,

though at a young age, and started his career as teacher. He was

highly depressed with the anarchy rampant in the country. For all

chaotic situations, he blamed atheism and monopoly of handful

section of the society. For a strong and united India, he evolved

three point principle ... {i) confederation of princely states (ii) Uniform

Civil Code* and (iii) Economic equilibrium. On the basis of above

points one can estimate that he was a social democrat well before

100 years of Marx or any conceptualisation of Socialism. To

propagate his revolutionary ideas he founded an organisation

II Jamiya Markaziya II (Central Committee). With the wholehearted

assistance of his disciples like Maulana Muhammad Hussain Phulti,

Maulana Ashique Phulti, Maulana Nurullah Burhanwi and Maulana

Muhammad Amin Kashmiri he propagated his ideas. He writes in

his monumental work IIHujjatulla hil balighahll with the continuous

progress of wealth within certain sections their industry and

handicraft touch the pinnacle. With that much of affluence, if the

* The concept of Shah Sb. was entirely different from the conceopt prevalent today. See for detail Budur Bazigha.

67

1. Jidda - Jehad - e- Azadi P. 124

ruling class acclimatize to the luxurious life, the burden falls on

the working class so heavily that the majority of the population

destine to live like animals. At that point of time, the collective

morality of the humanity gets ruined. Under that economic pressure,

masses work like asses for their livelihood. Under such

circumstances, God shows the human beings, a way to get rid of

it and divine power paves the way to revolution. " 1

Nevertheless, his organisation actively participated in the

advancement of the nation. And today, after such a long gap, the

organisation is not only alive but has been involved in nation

building. From Shah Waliullah to Asad Madani its history is full of

sacrifices.

From Shah Sb. onward Madrasa Rahimya functioned as a fort

to fight against the British imperialism. And the aims and objectives

of madrasa did not remain the same as they used to be during the

medieval period. During the later Mughal period as well as under

the colonial India, freedom of the country was the prime motive

of madrasa education. To achieve this prime goal, madrasa has to

go a long way. When Shah Abdul Aziz, the son of Shah Waliullah

came at the helm of affairs of madrasa, he continued the freedom

struggle under the banner of "Jamia Markazia" (Central Committee).

He issued a Religious decree according to which. all the provinces

where sovereignty did not exist as such, were given the status of

1. Jidda Jeha-e-Azadi P. 124

68

1. Ibid, see for detail PP. 132-141

"Darul Harb (State of War) means; either fight against the British

Imperialism or migrate. To further the cause, he formed a military

council consisting of Syed Ahmed of Bareilli as President, Shah

Ismail as Vice President and Maulana Abdul Hai as assistant Vice

President, and handed over the civil affairs to Shah Muhammed

lshaq, who later on became the head of the organisation. As the

head of the organisation he followed the footprints of his immediate

predecessor. In his military Council, he included Maulana Mamluk

Ali from Deoband (at that time professor in Delhi College) as

President, Maulana Muhammad Husain from Kandhala as Vice

President and Maulana Abdul Ghani as additional Vice President.

The President was replaced later on by Haji lmadudaulah who

fought a heroic battle at the war front of Shamli during the first

war of independence 1857 AD. 1

After the martrydom of Syed Ahmad of Bareilli, the revolutionary

organisation got a setback, as unfortunately, it split between Shah

lshaq who wanted to continue the war against British and Maulana

Wilayat Ali Sadiqpuri (Patna) who wanted to fight against the

forces of Raja Ranjit Singh who were commiting astrocities on the

Muslim populace of the region. Nevertheless, Haji lmdadullah, the

successor of Shah Muhammad lshaqe, as the head of the

organisation, continued his fight against the British with the

assistance of his close friends like Maulana Abdul Ghani, Maulana

1. Ibid, see for detail PP 132-141

69

Muhammad Yaqoob, Maulana Muhammad Qasim and Maulana

Rasheed Ahmed of Gangoh, under whose headship, the first War

of Independence (1857 AD) was fought tooth and nail. The

graduates of madrasa Rahimya were deployed at all the critical

points in the Capital and outside the Capital. Haji Sb. himself along

with his afore-mentioned colleagues showed his bravery and

invincible chivalry at the battle field of Shamli near present

Saharanpur. It will not be out of place to say that 185 7 has

witnessed the martrydom of a huge number of ulemas alone, not

to speak of the Muslim Community, unfortunately their sacrifices

were put to the biased mentality of the Indian history, and their

rewards have been burried in official files which gather dust. 1

To ponder over the critical and Chaotic situation in India after

1857 all the leaders of the organisation assembled at Hejaz, (KSA).

