MADRASA CULTURE
In India and other countries, the secular educational institutions are fundamentally based on a materialistic philosophy. This philosophy asserts that the visible world is all that exists, and there is no reality beyond it. Based on this philosophy, the secular education system instills in its students a mindset that prioritizes investing all their energy into material progress. It encourages them to seek as much worldly pleasure as possible, emphasizing material interests as the most significant aspect of life while disregarding non-material values.
This secular education system and culture have turned the entire world into a hub of materialism. Materialistic thinking, ethics, and activities have so thoroughly dominated people’s lives that the world now resembles a forest of materialism.
In this vast desert of materialism, religious seminaries function as oases. In contrast to the secular system, religious seminaries are founded on a spiritual philosophy or non-material civilization. Their entire curriculum and system are designed to elevate people above the material level and present an alternative to material culture through spiritual culture.
I will attempt to illustrate how this purpose is embedded in the system of religious seminaries by sharing some personal experiences from my life as a madrasa student:
1. My first experience of “Madrasa Culture” occurred at the madrasa in my village, where I received my foundational education in Urdu, Persian, and Arabic. At that time, the Urdu readers of Maulana Ismail Meerathi (d. 1917) were part of the curriculum. These readers were carefully prepared to impart valuable moral and spiritual lessons. As I read them, consciously or unconsciously, they became part of my thinking, leaving an impression that I still feel in my life today.
One of the Urdu readers contained a story narrated by the author: A camel strayed into the jungle, its bridle rope dragging on the ground. A mouse noticed it and thought, “I’ll lead this camel to my home and make it my guest.” The mouse caught hold of the camel’s rope with its teeth and began leading it toward its burrow, with the camel calmly following behind. When they arrived at the burrow, the mouse, upon seeing the stark contrast, felt deeply embarrassed. It realized that its tiny burrow was far too small to accommodate the enormous camel. The author then wrote:
“What lofty ideas the fool harboured in his heart, but how could a camel ever fit in a mouse’s burrow?”
This was the first lesson in realism that I encountered in my life. Undoubtedly, in this world, no task can be accomplished without adhering to realism, whether it concerns individual matters or collective issues.
2. During my time studying at Madrasa Al-Islah, one of my teachers was Maulana Najmuddin Islahi (d. 1995), the compiler of correspondence of Sheikh-ul-Islam. I studied several Persian texts under his guidance, such as Gulistan and Bostan. One remarkable quality of the Persian language is its rich repository of moral literature. Perhaps no other language has as many excellent books on ethics as Persian. Through these Persian texts, I gained many profound lessons in wisdom and morality.
On one occasion, the late teacher shared a Persian verse imbued with profound wisdom. The poet says that the only difference between you and me lies in how we hear. The sound that you perceive as the noise of a door closing, I interpret as the sound of a door opening:
“Tafaawut ast miyaan-e shunidan-e man o tu
Tu ghalq-e baab o manam fath-e baab mi shunawam”
The late teacher explained the meaning of this couplet, though its depth was not entirely clear to me during my student days. However, the verse became a part of my memory. With further study and life experiences, its significance and depth gradually became evident. Eventually, I realized that the concept expressed in this verse contains the greatest secret to success in this challenging world.
In this world, the individual who can achieve the greatest progress is the one whose awareness is so keen that they can discover positive aspects in seemingly negative events. They can hear the sound of a door opening in what others perceive as the sound of a door closing.
3. In the madrasa where I studied, there was much emphasis on the pre-Islamic poetry of the Arabs, as it was considered highly important for understanding the Quran. What interested me most was the abundance of wisdom found in this pre-Islamic poetry. Later studies revealed to me that the reason for this was the exceptional human qualities possessed by the Arabs of the pre-Islamic era. They were extraordinarily vibrant people, and this vitality was reflected in their poetry.
During my madrasa years, one of the verses from pre-Islamic Arab poetry that I studied and heard was as follows:
“If a person’s honour is not sullied by disgraceful deeds, Then whatever garment they wear will appear beautiful.”
From a young age, my temperament leaned toward simplicity over pretentiousness and truth over appearances. This verse, perhaps for the first time, transformed my unconscious inclinations into conscious understanding. Gradually, the importance of outward appearances faded from my mind. I began to always look at the intrinsic reality of things. Ostentatious displays started to appear utterly meaningless to me.
4. During my student days at Madrasa Al-Islah, one of my teachers was Maulana Muhammad Ahmad Lehravi. Among the books he taught me was Muwatta Imam Malik. While studying this book of Hadith, one narration of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) became so deeply ingrained in my mind that it never left me. The Hadith is as follows:
Humayd ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf narrated that a person came to the Prophet and said, “O Messenger of God, teach me words by which I can live, but make sure they are few so that I do not forget them.” The Prophet of God replied, “Do not get angry.” (Muwatta Imam Malik, Hadith No. 3362)
Though my teacher had a somewhat fiery temperament, the explanation he gave of this Hadith became etched in my memory. From it, I learned a fundamental principle of life during my student days: that a person must live without anger, even in provocative situations.
Further study helped me understand the deeper meaning of this Hadith. It teaches that even in provocative situations, a person should respond with moderation. One must completely rid oneself of the psychology of negative reactions, even in the face of provocation.
5. Among the books I studied during my madrasa education was Nahj al-Balagha, a compilation of the speeches and sayings of the fourth caliph, Ali ibn Abi Talib. This book was taught by Maulana Akhtar Ahsan Islahi, a direct disciple of Maulana Hamiduddin Farahi. Nahj al-Balagha contains profound wisdom and can aptly be described as a “Book of Wisdom.” During my early education, it introduced me to insights that proved immensely valuable in my later life.
One such saying of Ali that left a deep impression on me was:
“The wise one is the one who places things in their proper place.”
This is an incredibly profound statement. Life’s matters are often very complex. In most situations, a person must navigate the maze of ideas to identify the correct thought process. They must discern the right choice among diverse options and recognize subtle differences between seemingly similar things, ensuring they avoid the mistake of incorrect assumptions.
In such scenarios, the truly wise individual, as described by Ali, is the one who can place things in their proper context. Such a person avoids incorrect reasoning, protects himself from forming misguided opinions or plans, and prevents both personal ruin and harm to others.
This wise saying greatly benefited me. It instilled in me, from the very beginning, the habit of striving for accurate analysis to arrive at sound conclusions.
6. One of the distinguished teachers at Madrasa al-Islah was Maulana Muhammad Shibli Nadwi, under whom we studied texts on Fiqh and Kalam. Among these was Bidayat al-Mujtahid wa Nihayat al-Muqtasid by Ibn Rushd.
His classes offered me a significant religious insight. At first, the idea was somewhat unclear to me, but with continued study, it gradually became more defined. I eventually came to understand that, in Islam, war or conflict is a secondary option, not a primary one. When a disagreement arises with an individual or a nation, the first and foremost effort should be to resolve the matter through peaceful dialogue. All possible means should be employed to reach a resolution.
