Higher Islamic Education and the Development of Intellectualism in Egypt: Case study of Al-Azhar Education System

Higher Islamic Education in Egypt passed through many stages between strength and weakness, but what that cannot be denied is that there is an intellectual development that took place in this education due to different factors and reasons which influenced this development both negatively and positiv...

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Main Author: Mohamed Abdel Fattah
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Islamic University in Uganda 2019-12-01
Series:Interdisciplinary Journal of Education
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.journals.iuiu.ac.ug/index.php/ije/article/view/32
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author Mohamed Abdel Fattah
author_facet Mohamed Abdel Fattah
author_sort Mohamed Abdel Fattah
collection DOAJ
description Higher Islamic Education in Egypt passed through many stages between strength and weakness, but what that cannot be denied is that there is an intellectual development that took place in this education due to different factors and reasons which influenced this development both negatively and positively. In the past, Islamic education was predominantly theological but the condition changed to the extent that the system became a twinning of general public education with Islamic studies education represented in Al-Azhar. Islamic education in Egypt thrived during the seventh to tenth centuries when primary Islamic schools were established as kuttābs, which subsequently advanced to Al-Azhar system. Kuttāb institutions emerged as spontaneous schools at grassroot level, often connected with mosques, but also created by the communities in homes, shops, tents, or under palm trees. Islamic studies education by then was built around individual teachers rather than institutions, and this helped the spread of education in the Muslim world. This later changed to institutional based education as evidenced in Al-Azhar. Therefore, the author in this paper intends to explore the factors that contributed to the intellectual development of Islamic education and the role of Al-Azhar in this endeavour. The view that Al-Azhar as an institution submitted to the Egyptian regimes and was unable to innovate intellectually and ideologically is one of this article’s major arguments.
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spelling doaj.art-6f427d9e4d624d988baed02a2e82c3122023-03-07T11:43:46ZengIslamic University in UgandaInterdisciplinary Journal of Education2616-90882616-90962019-12-0122149159https://doi.org/10.53449/ije.v2i2.88Higher Islamic Education and the Development of Intellectualism in Egypt: Case study of Al-Azhar Education SystemMohamed Abdel Fattah0Islamic University in UgandaHigher Islamic Education in Egypt passed through many stages between strength and weakness, but what that cannot be denied is that there is an intellectual development that took place in this education due to different factors and reasons which influenced this development both negatively and positively. In the past, Islamic education was predominantly theological but the condition changed to the extent that the system became a twinning of general public education with Islamic studies education represented in Al-Azhar. Islamic education in Egypt thrived during the seventh to tenth centuries when primary Islamic schools were established as kuttābs, which subsequently advanced to Al-Azhar system. Kuttāb institutions emerged as spontaneous schools at grassroot level, often connected with mosques, but also created by the communities in homes, shops, tents, or under palm trees. Islamic studies education by then was built around individual teachers rather than institutions, and this helped the spread of education in the Muslim world. This later changed to institutional based education as evidenced in Al-Azhar. Therefore, the author in this paper intends to explore the factors that contributed to the intellectual development of Islamic education and the role of Al-Azhar in this endeavour. The view that Al-Azhar as an institution submitted to the Egyptian regimes and was unable to innovate intellectually and ideologically is one of this article’s major arguments.https://www.journals.iuiu.ac.ug/index.php/ije/article/view/32al-azharintellectual developmenthigher islamic educationschools of thoughtegypt
spellingShingle Mohamed Abdel Fattah
Higher Islamic Education and the Development of Intellectualism in Egypt: Case study of Al-Azhar Education System
Interdisciplinary Journal of Education
al-azhar
intellectual development
higher islamic education
schools of thought
egypt
title Higher Islamic Education and the Development of Intellectualism in Egypt: Case study of Al-Azhar Education System
title_full Higher Islamic Education and the Development of Intellectualism in Egypt: Case study of Al-Azhar Education System
title_fullStr Higher Islamic Education and the Development of Intellectualism in Egypt: Case study of Al-Azhar Education System
title_full_unstemmed Higher Islamic Education and the Development of Intellectualism in Egypt: Case study of Al-Azhar Education System
title_short Higher Islamic Education and the Development of Intellectualism in Egypt: Case study of Al-Azhar Education System
title_sort higher islamic education and the development of intellectualism in egypt case study of al azhar education system
topic al-azhar
intellectual development
higher islamic education
schools of thought
egypt
url https://www.journals.iuiu.ac.ug/index.php/ije/article/view/32
work_keys_str_mv AT mohamedabdelfattah higherislamiceducationandthedevelopmentofintellectualisminegyptcasestudyofalazhareducationsystem