INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION METHODS OF TEACHING ISLAMIC EDUCATION 1 (EDC 4306) SECTION 1

History of Islamic Education and Its Development before Independence

SEMESTER 3, 2010/2011
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CONTENTS

No. 1.0 2.0 INTRODUCTION

Topics

Page 3

THE DEVELOPMENT OF ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS BEFORE INDEPENDENCE 2.1Quranic Schools 2.2Pondok Education 2.3Madrasah Education 2.4Educational Appraisal and Reform 4-5 6-8 9-12 13-15

3.0 4.0

CONCLUSION REFERENCES

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INTRODUCTION Islam is not only a complete way of life but a faith according to nature. It does not want its followers in dark in any aspect of life. Islam has a broader meaning of education. The meaning of education in its totality in the context of Islam is inherent in the connotations of the terms tarbiyah, talim, and tadib taken together. From the earliest periods of Islam, its educational system was originally religious in nature.1 Since the time of Prophet Muhammad, the Islamic education has changed and developed all around the countries. Malaysia also affected by the development. In this assignment, History of Islamic Education and Its Development before Independence in Malaysia, we will discuss about the phases of development of Islamic education in Malaysia. First we explain about Quranic schools. Then, we talk about Pondok education, its emergence and its declination. Next, we give details about Madrasah education, its curriculum and its growth. Finally, we clarify the appraisal and reform of Islamic education in Malaysia before independence.

. Mohammad Syarif Khan. (1986). Islamic Education. New Delhi: S.B Nangia. Pg.1.

QURANIC SCHOOLS The simultaneous introduction of education with the spread of religion is not surprising, since Islam, being a religion of a Holy Book, which has a high regard for knowledge (ilm) and without any priesthood, makes it necessary for its followers to be literate in order to understand and obey the demands of the religion. To reach this end, Muslims would have to learn Arabic, to be able to read the Quran and Hadith themselves or to listen to or read the words of the ulama who would explain the religion in their own language. This religious need for literacy is akin to the experience of the Protestant Christians after the Reformations. This movement brought the goal of universal education to the Christian West; a goal achieved much earlier in Islamic Civilization. The earliest form of Islamic education found in Peninsular Malaysia was the Quranic schools. It is the tradition of the Malays to trust the young to a religious teacher when children reached the age of five or six. It is presumed that the teacher would teach the Quran and the rudiments of the religion, particularly the prayers. These schools usually are conducted in the home of religious teachers, in mosques, or in surau. Initially, teaching was conducted in the teachers home. However, as the number of students grew and the teachers house became overcrowded, schooling was transferred to the surau or mosque. In the Quranic schools, children were taught the Arabic alphabet and reading the Quran in Arabic. However, they were not taught the Arabic language. They were taught to memorize short chapters from the Quran and recite them in prayers. The children practiced reading the Quran in parrot-like fashion, chapter by chapter, until they reach the end. The instructional emphasis was tajwid, which is the authorized method of Quran reading. It was not uncommon for the children not to understand what they were reading because they were not taught any Arabic. Traditionally, only after children have mastered the Quran would they go on to learn the Malay language. The earliest written document of this practice was recorded in 1810 in Melaka.2

. . Rosnani Hashim. (2004). Educational Dualism in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: The Other Press Sdn. Bhd. Pg 2223.