After a long speculation and hectic deliberations, it was decided

on the instance of Haji lmdadullah that the way Shah Waliullah

started anti-British movement through his Madrasa Rahimya and

supporting organisation "Central Committee" to propagate his views

and ideas, a new madrasa should be established at a distant

place, inaccessible to the British to continue the liberation spirit,

to counter the socio-cultural impact of the British to continue the

liberation spirit, and to enhance the morale of the Muslims who

have been badly affected in 1857. To execute the resolution

1. Ibid, see for detail PP. 143-152

70

passed in Hejaz, Maulana Qasim of Nanauta (a village in Saharanpur

District) was appointed as the successor of Haji lmdadullah in the

organisation, but in the critical atmosphere of post 1857, when

the Muslims had been hiding themselves from one place to another

due to the British terror unleashed on them it was not an easy

task. Secondly, the emergence of a pro-British class among the

Muslims under the leadership of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, without

suspecting his intention to the betterment of the Muslim

Community, made it an uphill task. Against the storm of opposition

Maulana Muhammad Oasim, with the help of Maulana Rasheed

Ahmad of Gangoh, Maulana Mahtab Ali and Maulana Zulfiqar Ali

of Deoband, laid the foundation of Darul ulum at Deoband in

1867, just after ten years of first war of independence. 1

The aims and objectives of Darul ulum in the words of Z.A.

Desai are as under: 2

(i) To provide the Indian Muslims with direct access to the

original sources of Islamic learning.

(ii) To Produce learned men with missionary zeal and to work

among Muslim masses to create a truly religious awakening towards

original Islam, riding the prevalent one in India of innovation and

unorthodox practices, observations and beliefs that have crept into it.

1. Ibid, Seefordetail PP. 152-156

2. Centres of Islamic learning P.22

71

(iii) To impart instructions in original Islam.

Ratan Lal Bansal, Firozabadi, however, put the a1ms and

objectives of Darul ulum in a different way. According to him

Darul ulum was founded to achieve the following targets.: 1_

(i) Pronouncement of truth with the freedom of expression

without any greed for gold medal or concessions from the well

off persons.

(ii) Strenghtening the ties with the Muslims masses to create

a discipline among them so that they can stick to their faith and

beliefs.

Apart from above motives, I have other points too in my mind.

To me, in addition to the above aims, Darul ulum aimed at the

following objectives ...

(i) To counter the British sponsored Christian missionary

propaganda against l_slam and to give them crushing reply through

debates and discussions (Munazarah & Mabahatha)

(ii) To produce a group of Mujahids who can sacrifice their lives

at the altar of nation as well as religion.

Dr. Z.A. Desai says, "To achieve the above goals, Darul ulum

combined the characteristics of three different branches of religious

education which were earlier emphasized at three different centres:

1. Jiddo-Jehad-e-Azadi P. 158

72

Exegesis and tradition at Delhi, Islamic Law (Fiqh) at Firangi

Mahal (Lucknow) and scholastic philosophy and Philosophy at

Khairabad. Apart from bringing about specialised teaching of these . important branches in one place, the main emphasis in Darul ulum

is on traditions established by the Delhi school of traditionists

founded by Shah Waliullah. " 1

Moreover, Maulana Oasim being despicably called Wahabi,

reactionary, conservative, status-quoist, anti-national and anti­

British by his own community as well as others, remained stick to

his principles. On the invitation by Sir Syed to join hands with

him and to say good bye to the British animosity, he did not

budge even an inch. The correspondence between the two is

wei-recorded in a famous book "Tasfiyatul Aqaid".

Rasheed Ahmed of Gangoh wanted to convert Deoband into a

cantonment of freedom fighters. Once he said that it is needless

to teach philosophy at Deoband because our immediate aim is to

train soldiers not to produce Ulemas. Hence, only those disciplines

should be taught Which could foster love for nation, Religion and

character building. 2

When Sir Syed established "Anjuman-i-lslam" to check the

increasing popularity of congress among the Muslims and invited

them to join Anjuman, Maulana Rasheed Ahmed vehemently

1. Centres of Islamic Learning PP 21-22

2. Jiddo Jehad-e-Azadi P. 165

73

opposed the move and appealed to the Muslims to join congress.

