A striking quote of the German thinker Muhammad Asad I compiled from my notes: “What the world of Islam urgently needs today is not a new philosophical outlook, but only an up-to-date scientific and technical education and mental equipment. If I were to make proposals to an ideal Educational Board governed by Islamic considerations alone, I would… Continue reading The One Thing Muslims Can Profitably Learn from the West: Quoting Muhammad Asad

1. Deeni Madaris: This is a collection of articles from conferences held in the past eighty years in India and delivered by both our ulama and educationalists. Very beneficial in learning the opinions of our elders on education. I mentioned this previously in a post but in passing. 2. Aap Beeti: Especially the second volume.… Continue reading Essential Reading Material on the Dars Nizami in Urdu

1. Regular sessions of legal disputation can greatly enhance a student’s understanding of disputed legal issues as well as train him in the art of sound legal disputation. Furthermore, it exposes the student to the evidences and principles of rival schools of law. Lastly, it inculcates a higher level of respect and tolerance for opposing… Continue reading Notes and Thoughts from George Makdisi’s “The Rise of Colleges”

I was looking through my old files and stumbled upon the rough notes from my presentation on full-time Islamic schools in the West at the first Foundation of Islamic Knowledge and Research (FIKR) symposium in 2009. The presentation concentrated on a survey of Islamic schools in the West. It did not seek to formulate any solid… Continue reading Presentation Notes: Full-Time Islamic Schooling in the West: Problems and Solutions

In George Makdisi’s The Rise of Colleges, Makdisi details in the beginning of the book how the original style of teaching from the time of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) evolved due to numerous factors into first a masjid/khan combination (khans being dormitories/guesthouses that housed both students who studied in the… Continue reading Notes: Evolution of the Masjid-College to the Madrasah