The Need For an Islamic Pedagogy

ANALYSIS OF DATA

Islamic Pedagogy as it Relates to the Western Analogue of Ethical Caring Correcting Mistakes and Offering Advice on the Path to Acquiring Wisdom It should be mentioned upfront that the following comparison between elements of Islamic pedagogy and elements of Ethical Care are not presented with the intention to demonstrate that the use of one teaching method in the former or latter justifies or proves the effectiveness of the other. Rarely, the following analysis is meant to merely highlight parallels between the two pedagogical approaches- particularly regarding the nature of the caring student/teacher relationship-for the sake of drawing connections between ideas that have been perceived as pedagogically effective in the East and West.

As has been discussed, the nature of Qur’anic revelation was conducive to scaffolding a people from practically non-existent moral standards to very high ones. Similarly, children are like blank slates;

we cannot assume that they should know better, because for many things they do not and have not been taught, so one must take their time and caringly show them appropriate behavior. When done at a young age, such caring instruction is like etching these values into the child’s memory as an old Arab proverb goes. A young boy, Anas, was once eating with prophet Muhammad, but he was not doing so according to Islamic etiquette; he was not eating from his side of the plate, but rather sticking his hand all over it.

The prophet said to him “Oh, young boy (a term of endearment in the Arabic yaa bunay!)! Say Bismillah (in the name of God), eat with your right hand, and eat from what is directly in front of you.”

The boy commented later, “This remained my way of eating from that time on” (Bukhari, 5376 in USC).

Prophet Muhammad did not scold him for what he was doing wrong, but rather immediately proceeded to simply instruct him what the correct way was, an approach to correcting mistakes that has also been promoted by Bailey. The effect of how Anas was taught is what made the new knowledge “stick” with him and change his future behavior.

Bailey also suggests not focusing on what children are doing wrong as to damage their selfesteem, but to rather simply tell them how they can do it correctly. This is a much more positive approach to correcting mistakes. Don’t just say “don’t do this or that”, but rather educate children on the important part, what they should be doing (Bailey, 2000, pgs.55-73). Ethical Care and the Islamic pedagogy being outlined here have promoted a forgiving, optimistic approach to teaching children.

Prophet Muhammad is quoted as saying “he is not of us who does not show mercy to our younger ones”

(Abu Dawud 764 in USC). Children are very sensitive in their early years and need sympathetic guidance that corresponds to their mental and emotional capabilities.

The expression “yaa bunay!” used above is actually the same expression that Lukman (an Abyssinian slave) uses with his son in the chapter of the Qur’an named after him. Lukman’s classic advice to his son combines scaffolding/prioritizing knowledge and presenting it in a caring manner as

part of Islamic pedagogy. Lukman is praised in the Qur’an as having been given great wisdom and religious understanding because he gives thanks to God. And from the fruits of this wisdom is how he teaches his son how to prioritize in order, Tawheed, righteousness to the parents, keeping good company, ihsaan, prayers, commanding the good and forbidding the evil, and then being patient if that brings him suffering. Also if one notices, Allah mentions people’s rights over his son right after Tawheed, the bare minimum acknowledgement of Allah needed for his actions to be accepted, and right before even mentioning prayers and commanding good/forbidding evil, which are two of the best acts of worship a person could practice. This organization is beneficial in teaching students the importance of their community’s rights over them as Allah mentioned them early in the list of actions to highlight their significance. After performing such virtues, then there is the fear of becoming haughty so there is the advice on how to maintain humility-good character in sum. Allah begins the story with Lukman telling his son: "O my son! Join not in worship others with Allah. Verily! Joining others in worship with Allah is a great dhulm (wrong) indeed. And We have enjoined on humankind to be dutiful and good to their parents. His mother bore him in weakness and hardship upon weakness and hardship, and his weaning is in two years; give thanks to Me and then to your parents, unto Me is the final destination. But if they (the parents) strive against you to make you associate partners with Me in worship (which you have no knowledge of), then do not obey them, but treat them in this world kindly, and follow the path of he who turns to Me in repentance and in obedience. Then to Me will be your return, and I shall inform you of what you used to do. O my son! If there be (anything) equal to the weight of a grain of mustard seed, and though it be in a rock, or in the heavens or in the earth, Allah will bring it forth. Verily, Allah is Subtle (in bringing out that grain), Well-Aware (of its place).O my son! Aqim-is-Salat (perform the prayers on time and correctly), call people to Al-Ma'ruf (Islamic Monotheism and all that is good), and warn people from Al-Munkar (polytheism of all kinds and all that is evil and bad), and bear with patience whatever befalls you. Verily! These are some of the important commandments ordered by Allah with no exemption. And turn not your face away from men with pride, nor walk in insolence through the earth.

