Research and Scholarship in Madrasas: Some Reflections
By Maulana Abu Ammar Zahid ul-Rashdi
(Extracted from the author's Urdu book Dini Madaris Ka Nisab-o Nizam [Al-AShariah Academy, Gujranwala, 2007] and edited and translated by Yoginder Sikand)
In order to understand the present state of research and scholarship in
madrasas, it is important to locate them in their historical context. The
present structure of madrasa education in South Asia is a product of
colonial times, when British rule led to the rupture of the traditional
Muslim political, economic, military, legal, administrative and educational
systems. In the wake of this and in response to these new challenges,
numerous ulema devised the present system of madrasa education so as to
protect Islamic culture. These new madrasas were intended to protect the
faith and religious identity of Muslims and to maintain and promote the
tradition of Islamic learning. Their graduates were to keep mosques and
madrasas alive in their capacity as imams, muftis, teachers and preachers.
They were also to combat challenges to Islamic beliefs and culture. Till
now, the madrasas have been operating in this defensive mode as these
challenges and threats are not only still alive but are becoming even more
severe with the passage of time. It is in this context that the status of
scholarship and research in South Asia's madrasas must be understood.
The story has two sides to it. On the positive side, several madrasas now
run dar ul-iftas that supply questioners with fatwas or opinions on a wide
range of issues in order to guide them. Many madrasas and their scholars
have produced an immense corpus of Islamic literature in the form of books
and magazines. A few ulema-run institutions have come up in recent years
that are pursuing research and scholarship on contemporary issues. An
increasing number of ulema are now writing on religious issues for
'mainstream' newspapers. Several graduates of madrasas in South Asia have
gone on to do research in regular universities at home and abroad. And now
several madrasas have their own websites on the Internet which provide
information about these institutions and their schools of thought and guide
readers on religious matters. All this shows that madrasas today are not
unmindful of their responsibilities in the field of scholarship and
research.
But there is another side to the story, or what can be called the negative
side. Prime importance is placed in the on-going research work and
scholarship in madrasas on sectarian understandings and also on allegiance
to key personalities within each school of thought, leaving little space for
other issues. The aim of much of this scholarship seems to be to assert the
claim of superiority of one sect over the others, and this is not done in a
spirit of genuine dialogue, but, rather, in a fiercely polemical fashion,
which often degenerates into ridicule and abuse. Till now madrasas have
refused to benefit from modern methods and styles of research and the work
of international research institutions. This is not only because people in
the madrasas are generally not conversant with foreign languages but also
because of the deeply-ingrained belief that they are intellectually superior
to the rest of the world and, hence, that they do not need to know about,
leave alone benefit from, others. Madrasas seem to imagine that benefiting
from the intellectual work of others—other Muslim intellectuals, other
Islamic sects and international research institutions—is a negation of their
sense of superiority. This is, in a sense, a reflection of their essentially
defensive attitude.
Even in research on matters concerning Muslim social issues, madrasas
imagine that they must be bound by their sectarian affiliations. Till now
there has been no effort to bring together leaders and ulema of different
Muslim sects to discuss important issues concerning the entire community and
to engage in collective research, reflection and dialogue. There has sadly
been no collective and organized effort to promote and improve the quality
of research and scholarship in the madrasas. This sort of work is left
merely to certain individuals who might have an interest in doing so, and
their patronage, support and guidance is, likewise, done, if at all, on a
personal basis. The conditions of libraries in most madrasas leave much to
be desired. Most madrasas either have no libraries worth the name, and those
that do have some books lack essential reading and reference material on a
wide range of subjects. The selection of books for madrasa libraries is also
guided by the sectarian affiliation of the madrasas and personal whims.
A range of necessary and vital disciplines essential for proper research,
such as sociology, history, psychology, politics, economics and human
civilizations are not taught in madrasas, and, worse still, their importance
is yet to be appreciated, although these are indispensable if madrasas are
to fulfill their objectives. Another major problem is the teaching of
languages. Leave alone English and other international languages, the
teaching of Arabic in most madrasas is also faulty, limited simply to the
comprehension of certain texts. Even after supposedly studying Arabic for
several years, the vast majority of madrasa students are unable to converse,
deliver a speech or write an article properly in that language. Further,
even Urdu is not taught in the madrasas as a language and no arrangements
are made for students to familiarize students with modern Urdu idiom and the
language and style of contemporary Urdu journalism. Because of this, many
madrasa students and even teachers are not able to even write a two- or
three-page article in Urdu.
In order to remedy the situation, I have some suggestions to make. Firstly,
the strong sense of intellectual superiority that has been constructed like
a high wall behind which madrasa teachers and students live must be
addressed. We have to come out of that environment and face practical
realities and accept the fact that besides us others also live in this world
and that they, too, have intellectual and scholarly abilities. We have the
right to differ from them but we have no right to deny their existence. In
my view, madrasas need to understand and benefit from the scholarship and
research being conducted by national and international Muslim and non-Muslim
research institutions working on issues with which madrasas are concerned
and also from the scholarly work of other Muslim sects and schools of
thought. Madrasa boards, where they exist, must deeply introspect into the
matter and devise steps and plans to promote and improve research and
scholarly pursuits within their institutions. Furthermore, the leaders of
the madrasas must take serious cognizance of the growing cultural and other
challenges facing the Muslims today that threaten Muslim identity,
institutions, beliefs, practices and faith. This is happening at the global
level, and it is something that madrasas must devote their attention to in
terms of serious research, scholarship and publishing.
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