L01 Intro

This first lecture introduces unique ideas on which this course will be based. This lecture is also posted on my Islamic WorldView Blog as: Principles of An Islamic Education shortlink for this page: bit.do/ie01 -- many first lectures are listed as subpages of this page below--

Wed: 13th Feb 2019: I delivered a first lecture, in URDU, at PIDE, regarding the fundamental differences between a Western and Islamic Education. Similar topics will be discussed at IIIE, IIUI on Friday. Students are strongly recommended to read & listen to THE FIRST LESSON

The first lecture AUDIO files are embedded below -- this is BANDCAMP audio, and there is an app on which allows you to listen to this audio file on your mobile phone. The address is:

https://asadzaman.bandcamp.com/album/islamic-economics-l01 -- this is track 1, which is first part of lecture, followed by track 2 and 3 for second and third parts of the lecture.

ALTERNATIVE to bandcamp: Download m4a audio files (mobile compatible) from links: [IE 2019 L01 p1 1 hr 42m] and [IE 2019 L01 p2 34m]

Principles of Islamic Education: How Islamic Teachings Changed the World

Truth: 1440 Years Ago, the coming of Islam created a revolution in world history. It took ignorant and backwards Arabs, who were at the bottom rung of civilization, and transformed them into the leaders of the world. It launched a civilization which enlightened the whole world.

Evidence: Read Syed Abul Hassan Ali Nadwi: What the World Lost Due to the Decline of Islam

Read: Marshall Hodson: The Venture of Islam. Many other books document the contribution of Islam to the shaping of the World Civilizations in general, and Europe in particular. The dark ages of Europe ended due to the light of Islamic Spain Al-Andalus. TASK for Students: LEARN this history.

Burning Questions: How did Islam achieve this transformation 1450 years ago? Do the teachings of Islam have the same power today, that they did fourteen centuries ago?

Hadeeth: Islam came as a stranger, and will become a stranger.

Assertion 1: Muslims no longer believe that teachings of Islam are "perfect and complete" and would be sufficient to solve our modern problems.

Proof: Vast majority of Muslims believe that today we need to learn economics from the West, in order to be able to make economic progress, and remove poverty. We try to implement poverty alleviation programs designed in the West, by the World Bank and other international agencies, to solve our problems. We DO NOT try to solve problems of poverty by implementing the Islamic instrument of Zakat, meant for the alleviation of poverty.

QUESTION: Why do Muslims no longer believe in power of the teachings of Islam?

Answer: Because Muslims have been brainwashed by a Western education, which teaches many concepts that are the OPPOSITE of ideas which are at the heart of Islamic teachings. Once we have swallowed these poisons, then it becomes impossible to understand what Islam is, and to appreciate the power and beauty of the teachings of Islam.

QUESTION: So what is the solution to this problem? How can we apply the teachings of Islam to understand the solutions to our modern problems in economics, and in all other dimensions of our daily lives -- both on a personal level, and on the social level of the community of the Muslims?

Answer: First we must learn to RECOGNIZE the poison that we have swallowed, which has penetrated our minds and hearts. Then we must cleanse our hearts -- do Tazkiya -- and UNLEARN the false teachings of economics. Only then would it be possible to UNDERSTAND the Islamic teachings.

QUESTION: What are the FIRST STEPS we can take to understand the teachings of Islam in general, and teachings of Islam related to economics in particular?

Answer: The first step is to understand the nature of KNOWLEDGE itself. What is Knowledge? How do we acquire knowledge? A Western education teaches us the WRONG answers to these fundamental questions. By deceiving us about the nature of knowledge itself, it makes it impossible for us to even become seekers of knowledge. But you cannot find something if you are not even looking for it. As Iqbal has said in Jawab-e-Shikwa -- speaking on behalf of God: We are inclined towards Mercy, but there are no seekers. To Whom should We show the way, when there are no travellers on the path?

Islam differentiates between USEFUL knowledge and USELESS knowledge. The Prophet Mohammad SAW made dua for the acquisition of useful knowledge, and he also made dua for protection from useless knowledge.

The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam narrated this duaa in a hadeeth in Sunan ibn Maajah (authenticated by Shaykh Albaani rahimahullah):

اللَّهُمَّ انْفَعْنِي بِمَا عَلَّمْتَنِي وَ عَلِّمْنِي مَا يَنْفَعُنِي وَ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا

Allahumma-infa’nī bimā ‘alamtanī wa ‘allimnī mā yanfa’unī wa zidnī ‘ilmā

O Allah, benefit me from that which You taught me, and teach me that which will benefit me, and increase me in knowledge.