It does not mean that Maulana was pro-congress and anti-Anjuman.

It simply means that he was against the British and pro-India. At

that time, the congress started asking for a kind of autonomy for

India, while Sir Syed was inclined to favour the British, of course,

for obvious reasons.

When Maulana Saduddin Kashmiri and Maulana Amanullah asked

Maulana Rasheed Ahmad about the status of India, he said that

India was Darul Harab. To have a clear cut picture, I would like

to give here under the translation of his text in Persian:

"See the condition of the country and the high-handedness of

the Christian infidel laws, if an ordinary collector bans the collective

prayer in the mosque none ... rich or poor can venture to perform

prayers at the mosque." 1

He further elaborates his religious decree with the addition of

the following text:

"The power of the infidels nevertheless has reached a point

beyonq which one can never imagine in Darul Harb. The Muslims

can't perform their religious duties without the permission of the

infidels. The Muslims are the most discriminated lot. " 2

In the light of the foregone paragraphs, one can evaluate the

1. Ibid P. 167

2. Ibid P. 167

74

revolutionary spirit of Darul ulum under the patronage of Haji

Rasheed Ahmed. He pronounced these words at the time when

the concept of Swaraj was a dream and the capital punishment

was meted out to those whose writings or speeches smacked

national feelings.

With the appointment of Maulana Mahmudul Hasan, the first

graduate of Darul ulum, as patron of the organisation, freedom

struggle has been reactivated through different channels. Maulana,

popularly known as "Shaikhul Hind" since the day one, tried to

co-ordinate the revolutionary activities of different associations,

organisations and groups involved in this process. He sought the

help of "Jamiyat Siyasia" (Political Association) run by Shahzada

Nasrullah Khan in Afghanistan. Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi, the

new convert Muslim and the obedient disciple of Shaikhul Hind

founded Jamiatul Ansar (The Association of the helpers) and a

madrasa named "Nazzaratul Maarif" in Delhi, with the assistance

of Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari and Hakim Ajmal Khan in 191 0 AD

at the instance of his Shaikh. 1

Just after 14 years, in 1919 AD the first World War broke out

in Europe. Its flames engulfed the whole world. The Whole World

was divided into two blocks - Triple Alliance and Triple Entante.

It was the golden opportunity for Indian to liberate itself from the

bloody claws of the British-Shaikhul Hind and chalked out the

1. Ibid PP. 169-172

75

whole scheme and wanted to capitalise the situation. In this

move, he was opposed by his own community. Maulvi Abdul

Haque Haqqani along with other Maulvis legalised the British

Colonisation in India. Heedless to the response of these kinds of

Maulvis, Shaikhul Hind paid attention to the frontier where a

section of the followers of Syed Ahmad Barailvi was already

active and Afghanistan where a puppet Govt of Amir Habibullah

was in power, but Amanullah Khan, one of the members of the

royal family was busy in digging the grave for the British power.

Shaikhul Hind made a collaboration with Haji Fazl-e-Wahid,

popularly known as "Haji Tarang Zai" for his domicile at Tarang

Zai (a village in frontier), the pioneer of liberation movement in

frontier, who brought Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, popularly known

as "Sarhadi Gandhi" in politics as his successor, and Amanullah

Khan in Afghanistan. After enacting this military strategy, he

went to Mecca along with his disciple Maulvi Muhhamad Mian

Mansur Ansari where he met Ghalib Pasha, the Turkish Governor

of Hijaz, Anwar Pasha, the Turkish defence minister and Jamal

Pasha a commanding officer. Ghalib Pasha assured his help and

gave letters addressed to the Amirs of frontier and Afghanistan.

The letter is known as "Ghalib Namah" in the Indian history and

was sent to the addressee by Maulvi Muhammad Mian who met

there Maulana Ubaidullagh Sindhi who was already there for this

purpose for long. Moreover, they established an interim Govt

over there with Mahendra Pratap as its President, though the

76

Govt could not last for a long time because Afghanistan got its

independence from colonial Britain. 1

Nevertheless, one should not forget, heedless to the success

and failure, that Shaikhul Hind fought till his last breath for the

liberation of the country from Darul Ulum only. Thus, one can not

say that the liberation of nation was not one of the prime motive

of Darul Ulum during freedom struggle.

