Education is the cornerstone for building human beings and constructing civilizations. It is the most crucial foundation for the revival of nations, the rise of states, and the ascent to greatness. Therefore, Islam has made seeking knowledge a duty for every Muslim man and woman. Allah says, “Recite in the name of your Lord who created. Created man from a clinging substance. Recite, and your Lord is the most Generous—Who taught by the pen—Taught man that which he knew not.” (Al-Alaq: 1-5)
The Teacher as The Cornerstone
The teacher holds the most important and critical role in the educational process; hence, they bear a sacred mission and a significant responsibility. Islam has elevated the status of teachers to the highest level. Allah says, “Allah witnesses that there is no deity except Him, and [so do] the angels and those of knowledge—that He is maintaining [creation] in justice. There is no deity except Him, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.” (Aal-Imran: 18)
Abu Darda reported that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “The learned are the heirs of the prophets who leave neither dinar nor dirham, leaving only knowledge, and he who accepts it accepts an abundant portion.” (Reported by Abu Dawood, At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and Ibn Hibban)
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Educational Development Centers in the Arab World
It is truly unfortunate that the curricula of educational development centers in the Arab world are often translated from foreign centers in non-Muslim countries. These translations include both valuable and trivial content. While we do not reject translation or the benefit from the best of what others have to offer—this is a legitimate demand mandated by Islam, which calls on its followers to adopt the best of what human civilization has achieved in all fields of life.
What we criticize is the unrefined and indiscriminate translation of material without any scrutiny or filtering, and without any acknowledgment of Islamic precedence in many issues and points.
More concerning is the fact that a center such as the “Quality Assurance and Training Center at Al-Azhar University” has followed this path without deliberation, even in areas specific to Al-Azhar University such as religion and creed. A clear example of this is the courses offered by the center, including the course on “Curriculum Mapping, Course Description, and Learning Outcomes Assessment.” The book issued for this course contains no Quranic ayahs or prophetic traditions!
Therefore, it is essential to reconsider the standards of educational development. Quality centers and educational development administrations in the Arab and Islamic world should adopt the best that human civilization has achieved in the field of educational development, provided it does not conflict with the principles and values of our religion.
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