THE DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS
The most important distinctive feature of religious schools is that their foundation is based on “true knowledge,” i.e., the teachings of Islam, which is the only preserved religious tradition. This is a significant point because, unlike other educational systems where the basis of learning is secular knowledge rather than divine truth, religious schools provide a unique platform.
As a result, those who receive education and training in religious seminaries are equipped to base their beliefs and actions on a foundation of trust. They live with the conviction that what they have acquired is absolute truth, free from any trace of falsehood.
In most religious seminaries, the Quran is taught as part of the curriculum. Furthermore, the Quran holds the highest status in all seminaries. Both students and teachers recite it daily. In discussions and speeches, Quranic verses are frequently referenced. The books and journals that students read outside the curriculum generally focus on the Quran as their central theme. In this way, all students, practically speaking, receive lessons from the Quran daily, either directly or indirectly.
The same applies to Hadith. It remains a mandatory subject in the curriculum of religious seminaries. In most major seminaries, the Sihah Sitta (the six authentic collections of Hadith) or selected portions of it are taught. Additionally, in the seminary environment, students hear references to or discussions about Hadith on a daily basis. In this way, every student is consistently nourished intellectually with the teachings of the Prophet’s Hadith throughout their seminary life.
This is no simple matter. It means that religious seminaries provide their students with intellectual and spiritual training that is entirely unmatched in any other educational system. While other institutions base their education on human knowledge, religious institutions ground their education in divine knowledge.
Here, I will present a few comparative examples to illustrate the differences between religious seminaries and non-religious educational institutions. These examples will highlight the distinctive qualities that set religious seminaries apart from their non-religious counterparts.
1. Secular educational institutions, whether within the country or abroad, are practically established with the objective: to enable students to secure good jobs in the world. Everywhere, job-oriented education is the norm.
In contrast, religious seminaries operate on an entirely different principle. In a single phrase, they can be described as institutions of God-oriented education. They awaken a sense of higher purpose within individuals. These seminaries elevate people from a materialistic level to a spiritual or divine level of living.
2. Secular schools, in practice, teach the lesson that the acquisition of material things is the ultimate goal of life. In contrast, religious seminaries instill in every student the mindset that material things are their needs, not their purpose.
The philosophy of secular schools conveys a message of freedom for humanity but offers no clear determination of the limits of that freedom. One result of this can be observed in modern developed countries, where unrestrained sexual relationships and hedonism prevail. Secular institutions theoretically lack any framework to curb such excesses. This is why, despite apparent advancements, genuine human progress has not been achieved in these societies.
On the other hand, religious seminaries are based on the principles of divine law. In their philosophy of education, freedom for humans is a well-defined principle, but so are its limits. They clarify when freedom is a blessing and the define point beyond which it becomes a curse. These seminaries teach that freedom is beneficial up to a certain limit, but crossing that boundary can turn it into a source of suffering.
3. The general principle found in secular educational institutions is the principle of relativity. This means that our knowledge and every theory we hold in this world are relative, not absolute. The consequence of this philosophy is that in modern educational institutions, ethics have become a relative concept. Here, every principle only holds relative value. This theory, at its extreme, transforms into the philosophy known as utilitarianism, which states that only that which has evident material utility is valuable. Anything devoid of this quality is not worthy of consideration. Under this theory, educated individuals can only turn human society into a kind of animalistic jungle. This educational system has, in practice, achieved exactly that outcome.
In contrast, the philosophy of religious seminaries is based on the principles of eternal truth. Religious seminaries have a command from God on every matter. They firmly believe that this command is entirely true and, therefore, unchangeable. It is eternally binding and must be followed. This philosophy naturally gives rise to the concept of eternal ethics, within which a stable moral system is formed, where no question of change arises in any circumstance.
4. A major gap in the secular educational system is that it lacks knowledge of the starting point in any matter. Its entire reliance is on personal experiences and observations. Due to human beings’ inherent limitations, they can never truly know the real starting point of any issue. As a result, minds trained in such institutions are perpetually fumbling intellectually and never reach the level of true knowledge.
In contrast, religious seminaries, based on divine knowledge, are in a position to identify the correct starting point in every matter right from the beginning, thus avoiding intellectual confusion.
