Islam is a
religion that is concerned with literacy. When the Quran was revealed the
first word was iqra – read, learn, understand. In a cave,
outside Mecca, the angel Gabriel squeezed Prophet Muhammad’s chest and
demanded that he read. Unable
to read or write the Prophet replied, “I cannot read”.
“Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all
that exists). He has created man from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated
blood). Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous, Who has taught by the
pen, He has taught man that which he knew not.” (Quran 96:1-5)
Prophet Muhammad never learned to read or write but he
did understand the importance of literacy. Although the majority of Arabs at
the time were illiterate, they possessed a powerful and eloquent love of words.
Arabs were masters of the spoken word – poetry, story telling, and memorising
genealogies. Encouraging literacy was a natural progression.
Muslims believe that the words of the Quran are the
literal words of God, and preserving them was always of paramount concern. From
the earliest days of Islam, the Prophet’s companions began to write down the
words of the Quran. They were written on bark, bone, animal skins, and even
stones. This ushered in a new era of literacy.
Many of the first Muslims were poor, without position or
prestige in Meccan society, or were slaves. Islam offered them a chance of
equality and respect. Prophet Muhammad wisely understood that his new nation
would have a better chance of surviving, and thriving, if its followers were
literate and well educated.
After the battle of Badr, the first battle
against the Meccan oppressors, the fledgling Muslim army took seventy prisoners.
Prophet Muhammad knew that most of the prisoners were literate and he offered
freedom to those who taught ten Muslims to read and write.
The new Muslims began to understand the importance of
implementing Quran’s guidance into their lives. Then, just as now, literacy allowed
the believers to look at the world around them and contemplate the wonders of
creation, and the magnificence of The Creator. The believers read Quran to be
come closer to God. They seek knowledge in order to strengthen their faith. They
implement that knowledge in order to worship God, with true submission and
certainty.
“And that those who have been given knowledge may know that it
(this Quran) is the truth from your Lord, so that they may believe therein, and
their hearts may submit to it with humility. And verily, God is the Guide of
those who believe, to the Straight Path.” (Quran 22:54)
In his traditions that were painstakingly recoded by
Muslim scholars, Prophet Muhammad encouraged his followers to seek knowledge. He said that if
someone followed a path in pursuit of knowledge, God would make his path to Paradise
easy. He also said that
knowledge was one of three good deeds that continued even after death.
Human beings have minds and intellect. We also have the
power of reasoning and the free will to accept or reject knowledge. God
created human beings with the tools for acquiring knowledge. He taught the
father of humankind, Adam, the names of everything. Adam was taught language
skills, and how to apply knowledge, make plans and decisions, and achieve
goals. We, the children of Adam, have inherited these skills in order
that we can exist in the world and worship God in the best manner.
“He taught Adam all the names of everything.” (Quran
2:31)
“And He gave you hearing, sight, and hearts, that you might
give thanks (to God).” (Quran 16:78)
The pursuit of knowledge is important in Islam. Prophet
Muhammad encouraged his followers to attend learning classes, and he sent
teachers of Quran to the outlying tribes and far away cities. He sat with his
followers and taught them the principles of Islam, and he listened attentively,
often with tears running down his face, to their recitation of Quran. Prophet
Muhammad said the best of his followers were those who learnt the Quran and
then taught it to others.
The first Muslims established schools for teaching and
learning Quran and Islamic sciences. Islam was practiced secretly for fear of persecution,
however a school was established in the house of a man by the name of Akram.
Even now in the 21st century, across the Islamic world, students
attend schools named Darul Akram (The house of Akram) in memory and recognition
of the first Islamic school.
Islam holds knowledge, education, literacy, and
intellectual pursuits in high regard. Throughout Islamic history, there are
countless instances of the establishment of schools and universities, and
libraries and think tanks. Muslims established theories of education, wrote
curriculums, pursued literature and art, and took the concept of seeking
knowledge to new heights. In part three we will look at theories of education
and the establishment of schools and centres of learning.
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