Islamic Education: Philosophy

Abstract

This chapter investigates the vibrant intellectual history within the tradition of Islamic educational philosophy. The extent and ways in which philosophy of education is relevant to Islam is not the same in every Islamic country and at any given time. Beginning by problematizing the nomenclature of a philosophically “Islamic” tradition within education, the chapter introduces the significant con- tributions of Muslim scholars from respective legal, spiritual, and corporal traditions from around the Muslim world. These developments are placed through the lens offour historical periods defined as “Prophetic” (or gestationary), “Clas- sical” (9001200), “Early Modern” (1201–1500), and “Modern” (1501–). One of the aims of delineating these eras is not merely to identify motivating “logos” for such educational discourse but rather to see key divergences and vibrancy within the Islamic tradition. The chapter concludes with suggestions for how and where contemporary debates within Islamic education may contribute to the field of the philosophy of education.