Concept of Education of Imam Ghazali

 

ASSIGNMENT

 

Concept of Education of Imam Ghazali

The great educator of Islam, imam Ghazali was born in a time, when doubts were raised from various sides about Islam.

 Imam Ghazali was born in 1059 AD near Tus in Khurasan, a part of the then Persia. These were the times, when Muslims were dominating Europe, Asia and Africa, due to the effect of new culcher of these countries they were deviating from the true teachings of Islam. Imam Ghazali came to the rescue them. We can say that in one way he was responsible for the revival of Islam. He is also known as Hujjatul Islam.

 Imam Ghazali mentions in his book Al-munqudeen –al- dalal, that he spent 38 years in the search of truth from place to place and studied different schools of thoughts of that time.

 Because of his knowledge and study, he was offered the post of head of Nizamia School in Baghdad. This school was the center of attraction for scholars all over the world. But due to his curiosity and quest for knowledge, he resigned from this post after four years. He became the critic of that time Islam and he saw no difference between Christianity, Islam and Judaism. He had now become a skeptic.

 Imam Ghazali ’s skepticism continues from another ten years, in which he wondered in many palaces including, Makkah, Yathrab and Syria. He also performed several pilgrimages to Makkah and once took an oath, while standing beside the stone of Abraham (Maqam-e-Ibrahim) in the Khana Kaaba. He sweard that;

 

1.                  I will not go to the court of any king

2.                  I will not get any king of money from rulers

3.                  I will not indulge in any type of discussion will scholars.

 Imam Ghazali died in 1111 Ad. He has written number of books including the  “Revival of Islamaic knowledg” (Ahya-e-uloom Islam) and “Incoherence of philosophy “ (Tahafat-ul-filasafa)

 He provided rational basis for the Islamic beliefs and integrated sufism and individual beliefs, to give a holistic picture of Islam in helping to reunite Muslims of the world. People criticize him for the lack of use of reason in Islam.

 As an educator, he is the greatest and most influential educators of Islam and has great influence on the modern educational thoughts.

 His educational philosophy based on his personal experience. the philosophy, which he formulated over a period of 10 years, resembles to the Philosophy of Plato. H used his personal experience and concluded the reasons, which he calls sixth sense, which can lead us to truth. Divine revelation (Ilham) is superior to reason but is endowed to only selected individuals called prophets (paighamber). The reason given to human beings also has limitations and can not acquire the absolute truth. Hence, it is obligatory for all human beings to obey the commandments send to us through [prophets from time to time.

 It is very much clear that the educational ideas of Ghazali are deeply affected by his religious philosophy and research. He thinks that human mind is like a clean slate and the teacher can transform it with the passage of time. Plato and Aristotle also held similar views.

 The importance of Knowledge:

 According to Ghazali, knowledge can bring us closer to God as well as enhance worldly respect and position. Knowledge, according to him is not relative but has an entity in itself. It can raise the status of the individual, create self respect and take him to the highest position.

 According to Ghazali, there are four categories of Knowledge;

 1.                  Prophetic

2.                  Rulers

3.                  Philosophers/scholars

4.                  Preachers

 1.         Prophetic:

 Prophets convey the message of God regardless of any discrimination and help to purify the inner self.

 

2.                  Ruler:

 They use their authority, legislation and rules to train and guide the society.

 

3.                  Philosophers/scholars

 Their knowledge benefits only selected individuals but for benefiting masses.

 4.                  Preachers;
 

They are meant to fulfill the religious needs of the society and train outer and inner self. Their job is to promote knowledge, improve the life of people, and help them to acquire desirable ethics through education.

 Ghazali divides knowledge into two types; I, e

 1.                  Useful or desirable knowledge

2.                  Useless or undesirable knowledge

 

1.                  Useful knowledge:

 

It is further divided into two

 

i.                    Farz-i-Ain:     (Compulsory)

This knowledge is obligatory for all and contains the knowledge of Islam

 

ii.                  Farz-i-Kafaya:  (Optional)

This knowledge is optional and depends on the will of the individual. It is further divided into two;

 

a.                   Worldly knowledge

b.                  Religious knowledge

 

2.                  Useless Knowledge:

 

Although no knowledge is useless, it is not desirable if it can create an undesirable effect such as

 

i.                    If it harms somebody like magic etc

ii.                  If the chance factor is involved like astrology etc

iii.                If it leads to thinking about God. Ghazali says that these matters should be left only to prophets and saints.