During this period, the Malay language was written in jawi. The teacher of the Quranic schools was usually the imam attached to the local mosque or a hajji. He was commonly a farmer or a fisherman and taught in his spare time. It took the pupils an average of three years to complete their recitation of the whole Quran. Besides Quranic recitation, the pupils were taught how to perform the five daily prayers and other principles of Islam, such as fasting, the pilgrimage to Makkah, the articles of faith, some forms of supplication, and some Arabic songs with Islamic themes. The teachers observed strict discipline, and in special circumstances, punishment could be harsh. There was punishment for stealing or hitting fellow pupils, for running away from schools, for being lazy, for making mistakes in class, for misbehaving, and for lying. But despite this strict discipline Abdullah had praised for the teachers: Now when I remember how I was struck, beaten, slapped, and admonished, the many tablets broken over my head, the stern and angry looks, the nagging and scolding of all my teachers, I realize that each blow of the cane on my body has now become a lamp to guide me. I beseech Allah that it may please Him to grant to a thousand mercies and the reward of peaceful repose to my teachers who have made me aware of these pitfalls. Now at last do I taste the honey, which has flowed from the honeycomb, for which I have waited diligently from the days of my youth. The pupils did not pay the fees, but donated money to buy kerosene for the oil lamps that were used if classes were held at night. More often the pupils assisted their teachers with such chores as carrying water from the well, carrying firewood, or growing and harvesting rice in the fields. The brighter boys who completed their basic instruction in the Quranic school went on to pursue pondok education described below. The Quanic schools that existed in Peninsular Malaysia were not dissimilar from the education of Muslims in early Islam. The early kuttab (classes for reading and writing) were found mostly in the teachers houses and used the Quran as the major textbook. These kuttab provided primary education.3

. Rosnani Hashim. (2004). Educational Dualism in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: The Other Press Sdn. Bhd. Pg 22-24.

PONDOK EDUCATION Introduction:The word pondok comes from the Arabic word funduk, which means hotel. Basically, pondok means a small wooden hut, made from bamboo, wood, and palm leaves, built on the waqf (religious endowment) land around the residence of an alim (religious teacher), a mosque, or a prayer hall. These huts became the accommodation for students, especially those from distant areas, during their study with the alim or ulama of the pondok. Basically, the main aim of pondok education was to prepare the young people to be good Muslims, pious and devoted to Allah and self-reliant, rather than prepare them for employment in the government service. The Emergence of Pondok:Pondok institutions were usually located in the rural areas of the northern (Kedah) and eastern (Kelantan and Terengganu) parts of the Malay Peninsula and only a few could be found in other parts of Malaysia. The emergence of pondok institutions can be traced to the nineteenth century although they may have existed earlier. Sumatra, Java, and Patani (Thailand) were seen by many scholars as the places of origin of pondok education in Malaysia4. Pondok education continued to expand in the early twentieth century.5 Various scholars have posited factors they believed were responsible for this situation. One study cited the quality and caliber of the pondok teachers who had received their education from great Islamic centres such as Makkah, Egypt, or Pattani; the devotion and loyalty of the Malay populace to the religion; the availability of the printing press that provided accessibility to original and translated texts in jawi; and the circumstances where Malay vernacular and English

Ibrahim Ahmad BAjulid. (2008). Malaysia from Traditional to Smart Schools: The Malaysian Educational Odyssey. Shah Alam, Selangor: Fajar Bakti Sdn. Bhd. Pg 145-146. 5 Rosnani Hashim. (2004). Educational Dualism in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: The Other Press Sdn. Bhd. Pg 27.

schools had not yet spread to outlying areas as the factors that led to the increase in pondok institutions.6 Content and Method:In pondok institutions, the content and methods of teaching depended on the teachers. The most common teaching methods employed were lectures, memorization, reading, mudhakara (constant recalling of a lesson) and copying texts. The most common procedure was known as menadah kitab (open book), whereby students sat in a halaqah (semi circle) facing the teacher and examined their books as the teacher read or slowly lectured to receive knowledge. In the pondok, the school timetable was flexible and left to the discretion of the teacher. In most cases, classes were held after the fajr (dawn) prayer and lasted until about eleven; after zuhr (midday) prayer, from two to four in the afternoon; and after maghrib (sunset) prayer until about ten at night.7 Usually pondok institutions had similar curricula which covered a wide area of Islamic studies and Arabic language based on certain books chosen by the teachers. Generally, students in the pondok learned tawhid (belief in the unity of God); fiqh (Islamic law); usul-fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence); tafsir (Quranic exaggeration); hadith (prophetic tradition); tasawwuf

(spirituality); sirah (history); mantiq (logic); nahu and sarf (Arabic grammatical system); and balaghah (Arabic literature). Subjects such as philosophy, logic, and medicine were also taught but these were studied with individual teachers.8 Decline:From 1918 onward, the number of pondok institution began to decline. Some of them closed due to lack of pupils, others were transformed into madrasah. The decline of pondok education was due to several factors. They are:

6 7

Rosnani Hashim. (2004). Educational Dualism in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: The Other Press Sdn. Bhd. Pg 27 . Ibid. Pg 26. 8 Ibrahim Ahmad BAjulid. (2008). Malaysia from Traditional to Smart Schools: The Malaysian Educational Odyssey. Shah Alam, Selangor: Fajar Bakti Sdn. Bhd. Pg 146.

