Ishaq Farhan

I. The Concept of the Discipline of Education

A. Fields of knowledge are diversified, and touch upon almost every aspect of life and the universe, including the physical, societal, spiritual and material aspects. Various theories of knowledge are proposed by man to deal with its classification, acquisition and use in life situations. The discipline of education deals with the question of teaching and learning of various disciplines of knowledge by teachers and students with the hope of changing the behavior of the learner to adapt to society and develop the capabilities necessary to become an effective human being.

Education, then, is an applied discipline of knowledge which is a composite of other social and humanistic disciplines. It concerns itself with changing the behavior of the learner, in terms of information, skills and attitudes. Education guides human beings in a certain direction delineated by the values of the society or a certain ideology using know-how, methods, and technologies of teaching compatible with their nature
and style of learning.

Education, then, is both a process and a result of a process. The results or objectives of education reflect the dimensional value system of the society, and thus education is never a neutral discipline. Education cannot be neutral since it produces an individual with a personality that represents the value system of the society and its ideology in life. The content of the educational discipline depends on its interaction with other social and humanistic disciplines which are also partly value oriented and partly experimentally oriented. The process of education or the know-how, including use of methods, strategies, and materials for the teaching-learning process, depends on the general nature of the human being providing it with an international aspect and experimental dimension.

Thus, the general educational theory would include and is a result of many educational sub-theories such as learning, teaching, curriculum, evaluation, and educational administration theories.

B. Islam, however, looks upon education as a form  of worship, and considers it a prerequisite obligation and responsibility for the individual, the society, and the state to be able to understand other Islamic obligations, carry amanah (trust), and be a khalifah (viceregent) of Allah on this earth. The word “read” is the first word revealed in the Qur’an, and the name Qur’an is the state of reading and being literate. Education is the process by which Islam inculcates knowledge in individuals and knowledge is at the apex of the value system of Islam. The importance of education in Islam is so paramount and great that it need not be emphasized here.

The unique characteristic of education in Islam, which cuts across all fields of knowledge, is that every Muslim scholar, in any field of knowledge, is considered an educator or a teacher. This is because every Muslim who knows even as little as one ayah  (verse of Qur’an) is supposed to convey it and teach it to other Muslims, and not covet it.

In this way, every Muslim becomes both a learner and a teacher. Every faqih (specialist) in any other discipline has to spend some time teaching fiqh (science or knowledge) to other Muslims, whether formally, in schools, or informally, in the M y , in mosques, or other societal settings. This very fact imposes great difficulties in tracing the history, and elements of the educational process, tradition and practices of Islamic education in the Islamic heritage.

Since Islamic education deals with all fields of knowledge, its Islamization at the present time is, to a great extent, dependent upon the Islamization of other fields of knowledge. This is not to imply that the process of its Islamization should be postponed. On the contrary, work should begin as soon as possible to facilitate the process of Islamization of other disciplines. This process, however, cannot be completed until Islamization of the Discipline of Education further steps of Islamization are adopted in those related disciplines.

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