The Council on Islamic Education (CIE) has become the Institute on Religion and Civic Values (IRCV).

The Council on Islamic Education was founded in 1991 to provide academic support and scholarly resources about Islam and Muslim history to K-12 textbook publishers, educators, and others. We went on to cultivate expertise in world history and teaching about world religions, producing assessments of national and history-social studies state standards, training thousands of teachers, publishing high-quality teaching materials, and reviewing numerous social studies textbooks.

In 2007, we began operating as the Institute on Religion and Civic Values. We wanted to clearly indicate that as an academic organization our expertise extended to many issues in the coverage of world history and world religions. Furthermore, we wanted to emphasize that our core interest in improving religious literacy goes beyond the schools to include faith communities, the media and civil society. We believe that a better understanding of the interplay between our religious identities and our civic responsibilities lies at the heart of creating cooperation and harmony in our shared society.

For your convenience, we have maintained this site as a repository of materials produced under the auspices of CIE. You can view and download the resources free of charge. Enjoy!

Adult Islamic Education

As Muslims we are constantly engaged in the cycle of improving our faith, enhancing our knowledge, and practicing the message. The real Islamic education produces a Muslim who loves Allah and who is an active and concerned member of his or her society.

This page, which will be further developed and updated in future, lists links to articles on Islamic learning and to institutions and Islamic organizations/Masjids in the Greater Chicago area that offer insightful and rigorous courses on Islam and its science

RUSSIA: Dagestan's controls on Islamic education

Legal provisions in the Russian North Caucasus republic of Dagestan restricting religious education are a major element in the near monopoly on Muslim public life enjoyed by the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Dagestan, Forum 18 News Service has found. Some local Muslims maintain that the restrictions prevent qualified people from teaching. "You might have a very well-educated imam returning from Syria or Egypt who is a classic convinced Shafi'i Muslim in line with Dagestan's tradition," Shamil Shikhaliyev, head of the Oriental Manuscripts Department at the Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography of the Dagestan branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Forum 18. "But he won't get a position at a mosque because it is the unwritten law of the Directorate that anyone who studied abroad is Wahhabi and can't become an imam." One local human rights defender, Ziyautdin Uvaisov, has described how those disagreeing with the Directorate's line who have tried to study in its educational institutions usually ended up either leaving or being expelled.

"Preaching or giving lessons on Islam not in the name of the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Dagestan is regarded as dissemination of radical ideas," Abdulmumin Gadzhiyev, Islamic affairs correspondent with Chernovik, a popular local independent Russian-language newspaper, told Forum 18 in the Dagestani capital Makhachkala on 15 April. While not always enforced, local legal provisions restricting religious education are a major element in the near monopoly on Muslim public life enjoyed by the Directorate (see F18News 25 May 2010 . Similarly important are restrictions obstructing Dagestan's many practising Muslims from reading more than a relatively narrow range of Islamic literature). The educational restrictions mean that all Islamic educational institutions in Dagestan must subjugate themselves to the Directorate and conform their teaching with its views. Large-scale independent Islamic education is impossible. The Directorate reportedly also ensures that no one who has studied Islam abroad can work as an imam or religious teacher on their return to Dagestan. Only one umbrella organisation per confession - in Islam's case, the Directorate – is permitted under Dagestan's 1998 Religion Law (Article 10). Under the same law, both religious educational materials and study abroad are subject to approval by that organisation (Article 9). Under Dagestan's separate September 1999 anti-Wahhabi law (Article 3), anyone teaching religion – even in private – must also have the permission of the relevant umbrella organisation). In Dagestan Forum 18 found that Salafis - advocates of what they regard as a pure form of Islam as practised by the earliest Muslims - are informally referred to as Wahhabis regardless of whether they reject violence. Elsewhere in Russia, Wahhabism is usually understood as the belief in the legitimacy of violence in the pursuit of Islamic ideals. The term derives from the surname of Mohammed ibn Abdul-Wahhab, whose radical teachings form the religious basis of the present-day kingdom of Saudi Arabia (see F18News 8 August 2007 . Dagestan - a republic in Russia's troubled North Caucasus which borders Azerbaijan and Georgia - is highly ethnically diverse. Most of the population is of Muslim background, the majority of them Sunnis but with a Shia minority. Fear of foreign influence Dagestan's controls on sharing Islam stem from concern that foreign influence is stoking the local Islamist insurgency. In a compilation of papers from a local government conference on preventing religious-political extremism held in Makhachkala in May 2009, scholar Tagir Muslimov points out that "for many, the way to the forest (joining the insurgency) starts in Islamic educational institutions abroad." The compilation also notes that some 4,000 young Dagestanis are currently studying in Islamic countries. Pro-rector of Makhachkala's Imam Shafi'i Islamic University, Magomedgadzhi Gadzhiyev (no relation to Abdulmumin) sees religious education as the key to beating the insurgency. "If a vessel is full of water and you pour water into it, it will overflow," he explained to Forum 18 on 19 April. "If a young person has adopted Wahhabi ideas and we try to say something from the side, he won't accept what we say, as his head is already full." For this reason, Gadzhiyev supports Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's pilot scheme introducing religious studies into state schools, he told Forum 18. He would go further, suggesting that a madrassah in every Dagestani village should teach even pre-school children, "giving different ideas first – that terrorism and murder are absolutely unacceptable in Islam." Founded by the Directorate in 1997, Imam Shafi'i Islamic University is the oldest Islamic university in Dagestan. It trains imams in Arabic and sharia studies following study programmes approved by the Directorate. Makhachkala's Institute of Theology and International Relations also agrees its educational programmes with the Directorate and uses approximately 80 per cent of the syllabus taught in purely Islamic universities such as Gadzhiyev's, its rector Maksud Sadikov told Forum 18 on 20 April. It also employs its lecturers via the Directorate. With 750 internal and 500 external students, the Institute is the oldest of still only a handful of higher educational institutions in Russia offering combined Islamic and secular qualifications approved by the state. Graduates are thus able to work either as imams and Directorate personnel or as secular teachers and state officials, Sadikov explained to Forum 18. While imams are elected, they must also be endorsed by the Directorate, he continued. Asked if this meant that Salafis could not work as imams, Sadikov drew an analogy with the unacceptability of a Jehovah's Witness wanting to lead an Orthodox parish church. (While Orthodox do not recognise Jehovah's Witnesses as Christians, however, Sadikov had told Forum 18 minutes earlier that he regards Salafis as full Muslims). Directorate press secretary Magomedrasul Omarov confirmed to Forum 18 on 21 April that the Directorate trains all imams. If a village or settlement needs an imam, it consults with the Directorate, he said, while graduates of Islamic educational institutions are allocated posts in the way that employment was allotted during the Soviet period. Local sociologist of religion Zaid Abdulagatov estimated to Forum 18 on 16 April that there are currently around 6,000 higher students of Islam in Dagestan. According to January 2010 official local government figures, the republic has 13 institutions of higher Islamic education. Controls too tight? According to Rasul Gadzhiyev (no relation to Abdulmumin or Magomedgadzhi), departmental head of Dagestan's Ministry for Nationality Policy, Information and External Affairs, there is generally no friction between the Directorate and Dagestani Muslims who have studied abroad. While those educated in Egypt, Syria and Saudi Arabia had some "points of misunderstanding" with local Muslims clergy, he told Forum 18 on 22 April, if they had not turned to terrorism they were engaged in peaceful dialogue. Others maintained to Forum 18 that the restrictions on Islamic education prevented well-qualified people from teaching, however. "You might have a very well-educated imam returning from Syria or Egypt who is a classic convinced Shafi'i Muslim in line with Dagestan's tradition," Shamil Shikhaliyev, head of the Oriental Manuscripts Department at the Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography of the Dagestan branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, recounted to Forum 18 on 16 April. "But he won't get a position at a mosque because it is the unwritten law of the Directorate that anyone who studied abroad is Wahhabi and can't become an imam." Ziyautdin Uvaisov, a Makhachala-based lawyer working with the Russian human rights organisation Memorial, described to Forum 18 on 15 April how those disagreeing with the Directorate's line who tried to study in its educational institutions usually ended up either leaving or being expelled.