First, modern educationEnglish and vernacular schoolshad begun to make inroads. English schools offered graduates employment in government services and commercial houses. Employment possibilities changed the peoples attitude toward modern schools.

Second, the pondok reliance on a sole teacher suffered setback when the teachers sons no longer wished to continue their fathers work. Most pondok were left without teachers.

Third, pondok did not have a stable source of income, and with the establishment of the various state religious departments and councils, zakat were no longer given to pondok but were collected and dispensed by these offices.

Fourth, the religious departments and councils also had begun to assume the responsibility of issuing licenses (surat tauliah) to all teaching ulama. This reduced the academic freedom and independence of ulama and changed the basis of their authority.9

Rosnani Hashim. (2004). Educational Dualism in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: The Other Press Sdn. Bhd. Pg 28-29.

MADRASAH EDUCATION Before the Second World War:At the turn of the twentieth century, feeling of discontentment toward pondok education began to be expressed by some Muslim intellectuals. They felt that the objective of pondok education was narrow and its curricular content confined merely to fard ain. Pondok education did not prepare Muslim youth for the socio-economic changes that were taking place or for employment in the British government services or the commercial sector. These intellectual believe that prepared youth only for the hereafter was inadequate.10 An Islamic reform group known as Kaum Muda (Youth Faction) introduced madrasah education. This group was influenced by the teaching of many great Muslim reformers in the Middle East such as Muhammad Abduh, Muhammad Rashid Redha, and Jamaluddin AlAfghani. Syed Syeikh al-Hadi, Syeikh Tahir Jalaluddin, Syeikh Abu Bakar Al-Asyari, Syeikh Mohd Salim Al-Khalali, and Mohd Salleh Baki were among the leading figures of this group. One of Kaum Mudas interests was in educational reform, i.e. trying to modernize religious education through the integration of secular and religious knowledge (Ibrahim 1994). Pondok institutions indirectly became the target of these reformers since they believed that pondok education was backward and inadequate for contemporary needs. It is important to note here that the madrasah system in Pakistan or India. In fact, the Malaysia madrasah system stems from the Kaum Mudas reformation of the traditional pondok system, which does not advocate extremism in the teaching and learning of Islam.11

10 11

. Rosnani Hashim. (2004). Educational Dualism in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: The Other Press Sdn. Bhd. Pg 29. . Ibrahim Ahmad BAjulid. (2008). Malaysia from Traditional to Smart Schools: The Malaysian Educational Odyssey. Shah Alam, Selangor: Fajar Bakti Sdn. Bhd. Pg 147.

As a result Kaum Mudas push for a new religious education system, Madrasah al-Ikhbal al-Islamiyyah was established in Singapore (1908), followed by Madrasah al-Hadi in Malacca (1917) and Madrasah al-Masyhor in Penang (1918). Unfortunately, Madrasah al-Ikhbal and Madrasah al-Hadi were closed a year after they opened as they failed to attract the Muslim community in those areas. However, Madrasah al-Masyhor was successful as a centre of Islamic education and it exists until today. 12 After that there were many madrasah built in Kelantan, Kedah and other place. The number of madrasah in the Straits Settlement and the Federated Malay States increased significantly after 1906. In the 1913, the weekly newspaper Neracha (The Balanced), related that they were tens upon of madrasah in operation in the state of Perak alone. Most of the madrasah provided primary education (ibtidai); some went as far as secondary education (thanawi), and ultimately a few even provided higher educations (aliyy). Those students who passed the higher level could continue their education in a Middle Eastern university such as Al-Azhar University in Egypt. After the Second World War:The growth of Islamic education did not falter after the Second World War. In fact, as mentioned earlier, this period became known as the golden age of madrasah. Attendance increased and more madrasah, mainly public funded, were founded during this period. The success of the madrasah prompted efforts to set up an Islamic college for furthering the education of the graduates of madrasah. This would provide more opportunity for higher education than going abroad to the Middle East, which could be afforded by only a few.13

12

. Ibrahim Ahmad BAjulid. (2008). Malaysia from Traditional to Smart Schools: The Malaysian Educational Odyssey. Shah Alam, Selangor: Fajar Bakti Sdn. Bhd. Pg 147-148. 13 . Rosnani Hashim. (2004). Educational Dualism in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: The Other Press Sdn. Bhd. Pg 3132.

