Kumbur, Mahmoud. “Towards an Objective View of Education in Islamic Tradition: A Critical Analytical Study.” Year 8, Issue 29 (Summer 1423 AH/ 2002 CE), Pp. 99-145.

Abstract

Mahmoud Kumbur’s article begins by presenting examples of writings that have misrepresented Islamic educational tradition, distorting its features, disregarding its history, and demeaning its methodology. It discusses the role of the Qur’an and Sunnah in Islamic educational tradition, noting the dialectic between religion and science, and differentiating between the educational literature of daʿwah (Muslim outreach) and literature of education and learning.  It then discusses literature on education in Islamic heritage, including the writings of religious leaders, medical doctors, historians, philosophers, intellectuals, and Sufis. It addresses the subject in which they wrote and what accompanies it in the learning process, or is related to the importance of learning and the honor of its acquisition and teaching, or is related to the technical aspects of teaching and learning. It concludes by discussing the frames of reference that have been referenced in educational literature in Islamic heritage.