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Civilization gradually
developed with time, and many types of social and cultural factors, were
responsible for its progress. As already noted education plays a
fundamental role in building human conduct and personality. Many parties
share responsibility besides parents and family members. Educational
process is taken up by other institutions gradually but steadily,
covering increased duties, as technological and organizational
advancement take new leads. Schools, Society, State and Mass Media are
beginning to assume ever increasing roles in this fields. The following
parties actively participate in educational matters:
1. Family
2. School
3. Society
4. State
5. The Individual
1. Family:
Family is the cradle where children see the first light of life. It is
acknowledged that the family leaves the deepest and most profound marks
on children's personalities, thoughts, behaviour and conduct. Childhood
is a crucial period in forming people's personalities because family
role is all- embracing during this time. Parents are charged with the
proper bringing up of children and Islam has assigned fathers to play a
leading role in this process. Allah, the Highest, addresses fathers in
the following verse:
“0' you who believe guard yourselves and your
families against a fire whose fuel is men and stones...”
Holy Qur’an (66:6)
Therefore, fathers have to play an essential role in their children's
upbringing, safety and proper supervision. Islamic education is an
insurance against deviation and degradation, hence, fathers' negligence
for their children's Islamic education is considered a crime in Islam.
When children cannot discriminate good from evil, and are not armed to
defend themselves against a corrupt environment it surely reflects
fathers' faults in spoiling the youth. Therefore, Islamic penal code
holds fathers responsible for their underaged1 children's mischief, and
they have to the bear the cost of material damage inflicted by children
in their custody. On the Day of Resurrection, fathers would be again
questioned for such abuse.
2. School:
The second educational establishment in the life of a Muslim is school.
The school has a great responsibility and plays a vital role in the
growing teenage personalities. Schools are like factories, producing
human generations, training the whole nation and drawing a complete
picture of life for them.
Thus it is very important to attend schools with due care, especially
with regard to their main elements which besides teachers are the
educational syllabus, extra-curricular activities and disciplinary
supervision. These elements ought to be molded within an Islamic
framework, making out of schools an effective instrument for refining
impurities and wrong motives that may be acquired from the family or
environment. Moreover, schools are a suitable ground to discover talents
and nurture good motives. They develop people in the right fields and
strengthen good intents in them, so that they would eventually play
constructive roles in society, after being properly equipped with
scientific and cultural knowledge and given appropriate training.
In short schools should be charged for achieving a sound Islamic
educational program. These goals have already been reviewed in the
previous chapter, Islamic Education Goals'.
3.
Society:
The third factor which shares education responsibility is society.
People's personalities are greatly influenced by social trends and
norms, culture, concepts, way of life, language and religion of the
society. Therefore, it is necessary to build the society according to
Islamic cultural norms. The social factors and the way of life should be
monitored carefully so as to achieve the upholding Islamic principle of,
"commanding people to act upon good deeds and refrain from evil doings.
Friends and companions exercise profound influence on each other during
childhood and teenage stages, unconsciously creating lasting effects or
characters. Hence, it is important to keep children away from spoiled
friends, centers of corruption, especially when Muslims live in a
non-Islamic society or environment.
When we are lucky, having the opportunity of living in an Islamic
society, then dangers for children being misled would be minimized.
Muslim society would play a positive role in the bringing-up process,
imparting required influence on people's conduct and way of life.
4. State:
The state or more properly the type of government has always played an
interesting role in society and its educational process. In recent times
this role has become increasingly stronger and larger because of the
facilities provided by technological and organizational advancements.
Political and Ideological schools of thought have influenced various
governments to organize and supervise education process closely in order
to secure people's allegiance to their rule. Socialist, Communist,
Capitalist and Muslim governments are all concerned to see their
education institutions such as schools, colleges, universities,
newspapers, radio and television etc.... bring up people within their
planned codes and directives.
It may not be out of context to mention at this stage, that education in
Muslim countries is on the whole sadly influenced by non-Islamic codes.
Such secular codes bring up Muslim children in a way that will lead to
internal struggle within people and society which ultimately leads to
anarchy and social ills, as is the case of non-Muslim societies.
Therefore, it is a duty of men of letters, fathers, Muslim scholars, and
Islamic callers to be aware of this grave danger. Suitable cultural
measures should be taken in order to face this challenge and protect the
coming Muslim generations from falling into the abyss of corruption and
deviation.
5. The
Individual:
When children grow up, get matured physically and mentally, they are
able to perform self-education. Thus, people are capable of modifying
their stands, thoughts and conduct.
Allah's words testify this fact:
"Guard yourselves and families against a
Fire....”. Holy Qur’an (66:6)
There is stress on the individual's responsibility for self- education,
rescue from suffering and anguish, by the following verse:
"But as for him who fears to stand before his Lord
and restrains the soul from lust. Then surely Paradise is the abode.”
Holy Qur’an (79: 40-41)
Islam views self-education as having great effect in improving and
transforming people. The inner transformation of people would naturally
result in the keen observance of laws, on the part of the individual.
The Prophet has praised believers who undergo self-education, and has
proclaimed Paradise to be their reward.
Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a.s.)
has narrated from his father's chain of authority
to the Prophet:
"When the Day of Resurrection arrives, a caller
from Allah will proclaim, Where are the patient? A group of people would
rise up, and a team of angels would be ready to welcome them; (other)
people would ask: What type of patience you endured?' They would reply:
We have endured difficulties in the way of Allah, and refrained from His
disobedience.' Then he (the Prophet) said: A caller on behalf of Allah
would cry: My servants are truthful, make way for them to Paradise
without any questions.’ ”
A narration from Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) says
that during the time of the Prophet (s.a.w.) a detachment was sent out
for a battle. When they returned to Medina, he (Prophet) said:
"Welcome to a people who accomplished the lesser
struggle while the big struggle is awaiting them. It was inquired: "O
Messenger of Allah, what is the big struggle? He (s.a.w.) replied:
"Struggle with yourself (desires).”
Thus self-education is based on the above-mentioned directives and
guidelines. It strives for arriving at fruitful results in the field of
personal conduct and observance of Islamic laws, when conforming to
Islamic teachings.
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