One example of this is the philosophy of the evolution of life. In this matter, individuals educated in non-religious institutions had no known principle for the starting point. They speculated and established the hypothesis of biological evolution. For over a hundred years, numerous brilliant minds spent their lives trying to prove this hypothesis. Thousands of billions of dollars were spent. Yet, despite their lofty claims, their hypothesis remains just that—a hypothesis. Despite all the efforts, it has not advanced beyond this stage. Consequently, even the scholars who research the theory of evolution admit that it is still only a workable theory, not a proven scientific fact.
In contrast, the mind of a person trained in a religious seminary is clear from the very beginning. Based on the Quran, they are certain from day one that human life began through divine creation, not merely through the evolution of unconscious material factors. Thus, a person from a religious seminary finds the correct starting point on the very first day in matters of biology—something that those educated in non-religious institutions have failed to find despite over a century of costly intellectual endeavours.
5. A person educated in a secular institution, based on the philosophy of life they are taught, ends up with an incomplete view of life. They know the beginning of life, but they do not know its end. They may understand where to start their activities in this world, but they have no knowledge of what their final destination is or what kind of preparation they need to make for the end of life. They may begin their life seemingly in the light, but eventually, when they reach the later stages of life, their existence ends up wandering in unknown darkness.
The situation is entirely different for a person educated in a religious seminary. The educated individual here, based on their Quranic background, is fully aware of where to begin their life’s journey and what their final destination is. Such a person stands on the clear conviction that this world is merely a path, and the world of the Hereafter is the true destination.
6. In secular institutions, the prevailing philosophy of life portrays humans as pleasure-seeking animals. According to this philosophy, the natural consequence is that a person makes the pursuit of pleasure and happiness the sole purpose of their life. Consequently, today, all individuals educated in secular institutions live their lives guided by this singular objective. This is true for people trained in secular institutions everywhere, whether they are from India or abroad.
Practical experience with this ideology reveals that it is disastrously flawed. People with this mindset spend their entire lives striving to acquire things they perceive as sources of happiness and pleasure. However, after enormous effort and accumulating a pile of desired possessions, they suddenly realize that no matter how much they have, these things cannot truly bring them happiness or pleasure. The simple reason for this is that humans, in terms of their natural capacity, possess an unlimited capacity for fulfillment. Meanwhile, everything in the world can only provide limited happiness and limited pleasure.
In essence, humans, driven by their inherent desires, seek complete satisfaction, while material things, due to their limitations, can only offer partial satisfaction. The outcome of this disparity is what is known as boredom. This gap between what is sought and what is attainable is so definitive that not even a king can bridge it. This is why we see today that, despite the overwhelming abundance of material resources in the world, what they have given humanity is only frustration, not the fulfillment for which these resources were amassed.
The situation of a person educated and trained in a religious seminary is entirely different. Such individuals emerge from their alma mater with a philosophy of life that teaches them that the present world is meant for testing, not for seeking pleasure. This perspective fundamentally transforms their behaviour. Instead of striving for success in this world, they set their goal as success in the Hereafter. Rather than seeking luxury in this world, they aim for the attainment of Paradise in the afterlife.
This difference in mindset leads to significant outcomes. People educated in religious seminaries focus on necessity rather than luxury. They are content with the principle of contentment rather than seeking abundance. The anticipation of joy in the Hereafter lightens the burden of present sorrows. They never fall into despair because they consider whatever they receive in this world to be sufficient for themselves. Their hearts are free from negative feelings such as greed and envy, as these emotions arise from material deficiencies. Religious education prepares individuals with a non-material mindset that inherently shields them from such weaknesses.
These examples highlight the contrast between religious madrasas and secular schools. Religious madrasas aim at personality development, whereas Secular educational institutions are primarily focused on preparing students for employment. This difference is fundamental and carries significant social implications.
The distinction between religious and secular institutions discussed here is based on principles. As for practical realities, many shortcomings and deficiencies can be identified in religious seminaries. However, the key point is that the flaws in secular institutions stem directly from their principles and philosophy and are therefore an inherent part of their system. In contrast, the shortcomings found in religious seminaries are the result of practical failings, not flaws in the philosophy of education itself.
It is a well-established fact that practical shortcomings can be addressed through corrective efforts, whereas ideological flaws cannot be resolved unless the ideology itself is deemed incorrect and rejected altogether.