Verily, Allah likes not each arrogant boaster. And be moderate (or show no insolence) in your walking, and lower your voice. Verily, the harshest of all voices is the voice (braying) of the donkey" (Qur’an, 31:13-19).

To return to our topic of caring Tarbiyya, maintaining a positive environment for a child serves to not damage their self esteem and maintain the loving relationship between teacher and student. Also, the importance of keeping children motivated through a caring environment seems to be timeless because even nowadays academics such as Deborah Stipek and Allan Wigfield have highlighted how important the classroom environment is for maintaining motivation34 (2010, February).

On correcting mistakes in general, there are numerous cases where prophet Muhammad stressed on explaining to people the reason why what they were doing is wrong, and not hastening to condemn them (Bukhari,

717, 4992 & Al-Nisaa’i, 4999 in USC), many times offering them more appropriate alternatives (Al-Nisaa’i, 1119 in USC). One bedouin man had once urinated in a mosque, because he had not realized that it was a sacred place and the companions of prophet Muhammad were outraged and were going to grab him, but prophet Muhammad amazingly commanded his companions to not even interrupt him, nor yell at him, but to simply let him finish. Acknowledging the bedouins’ unrefined habits compared to the city folk at the time, prophet Muhammad explained to him that it was inappropriate to urinate in a mosque and had the area cleaned. After this the Bedouin was so impressed by the prophet’s caring attitude to a complete stranger that he supplicated “oh God, forgive me and Muhammad and no one else”-the Bedouin made such a ‘exclusionary’ prayer as a slight ‘jab’ at the companions for how they were about to react to his behavior (Zino, 1995, p.75). Prophet Muhammad customized his response in dealing with someone who would have been at a much lower level of moral refinement (as was Bedouins’ reputation) then someone from the average population in the city. Similar to Lickona (1991, pgs.55-67), prophet Muhammad has taught that admonishment by itself is not a true learning experience; how proper moral conduct is taught is the essence of the message. The companions would be seen later throughout their lives imitating these methods from their role-model, the prophet, with their own students.

Once when some young girls were eulogizing the deaths of their fathers in a recent battle, they started praising prophet Muhammad in a way that was not befitting of him by saying that he knew the future. Prophet Muhammad did not prohibit them from mourning their dead fathers, but told them to simply remove the part which exaggerated his position. In this way, he removed the mistake they were making, but allowed them to continue with their eulogy (Umm Qatadah, personal correspondence, April, 2, 2010). Accordingly, teachers should not focus on the faults of students, but be balanced in celebrating their good behavior. Educating students on how to do things correctly instead of complaining about what they are doing incorrectly is an approach Bailey has suggested as well (Bailey, 2000, pgs.55-73).Compassion is key.

One of the primary goals of case based learning as it relates to moral education, as discussed by Lickona above (Lickona, 1991, p.47), is for students to realize when a situation requires moral action, reflect on it, and then act upon it. By revealing the doctrines of Islam piece by piece, there was live explanation/application of the verses by prophet Muhammad in front of his companions so that they could see what it actually looked like to uphold one’s covenants, maintain ties of kinship, help the poor, be humble, etc in practice. Morals as general themes always sound wonderful, but the true task is developing the wisdom to know how to prioritize values and contextualize them to one’s situation. Most would agree that lying is wrong for example, but would also agree that it could be commendable if it was going to save someone’s life.