Nigerian police raid Islamic "Education Is Sin" sect

MINNA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Police in the western Nigerian state of Niger have raided an Islamic community and detained hundreds of men, weeks after an uprising by a radical sect killed almost 800 in the remote northeast.

Niger state police commissioner Mike Zuokumor said officers backed by reinforcements from the capital Abuja had surrounded the compound of the Darul Islam community on the edge of the town of Mokwa early on Saturday.

"We received a series of reports about the activities of the sect from neighboring communities, the local government and the emirate (traditional leader)," Zuokumor said.

"Some of them were expressing apprehension concerning the activities of the group and it is our duty to ensure law and order among the citizens of the state," he said.

Local journalists said around 600 men, some thought to be from the countries of Niger and Chad, were taken to a nearby school for questioning by police and immigration officers. As many as 3,000 people were believed to live in the community.
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Zuokumor said police had received reports that Darul Islam was forcibly holding women to be the wives of sect members. The arrests were peaceful and no shots were fired.

The leader of the sect, Amrul Bashir Abdullahi, originally from the northern state of Kano, told reporters he had lived in Mokwa for 17 years and denied that his movement was radically opposed to Western education.

"We are not against Western education as we are being accused, but we have our own belief which is not in any way an infringement of the state authorities," he said after being detained.

Abdullahi said he had decided to start the Darul Islam group in isolation from the wider community in order to escape social ills such as "corruption, drunkenness and prostitution."...

Why Islamic banking?

Islamic banking is based on Sharia that prohibits ‘riba’. According to religious scholars it means both usury and interest, and ‘gharar’, that signifies ambiguity, uncertainty, or lack of specificity in terms of a financial contract. 

These  tfinancial transactions within the Islamic banking are based on a culturally-distinct, ethical and moral principles as investments/trading involving alcohol, gambling, pork etc. are prohibited. In 1975, the world’s first full-fledge was formed in Dubai.

A review of the literature on Islamic banks reveals that these promote greater business stability as this system matches the payment obligations of the entrepreneur with the revenues that he acquires from his transactions. This is made possible when the obligation to pay back the funds acquired from the banker and the profit is related to the realisation of profits in the project in which funds are invested. 

Islamic banking is more efficient in that it allocates funds capable of being invested on the basis of productivity of projects rather than on the creditworthiness of those who own the projects, as is the case in conventional banking. 

Islamic banking is less prone to inflation and much less to speculation. The increasing prevalence of inflation and speculation in today’s business environment cannot be ignored particularly when banks are using debt instruments as money substitutes, making speculation on debt instruments. And Islamic banking is been as the only flexible alternative in the face of global recession. Islamic banks are prudent when it comes to leveraging their assets to invest in capital too. 

The typical leverage ratio of assets to capital was over 20:1 in the US (Lehman’s leveraged around 30:1 before bankruptcy) and over 30:1 in Europe compared to below 10:1 in the Middle East and North Africa. This practice has enabled Islamic banks to recapitalise their operations in the wake of financial turbulence. 

Another such example is Ireland’s Blue Ocean Wireless which supplies wireless communications for merchant shipping. When the company got a $25 million loan in December 2008, it came from what might seem an unusual source: the Bank of London and the Middle East, or BLME, which strictly follows Sharia rather than conventional western banking practices. 

While recognising the benefits of the Islamic banking, its disadvantages in the modern era cannot be ignored. First, the profit-and-loss sharing (PLS) modes of financing are not the dominant part of Islamic banking as in the case of other of conventional banking, the difference between these two types of banking is largely illusory.

This is demonstrated by the fact that commercial banking and company laws appropriate for the enforcement of Islamic banking and financial contracts do not exist in many countries. Second, in PLS modes of finance, there exist potentially exorbitant costs of continuing auditing of the enormous number of PLS partnerships. In contrast to Islamic banks, the costs associated with assessing the creditworthiness of a few borrowers paying a in conventional banks are low. 