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The period after the Second World War also witnesses the establishment of the University of Malaya in 1949 in Singapore. The establishment of this university again brought the issue of a higher institute of Islamic learning to the fore. This time the Malayan Islamic Association took up the issue. The blueprint for an Islamic College was prepared in 1949 and was presented to the Conference of Malay Rulers. The Islamic College finally opened in 1955 with fifty-five students. The newly formed College offered English language, science, and mathematics, besides the core curriculum of Islamic studies and Arabic language.14 Content and Method:In the madrasah students were divided into classes according to age and academic ability. Examinations were used to determine promotion. The class timetable was fixed and certificates were awarded to students who completed the full course of study. In the most advanced madrasah, there were three levels of study: tahdiri (preparatory), ibtidai (primary), and thanawi (secondary). However, most of the madrasah included only preparatory and primary instruction. For example subject offered at Madrasah Saadiah-Salihiah, Perak before Second World War are tawhid, fiqh, tafsir, hadith, tasawwuf, mantiq, and Arabic language. Meanwhile, subject offered after Second World War are geography, Malay language, Islamic history, mathematics, cooking and needle work, retorics, usul fiqh, faraid, mustholahah al-hadith, tajwid and Arabic language. Growth:The madrasah produced a steady supply of teachers and religious officials. Several factors brought about this, which are: 1) The role of the Kaum Muda in arousing the awareness of the Malays about the importance of education. 2) The unavailability of religious instruction in the Malay school when they were first established by the British government in the last decade of the nineteenth century. Malay

14

. Rosnani Hashim. (2004). Educational Dualism in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: The Other Press Sdn. Bhd. Pg 3132.

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parents found these schools to be inadequate and inconsistent with their beliefs about the importance of religious education. 3) Madrasahs accessibility to the majority of the population. In contrast to English schools, madrasah in principle did not charge any fees.

A closer examination of the organization of the madrasah reveals that they were of two kinds. The first was founded and administered by the state religious department of council, such as Madrasah Muhammadiah in Kelantan. There also were madrasah founded by individuals or committees. However, as a result of financial problem these were handed to or taken over by states religious departments or councils. A local committee through funds collected from donations, zakat, and waqf founded the second type of madrasah. These madrasah were also known as the sekolah rakyat, or the peoples school, for the reason that they were built, maintained, and managed by the people.15

15

. Rosnani Hashim. (2004). Educational Dualism in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: The Other Press Sdn. Bhd. Pg 34-36.

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EDUCATION APPRAISAL AND REFORM There are several weaknesses of non-Government Islamic religious schools during the prior to independence. Because of that, special committee has been appointed by High Commissioner of the Federation of Malaya with the agreement of Malay Rulers to monitor and examine the conditions of those schools. This Committee was responsible to make recommendations for any necessary financial assistance. So that, this Committee submitted the report to Consider Financial Aids to non-Government Islamic Religious Schools.16 The Committee already visited seventy-six non-Government Islamic Religious Schools along the eleven states in Malaya. By that time, there were 368 schools with 35,093 students. The neglected condition of these schools was reported by that special Committee during their visit. Among those weaknesses of non-Government Islamic religious schools is these schools had poor administration. Physically, the condition of school buildings was really far from satisfaction. A great number had partitions between classrooms which made teaching and classroom management difficult. The floors of those schools were made from earthen. Besides that, the schools financial position also was very weak. Several schools drew their income from waqf property such as paddy-fields, rubber plants, and house rental. The income for teachers was insufficient and inadequate although most schools had additional income from irregular contributions. The school fees varied from RM1 to RM3 per month. All the payments of these fees will become the source of income for the schools chief. This payment was uncertain because most of the parents were too poor and some of them did not appreciate the benefits of education.17 Moreover, the methods of teaching non-government Islamic Schools were very weak because the teachers were lack of training and inadequate knowledge in the subject matter. There was no uniformity in that curriculum which bring difficulty for students who were transferred from one school to another. The curriculum for these schools was prepared by religious departments or councils or by the schools themselves. The worse thing is some schools had no syllabus at all. Most of these schools only taught religious subjects and very few schools taught