In Islam, developing such a discerning nature is called having (“deep understanding”) of the faith, not simply knowing the “dos and don’ts”, but truly comprehending the principles and value system of Islam to the extent

that one is able to do the best most beloved act to God contextual to the time and place. Prophet Muhammad described this when he stated that “whoever Allah desires good for, he gives him deep understanding of Islam and the insight of how to apply it properly” (Al-Bukhari, vol. 1, pgs.98-100). Another hadeeth states that “One faqih (one with fiqh) is more powerful against the devil than a thousand worshippers” (Berkey, 1992, p.4). The word hikma (wisdom) could also be used as a synonym for fiqh, since prophet Muhammad said “do not envy anyone, except in two cases: a person whom Allah has given wealth and he spends it righteously and a person whom Allah has given hikma (deep comprehension of the Qur’an and Sunnah), acts according to it, and teaches it to others” (Al-Bukhari, vol. 1 pgs.98-100). Interestingly, the word hikma when combined with reference to the Qur’an in a verse, is used to refer to the Sunnah in the Qur’an. This is an importance of case based learning that modernist and Islamic approaches to moral education would agree on-developing critically conscience morality. This theme applies to all knowledge, many Muslim students in Muslim countries memorize basic content material, but knowing when and how to apply it is the only way such information has any benefit. Students merely memorizing the names of virtues or how many elements are in water will not benefit them in this life or the hereafter.

Reciprocity and Maintaining a Sincere Intention

As has been mentioned, the term Tarbiyya literally has this agricultural connotation of caring as if one is caring for a tender plant. Herein lies the motivation for an educator to care about their students in Islam; it is their spiritual Islamic obligation. This motivation for caring is different from Noddings’ concept of reciprocity (1984, p.74) which expects some form of human motivation or reward for caring.

In Islam, all good deeds must be done for the pleasure of God. Prophet Muhammad said, “the reward of deeds depends upon the intentions” (Al-Bukhari, vol. 1, 1997, pgs. 85-86). Accordingly, the attitude towards Noddings’ “reciprocity” (1984, p.74,) in Islamic pedagogy would depend on the form it takes. If it was initiated on the part of the student in the sense of applying the knowledge (and the educator happens to witness this “happy growth”), then this might be praiseworthy as this could be indicative of the student’s sincerity (one of the two conditions for good deeds to be accepted in Islam) in learning to become more God-conscious (assuming there’s no worldly pretentiousness about desiring to be looked up to by others or fame involved). In this sense, the educator sees the fruits of his/her labor, which is a possible sign of God’s acceptance of his/her deeds in Islam. The educator can then take satisfaction in the fact that the child has not merely memorized the content, but has rather processed it deeply and been affected by it in some way. If this content was moral in nature, then the child has learned to identify when moral action is needed, purified their intention to do it, and then proceeded to consciously make a moral decision. To a teacher that views teaching as an act of worship, this offers tremendous intrinsic reward that they have participated in social reform as a Muslih. On the other hand, if their reciprocity takes the form of gifts or praise for the teacher, then this could cause possible harm to the teacher by inflating his/her’s ego if he/she

attributes the outcome to themselves (and not to the mercy of God for allowing them to achieve the good they did), possibly nullifying their deeds. Furthermore, if the educator expects such reciprocity from the student, then this makes their sincerity questionable from the beginning, because a Muslim expects his reward solely from God.

In Islam, God has created humankind to worship Him and blessed them with innumerable blessings, foremost of which is creating them; therefore, they are obligated to reciprocate this bounty with obedience, and though He is not required to, He has chosen to reciprocate to them paradise for their obedience. This issue of maintaining sincerity is so crucial in Islam that one is expected to choose their company on the basis of those who they believe to be sincere (Qur’an, 18:28). If one ponders this, what would happen if classes and schools in the Muslim world were constructed with the explicit intention of providing environments conducive to good moral character and not merely sorting the population into schools by their various socio-economic brackets? This would have a profound effect on inequality if teachers can group students together on this basis of being sincerely committed to social change and yet everyone in the classroom comes from all degrees of SES. This is why the teacher’s function as a role model is so important. As Ibn Khaldun affirms students will often emulate their teacher as part of learning (Halstead, 2004, p.525); hence, students can also serve as peer role models in cooperative group tasks with other students. Creating good company and a moral environment in the classroom minimizes the need for repetition of the teacher’s efforts. An assertion Vygotsky would wholeheartedly agree with since he acknowledges the contagious nature of behavior between people (Goldstein, 1999, pgs.648-654). Education is a broad endeavour, and as is being realized, it cannot be narrowly viewed from a psychological lens. Humans are social creatures.