If creditworthiness is not of a concern for Islamic banks then the question arises as to how they will decide between two diverse customers with varying but still significant financial needs as, for instance, between lending to an old client who wants to pay for his daughter’s and lending to a new client who wants to fund his child’s education.

Islamic banks have over 60 per cent excess liquid funds which cannot be properly utilised due to non-availability of Sharia-compliant products and services. A committee of Muslim scholars called the “Sharia Committee” usually determines whether a product or practice complies with Islamic law. This requirement applies to western competitors wishing to enter Islamic banking, too. It is a challenge though, since Sharia banking scholars are in short supply. 

Despite the hurdles faced by Islamic banks and their clients, Islamic banking is growing and drawing attention of institutions the world over. One of the main driving forces being the income Arab countries are obtaining from the exploitation of the abundant oil resources. Nowadays, major establishments such as Al Rajhi Bank of Saudi Arabia, the Kuwait Finance House, and Malaysia’s Maybank Islamic compete with western financial institutions such as Barclays, HSBC and Deutsche Bank. 

Several banks have set up separate Islamic financial services departments in their home markets as well. For instance, in the UK, thehas introduced regulatory standards for Islamic financial products and has a separate department  with Islamic financial institutions. Surprisingly, non-Muslims make up as much as half of Islamic bank customers in some cases. There is a huge potential for Islamic banking. 

Madrasah Institute Of Islamic Education

The Institute Of Islamic Education is a full-time, residential Islamic Institute dedicated to training Huffaz and Ulama. IIE prepares young Muslim men and women by educating them in both the religious and secular sciences so that they will be capable and qualified to lead the Muslim community in North America. The house of Islam has firmly stood for over fourteen hundred years upon the unshakable cornerstones of the Quran and Sunnah. The depth of their truisms, the breadth of their coverage, and subtlety of insight have breathed into Islam such ascendancy as that can only be derived from the Divine. From the life of the Prophet Muhammad and his Companions, the understanding emerges that the Quran and Sunnah comprise a fountainhead of knowledge that must be both preserved and propagated by this Ummah. This understanding spawned a historically unparalleled birth of sustained intellectual activity. Innumerable books were penned on subjects as varied as Quranic Exegesis, Hadith, Islamic Law, Spirituality, Seerah, History, Economics, Mathematics, Astronomy, Medicine, and Sociology. Libraries were created; research institutes were sanctioned; and scholars were tenured. Through the blood and sweat of countless scholars and a community commitment to knowledge, a legacy was born. Against all odds, this legacy has continued. Neither meagerness of resources nor the acrimony of enemies has stayed its tide. It is this heritage of learning that continues all over the world today. New research into the Quran and Sunnah is ongoing and necessary as modern scientific discoveries, ethical problematic, and religious polemics emerge and develop. The language of knowledge is changing, and this necessitates a modern Islamic dialogue articulated by qualified scholarship.

The impact of Political Islam on education: “the revitalization of Islamic education in the Turkish educational setting”

his study on the revitalization of Islamic education in the Turkish educational setting focuses particularly on the impact that Political Islam has had, by analyzing the role of religion across different periods of Turkish history. In the 1950s a multi-party democracy period started in Turkey and the Turkish educational setting was exposed to structural change at every schooling level. Islamic tendencies appeared in the curriculum, the organization of the educational system and the appointment of experts throughout the country. Furthermore, subsequent civil governments, some militarily supported, used Islam as a discourse in education. As a result, Political Islam influenced the structure of the school curriculum, and educational policy and its implementation, causing much debate.

Keywords: Comparative education; Educational policy; Curriculum; Educational administration; Political Islam; Educational equality; Religion; Military; History of education

Proper Islamic Education & upbringing and parent's responsibility

ذمّہ داری

[A translation of an article published in Tameer-e-Hayat magazine published fortnightly from Nadwatul Ulama, Lucknow, India. For more information about the magazine please see the author of this article in Urdu is Hadhrat maulana sayyed abulhasan ali hasani nadwi rahmatullahi aleyh]

[Disclaimer: Please remember that by no means this is a perfect translation and it is bound to have some mistakes. Please leave a comment if you find one]

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ عَلَيْهَا مَلائِكَةٌ غِلاظٌ شِدَادٌ لا يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَا أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ

066.006 O ye who believe! save yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is Men and Stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who flinch not (from executing) the Commands they receive from Allah, but do (precisely) what they are commanded.

Al-Qur'an, 066.006 (At-Tahrim [Banning, Prohibition])

Text Copied from DivineIslam's Qur'an Viewer software v2.913

People, I just read a verse of holy Quran before you that would have been read numerous times before you in the past and you would have come across the verse while reciting Quran; but it is not necessary that one ponders over something that one sees everyday. You just go past the road; the billboards have been hanging for years, you even look at them but ask yourself how many times you actually read them attentively and remembered what was written on them.

Only few will be able to recall, if asked about the billboards that they saw while driving past a road.

The Quranic verse puts one in amazement. This verse is such that if there was no danger, that something that one sees and confronts daily, loses its importance, I would have said and urged that this verse be inscribed on walls and hung (i.e for it to be seen) in mosques.

Allah says O people who have believed “ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا" the word آمَنُوا is a past form of the verb. Pay attention to each word; None of the words of Quran are mere co-incidence or just used to fill in and complete the sentence. This is not some poetic art. It could have been said “ايها المومنون", it could have been said “ايها المسلمون". O you who believe or O you muslims.Instead the group of believers are addressed “ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا" O you people who themselves have believed “ قُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا وَقُودُهَاالنَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ". Save yourself, your family members, your contacts, your subordinates from a fire whose fuel is men and stones.

The addressees of this verse were muslims, companions of the prophet (صلّى اللة علية وسلّم) who were present at the time when Quran was revealed. Those were the first and foremost addressees. However, all muslim generations until the judgement day and anyone who is born and calls himself muslim is addressed by this verse.

