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Explore the evolution and impact of Madrasas in Islamic education, politics, and society from historical perspectives to present structures. Delve into the teachings, struggles, and politics that shape Madrasas globally.
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The College and the MosqueandThe Friends of God HIST 1007 11/1/13
Ibn al-Athir (1160-1233) • Kurdish historian • Worked under Salah al-Din • “The Complete History” • Tatars – Turkic people, fought in the Mongol army
Islam after the Caliphate • End of the Caliphate = End of idea of unified umma • Foreign rule (Turks, Circassians, and Mongols) = break with connection to the Prophet and Quraysh • Inter-communal violence (Seljuq blood tanistry, Mamluk assassinations, Mongol violence) = constant fitna
The Madrasa • Islamic school, more like a college • Teaches Islamic sciences (`Ulum al-din) • Kalam – Theology • Fiqh – Jurisprudence • Philosophy • Sufism - Mysticism • Physical sciences • Medicine • History • Art and Literature • Knowledge and personal behavior Madrasa al-Halawiyya, Aleppo, Syria Built by Nur al-Din
The Madrasa • Mosque – where teaching takes place • Boarding house for students and teachers • Private libraries • Tombs of important scholars • Public fountains • Financed by the community • Waqf – charitable endowment Masjid-i Jami`-i, Isfahan, Iran Originally a Seljuq construction
Madrasa and Madhhab • Study circles become Schools of Law • Madhhabs build madrasas to centralize learning • Establish a means for certifying Islamic scholars • Curriculum focused on intensive study with an individual teacher • Receipt of an ijaza (diploma) Jami` al-Qarawiyyin, Fez, Morocco Opened in 859, oldest continually operating university in the world.
Politics of the Madrasa • Seljuqs – build madrasas in every major city to promote Sunnism • Nizam al-Mulk and the Nizamiyyah • Zengids – Nur al-Din funds new madrasas, especially in Damascus • Ayyubids – New madrasas in Egypt to promote Sunnism • Mamluks – build madrasas to enforce Islamic identity
Politics of the Madrasa • State hires and appoints religious scholars, teachers, and judges. • Mufti – jurisconsult • Fatawa – legal opinion from a mufti • Support of all Sunni madhhabs • Dar al-hadith: State sponsored schools of hadith scholarship • Not associated with single madhhab • Provides basics of religious study UluCami, Diyarbakir, Turkey Seljuq construction
Politics of the Madrasa • In Syria and Egypt, preservation of Arab status • Turks go to the army • Persians go to the bureaucracy • Arabs go to the madrasa • Control over admission to preserve status • While state makes appointments, madrasa education is required Madrasa al-nuriyya al-kubra, Damascus Madrasa attached to tomb of Nur al-Din
Educating the Sultan • “Command the good and forbid the evil” • Silsila – Chain of authority • Legacy of the transmitted teachings of the Prophet • Religious tradition + political pragmatism • al-Ghazali (d. 1111) – Inculcate in every Muslim true belief, true piety, and true practice • Authority of the caliphs exercised by the sultans power
Mirrors for Princes • Traditional Persian advice literature • Instruct through stories of past kings (good and bad) • Justice comes from a just ruler • Nizam al-Mulk, Siyasatnama • al-Ghazali, Pandnama (Book of Council) • Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince (?)
Philosopher Kings • Muslim commentaries on Plato and Aristotle • Ideal state and ideal ruler comes from rational contemplation of the divine reality. • al-Farabi (d. 950): The only person qualified to rule is one who knows truth and how to actualize it. • An actual philosopher-prophet-prince • State ruled in accordance with laws set down by an original philosopher-prophet
Sufism • Mystical or experiential Islam • Piercing the veil • Non-sectarian • suf – wool, simple wool cloaks of ascetics • tasawwuf– to purify • shaykh – master • tariqa – path • khanaqas – Sufi lodges “Whirling Dervishes” of the Mevlana Sufi Order
Near Eastern Mysticism and Asceticism • Early Muslims attracted to Christian ascetics • Desert Fathers • St. Simeon Stylites (d. 459) • Merkabah – Jewish mysticism focused on divine visions • Kabbalah – 12th century Jewish mystical movement • Christian Monasticism
Sufism • Sufi masters develop practices and doctrines • Dhikr – remembrance of God • Muraqaba– repetition of God’s names • Visitation and pilgrimage • 10th-13th centuries – following coalesce around Sufi masters • Development of Sufi institutions
Sufism and Poetry • Intense love of God • Reflected in love poetry • Double meaning? • Jalal al-Din Rumi (d. 1273) • Persian poet • Mathnawi • Founder of Mawlana Sufi Order