The aforementioned modeling of moral behavior in Islamic pedagogy is what Lickona focused on as the first step to teachers teaching morals, embodying them first, ridding themselves of their “personal vices.” Seeing moral behavior, students can visualize what proper behavior looks like, intend to live by it, and then actually start trying their best to do so. The apprenticeship relationship that illustrates to students how to go through this process is analogous to the case based learning methods that might be utilized by Lickona-inspired educators in the classroom as mentioned above-using daily incidents of life as teaching/learning opportunities.

Prioritizing Values Through One’s Demeanor and Composure

In regards to values, Islam legislates very similar moral values to the Modernist framework of Ethical Care, like honesty, cooperation, responsibility, forgiveness, courage, self sacrifice, and discipline (Qur’an, 2:177). Prophet Muhammad was described by his wife Aisha as a “walking Qur’an” (Al-Ashqar, 1985, pgs.814-815). when she was asked about his character. He embodied a caring approach to dealing with people since Allah had advised him about how to go about teaching people about Islam, saying “Had you been harsh and hard of heart, they would have dispersed

from around you, so pardon them for their faults, and ask Allah’s forgiveness for them, and consult with them in affairs. Then when you have reached a decision, place your trust in Allah; surely, Allah loves those who put their trust in Him” (Qur’an, 3:159). Prophet Muhammad would advise his students, the companions, similarly, saying, “Allah will not show compassion to those who do not show compassion to people” (Al-Bukhari, 1997, p.59). If one understands this, then they will see why the caring student-teacher relationship is so important to productive educational experiences in the classroom from an Islamic perspective.

Concerning the demeanor of an educator, the aspects most repeated even in modern day Islamic encyclopedias on ‘raising children’, are exactly the manners and character the teacher is supposed to be teaching. Good character is the cornerstone of Islamic pedagogy. For example in Ahmed Mustafa Mutawalee’s Maosoo’at Al Umm fee Tarbiyyat Al Awlaad fil Islam (Encyclopedia of Raising Children in Islam”), meticulous care is taken to highlight all the specific references in Qur’an and Sunnah that refer to the ideal character of a Muslim in general for the parent/educator and child/student: social competence (brotherhood, righteousness to the parents, maintaining ties of kinship, righteousness to neighbors, visiting the sick, compassion, mercy, fairness, forgiveness, generosity, and leniency) (2005, pgs.65-168), etiquettes of seeking in-depth Islamic theological knowledge (2005, pgs. 217-231) (interestingly shorter since pragmatic basic khuluq are what is required, while in-depth knowledge is recommended), psychological well-being (courage, chastity, discipline, accountability, and love) (pgs.315-375), emotional well-being (love, compassion, general tips for how to deal with children (pgs. 376- 387), health/sexual well-being/relationships (marriage, chastity, patience, God-consciousness, good companionship, etiquettes for maintaining love between spouses) (pgs. 393-442), and healthy living (exercise, nutritious diets, medical issues, etc.) (pgs. 449-591).

A crucial disposition that Bailey also highlights for educators (2000, pgs.26-30,) is the importance of maintaining composure throughout the daily opportunities for modeling morals; this is the backbone of Islamic pedagogy. Numerous ahadeeth (pl. of hadeeth) of Prophet Muhammad mention the importance of maintaining one’s wakaar (composure) (not to mention being from the most often repeated characteristics of the ideal believer at the end of chapters Lukman and Al-Furqan in the Qur’an). One of the most famous examples of wakaar is when a man had come to prophet Muhammad and kept asking him to give him an invaluable piece of advice (expecting some long complicated response) and prophet Muhammad kept simply telling him to not get angry in two words (Muslim, 1077 in USC ). The man had traveled a far distance to obtain some profound wisdom from this prophet he had heard about, and the prophet told him to not get angry. Virtue should not necessarily be judged/valued for its complexity. Truly, how many learning opportunities are lost when educators cannot calmly morally reflect on a situation before acting?

