Islamic Education Curriculum (Dars-e-Nizami) and the Resolution of Concerns About It...(Part One)
Translation of a column by Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman (حَفِظَهُ اللَّهُ) originally published in Dunya newspaper on April 18, 2024.
In Muslim history, two personalities are frequently mentioned regarding Islamic sciences. One is Nizam al-Mulk Tusi, whose real name was Hassan bin Ali with the title Nizam al-Mulk, and he was the son of Ali, a landowner from Tus. He was born in 408 AH. From childhood, he was highly intelligent and possessed many virtues. Through his intelligence, he mastered several disciplines at a very young age. During the Seljuk era, he was appointed to the position of Grand Vizier. All the achievements of this era are indebted to Nizam al-Mulk's 30-year tenure as vizier. This period is known as the golden age of the Seljuks. During Sultan Alp Arslan's reign, he displayed such brilliance that thousands of lights of civilization and sciences were illuminated. He established a network of schools throughout the country, with the largest and most important school being "Madrasa Nizamiyya" in Baghdad.
The second personality is Mullah Nizam al-Din Sahalvi (may Allah have mercy on him). He was born in 1088 AH (March 27, 1677 CE) in Sahali, a town in the Bara Banki district of Uttar Pradesh province. His father, Mulla Qutb al-Din Sahalvi, was a distinguished scholar of his time. On 19 Rajab 1104 AH (March 1692 CE), Mulla Qutb al-Din was martyred. His house was burned down, and since he had connections with Aurangzeb Alamgir, the emperor relocated his family from Sahali to Lucknow and gave them a large mansion called Farangi Mahal. There they established a religious school. Mulla Nizam al-Din developed a curriculum for this school that, due to its effectiveness, became the curriculum for all schools in the country. This educational curriculum was named "Dars-e-Nizami" after him. Many people are confused by the similarity of names (both having "Nizam") and mistakenly think that Dars-e-Nizami was created by Nizam al-Mulk Tusi, the founder of Madrasa Nizamiyya in Baghdad. This is not correct. The Dars-e-Nizami curriculum was created by Mulla Nizam al-Din Sahalvi and his father Mulla Qutb al-Din Sahalvi. Mulla Qutb al-Din Shaheed adopted a specific method for his teaching: he would teach what he considered the best book on each subject, which made his students truly scholarly and research-oriented. His son, Mulla Nizam al-Din, added one more book on each discipline. Thus, they generally taught two books on each subject, though some bright students were taught just one comprehensive book.
When creating any curriculum, the religious and national needs of the era are considered. Mulla Nizam al-Din Sahalvi included all necessary religious and contemporary sciences in the curriculum based on the needs of his time. Qur'an and Hadith, Arabic literature, rhetoric, morphology and syntax, Persian language, jurisprudence, principles of jurisprudence, theology, logic, mathematics, philosophy and wisdom, as well as astronomy, medicine, engineering, technology, and other arts were all part of this curriculum, making it a comprehensive program based on the religious and national needs of that time. This curriculum remained prevalent in India until 1857. The war of 1857 transformed Muslim ascendancy into decline, and all Muslim privileges were eliminated, leaving this curriculum without official patronage.
After 1857, when the English judicial system replaced the Islamic judicial system and English sciences replaced Islamic sciences, people's inclination toward studying the Qur'an, Hadith, and jurisprudence decreased due to their absence in the new educational system. Without government support, scholars began teaching the Qur'an, Hadith, jurisprudence, and Arabic and Persian in private madrasas to maintain Muslims' connection with religion and religious sciences. Even today, madrasas operate without government sponsorship, blessed by the selfless dedication of elders. A fundamental difference between the curriculum before and after 1857 was that the earlier curriculum was a collection of both religious and worldly sciences, with Hindus, Muslims, and Christians all benefiting from it in the same schools without religious discrimination. Later, the curriculum was divided into two parts: madrasa curriculum was termed religious sciences, while school and college curriculum was called contemporary sciences—a division that continues today. The curriculum taught in madrasas, with some additions and modifications, is still called "Dars-e-Nizami."
Even before Dars-e-Nizami, educational institutions had been established in the subcontinent with the arrival of Muslims. Whether during the Ghaznavid dynasty, Lodhi dynasty, or the Mughal empire before Alamgir, there were institutions for education and learning where the prevailing curricula of the time were taught. These included Tafsir (Qur'anic exegesis) and principles of Tafsir, Hadith and principles of Hadith, jurisprudence and principles of jurisprudence, Sufism, theology, Arabic language and literature, morphology and syntax, and logic and philosophy. Later, this curriculum was greatly expanded to include civics, economics, astronomy, physics, mathematics, medicine, and even music, producing individuals with expertise in every field. Hazrat Mujaddid Alf Thani and Nawab Saadullah Khan were students of the same teacher. One became the undisputed leader of the spiritual world, while the other served as Prime Minister of united India for 48 years. His jurisdiction included present-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. In other words, this educational system produced geniuses in both religious and worldly fields. Even the engineer who built the Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world, was educated under this system.
The structure of the Dars-e-Nizami curriculum compiled by Mulla Nizam al-Din Sahalvi was as follows: In Qur'anic exegesis, it included Tafsir Jalalayn by Allama Jalal al-Din Suyuti (d. 1505) and Allama Jalal al-Din Mahalli (d. 1459), and Tafsir Baydawi by Allama Nasir al-Din Baydawi (d. 1286). In Hadith, it included Mishkat al-Masabih by Abu Abdullah Wali al-Din Tabrizi (d. 741 AH). In jurisprudence, it included Hidayah by Allama Burhan al-Din Marghinani (d. 1197 AH) and Sharh al-Wiqayah by Ubaydullah bin Mas'ud Sadr al-Sharia (d. 1346 AH). In principles of jurisprudence, it included Tawdih Talwih by Sa'd al-Din Taftazani (d. 1389), Nur al-Anwar by Sheikh Ahmad bin Abi Sa'id Mulla Jiven (d. 1718), and Musallam al-Thubut by Qadi Muhibbullah Bihari (d. 1707). In syntax, it included Nahw Mir by Sayyid Sharif Jurjani (d. 1413), Sharh Mi'at 'Amil by Abdul Qahir Jurjani, Hidayat al-Nahw by Abu Hayyan Muhammad bin Yusuf bin Ali (d. 1344), Kafiyah by Ibn Hajib (d. 1249), and Sharh Jami by Abdul Rahman Jami (d. 1492). In morphology, it included Mizan by Mulla Hamza Badayuni, Munsha'ib by Mulla Hamid al-Din Kakori, Sarf Mir by Sayyid Sharif Jurjani (d. 1413), Panj Ganj by Siraj al-Din Awadhi, Zubdah by Zahir bin Mahmud bin Mas'ud Alavi, Fusul Akbari by Qadi Ali Akbar Husayni Ilahabad (d. 1678), and Shafiyah by Ibn Hajib (d. 1249). In rhetoric, it included Mukhtasar al-Ma'ani and Mutawwal by Allama Sa'd al-Din Taftazani (d. 1390). In theology, it included Sharh Aqaid Nasafi by Allama Sa'd al-Din Taftazani, Sharh Aqaid Jalali by Jalal al-Din Dawani (d. 1502), Sharh Mawaqif by Sayyid Sharif Jurjani, and Risala Mir Zahid by Mir Muhammad Zahid Harawi (d. 1690).
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