The motive of independence was not confined to Darul-ulum,

but it was shared by other madrasas founded after Madrasa

Rahimya till the final blow of the British on the Indian soil.

For instance, Haji, Fazl-e-Wahid about whom we have discussed

in the foregone paragraphs founded many madrasas in the frontier

which were apparently the seats of learning like Darul ulum and

others but they were main centres to disseminate the message of

independence. Nadwatul Maarif, a madrasa in Delhi, founded by

Maulana Ubaidullh Sindhi, was also running for the same purpose.

1. Ibid PP. 173-189

77

IV

With the partition of the Country in 194 7, the well-to-do sections

of the Muslims migrated to Pakistan while the poor & backward,

the downtrodden Muslims remained in India. Understandably the

condition of madrasa also started declining because their fate

was linked to the fate of the Muslims. With the sudden socio­

political developments in the immediate post-independent India,

all the hopes and aspirations of the Muslim Community were

belied. The Britishers left India but their nightmare remained in full

spirit. All the voices of communal harmony which were sounding

in the air of Pre-Independent India disappeared with the wink of

an eye. The life and property of the Muslims were put at stake.

In the field of economic benefits they were left high and dry. And

finally they became insecured. Highlighting the problems of Muslim

education Kuldeep Kaur says:

"Between 1940 and 1950, emerged the problem of language

of instruction as source of division between Hindus and Muslims.

As various Government schools adopted Hindi as medium of

instruction, so the Muslims felt threatened as they identified

themselves with Urdu. The Muslim children had no alternative but

to learn through the Hindi Medium. Muslims all over the country

perceived a grave threat to their identity. That was the reason

that many Muslim parents withdrew their children from Govt

Schools and started sending them to the madrasa, where they

78

could easily learn Urdu as well as Arabic and could keep in touch

with their tradition." 1

Apart from the issue of Urdu, this is also but the fact that

each and every community is running its own schools and colleges

with its own particular ideology, for example DAV, Khalsa Schools

and Colleges, Christian Public Schools/ Colleges and others, but

the Muslim have no school/College of this kind. Furthermore, in

Govt. schools, the culture of Hinduism is imposed on each and

every student indiscriminately. Surprisingly enough, in the name

of Indian national heritage, Hindu culture and civilization are

indoctrinated in the immature minds of the pupils. Hindu mythology

is being taught as an integral part of the curriculum. The paragraphs

of the text book, particularly history are biased and governed by

sub-conscious notions. The current controversy of Saraswati

Vandana and Vande Matram can be assessed in this light. The

introduction of Sanskrit in all the schools of Uttar Pradesh as

compulsory subjects points to the ill designs of the Govt.

In the given situation, the multiplication of madrasas in India is

all but natural, that too without Govt's aid, because Govt-aided

madrasas in any state ceased to be considered as madrasas by

the Muslims. With the changing scenario, the aims and objectives

of madrasas can't remain unchanged and untouched; the insecurity

of the Muslims on all fronts compelled the Muslim intelligentsia to

1. Madrasa education in India P. 203

79

take up the issue and find a way out to the problems faced by

the community. Thus, with all their differences on many points

they agree on the widening of madrasas network throughout the

country for the following reasons:

Preservation of Islamic Identity : The way Muslim identity was

threatened by the Christian Missionary under the colonial India it

is being threatened now through a well planned scheme operated

not only by rightist reactionary forces but also by seudo secularists.

Thus, apart from the aims and objectives of madrasas mentioned

above, this has also become a prime invisible aim of madrasa

education due to the suspicious nature of successive Indian Govts.

On the other hand, the traditional schools of Hindus (Pathshalas)

Buddhists (Viharas) and Jainies have either become extinct or

marginalised. Why is it so that the number of madrasas is increasing

day by day? The answer is linked to the Govt's policy in

independent India. Had the insecurity feeling which the Muslims

had been suffering from for a long time, been wiped out, they

would have rushed towards the new education policy introduced

by the British, because they would have conceived that this new

education policy will have to be the order of the age willy nilly.

Contrary to their breathren, the Muslims had been expecting a

miracle till the final decline of Mughal Empire. Thanks to Sir Syed

who could realise the need of the hour well before other intellectuals

of the Muslim Community could.

80