Preface
The rise or fall of a nation depends upon its younger generation. The fate of a nation is irretrievably linked with it. Therefore, those at the helm of affairs must pay due attention to its upbringing and training. The survival of the cultural values, hopes, and aspirations of a nation critically depends on how the younger generation is nurtured. If cultural heritage is successfully passed on to the next generation, it can be preserved. Otherwise, the nation will lose its cultural identity, and the ideological foundation of the country will gradually weaken. The younger generation may survive physically, but it will lose its distinct identity.
If a nation desires to survive culturally, it must train its youth in a way that makes them the custodians of its traditional values.
Muslims around the world are united by a common culture and faith. They possess a distinct code of life that governs both individual and communal affairs. They can emerge as a powerful force globally if they regulate both their worldly and spiritual lives according to the teachings of Islam. Otherwise, theirs will be a life-in-death existence.
Centuries of monarchy, colonialism, and autocratic rule—often at the hands of their own people—have led to the moral and spiritual decline of Muslims across the world. To recover from this degeneration, it is imperative for the Muslim Ummah to restructure its educational programme along Islamic lines, while also fulfilling contemporary needs.
Such an educational programme will enable future generations to become torchbearers of Islamic values and play an effective role in the modern world. An education system that is either purely traditional or purely secular is unsuitable for Muslims. The challenges of the modern age call for the reconstruction of our educational framework on a foundation that addresses both our spiritual and worldly obligations.
Today, we need an education system that can produce, as the late Sayyid Abul A’la Maududi envisioned, “Muslim philosophers, Muslim scientists, Muslim economists, Muslim jurists, Muslim statesmen—in brief, Muslim experts in all fields of knowledge—who would reconstruct the social order in accordance with the tenets of Islam” (A New Education Policy and Its Programme for Muslims, p. 30).
Nearly half a century ago, Sayyid Maududi strongly advocated for an Islamic education system through his speeches and writings. These were compiled in Urdu under the title Taleemat, a book that has since been published in several editions. Unfortunately, the Muslim Ummah has not yet benefitted from its contents. Our educational programmes continue to follow secular lines. As a result, Muslims today are among the most humiliated communities in the world. If this colonial-inherited system persists, Muslims will remain trapped in moral and spiritual decline.
This English rendering aims to acquaint English-speaking readers with the late Sayyid Maududi’s views on Islamic education. I am grateful to Mr. S. M. A. Itauf—formerly Assistant Professor in the Department of English, University of Balochistan, and currently Associate Professor and Chairman of the Department of English, International Islamic University, Islamabad—for his translation of this book. Without his keen interest and hard work, this English version would not have been possible. May Allah reward him for his service to the cause of Islam.
We welcome any suggestions from readers for further improvement of this book.
Ziqad 11, 1408 H
June 26, 1988 A.D
Syed Munawar Hasan
Secretary General, Islamic Research Academy, Karachi
