6.4.1 FOUNDATION UPON WHICH TEACHING SUBJECTS ARE BUILT

The Islamic ‘aqeedah is the basis of the Muslim’s life. It is the exclusive basis of the Khilafah State such that nothing in the State’s entity, agencies, actions or anything related to it can take place except based upon the Islamic ‘aqeedah.

Accordingly, the Islamic ‘aqeedah is the basis of every knowledge that the student studies in the Khilafah State whether such knowledge is of the type that must emanate from the Islamic ‘aqeedah such as thoughts of the ‘aqeedah and Shari’ah rules, or knowledge that must be built upon the Islamic ‘aqeedah e.g. history and sciences. Building it upon the Islamic ‘aqeedah means that the Islamic ‘aqeedah becomes its criterion such that the Muslim rejects and denies that which contradicts the Islamic ‘aqeedah while being allowed to adopt that which does not contradict it. The Islamic ‘aqeedah is the Muslim’s sole criterion in creed and action, and it is the criterion for adoption and rejection. Studying other creeds and knowledge that contradict Islam and oppose its thoughts is not prevented provided this is done to refute them and adopt the Shari’ah position towards them.

6.4.2 TYPES OF TEACHING SUBJECTS

Teaching subjects are one of two types: Either scientific knowledge to develop the intellect such that man uses it to judge upon the reality and attributes of statements, actions and things as well as their conformity with man’s innate nature e.g. chemistry, physics, astronomy, mathematics and other empirical sciences. This knowledge has no direct effect in building the personality. Or Shari’ah knowledge regarding these statements, actions and things in order to demonstrate the Shari’ah rule related either to accountability (whether obligatory (waajib), recommended (mandoub), permissible (mubah), disliked (makruh) or forbidden (haram)) or circumstances (whether it is the cause

 (sabab), condition (shart) or preventor (mani’), dispensation (rukhsa) or normative rule (‘azeemah), its being correct (saheeh), void (baatil) or corrupt (faasid)). Such knowledge forms the Islamic personality. If these Shari’ah rules are linked to the goal of the Muslim adopting the Shari’ah position upon things, actions and statements with respect to inclining towards them or not, as well as adoption or rejection when performing actions in order to satisfy his instincts and organic needs, they form the Islamic disposition (nafsiyyah). The Islamic personality is composed of the Islamic mentality together with the Islamic disposition. It is a personality that takes the Islamic ‘Aqeedah as the basis of its thinking and inclinations.

Islam requested the Muslim to reflect upon the creation of the universe, man and life. For example, Allah ta’ala said:

﴿وَيَ تَ فَكَّرُونَ يفِ خَلْيق السَّمَاوَا ي ت وَالأَرْض﴾

“and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth” [Al-i-Imran: 191].

And His saying:

﴿أَفَلََ يَ نْظُرُونَ إيلَى ا ي لإبييل كَيْفَ خُليقَت﴾

“Then do they not look at the camels - how they are created?” [Al-Ghashiyah:17].

And His saying:

﴿كَذَليكَ يُحْ ي اللََُّّ الْمَوْتَى وَيُيريكُمْ آيََتييه لَعَلَّكُمْ تَ عْيقلُون﴾

“Thus does Allah bring the dead to life, and He shows you His signs that you might reason.” [Al-Baqarah: 73].

Likewise, Islam also requests the Muslim to bind his judgements, actions and inclinations to the Shari’ah rules. For examples, Allah Ta’ala said:

﴿فَلََ وَرَبيِّكَ لاَ ي ؤُْيمنُونَ حَتَّى يُحَ يِّ كمُوكَ فييمَا شَجَرَ بَ يْ نَ هُمْ ثَُُّ لاَ يَ يَدُوا يفِ أَنفُ ي سيهمْ حَرَجًا يمم ا

ق ضَيْتَ وَيُسَليِّمُوا تَسْلييمً ﴾

“But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission.” [An-Nisaa: 65].

And His saying ta’ala:

﴿وَمَا آتََكُمْ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَ هَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانْ تَ هُوا﴾

“And whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from.” [Al-Hashr:7].

And His saying:

﴿لاَ تَ تَّ ي خذُوا آبَاءكَُمْ وَإيخْوَانَكُمْ أَوْلييَاءَ إينْ اسْتَحَبُّوا الْكُفْرَ عَلَى ا ي لإيَْان﴾

“Do not take your fathers and brothers as allies if they have preferred disbelief (kufr) over belief (imaan)” [At-Tawbah: 23].