The first among the addressees were the companions of the prophet (صلّى اللة علية وسلّم), who had believed in the prophet's hand, those who had given their hand to him, those who were given the blessing of companionship of the prophet. And verily those who will swear fealtyto the prophet were also addressed. Those who had decided to lay their life and swore fealty to the prophet at the treaty of Hudaibiyah, about whom the verse is

“048.018 لَقَدْ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ يُبَايِعُونَكَ تَحْتَ الشَّجَرَةِ فَعَلِمَ مَا فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ فَأَنْزَلَ السَّكِينَةَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَثَابَهُمْ فَتْحًا قَرِيبًا

048.018 Allah's Good Pleasure was on the Believers when they swore Fealty to thee under the Tree: He knew what was in their hearts, and He sent down Tranquillity to them; and He rewarded them with a speedy Victory;

Al-Qur'an, 048.018 (Al-Fath [Victory, Conquest])

Text Copied from DivineIslam's Qur'an Viewer software v2.913”

Allah was happy with those who had received this blessing and was happy with those who had received a Sanad (synonymous to authority and authenticity) from Allah. The people with authority and high status who took part in the Ridwan Fealty (bayat-e-Rizwan) are also addressed by this Quranic verse. The ten promised paradise (Ashrah Mubashsharah) are also surely included in this. High ranking companions of the prophet are also included in this address. “Living Martyrs” of Ohud and Badr (Names of two millitary campaigns) are also the addressees of this Quranic verse.

Now I ask you, does anyone throw their children and family into fire ? Let's them go into fire ?

What does it mean when Allah says to those who believed, 'Now it is your duty to save yourself, save your family members from the Hell fire'? Have you seen or read any incident where a companion of the prophet (صلّى اللة علية وسلّم), may God forbid, allowed their child to fall into fire, or if the children wanted to proceed towards fire and the companions if prophet(صلّى اللة علية وسلّم) and muslims of that time let them do this without saying or doing anything. Has anyone seen or read an incident like this ?

So, is this statement made without any purpose that O you who believed it is now your duty to save yourself and your family from fire? Which fire is referred to here ? And when did this incident occur ? Or was about to occur ? That muslim children wanted to jump into fire and parents were sleeping; oblivious? When was it that Allah sent down a revelation (Quranic Ayah), everyone was caught by surprise and worried that their children should not jump into fire?

Then what was referred to by this verse ? Can the verse mean something besides the protection of one's children and one's family members, from the things that lead towards fire ? The upshot of which, will be that these people end up in hell fire. Otherwise, are their some people who see their children heading towards fire and don't stop them ?

The only danger is that one doesn't know that doing this will result in burning in hellfire. So to protect from hellfire actually means to protect from the means that lead towards hellfire. This is termed as “اسباب مؤدیہ” (Urdu, unable to translate this) in islamic legal terminology (Fiqh). In other words those means that lead towards the result. According to islamic jurists (Fuqahaa') these means also take the ruling of the end result. For example, if a person is being given a medicine which results in death (sooner or later) then this act is considered murder. Simply because the person who gave the medicine undertook means that certainly result in death. Law would call such a person murderer; Medical personnel would also consider him a murderer. So it is understandable that protection here refers to protection from the things that take or lead towards hellfire.

Now, I say to you and this is the current situation: Not arranging islamic education for the children, letting the children free in such an atmosphere and leaving them at the mercy of the atmosphere which can in no way give the children the education on which our salvation depends; the education brought to us by the prophets, the neglect of which endangers our faith (Iman), is ruining our hereafter (Akhirah); So, we should now think, that how is this being allowed for the child ?

Current education system is not merely secular, but it is a positive system of education, Hindu mythology is a part of it. During the british rule of India, the education system was secular; the stories circled around dogs and cats. Many of us have studied english during british period. During those times neither the basic education system affected anyone's creed (Aqidah) nor it led to the idea of sanctification of any creation (Creation refers to anything else besides Allah) and it didn't show power and control of any creation in this universe. During those times children used to read stories of cats, dogs and other various animals and used to return home unaffected (i.e their faith and creed remained unaffected). The current situation is different. The government school's syllabus consists of lessons, stories and articles that affect our creed (Aqeedah). Teachers leave no stone unturned in making sure that anything that is left mis-understood or not understood has been understood by the students. The students have to do things that are against islamic belief of monotheism. (Tauheed)

Let me ask you, consider this, there is a downhill path, one is not even able to hold his feet firmly because of steepness of the slope, a child is riding his bike and moving downhill and heading towards a chasm, the bicycle brakes are ineffective, the father sees all this and knows well that bicycle brakes are dysfunctional and ineffective, and also knows that there is no other way his child will be able to survive (except that he saves his child), then would it not be appropriate to say that the father consciously and knowingly allowed his child to reach the dead-end and fall off? Can any person not agree to this statement ?

If you agree to this then I ask you how can the child's religion (Islam) be protected if there is no provision for external and additional islamic education (which is comparable to the bicycle brakes in our analogy mentioned above) which is a means of protection?

That whatever the child learns from school is rectified, and if the child is given an islamic monotheistic dose, attending morning or evening islamic classes, is attending circles of islamic education, listens to an islamic book, parents practice and inculcate islam (deen) into him, narrate interesting and appropriate islamic events and stories, the atmosphere at home is islamic, then this is comparable to the bicycle brakes mentioned in the analogy above.

And, if it isn't like this, it is as if you've whispered into your child's ears “accept everything that you learn at school”. If you admitted your child to a school and did nothing separately to protect him (i.e his faith/iman) then it is like you have told your child to accept everything that you learn at school. Neither he knows Urdu that he may study islamic books nor there is any islamic institution in the locality.

Now tell me, are we not the ones who are addressed to in this Quranic verse (Ayah) ?

There was a large attendance of women in one ladies gathering in lucknow. I said to them let me tell you a story of a mother.