 

Aims of Education:

 

Ghazali based his aims of education on Islamic ideology. According to him, the major aim of education is that it is useful. The knowledge gained as a result of education should be useful both for individual and the society. It means that the aim of education is character building of individual so that it could differentiate between good and evil and avoids following the evil path.

 

Johnn Herbart proposed the same ideas about 700 year after the demise of Ghazali.

 

Psychological concepts of Ghazali:

 

Ghazali raises the basic question whether the human instinct is based on good or evil. He has presented his ideas in the light of Quran and Hadith. According to him good or evil are not physical and is not instinctual. Humans can be transformed by education and training. Rousseau expressed similar idea in 18^th century.

 

Ghazali seems impressed by the Greek philosophers. According to Aristotle there are two types of creations in the world. i.e.

 

1.                  Perfect creation: These are perfected like moon , sun etc

2.                  Imperfect creations like seed of tree, which is imperfect in the sense that it has the ability to become a tree.

 

According to Ghazali, human beings are imperfect creatures and are similar to the seed. They have the ability and capacity to become perfect, only the suitable conditions are required. According to him, good character means good deeds.

 

Ghazali has given the following four ways in which deficiencies can be identified and removed.

 

1.                  Perfect teacher

 

Such teachers that have spiritual insight and knowledge and has the ability to analyze deficiencies I others

 

2.                  Close fiends:

 

We can identify our deficiencies with the help of our close friends

 

3.                  Foes:

 

We can know more about our deficiencies from our foes.

 

4.                  Self analysis:

 

Ghazali also stresses self-analysis from time to time.

 

 

Curriculum:

 

Ghazali strongly criticizes the curriculum of his time. He raises the basic question of criteria for selection of subject matter for curriculum. He studied the various curriculums his times and reached the following conclusions:

 

1.                  More time is spent on religious education and worldly education is completely ignores

2.                  Worldly education is equally important

3.                  While teaching religious education , a great number of differences arise among the teachers, which result in mud slinging on each other

4.                  There is no. Prioritization and it is only left to the interest and opinions of the teachers to concentrate on certain subjects, while ignore others.

5.                  No place for character building in curriculum

 

Ghazali recommended that curriculum should be composed of obligatory (    ) And optional (               ) knowledge. It should be a combination of religion and worldly education.

 

Ghazali included industrial education, textile, agriculture, tailoring and hair cutting in the curriculum

 

This indicates that Ghazali ’s educational ideas are progressive.

 

Ghazali also stresses the acquisition of philosophy and logic

 

Methods of Teaching and Techniques:

 

Ghazali has recommended the following teaching methods and techniques, which are based on psychological principles. These methods and techniques are widely used and educators all over the world agrees with their usefulness.

 

1.                  Teaching of lessons to be based on previous knowledge and experience of the students.

 

This helps to know the ability, knowledge and aptitude of the learner and helps to motivate students towards the lesson which is very important for the educational process. Johnn Herbart and Pestollozi recommended the same principle about 700 year after Ghazali

 

2.                  Simplifying the lesson:

 

Teachers should simplify the difficult concepts by stories, tales etc other wise his teaching will not be effective

 

3.                  Move from simple to complex.

 

This is a very important principle. Some teachers try to teach everything in the very start. This is very dangerous and can create very dull students.

 

Ghazali stresses that teachers should first teach simpler concepts and when the students are motivated towards lesson, then he can introduce complex concepts.

 

Western educators have also mentioned this principle.

 

4.                  Proper planning

 

Ghazali stresses the importance of planning and advises that teachers should do his preparation before teaching to make it effective

 

5.                  affection:

 

The teachers should avoid the use of force . He should be like a father to his students and should use love and affection instead of corporal punishment. Use of force can lead to bad habits among students

 

Teacher and students should also have good social relationship

 

6.                  avoid double standards:

 

Teacher is like a guide to students. He should not be a hypocrite and should breed good qualities like, honesty, good etiquette, good moral character etc

 

7.                  abilities of students:

 

Ghazali stresses that while teaching the abilities of students should be kept in mind. Concepts, which are above the mental level of the students will not make the teaching effective.