And His saying:

﴿وَقُلْ اعْمَلُوا فَسَيَ رَى اللََُّّ عَمَلَكُمْ وَرَسُولُهُ وَالْمُؤْيمنُونَ وَسَتُ رَدُّونَ إيلَى عَاييلَ الْغَيْ ي ب

وَالشَّهَادَية فَ يُ نَ بيِّئُكُمْ يبَِا كُنتُمْ تَ عْمَلُون﴾

“And say, ‘Do [as you will], for Allah will see your deeds, and [so, will] His Messenger and the believers. And you will be returned to the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, and He will inform you of what you used to do.’” [At-Tawbah: 105].

Just as the school should be the first foster (hadhina) to build the distinct Islamic personality in knowledge of the principles of jurisprudence (Usul al-fiqh), language and tafseer, likewise it should be the first nursemaid to build the Islamic personality distinguished with scientific knowledge such as knowledge of the atom, space and computer. The Islamic Ummah that gave birth to extraordinary leaders in politics, ruling and jihad such as Abu Bakr, Khalid and Salahuddin is the same Ummah that raised extraordinary scholars in fiqh and sciences such as Ash-Shafi’i, Al-Bukhari, Al-Khawarizmi and Al-Haytham. The goal in teaching all this knowledge in the school stages is to build the personality of the Islamic student and equip him to engage in the practical affairs of life or prepare him to pursue higher education in order to produce distinguished personalities required to raise the Islamic Ummah’s intellectual and scientific level such that it is competent to lead the world, so as to deliver all mankind from the darkness of kufr into the light of Islam, and from the injustice of man-made rules into the justice of the Shari’ah rules. Likewise, it is to work in order to subject whatever lies in the heavens and earth to man’s service and comfort according to what pleases Allah, in conformity to His saying Ta’ala:

﴿وَابْ تَ ي غ فييمَا آتََكَ اللََُّّ الدَّارَ الآ ي خرَةَ وَلاَ تَنسَ نَ ي صيبَكَ يمنْ الدُّنْ يَا﴾

“But seek, through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and [yet], do not forget your share of the world.” [Al-Qasas: 77]

6.4.3 BRANCHES OF THE STUDY SUBJECTS IN THE THREE SCHOOL STAGES

1. a) Arabic Language: Reading, Writing, Grammar, Morphology (sarf), Eloquence (balaagha), literature texts, linguistic dictionaries (ma’ajim), etc.
2. b) Islamic Culture: The Noble Qur’an, ‘Aqeedah, Fiqh, Prophetic Sunnah, Tafseer, Seerah, Islamic History, Thoughts of the Islamic Call (Da’wah), etc.
3. c) Sciences, Knowledge and Skills: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Computing, Agriculture, Industry, Commerce, Military Training, etc.

6.4.3.1 ARABIC LANGUAGE

Learning the Arabic language is a Shari’ah obligation upon every Muslim for it is the language of Islam as well as the Qur’an. It is an essential element of the Qur’an’s miracle; and the Qur’an would not be the Qur’an without it. Moreover, we worship Allah via its pronunciation. Ijtihad cannot take place without it since Allah revealed the Shari’ah texts using its words. Thus it is obligatory to make the Arabic language the exclusive language of the Khilafah State, as well as making it the sole language of instruction (in education) in the Khilafah State. The obligation to learn it comes from the principle: “The prerequisite of an obligation is an obligation.” Thus care must be taken to use the Arabic language proficiently in all school and higher education curriculum subjects such that it becomes the receptacle of thoughts and knowledge, whether scientific or cultural. Effective styles and appropriate means must be used to teach and learn it, in order to use it proficiently, and to make it both the language of discourse and the receptacle of thought for all the State’s citizens.

The goal of teaching the Arabic language is to establish the student’s ability to understand and flawlessly express Arabic via writing, speech and address. Then, it is to attempt to create an inclination to literature within him; since this inclination to literature not only assists in understanding the Shari’ah and literature texts; it also creates an eagerness within him to increase mastery of the Arabic language’s sciences, as well as understand the Qur’an and Sunnah.

As for other languages, learning them is a duty of sufficiency (fardh kifayah) which the State undertakes to fulfill via establishing foreign language institutes teaching the foreign languages the State needs to carry the Da’wah and to take care of the Ummah’s affairs like translation, etc.

6.4.3.2 ISLAMIC CULTURE

i) The Islamic ‘Aqeedah

When studying the Islamic ‘aqeedah, attention is focused upon the fundamental ‘aqeedah thoughts from which every Islamic thought emanates, whether such thought is of the ‘aqeedah or (general) rules. The Islamic ‘Aqeedah is: Belief (imaan) in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day and al-Qadha wa al-Qadr (Divine fate and destiny) the good and bad of which is from Allah (swt).