One educated lady was attending a feast gathering. Other women noticed that she was fairly anxious and worried and didn't seem much interested in the conversation that was going on. Her close friends and women were enjoying the interesting talk that was going on. They had gathered after a long hiatus but it appeared as if her mind and heart are not present and are thinking of something else..

So, she was asked 'Sister, what's wrong?' , 'Are you ill?', 'Do you have a problem?'. After repeated questioning she said nothing major, I just forgot to hide the matchbox in my house and my child is at home. I am worried that the child may pull out a matchstick from the matchbox, kindle it and may burn his clothes. Other women asked may god save, 'What is your child's age?', Lady answered just about 2 years.

Now think whether the child knows how to open the matchbox or not ? Even if the child manages to open the matchbox woule he be able to rub the matchstick correctly on the matchbox and start a fire ? But …..

عشق است و ہزار بدگمانی

Love produces such things; after all she is a mother, God has given her deep affection towards her children and that is why inspite of things that are highly practically improbable and that occur seldom,she has drawn a complete sequence of events in her mind of how the child may get burnt. It goes like this:

'The child obliviously reaches a matchbox while playing, lifts it up, and the child had once seen his elder brother or sister using it in the past, he imitates them and burns his clothes, when we reached we found that this incident (May God forbid) had happened.'

The lady was anxious and worried from such a remote possibility and behaving as if someone is standing on a burning stone or someone is sitting on an array of thorns.

Are the possibilities of losing one's faith and religion (iman and deen), in an atmosphere that is against islamic teachings (deen), not greater than the possibilities of losing one's life ?

The same possibilities that disturbed this mother's (story of women mentioned earlier in this article) heart and made her anxious? Our kids that are studying in schools and you didn't explain to them even once what is meant by islamic monotheism (Tauheed)? You didn't make any arrangements for the child to study in an islamic institution (deeni makatib)? The children could have studied there and then they would have acquired the capability to safeguard their faith (Iman) while going to schools (Usual schools). Neither the kid's home has such an atmosphere nor the locality and neighbourhood. Why should I blame schools, I am a person who is related to arabic islamic institutions (Madrasas) and the condition is such that the students that are coming to these islamic institutions are unaware of such basic fundamental teachings which, during our childhood days, we could not have imagined that a muslim child can be unaware of.

What will be the upshot of all this ? Generations after generations, will become deprived of deen, would not be able to read Urdu. The current situation is such that once there was a requirement for a traditional medical student (student of Tibb, Hakeemi/Unani medicine) of a reputed medical college, that has a reputation in history, to write an article or a letter. So it was thought that these students study Tibb books which are usually in Arabic or persian (Farsi) and if we descend even lower, then in Urdu (perhaps because there may be some contemporary Unani medicine books in Urdu). This student was told to write and he kept on writing and people kept thinking that he has finished writing. It was later discovered that it was in Hindi!. He was asked that you study Unani Tibb and can not even write Urdu ? He answered ' This is what we have been taught'.

So, not the possibility of such a generation, but, we are already seing such a generation, lack of awareness of basic fundamental islamic teachings, unaware of basic tenets of faith, unaware of islamic creed of God (Allah) and prophet (صلّى اللة علية وسلّم) that is instilled in our minds and hearts. This generation has already taken birth and is reaching the stage of youth and maturity. The beginning era has gone. It has been observed, a speech of prophetic biography (Seerah) is to be delivered, in an islamic school, college, university, and someone gives an article of prophetic biography to a matured muslim islamic student, he brought it written in Hindi, and read it in Urdu, words used were from Urdu language but written in Hindi script. This script (رسم الخط) is such a thing that Arnold Toynbee, a big Historian philosopher of recent times, has said that during these times there is no need to burn a library, changing the script is enough. This changing of the script will break the bonds between the nation and its past and its complete culture will become meaningless to him, and then they can be lead to whichever direction you want. The thing that joins a nation, with it's past, with its religion and with its culture is the script. No sooner that the script changes the generation changes. This is what is happening in India today. Sectarian riots just defame the country, they are of no benefit. Changing the education system will be enough (i.e it will do enough damage). Sixty years ago Akbar (probably an urdu poet) said

شیخ مرحوم کا قول مجھے یاد اٌتا ھے

دل بدل جائںگے تعلیم بدل جانے سے

A long term plan is in place, only little time will pass, In about thirty to forty years without any effort a generation will become ready, to them the distinction, between faith and disbelief, between islamic monotheism and polytheism, between tenets of faith and Madhhab (madhhab could mean a school of islamic jurisprudence and it sometimes is also used just to mean religion in Urdu), will all be non-sensical, nothing will be needed to be done.

Muslim parents, for the fear that their child's career will be spoiled, don't let their children write their mother tongue as Urdu, don't make provisions for the education of islamic jurisprudence (Deeniyat). Can this thinking and faith (Iman) go hand in hand? A muslim's matter is such that if by any means he comes to know that Islam is not destined for his child, or god forbid he will not be a muslim, then he should ask God (Allah) that He lifts the child with goodness and well-being. This is a muslim's affair (شاْن).

Hadhrat Khansaa' (Radiyallaho Anha) is a female companion of prophet Mohammad (صلّى اللة علية وسلّم) and a big poetess of her time. She posseses a heart full of pity. All her life she read elegies of her brothers who had died (داغ مفارقت was the term used here in Urdu). It can be said that such a great volume of elegies that she sung can not be found elsewhere. Her whole diwan (A collection of poems of a poet.) is filled with elegies of her brothers. Such a lady with a heart full of pity calls one of her sons on the occasion of a muslim campaign (Jihad), and tells him “My son, go. This is the day for which I reared you. Go and sacrifice you life in Allah's cause.” Then she calls her second son and then her third son. When finally the news of martyrdom of her sons reaches her, she says “الحمد لله الذى اكرمنى بشهادتهم" Thanks to the God who honoured me by their (her sons') martyrdom. This is the matter(شاْن) of faith (Iman) that everything is sacrificed for Islam

The Present Moment

THIS IS a remarkable time in world history. We have arrived at a new and critical stage in the relationship of Islam and the West. Our world is fast becoming inter-connected through information technologies and through the spread of mass culture. Both Europe and the Americas have received millions of Muslim immigrants, and now a new generation is being educated in the West.