16

. Malaysia. Report of the Committee to Consider Financial Aids to non-Government Islamic Religious Schools. Pg 1. 17 . Rosnani Hashim. (2004). Educational Dualism in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: The Other Press Sdn. Bhd. Pg 37.

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other subjects such as Mathematic, Geography, History, languages and etc. Some books that used by students in non-government Islamic Schools had no Malayan content at all because it written and published in foreign countries. Another weakness of these schools is the students that graduated from these schools mostly; there is no bright future for them. They had nowhere to go. Only a few of them could afford to go abroad for further study. A small number were engaged to teach in the nongovernment Islamic religious schools. Another few lucky ones who passed the examination set by the religious department obtained employment as teachers in the government religious schools or as officers in the religious department. For the rest, the academic nature of their training did not prepare them to pursue a trade or plant rice and consequently they did not benefit the community. It is because the lessons taught in these schools were all religious subjects and most of the schools used Arabic texts, and Arabic and Malay languages were their medium of instruction. Meanwhile, the Committee realized about the important of non-government schools in produced scholars. Because of that, Committee considered it crucial to subsidize them so they could function better in accord with the needs of the time and the country. There are some recommendations that made by Committee in order to improve the quality of these schools. The Committee believed that sufficient financial aid from the government is one of the best ways to improve the quality of these schools. It advised the government of the need to provide appropriate opportunities and employment to graduates of these schools and warned of the undesirable effects on the community, especially the Malays, if they were left behind in life. Related to this matter, Committee also recommended that these schools be given reasonable subsidies to relieve their financial stress.18

18

. Rosnani Hashim. (2004). Educational Dualism in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: The Other Press Sdn. Bhd. Pg 38.

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The Committee also recommended the establishment of a section within the Ministry of Education that would be responsible for religious studies in government schools and nongovernment schools that enjoy government assistance. This Committee also requested teachers training classes for teachers of Islamic religious subjects in government schools or governmentaided religious schools. It urged the introduction of special legislation to enforce the registration of schools and teachers of religious schools and proposed the introduction of a common syllabus and examinations for these schools. As a result of these recommendations, some madrasah began receiving some form of financial assistance from the government. Of course this aid was not without further implication. Gradually, the madrasah had to change in some respects and accede to the wishes of the government, as will be seen later.19

19

. Rosnani Hashim. (2004). Educational Dualism in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: The Other Press Sdn. Bhd. Pg 38.

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CONCLUSION The system of Islamic education in Malaysia before independence has developed step by step. This development influenced by some factors. One was the eagerness to master the knowledge of Islam. Another factor is parents awareness about the importance of religious education. Furthermore, Kaum Muda also contributes to the betterment of Islamic education in Tanah Melayu. Still another factor that could lead to the popularity of the Islamic religious schools was their accessibility to the majority of the population which means the society fully supports this kind of system. Even though this system has developed well, there are some weaknesses. For instance, these schools had poor administration and financial problems. However, these problems had been successfully solved by the authority. Nevertheless, after independence this system had diminished by the government, but there are some schools still exist until now.

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REFERENCES

Ibrahim Ahmad BAjulid. (2008). Malaysia from Traditional to Smart Schools: The Malaysian Educational Odyssey. Shah Alam, Selangor: Fajar Bakti Sdn. Bhd.

Malaysia. Report of the Committee to Consider Financial Aids to non-Government Islamic Religious Schools. Mohammad Syarif Khan. (1986). Islamic Education. New Delhi: S.B Nangia

Rosnani Hashim. (2004). Educational Dualism in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: The Other Press Sdn. Bhd.

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