Educational Dualism in the Muslim World and the Way Forward: A Comparative Study of Educational Thought of Mawlana Madoodi and Badiuzzaman Said Nursi

Abstract

There is no denying of the fact that Islam lays a great thrust on education but the duality in the education system has created a huge gulf between the secular and the sacred. Generally speaking religious educational institutions have been cut off from the scientific knowledge and hence from the world altogether, and the secular educational institutions are cut off from the Wahi (the Divine guidance), hence cut off from the other world. Under the prevailing setup, both systems are inadequate to produce the desired man-the Khalifa. Therefore, integration of both streams of knowledge is accepted as the only solution not only for the progress and development of the Muslim world but also for curbing and eliminating fundamentalism and religious intolerance.  The paper aims to find solutions to this dualism in the views of Syed Maududi and Said Nursi. Both, Maududi and Nursi have advocated an integrated system of education where the worldly and the other-worldly knowledge can be clubbed together. However, it is to be admitted that Maududi’s educational approach is more ideology centric while as Said Nursi’s approach is faith based. The study aims to understand comparatively and critically the educational thoughts of Sayyed Maududi and Said Nursi.