At the same time the West is having an impact on many traditionally Muslim societies. Often the impact arrives as a whole package: science, technology, secularism, personal freedom, ecology, consumerism, mass entertainment. Meanwhile, many Westerners would agree that Western cultures are experiencing a breakdown of values and loss of confidence in their purpose. This has led to an increase in the thirst for an authentic spirituality.

Thus, these two worlds have become increasingly interdependent, and we are forced by necessity to understand each other and to determine what is most valuable in our respective civilizations.

While the Islamic world may not have done an adequate job communicating the real message of Islam, and while too many misunderstandings and stereotypes have taken over the public consciousness, Islam nevertheless offers a universal message for all of humanity-a message which must play a part in human destiny.

The Education Project aims to create publications and other learning resources for Islamic schools and individuals. We wish to equip Muslims with the knowledge and inner substance to survive spiritually in the contemporary world, as well as the ability to make a contribution to world culture that is consistent with Islamic values.

This will be based on a clear and deep understanding of the essential truths revealed in the Qur'an and the lived example of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him), as well as the best elements of the Islamic tradition.

Even though the essential message and values of Islam have a remarkable power to endure through time, the formulations of the past may become worn out. Tradition must not be static but dynamically self-renewing. The traditional wisdom of Islam needs to be freshly expressed because human minds are conditioned differently in each age. The nature of the questions and the challenge facing each generation undergoes subtle and dramatic changes.

The Education Project is an attempt to offer the knowledge, values, and practice that could inspire and guide the soul toward wisdom and maturity. We wish to do this in a language that is fresh and clear, and with an aesthetic sense that will equal the best that the "secular" world has to offer.

Some of the key contributors in this project are Western Muslims who have proven themselves as cultural innovators and leaders. It is our firm intention to draw, as well, upon the deepest contemporary wisdom and talent that can be identified in Muslim countries. In addition, we are developing an advisory board which will include Muslim scholars and educators, who will both support and critique our efforts.

Who is This Education For?

Our intention is nothing less than to envision and develop a system of education for the mind, heart, and soul, emphasizing the "vertical dimension," the development of the essential virtuous attributes of our human nature.

The content of the curriculum being developed by the Book Foundation will be applicable at different levels of education. Our original intention was to create educational materials appropriate to the high school years (age 14-18), a time when young minds need to be exposed to and trained in essential spiritual knowledge and values. The same content, however, could also be adapted to adults desiring an Islamic education capable of answering the kinds of needs and that arise in the postmodern world. At the current time, we foresee offering some of this material in a format suitable for universities and adult continuing education. In due course, our intention is to adapt the materials still further for wider use in the earlier grades.

Our intention is nothing less than to envision and develop a system of education for the mind, heart, and soul. We will place special emphasis on what we call the "vertical dimension" of education, by which we mean the development of the essential positive attributes of our human nature. These dormant attributes of our fitra include capacities such as: attention, intention, self-awareness, humility, contentment, will, presence, altruism, and remembrance of God.

At the same time, we plan to introduce proven methods, including those validated by the latest research, and up-to-date content in the "horizontal dimension" of knowledge and skills.

It will be necessary to identify pressing issues and prominent trends in contemporary life and to give extensive opportunities within the various programs for exploring, discussing and reflecting upon these issues and trends in relation to the personal life and experience of each student and the development of his or her full humanness.