In order to practically maintain one’s composure, one needs to always maintain an upbeat optimistic disposition and not be flustered easily,

thereby being able to be lenient with minor occurrences of misconduct, but able to clamp down with major infractions. Modeling prioritization of values was seen in prophet Muhammad’s interaction with children like Anas. Anas stated "I served the Prophet Mohammad (and his family) for ten years. (During these 10 years) he never got angry with me nor asked why I did this or didn't do that” (Bukhari 418 in USC). This was the tolerance and compassion prophet Muhammad displayed towards children since they are still developing and learning. On many occasions prophet Muhammad would joke caringly with Anas for example, saying “you with the two ears” (Zino, 1995, p. 98). However, this was all regarding issues that were offenses to one’s person, but when it came to important matters, like insults to the faith or religious infractions he would say things like “teach your kids to perform their prayers by the age of 7, and beat them for it (Muslims are not allowed to hit other humans in the face or hard enough to leave a mark unless in combat or a government official administering punishment for a crime, etc. as explained in other ahadeeth) if they are not performing them by the age of ten35 ” (Bukhari 677 in USC). Hence, the teacher is expected to be “naturally” caring as part of his/her Islamic personality by default, but has the ability to be discipline when needed.

The aforementioned is the parallel in Islam to differentiating between moral and management demands as was expressed by Kohlberg and Selman above (Kohlberg & Selman, 1972, p.20). One must be very lenient while trying to help their students learn proper moral behavior-because if they pounce on every mistake a child makes throughout the day, they’ll never get through a lesson-but they can save their emphasis for the fundamental values they are trying to instill. Even with regular academic content, as present day ulamaa have argued, overwhelming students with any type of knowledge will bore them and diminish their desire to learn (Al-Shareef).

The last example I will present is regarding Lickona’s use of cooperative work to teach children how to teach and learn from each other (Lickona, 1991, p.74). Prophet Muhammad would often put up a question for discussion when intending to teach something (Al-Bukhari, vol. 1, 1997, p. 90). There would normally be a group of companions with prophet Muhammad throughout the day (Arabs were/are very social historically).Once prophet Muhammad was with some companions and asked “Indeed there is a tree that does not shed its leaves, and resembles a Muslim. So tell me, which is it?”So people started discussing the trees of the country side. Abdullah ibn ‘Umar said “I thought to myself that it was the date palm tree, but I was shy and did not speak up” (this is because he was very young and did not want to interrupt the elders). So they asked the messenger, “tell us what it is Oh messenger of Allah.” He said “it is the date palm tree.” Ibn ‘Umar mentioned to his father how he had known the answer, who replied ”It would have been more beloved to me than ‘such and such’ had you said it was the date palm tree”(Al-Bukhari, vol.4B, 1997, pgs.299-301).

To not go into too much detail on why the Muslim was most like the palm tree, the general reason the ideal Muslim should resemble a date palm tree is because all parts of it are beneficial for some use, compared to most trees that would have been found in the Middle East at the time. What concerns us in this comparison is that prophet Muhammad questioned them to test their general understanding of how a Muslim should be (to get them thinking), gave them time to discuss the issue among themselves collectively36 , and then come up with answers. He also used an illustrative analogy to convey his point. By having different ages of people within a group, the experience was one that highlighted the importance of developing assertiveness in children so that they feel comfortable voicing their opinions and feel intellectually safe to make mistakes. Independent critical thinking followed by cooperative discussion is an excellent strategy in the cooperative aspects of Islamic pedagogy that allows students to practice with peers similar to them in ability and then have an educator highlight the points of benefit that they understood or maybe missed at the end.