The curriculum graduates in teaching the ‘aqeedah’s thoughts according to a student’s age. So the student’s attention is attracted to studying Allah’s unique creation surrounding him, influencing their young minds to ponder upon this unique creation to attain conviction in the existence of the Creator, the Director (Al-Mudabbir) in order to praise and thank Allah for this favours via worshipping and obeying Him. The curriculum then advances, in the following stages, to offering definitive proofs for the ‘aqeedah’s thoughts, whether intellectual or informative (naqliyy), like the rational proof of Allah’s existence, the Prophethood of Muhammad (Salla Allahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) and the Qur’an being from Allah; and the informative proofs for the existence of Angels and the Day of Judgement. Then, it focusses upon thought related to the ‘aqeedah of al-Qadha wa al-Qadr and the effect of believing in them upon the Muslim’s action like adopting the principle of causality, and then other ‘aqeedah thoughts such as Tawakul (depending) upon Allah, and that Allah Alone controls lifespan (ajal) and sustenance (rizq).

ii) The Noble Qur’an and its Sciences

- Memorisation and Recitation: Schools must exploit the period before the age of puberty to make students memorise the greatest portion possible of the Noble Qur’an. Memorisation begins at the pre-school interval while directing students distinguished with strong memorization to the faculty of the Qur’an memorization section associated with the school. The school must also be keen to improve students’ proper recitation of the Qur’an together with its intonation (tajweed).

- Tafseer: Students are taught to understand the Qur’an gradually. In the first stage, teaching the general meaning together with explaining the difficult words suffices, while linking the relevant ayat to the rules mandatory for students e.g. prayer, wudhu. Then progressing in the next stage to Tafseer and what it encompasses with respect to creeds, Shari’ah rules linked to action, circumstances of revelation and abrogation.

iii) The Prophetic Sunnah

The student studies the Prophetic Sunnah from his first joining school via memorisation and understanding. In the beginning, those ahadith close to children’s mind are chosen such that they are easy to memorise and understand e.g. his (SAW) saying:

»... ، بني الإسلَم على خمس «

“Islam is founded upon five (pillars)…”

and:

» ... المسلم أخو المسلم «

“The Muslim is the brother of a Muslim…”

Then the student graduates to memorising and understanding ahadith as well as their relevant situations (munaasabaat) by choosing those ahadith related to Shari’ah rules specific to the student’s age group. For instance, he memorises upon attaining seven years the Prophet’s (SAW) saying:

»... مروا صبيانكم بالصلَة لسبع سنين «

“Command your children to pray at seven years…”

And upon attaining puberty, he memorises the Prophet’s (SAW) saying:

،»... رفع القلم عن ثلَثة: عن الصبي حتى يبلغ «

 “The pen (i.e. accountability) is lifted from three (persons): The child until he matures…”

and:

»... يَ أسماء، إن المرأة إذا بلغت المحيض «

“O Asma, when the woman attains menstruation…”

At the advanced school stages, the students studies the Prophetic Sunnah while linking the ahadith to their relevant occasion, just as they are linked to the Shari’ah rules derived from them.

iv) Jurisprudence (Fiqh)

Fiqh is studied via the Shari’ah texts of the Qur’an and Sunnah. The student learns the Shari’ah rules obliged on him according to his age, since Fiqh is defined as: Knowledge of the practical Shari’ah rules derived from their detailed evidences. Children begin with the rules of prayer, fasting, etiquette of dealing with parents and people without exploring the rules required at the age of puberty e.g. rules of major ritual impurity (janabah), major ritual wash (ghusl), menstruation and childbirth which are taught at a time close to the stage of puberty. Likewise, the focus is upon rules related to morals such as loyalty, trustworthiness, boldness in speaking the truth. Then, it progresses to studying Fiqh in a general manner such as jihad and leadership and their rules together with studying some of the Fiqh principles e.g. the

principle(s): “No (inflicting) harm or being harmed”, “Any doubt will avert the hudood” and “The prerequisite of an obligation is an obligation.”

v) Prophetic Seerah

The child begins studying the Prophetic Seerah from his first joining school with such study graduating in terms of expansion. The student studies the whole life of the Prophet (SAW) in summary, from his birth to death in the first course (first stage). The same is reviewed in an expansive and deeper form according to the student’s age, such that the student completes studying the Prophetic Seerah in detail together with its Fiqh and derived rules upon completing the three school stages. Focus must be paid upon the rules of carrying the Da’wah, and establishing the State and spreading Islam.

vi) Muslim History

The student studies this according to what suits his age just like his study of the Seerah and Fiqh. Focus must be paid upon studying the bold attitudes (mawaqif) of Islamic personalities like the Sahabah, Tabi’in and the rulers and scholars who came after them e.g. the attitudes adopted by Abu Bakr in defending the Messenger (SAW) and during the apostasy wars, and Umar during his Hijrah, Uthman in his liberal generosity, Ali in bravery, Bilal in patience and endurance, Umar bin Abdulaziz in upholding justice, Mu’tasim Billah in the sense of upholding honour, Salahuddin during his wars (against the Crusaders), Sultan Abdulhamid II in protecting Palestine, Qadhi Shurayh in judging with justice, As-Shafi’i in Fiqh, Ahmad bin Hanbal in boldness, Khalid bin Walid in obedience and similar attitudes. This is done to consolidate the Islamic concepts about life.