Also the Prophetﷺ used to supplicate:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عِلْمٍ لَا يَنْفَعُ وَمِنْ قَلْبٍ لَا يَخْشَعُ وَمِنْ نَفْسٍ ‏لَا تَشْبَعُ ‏ ‏وَمِنْ دَعْوَةٍ لَا يُسْتَجَابُ لَهَا‏

Allahumma inni a’udhu bika min ‘ilmin la yanfa’u wa min qalbin la yakhsha’u wa min nafsin la tashba’u wa min da’watin la yustajabu laha

“O Allah, I seek refuge in You from knowledge which does not benefit, from a heart that does not entertain the fear (of Allah), from a soul that is not satisfied and the supplication that is not answered.”

So the very first question that we must learn is HOW do we know what type of knowledge is USEFUL and what type of knowledge is USELESS -- because one type must be avoided and the other type must be sought.

Question to both teachers and students: Do you KNOW the difference between useful and useless knowledge?

Answer -- Our Western education has taught us the WRONG answer to this question. It teaches us the following IDEAS, all which are wrong and HARMFUL knowledge. These are SOME of the poisons which are planted in our minds by a Western education:

1. The West acquired power and glory and dominates the world because of the knowledge that they have. Therefore Western knowledge is the most useful type of knowledge.

2. Western knowledge allows us to get jobs, money, recognition, publications, prestige, so obviously it is the most useful type of knowledge.

However, this is an illusion. Allah T'aala warns us about this illusion:

Quran (3:196) Do not be deceived by the prosperity of the disbelievers throughout the land.

57:20. Know that the life of this world is only play, and idle talk, and pageantry, and boasting among you, and rivalry in respect of wealth and children; .... the life of the world is but matter of illusion.

Real knowledge is that which allows us to get the success of the hereafter, and that is the only real success. The apparent successes of this world which Western knowledge can buy is only an illusion. So How can we seek knowledge which leads to the real success? How do we RECOGNIZE this knowledge? The Prophet SAW told us how to recognize useful knowledge

It is narrated by Jabir R.A. that the Prophet S.A.W. stated that Knowledge is of two kinds. One which enters the hearts, and that is the useful knowledge. The other is only on the tongue (without action or sincerety) and that is argument of Allah against the son of Adam A.S. Hadeeth 6 in Muntakhib Ahadeeth Ilmo-Zikr

So we learn that useful knowledge enters the heart.

Now reflect on your western education to find if there is ANY part of it which has entered your heart -- chemistry, physics, math, economics, biology -- is there ANYTHING which enters the hearts? If not, then can it be classified as USEFUL knowledge?

To START this new course on Islamic Economics, we must make DUA to Allah to bless us with useful knowledge. This is one of the greatest GIFTS of Allah, one of the most valuable TREASURES that we can get. Allah Subhanuhu wa T'aala has ALL the knowledge, and HE gives portions and fragments of it to whomsoever HE is pleased with. Seekers of knowledge have been promised great rewards

One who proceeds on a path in the pursuit of knowledge, God makes him proceed therewith on a path to the Garden (Paradise). And, verily, the angels spread their wings for the seekers of knowledge out of delight. Verily, every creature of the heaven and the earth asks forgiveness for the seeker of knowledge, even the fish in the sea. The merit of the ‘alim (the learned) over the ‘abid (the devout) is like the merit of the moon over the stars on a full-moon night. The learned are the heirs of the prophets, for the prophets did not leave behind a legacy of wealth but that of knowledge. So whoever partakes of it derives a plenteous benefit

So let us start this course by making two rik'ats of salat-ul-hajat to ask Allah T'aala to count us as being among the seekers of knowledge and to teach us Adab -- the Etiquette -- which is necessary in order for us to follow the path of those who were accepted as seekers of knowledge before us. Some of the basic principles of an Islamic Education, which we must learn if we want to learn anything "Islamic" are listed in the essay below. Note that these principles of an Islamic education have NOTHING in common with principles of Western education.

The essay linked below explains the fundamental principles of an Islamic Education. A translation of this essay into URDU is also provided below. See also my post on "The Principles of an Islamic Education"

Principles of Islamic Education by Asad Zaman on Scribd

For the record, and for reference, I list below FIRST lectures in many of my earlier courses. All of these lectures explain the unique characteristics of an Islamic Education, and how it differs completely from a Western education. Many of the ideas discussed above have parallels and overlaps with these earlier lectures.

• 1. Iran: English Introductory Lecture to IE, delivered at Imam Sadiq Univ in Tehran.

  2. CIIE L01 2012 -- Current Issues in IE at IIIE, IIUI in Fall 2012

1. CIIE L01 F2013 -- same course, next year

2. IE Intro -- Introductory talk at PIDE, explaining IE to PIDE students in URDU

3. IE Rad Alt

4. IS L1 45m

5. IS L1 90m): The task is to pick up the key messages from these five and assemble them into one lecture. Ambitious students can listen to all five, or to some suitable selection. Most of the lectures are in URDU, but one or two are in English as well.

اسلامی تجارت کے بنیادی اصول by Asad Zaman on Scribd