The SESRIC report I discussed in the last article only covers education from primary to upper secondary level. This is also the objective of SDG 4 as described by the UN: “This goal ensures that all girls and boys complete free primary and secondary schooling by 2030.” However, the UN states that SDG 4 also aims to provide equal access to affordable vocational training to eliminate gender and wealth disparities and achieve universal access to quality higher education but the report shies away from a detailed discussion on this aspect.
I can understand the reason since there is less emphasis on vocational education in the OIC countries which could be related to the mindset of getting Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees by the youngsters through an impressive ceremony even though it does not help them in getting decent jobs. Comparatively, vocational education accords a diploma which is looked down upon by the masses compared to degrees but ensures comparatively swift deployment within the country or abroad.
There is this often-quoted adage that Islam is not a religion but a way of life encompassing all aspects of human existence. While discussing SDG 1, 2 and 3, I have tried to put this maxim to the test and observed that it was found to be well ahead of the UN goals. I will now endeavor to see how far this precept conquers SDG 4.
From the very beginning, Prophet Muhammed gave the highest importance to raise the level of knowledge among Muslims. He ordered to build a platform behind his house where a set of companions were made to sit to seek knowledge. They were called ‘As-hab Al Suffa’ or the companions of the platform or veranda. Now, both the Prophet’s house and the platform are part of the mosque in Medina.
One day, Prophet Muhammad entered the mosque and saw two different groups of people, one of them reciting verses from the Quran (whatever was revealed until then) and making supplications. The other was the As-hab Al Suffa — the people of knowledge and learning. He said that both groups were doing righteous deeds, but then he stated that “I have been sent as a teacher” and proceeded to sit with the As-hab Al Suffa. No doubt, he was the best teacher humanity was granted by Allah from the beginning until the end.
The As-hab Al Suffa used to wait for the Prophet to be available to them since they were eager to collect the pearls of wisdom and knowledge from him. In return, Prophet Mohammed was also cognizant of the fact and used to allocate special time to them. They were mostly unmarried youngsters so did not have the worry about making a living for the families. Some of them such as Abdulla Bin Omar (son of the second Caliph Omar Bin Al Khattab) though had his parents’ home in Medina but chose to stay at Suffa day and night for want of knowledge and wisdom from Prophet Muhammad.
The As-hab Al Suffa could literally be termed as the first university of Islam or the start of the Madrasa (mosque school) concept which later flourished to produce great learning seats of Islam including Al Azhar, Zaitoona, Dar Al Uloom and many others.
The importance of the As-hab Al Suffa is conspicuous in Islamic history since a great amount of the knowledge on the Quran and Hadith is attributed to the companions who used to occupy the platform. In fact, all four schools of thought or Madhhab are based on the work and narration of the As-hab Al Suffa. Some of the prominent stalwarts from this platform were Abu Hurairah, Salman al-Farsi, Bilal Habashi, Zayd ibn Khattab, Abu Lubaba, Abu’d-Darda, Abdullah ibn Omar, Khabbab ibn al-Aratt and Miqdad ibn Aswad.
The purpose of this learning exercise was not to confine the people of Suffa to Suffa. As Islam was fast spreading far and wide, upon gaining adequate knowledge, they were sent to different places to teach Quran and the correct application of Islamic principles based on the sayings of Prophet Muhammad. They stayed in faraway places until their death, spreading the knowledge and hence we see their graves are found outside Medina.
Coming back to the lackluster state of education in the Islamic world as we saw in the OIC report, I wonder if the modern-day mosques could reintroduce the educational function on the lines of the As-hab Al Suffa. There is sufficient time from the Fajr (dawn) prayer until the Dhuhr (afternoon) prayer during which the mosques are completely empty and are locked up. Precisely, this is also the teaching time for the traditional primary and secondary schools.
Moreover, since mosques are found in every nook and corner of the Islamic habitat, the governments could save a huge amount of money in building and maintaining the school premises. Also, since mosques are the center point for the Islamic faith, these will not face any deliberate desecration or damage we normally observe in the school buildings owned by the state.
Had the As-hab Al Suffa not been there, it would have been cumbersome to gather the true teachings of Islam since these were the ones who were very fortunate to have learned directly from the best teacher humanity has ever received or would ever get: Prophet Muhammad.
The purpose of this educative series and the article is not to hurt any religious or commercial sentiments either consciously or even unwittingly.
Sohail Zubairi is an Islamic finance specialist, AAOIFI-certified Shariah advisor and auditor as well as CIAE-certified Islamic arbitrator and expert. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Next week: Discussion on SDG 4 shall continue.