The Islamic Response to the Secular Educational System

The West has claimed that for centuries its scientific and technological progress was a direct result of isolating religion from the practical affairs of societies by the secular ideology of separating the Church from the State. The rise of secularism meant that religious teachings in the social and political systems were replaced with man-made legislation. This perception that views religion as impractical and full of contradictions was due to the historical brutality possessed by the Church against scientists and philosophers.
This article addresses the reasons that brought about secular educational systems in the West and will refute the generalisations made by the West to include Islam as a religion of rituals and spirituality that does not manifest itself in the temporal affairs. This article is dedicated to Muslim University students to enlighten their Islamic worldview on the western secular educational systems.
The Evolution of Secularism
Special Character of Orthodox Christian Revelation and its Consequences
The special character of Christian revelation is transforming the exclusive worship of the One and Only Lord of the Universe (Allah) into the idea of Trinity, in shifting the emphasis from the message of God revealed through the person of Jesus to the Incarnation of God Himself in the person of Jesus has succeeded only in confusing the realms of the Supernatural and Natural, of the Divine and Human, the Infinite and Finite. It has, therefore, laid itself open to numerous intellectual attacks from which it has still not succeeded in extricating itself.1
Descartes2 , one of the pathfinders of modern philosophy, intended to attain knowledge, including that of God, by reason alone contradicting his Christian faith that must be accepted and believed against reason.
Reason Versus Christian Theology 3 during the Dark and Middle Ages
The Christian Dogma, defining itself in the form of Trinity and Incarnation, in the doctrine of Original Sin and Vicarious Atonement (Salvation) was constantly being challenged by intellectuals and defended by the Church through executions and persecution. The scholastic Middle Ages had been confronted with the problem of reconciling religion and faith, reason and revelation. But since Christian theology was particularly unresponsive to intellectual queries, St. Peter Damian "deprecated the application of reason to theology" .4 Therefore, the concern of uniting faith and reason had to rest finally by separating the domains of philosophy and religion, of faith and reason.
It is this shift of focus in the intellectual horizon of Europe that is of tremendous significance. If the Middle Ages had been characterised by a concern for the Supernatural and the Divine, the Renaissance preoccupied itself with Nature and Humanism. If the Middle Ages had been identified with the authority of the Church, the Renaissance projects itself through its concern for the secular which affirmed the value of experiment.
Therefore, the work of scientists and the contribution of philosophers, were together producing the intellectual climate that was gradually leading towards Naturalism, Atheism and Secularism.
Scientific Exploration and the Growth of Materialism
With the passage of time, further scientific discoveries were made that were at odds with the teachings of the Church. To preserve its authority, the Church took some harsh steps against the emergence of new ideas. Many scientists were branded as heretics, infidels and satans. The famous astronomer, Galileo (1564-1642) observed and studied different aspects of the universe. His conclusions supported the system of Copernicus (who pointed out that the Earth revolves around the Sun)5. Galileo was tried by the Inquisition and was subjected to an indefinite period of imprisonment for daring to hold scientific beliefs in contradiction with the views of the Church.
The Renaissance and the Reformation, Reactions against the domination of Orthodox Christianity
The response to the oppression of the Church from the people, especially the scientists, thinkers and the philosophers such as Voltaire and Rousseau, was equally strong. They began to highlight the contradictions of the Church and called for nothing less than the separation of the Church and the State. Desperate measures were taken by the Church to deflect the criticism, frustration and anger that was vented by the people. These measures fell to halt the winds of change that had galvanised the masses. The Church realised that it could no longer stay in charge of the State without reforming itself. Thus, a period of reformation commenced. However, the Reformation did not guarantee any bright future for the Church as the struggle became intensified between the 16th and 17th centuries.
The eventual outcome of the struggle for power between the Church and the thinkers and philosophers was the separation of the Church and the State. This solution limited the authority of the Church to preserving the morals in society, and left the administering of the worldly affairs to the State. The separation was completed by the 18th century, and formed the basis o f capitalism, marking the beginning of the enlightenment period that sparked the industrial revolution in Europe.
The inevitable outcome of separating the Church from the State was the application of secular schools of thought in politics, economics, sociology and cultural affairs. But the most serious victim of secularism were the educational systems since they are directly responsible for the intellectual quality of human beings. While people in secular societies are being educated, they are also being morally and ethically degenerated. The education of an immoral human being gives him or her the tools to be more wicked and destructive in this world.
The Islamic World View
Islam as an Ideology
The role of Muslims in the advancement in the fields of sciences and humanities is directly related to the driving force of Islam. It is this Islamic ideology that deserves the credit and not the individual Muslims. Unlike Christianity, Judaism, and other religions, Islam is not merely a religion but rather a unique and comprehensive ideology that guides the life of the human being. The Islamic ideology, by the definition of an ideology, consists of both the idea and the method to implement the idea as a practical manifestation in reality.
The Islamic idea itself is composed of two essential components; the creed or doctrine (Aqeedah) and a system of rules and regulation founded on this doctrine (Shari'ah). The Islamic Aqeedah provides the correct and comprehensive answers to the fundamental questions regarding humanity' s existence and that of the universe. It addresses the issue of the human being's purpose in life, and links it with what proceeds life and what will come after it, thereby providing the basis for the Islamic system to properly organise human affairs.6
The Islamic Shari'ah provides a comprehensive law governing the affairs of human beings. It correctly establishes: , the relationship between the human being and his Creator, the personal affairs of individuals, and the various relationships (social, political, , cconomic, and international) that exist in society.
The Islamic methodology provides the means to apply the idea (the creed and systems) to practice.
Unlike Secularism, Capitalism and Communism, Islam is built on the correct worldview that is compatible with the human being. Islam does not ignore human beings' instincts or desires, but organises them in the proper context, including the desire to acquire knowledge. The implementation of the Islamic system is neither confined to time or place no r dependent upon science and technology, and must occupy our instincts, needs and natural desires
Islam invites and directs humans to study reality
Islam has made it obligatory on all believers to acquire knowledge for themselves. In the very first verse of the Qur'an revealed to him, the Prophet (s.a.w) was instructed to read:

"Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists). Has created man from clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood). Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous. Who has taught (the writing) by the pen. Has taught man that which he knew not. " [Qur'an 96:1-5].

The importance of reading, writing and acquiring knowledge has been explained in this verse in a most forceful and direct manner. Since it is obligatory for every believer to obey Allah' s commandments, it was therefore announced by the Prophet (s.a.w) that learning and searching after knowledge was a sacred duty of every Muslim.
The Qur'an appeals constantly to reason and experiment which is a blessing indispensable to arrive at proper judgement.

"Say: 'Are those who know equal to those who know not?' It is only men of understanding who will remember (ie. get a lesson from Allah's Signs and Verses)" [Qur'an 39:9]

The Qur'an also directs man to study the physical world in order to understand the reality and to appreciate more the greatness of the Creator. Although Islam points to the physical world to make people think, it encourages people to discover more laws. The Qur' an is fundamentally a book of guidance and a code of life for mankind to enable it to differentiate between the right and the wrong.
The Islamic Perspective of Scientific Methodology

"And Allah has brought you out from the wombs of your mothers while you know nothing. And He gave you hearing, sight, and hearts (intelligence and affections) that you might give thanks (to Allah) " [Qur'an 16:78].

Allah (swt) reminds the human being that he is born into this world without any knowledge of the existence, but He has equipped this human with the tools -the five human senses- that he needs to explore the might of the creation in order that h e/she may give thanks to the Creator. The Creator, Allah (swt), has taught man since his presence on earth, "And he taught Adam all the names (of everything)" [Qur'an 2:31], through the agency of wahi (revelation). The last revelation that is composed of the Qur'an and the Sunnah, does not establish itself in its followers by blind faith or imitation, but rather by an invitation to the human being to think deeply about his existence and his surroundings.
Islamic methodology calls human beings to ponder upon the profound nature of this universe and observe its many phenomena that establish a definitive proof for the existence of One Creator. We are constantly discovering more and more laws that make up this order. The motives and objectives of all civilisations (and the resulting urban growth world-wide) is firstly, to discover and research the resources in the universe and aspects of matter and energy that are useful to man. This is asserted in the Glorious Qur'an,

"Do they not look in the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all the things that Allah has created?" [Qur'an7:185].