 

8.                  Female education:

 

Ghazali ’s ideas about female education are different from modern day. He is only in favor of elementary education for women so that they could play their due role in society. He is not in favour of higher education for females. Rousseau has similar ideas.

 

Ghazali also stresses acquisition of home-related knowledge for women.

 

9.                  Physical education:

 

Ghazali has greatly stressed the physical education for children. He believes in old Greek axiom “ sound mind in sound body”

 

He suggests proper clothing for children so that they could develop and grow properly. He suggests avoid tight and fit clothing.

 

He also stresses the importance of good and simple, diet for good physical growth.

 

In short we can say that the contribution of Ghazali to education, what he said later reflected by western educators. That was actually originated in the times of Ghazali.

 

pillars of education

 Four pillars of education

The ‘Four Pillars of Education’ were originally set out in a report for UNESCO by the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-First Century chaired by Jacques Delors (UNESCO, 1996). These pillars underline the very breadth and depth of UNESCO’s vision of education within and beyond schooling. Education, the report holds, must be organized around four fundamental types of learning throughout a person’s life:

1. Learning to know,
2. Learning to do,
3. Learning to live together, and
4. Learning to be.

Although they can be defined separately, they form an integrated whole and should ideally be present in all pedagogical encounters and the curriculum as a whole (Scatolini, 2010). The Four Pillars are programmatic and can be summed up as follows:

Learning to know: ‘Learning to know’ lays the foundations of learning throughout life. This pillar refers to the basic knowledge that we need to be able to understand our environment and to live in dignity. It is also about arousing curiosity, allowing us to experience the pleasures of research and discovery. It faces us with the challenge of combining a sufficiently broad education with the in-depth investigation of selected subjects. Learning to know implies learning how to learn by developing one’s concentration, memory skills and ability to think.

Learning to do: ‘Learning to do’ refers to the acquisition of practical skills, but also to an aptitude for teamwork and initiative, and a readiness to take risks. As such, this pillar is about the competence of putting what we have learned into practice so as to act creatively on our environment. A variety of situations, often unforeseeable, is bound to arise. Learning to do enables us to turn our knowledge into effective innovations.

Learning to live together: ‘Learning to live together’ is the pillar that the UNESCO Commission emphasizes more than any other. It refers first of all to developing an understanding of others through dialogue leading to empathy, respect, and appreciation. Yet if we are to understand others, we must first know ourselves. ‘Learning to live together’ is also about recognizing our growing interdependence, about experiencing shared purposes, and about implementing common projects and a joint future. Only then will it be possible to manage the inevitable conflicts in a peaceful way.

Learning to be: ‘Learning to be’ is founded on the fundamental principle that education needs to contribute to the all-round development of each individual. This pillar deals with the broadening of care for each aspect of the personality. It deals with giving us the freedom of thought, feeling, and imagination that we need to act more independently, with more insight, more critically, and more responsibly. The end of education is to discover and open the talents which are hidden like a treasure within every person. As a means of personality training, education should be a highly individualized process and at the same time an interactive social experience.

By speaking of learning to know rather than of knowing, UNESCO indicates that this is a never-ending process that is both personal and shared. Education is not only about know-what, but also about know-why, know-how and know-what for. Said otherwise, learners are not called to merely become experts in their field, but also coworkers in knowledge production processes and managers of meaningful, responsible and sustainable development (Burgoyne & Reynolds, 2002)

 

direct method of teaching

 Direct method

The direct method of teaching, sometimes called the natural method. Not limited to but often used in teaching foreign languages, the method refrains from using the learners' native language and uses only the target language. It was established in Germany and France around 1900. Characteristic features of the direct method are:

·         teaching concepts and vocabulary through pantomiming, real-life objects and other visual materials

·         teaching grammar by using an inductive approach (i.e. having learners find out rules through the presentation of adequate linguistic forms in the target language)

·         centrality of spoken language (including a native-like pronunciation)

·         focus on question-answer patterns

Principles

1.    Classroom instructions are conducted exclusively in the target language.

2.    Only everyday vocabulary and sentences are taught during the initial phase; grammar, reading and writing are introduced in intermediate phase.