The history of other nations and peoples is studied merely to take heed of their lessons during the third school stage as well as in some university faculties, in order to understand the mentalities of other peoples and nations so as to interact with, and carry the Da’wah to them.

6.4.3.3 SCIENCES, KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

Such knowledge has no direct relation to one’s viewpoint in life nor is it derived from the Islamic ‘aqeedah though they are built thereupon, such as the skills and knowledge students require to be able to interact practically in life. The first thing to be taught to students is the required sciences to interact with their environment they live in including mathematics and general knowledge of the machines and tools they use e.g. electrical and electronic devices and house appliances, and likewise traffic, highway and street rules. Care must be taken to teach these subjects according to the environment where the student lives, whether industrial, agricultural or commercial; or mountainous, plains or coastal, hot or cold. The goal of teaching these subjects up to the age of ten is to enable the student to interact with his surroundings and derive use from them according to the student’s age and needs. Whereas, after the age of ten, students begin by learning mathematics together with its branches gradually; likewise, other sciences such as physics, chemistry, biology and useful sports e.g. swimming, leaping, and archery. After attaining puberty, military training under the military supervision is added to these skills.

School stages are composed of thirty-six (36) consecutive terms, each being eighty-three (83) days. Each term is assigned a group of teaching units. The student commences school stages with the first term. He is promoted upon succeeding in a course to the next one until he completes the school stages by successfully completing all thirty-six terms. The Hijri year is divided into four periodically equal terms, with a student holiday break interval of three (3) days between each term. The following chart demonstrates the commencement and completion dates of each term, and the break intervals separating the courses:

CHART: ANNUAL SCHOOL Courses and HOLIDAYS

Term	Start of the Course Date	End of Term Date
First Term	1 Muharram	25 Rabbi’ Al-Awwal
Holiday Break	25-27 Rabbi’ Al-Awwal
Second Term	28 Rabbi’ Al Awwal	22 Jumada ath-Thani
Holiday Break	22, 23, 24 Jumada Ath-Thani
Third Term	25 Jumada Ath-Thani	20 Ramadhan
Holiday Break	20 - 22 Ramadhan
Fourth Term	23 Ramadhan	27 Dhul-Hijjah
Holiday Break	Eid ul Fitr Break [1-3 Shawwal] Eid ul Adha Break [8-15 Dhul-Hijjah]

The child enters school immediately upon completing six years of age according to the Hijri calendar. Accordingly, State schools will accept new students at the beginning of each school term of the four terms of each year i.e. approximately every three months. The child is able to enter the first school term (of the four available in the year) nearest to his attaining six years of age according to the Hijri calendar.

The student can rest one school term only after every three consecutive terms at the least, but he can also continue his study without any such rest. Thus the system enables the serious student to complete the school stages in a shorter time than his contemporaries by continuing his studies within the school terms successfully without taking the rest periods or reducing them. The study time unit is the school term which is composed of 83 days and not the annual year; each term has its own subject curriculum and students.

The student who continues his school terms successfully without taking any leave can complete thirty-six terms in nine years (36/4=9 years) whereupon he would have completed the school stages upon completing 15 years of age. If he studies the thirty-six terms at an average of only three school terms every year i.e. by usually resting one school term after every three consecutive terms, together with successfully completing all terms, he would complete the school stages in twelve years (36/3=12 years) whereupon he would complete the school stages upon attaining 18 years of age.

Some students may need a year or two after attaining 18 years to complete the three school stages. If they attain 20 years without passing the school stages’ public examinations, they are excused from regular study and choose between joining vocational institutes or retaking the public examinations again so as to join university education if successful.

This system of school terms, apart from taking into account individual differences between students, also takes great care over the importance of time and their academic achievement.

The chart attached at the end of this book demonstrates the distribution of the 36 school terms among student age groups. It also demonstrates the lowest as well as the average age of students upon graduation and completion of school stages.

A “Comprehensive school” complex is established between small villages to implement this term system, and transportation of students from their homes to and from school will be secured.