The second step is then to utilise these discoveries rationally for the benefit of man. Again, this is a direct command from Allah (swt):

" See you not (O men) that Allah has subjected for you whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever in the earth?" [Qur'an 31:20].

For the Muslim, these processes are an act of worship that have to be guided by revelation in order to understand the reality of nature and the limitations of the human being. On the other hand, the non-Muslims seek their guidance from man-mad e laws that mechanistically and absurdly view the creation as a self-operated system.
Guidelines Towards an Islamic Educational System
By observing the physical world and the laws of nature, the Islamic thought, that is derived from the Qur'an and Sunnah, presents the philosophy which explains Allah's Might and Wisdom. These observations should not remain at the boundaries of the material world, but should conclude that this unintelligible universe could not have possibly come to existence by itself nor by a chance or accident, and hence should provide reflections about the attributes of the Creator. Such attributes define the Creator as a Deity above His creation, neither matter or energy can shape His identity, nor can space or time encompass His eternal existence, confirming the Qur'anic verse :

"There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer" [Qur'an 42:11].

The Islamic educational system does not acquire conceptions about life, death and the Universe from the materialistic and secular world, and must purify its curriculum from any materialistic ideas that contradict basic facts in Islam. How ever, the Islamic educational system should utilise the expertise and experience of the material systems in the fields of applied sciences and industry and reconstruct their data on the basis of Iman.
The achievements and contribution of early Muslim scholars which have been completely neglected and overlooked in the Western books on the history of sciences, should be unveiled and incorporated into the curriculum's of the Islamic educational system. Since the Islamic civilisation was the longest in the history of humanity, scientific and humanitarian branches of knowledge flourished under its rule, and Muslim scholars led the world in the fields of astronomy, mathematics, medicine, agriculture and sociology, to name a few. The unveiling of this heritage which paved the way for the emergence of the modern sciences will dignify the sense of originality and belonging in the Muslim youth.
The miraculous scientific notions in the Holy Qur'an must also be revealed to prove to people that the Qur'an contains basic scientific facts and laws of the universe that were unknown at the time of revelation and for centuries afterwards. These scientific notions are material proof to people of all creeds and tongues that the Holy Qur'an is the Word of Allah and that Muhammad (saws) is His final prophet.
The Islamic educational systems should emphasise the importance of acquainting a thorough knowledge of Arabic, the language of the Qur'an. Arabic is not only necessary to fully comprehend Islam, it is a requirement to perceive the Qur'anic world view. It is also important to encourage proficiency in the language of the community in order to effectively convey the message of Islam.
Specific Advice for University Students
The Muslim student when seeking knowledge and education must consolidate his/her faith by purifying his/her intention, since sincerity is the foundation upon which every work is established. The Prophet (saws) said: "Actions are but by intention and every man shall have but that which he intended" [al-Bukhari and Muslim]. Hence, the Muslim should pursue education for the pleasure of Allah (swt) and not for material or social gain.
There is no question that seeking knowledge and education at universities is necessary for Muslims to meet the formidable challenges of the massive poverty and illiteracy, which they face. However, those Muslims who suffer from the lack of belonging and understanding of Islam, will graduate with a degree of secular mentality that centralises this world. Allah (swt) declares:

"Whoever wishes for the quick-passing (transitory enjoyment of this world), We readily grant him what We will for whom We like. Then, afterwards, We have appointed for him Hell, he will burn therein disgraced and rejected" [Qur'an 17:18].

Therefore, it is crucial that students at universities do not compromise their Islamic education with the excuse of their studies. They should also be cautious of teachings that challenge the code of belief (Aqeedah) and law (Shari'ah) of Islam and adopt the criteria that would enable them to distinguish these secular thoughts and ideas from their field of interest. Seeking a profession that provides halal income sources is also the priority of the Muslim.
The Muslim student should develop a professional attitude towards his/her education and cherish their work and career prospects. The Prophet (saws) said: "Allah likes it when the one amongst you perfects his works" [sound hadith, reported by Bayhaqi in Shoua'bul Iman]. This prophetic guidance clearly directs the believer to perform tasks to the best of his/her capabilities. Hence, excelling in the field of study should be the aim of every Muslim student. However, the Muslim student should not have ambitions that selfishly neglect his/her obligations towards his/her Muslim society and Ummah . In fact, his/her prime ambition should be gaining the necessary expertise and experience to participate in the reconstruction of the Islamic State. It is essential that Muslim students evolve this Islamic state of mind, otherwise the Islamic hope will remain a dream.
The Muslim Students' Associations and Societies on the campus of the university provide the religious and social requirements for all Muslim students. The Prophet (saws) said: "A believer to another believer is like a building whose different parts enforce each other". The Prophet then clasped his hands with the fingers interlaced [al-Bukhari]. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that the Muslim student cooperate and take advantages of all the facilities and resources accessible to him/her. He/she should also be motivated to participate in the organisation of functions and activities of their association, to train him/herself to become dynamic Islamic workers, and also, to mature the brotherhood atmosphere between colleagues.
Adherence to strict moral codes and upright ethics is a fundamental component of the Muslim character. The Muslim student must exhibit a respectable behaviour on and off campus, and qualities such as beneficence, forgiveness, honesty and kind speech should manifest in his/her actions. The Prophet (saws) said: "I have been sent only for the purpose of perfecting good morals" [Al-Muwatta'].
CONCLUSION
It is historically evident that many intellectual Muslims were able to integrate the sciences of religion with other branches of knowledge. The simple reason for that, is because worldly sciences in the Islamic Khilafah found the correct environment and methodology to cultivate and improve the quality of life. Today, worldly science s are exploited to produce a mechanistic and a materialistic human being without the aspect of humanity, that sees no error in transgressing its limits and in violating its environment.
We have long been awaiting a promising young generation that can raise themselves above dunya. A lot of hope is rested upon the shoulders of this expected generation whose mission in this world should be the establishment of Allah's prerequisites for victory and success in this world and in the Hereafter.