3.    Oral communication skills are built up in a carefully graded progression organized around question-and-answer exchanges between teachers and students in small, intensive classes.

4.    Grammar is taught inductively.

5.    New teaching points are introduced orally.

6.    Concrete vocabulary is taught through demonstration, objects, and pictures; abstract vocabulary is taught by association of ideas.

7.    Both speech and listening comprehensions are taught.

8.    Correct pronunciation and grammar are emphasized.

9.    Student should be speaking approximately 80% of the time during the lesson.

10. Students are taught from inception to ask questions as well as answer them.

 

Pedagogy

 

The key Aspects of this method are:

I. Introduction of new word, number, alphabet character, sentence or concept (referred to as an Element) :

• SHOW...Point to Visual Aid or Gestures (for verbs), to ensure student clearly understands what is being taught.

• SAY...Teacher verbally introduces Element, with care and enunciation.

• TRY...Student makes various attempts to pronounce new Element.

• MOLD...Teacher corrects student if necessary, pointing to mouth to show proper shaping of lips, tongue and relationship to teeth.

• REPEAT...Student repeats each Element 5-20 times.

 

NOTE: Teacher should be aware of "high frequency words and verbs" and prioritize teaching for this. (i.e. Teach key verbs such as "To Go" and "To Be" before unusual verbs like "To Trim" or "To Sail"; likewise, teach Apple and Orange before Prune and Cranberry.)

II. Syntax, the correct location of new Element in sentence:

• SAY & REPEAT...Teacher states a phrase or sentence to student; Student repeats such 5-20 times.

• ASK & REPLY IN NEGATIVE...Teacher uses Element in negative situations (e.g. "Are you the President of the United States?" or "Are you the teacher?"); Students says "No". If more advanced, may use the negative with "Not".

• INTERROGATIVES Teacher provides intuitive examples using 5 "w"s (Who, What, Where, Why, When) or How". Use random variations to practice.

• PRONOUNS WITH VERBS Using visuals (such as photos or illustrations) or gestures, Teacher covers all pronouns. Use many random variations such as "Is Ana a woman?" or "Are they from France?" to practice.

• USE AND QUESTIONS...Student must choose and utilize the correct Element, as well as posing appropriate questions as Teacher did.

III. Progress, from new Element to new Element (within same lesson):

A. Random Sequencing:

1. After new Element (X) is taught and learned, go to next Element (Y).

2. After next Element (Y) is taught and learned, return to practice with Element (X).

3. After these two are alternated (X-Y; Y-X; Y-Y, etc), go to 3rd Element (Z).

4. Go back to 1 and 2, mix in 3, practice (X-Y-Z; Z-Y-X; Y-Y-Z, etc.) and continue building up to appropriate number of Elements (may be as many as 20 per lesson, depending on student, see B.1), practicing all possible combinations and repeating 5-20 times each combination.

B. Student-Led Limits:

1. Observe student carefully, to know when mental "saturation" point is reached, indicating student should not be taught more Elements until another time.

2. At this point, stop imparting new information, and simply do Review as follows:

C. Review: Keep random, arbitrary sequencing. If appropriate, use visuals, pointing quickly to each. Employ different examples of Element that are easy to understand, changing country/city names, people names, and words student already knows. Keep a list of everything taught, so proper testing may be done.

D. Observation and Notation: Teacher should maintain a student list of words/phrases that are most difficult for that student. List is called "Special Attention List"

IV. Progress, from Lesson to Lesson:

• LESSON REVIEW The first few minutes of each lesson are to review prior lesson(s).

• GLOBAL REVIEW Transition from Lesson Review to a comprehensive review, which should always include items from the Special Attention List.

V. Advanced Concepts:

• Intermediate and Advanced Students may skip some Element introduction as appropriate; become aware of student's language abilities, so they are not frustrated by too much review. If Student immediately shows recognition and knowledge, move to next Element.

