Education from the Qurʾānic Worldview​

Education: The word education, first used around 1580s, originally from the Latin educatus (pp. of educare), meaning “bring up, rear, educate,” which is related to educere (meaning “bring out, lead forth”), is used in this text to refer to a process of life-long learning in both formal institutions as well as through informal means.

Worldview: A term used as a calque for the German Weltanschauung denotes one’s overall, often unconscious, perspective. This is akin to lenses one wears or a prism through which one sees everything, although “worldview” does not refer to the perception of physical objects.

Qurʾānic Worldview: The worldview offered by the Qurʾān is anchored in the belief system which emerges from its three axial themes, succinctly formulated in the five “pillars of Islam” (pronouncing and affirming the shahāda, performing the ṣalāt, paying zakāt, fasting during the month of Ramadan, and performing the Hajj once in a lifetime provided one has the means to do so) and six articles of belief (belief in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Prophets and Messengers, the Day of Judgment, and Divine Decree). Let us also note that the Qurʾān draws its material content from three realms: the natural world, human history, and the human soul (nafs). In a broadly construed contemporary classification of knowledge, the first is the subject of natural sciences, the second that of the human sciences, and the third is studied through disciplines which fall under the general category of language and arts.

Education from the Qurʾānic Perspective is a process of learning which aims to produce in the learner a finely chiselled lens so as to allow the learner to “see” everything from the Qurʾānic worldview. This “way of looking” encompasses all realms—from the processes occurring on the natural, historical, and social planes to the events taking place in the inner recesses of the self. The Qurʾānic worldview is gained incrementally through an intentional process. For most adults, this often involves “unlearning” what one has absorbed and acquired through years of formal and informal education in secular institutions. It is akin to shaping a raw diamond into a gem, or polishing a mirror until it reflects perfectly. In some cases, the heart may be transformed through a lifechanging experience and gain Qurʾānic worldview instantly, but in general, it is a gradual and conscious process of tazkīyya (purification) helped by constant and intense reflection on the message of the Qurʾān. There are also examples of remarkable transformations of individuals through encounters with spiritual masters. In the final analysis, it is a Divine gift, a blessing that no one can possess but through the mercy of the Most Merciful. There is no end to the refinement of one’s self, just as there is no end to the wonders of the Qurʾān.

Journal of Islam & Science, Vol. 10 (Winter 2012) No. 2

Muzaffar Iqbal

Muzaffar Iqbal is the President of the Center for Islamic Sciences and the General Editor of the Integrated Encyclopedia of the Qurʾān.