• Non-Standard Alphabets: Teaching Student to recognize letters/characters and reading words should employ same steps as in above Aspect I. and alphabet variations may be taught using Aspect III. Writing characters and words should initially be done manually, either on paper or whiteboard.

• Country Accents: Any student at intermediate stages or higher should be made aware of subtle variations in pronunciation, which depend on geography within a country or from country to country. It should be noted that an integral aspect of the Direct Method is varying the setting of teaching; try different scenarios using the same Element. This makes the lessons more "real world," as it will bring some confusing distractions to the student and employ organic variables common in the culture and locale of language use.^[1]

Historical context

The direct method was an answer to the dissatisfaction with the older grammar translation method, which teaches students grammar and vocabulary through direct translations and thus focuses on the written language.

There was an attempt to set up conditions that imitate mother tongue acquisition, which is why the beginnings of these attempts were called the natural method. At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, Sauveur and Franke proposed that language teaching should be undertaken within the target-language system, which was the first stimulus for the rise of the direct method.

The audio-lingual method was developed in an attempt to address some of the perceived weaknesses of the direct method.

 

 

allha and islam

 ALLAH (GOD)

 Allah is an Arabic word.  Allah (God), the one and only God in Islam.  Etymologically, the name Allah is a contraction of the Arabic al-llah, “The God”.   The name’s origin can be traced back to the earliest semitic writings in which the word for God was il or el.  Allah is the standard word for God and is used by Muslims.

Allah is the pivot of the Muslim faith.  Islam holy scripture, the Qur’an, constantly preaches Allah’s reality, his inaccessible mystery, his various names, and his actions on behalf of his creature.  Three themes preponderate:

(1)   Allah is the Creator, Judge and Rewarder;

(2)   He is unique (Wahid) and inherently One (Ahad);

(3)   He is Omnipotent and all Merciful.

Allah is the “Lord of the worlds”, the most high, nothing is like unto him, and this in itself is to the believer a request to adore Allah as the Protector and to glorify his powers of compassion and forgiveness.

Allah is often conceived as the Supreme and principal object of faith. Allah, says the Qur’an,  “loves those who do good, and two passages in the Qur’an express a mutual love between him and humanity.

The Muslims piety has collected, in the Qur’an and in the Hadith (the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad SAW), the 99 “most beautiful names” (al-Asma, al-Husna) of Allah.  These names have become the objects of devoted recitation and meditation.  Among the names of Allah are the One and Only, the Living One, the Subsisting (al-Hayy- ul-Qayyum), the Real Truth (al-Haqq), the sublime (al-Azim), the Wise (al-Hakim), the omnipotent (al-Aziz), the Hearer (al-Sami), the Seer (al-Baseer), the omniscient (al-Aleem), the witness  (al-Shahid), the Trustee (al-Wakil), the Benefactor (al-Rehman), the merciful (al-Rahim), and the constant forgiver (al-Ghafoor, al-Ghaffar).

The most fundamental concept in Islam is Tauheed (meaning “oneness” or “uniqueness”).  God is described in the Qur’an as: “say: He is Allah, the one and only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotton; and there is none like unto him.  In Islam, God is beyond all comprehensions or equal and does not resemble any of his creations in anyway.  Thus Muslims are not iconodules, and are not expected to visualize God. 

At all times there have been free thinkers in Islam, but rare has been the Muslim thinker who has denied the very existence of Allah.  Indeed the profession of faith (Shahadah) by which a person is introduced into the Muslim community consists of the affirmation that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad (SAW) is his Prophet.  For pious Muslims, every action is opened by an invocation of the divine name (Bismillah).  The formula Insha Allah, “if Allah wills”, appears frequently in daily speech.  This formula is the reminder of an ever present divine intervention in the order of the world and the actions of human beings.  Muslims believe that nothing happens and nothing is performed unless it is by the will or commandment of Allah.  The personal attitude of a Muslim believer, therefore, is a complete submission to Allah, “whom one does not question” but whom one knows according to the Qur’an to be a fair judge, at once formidable, benevolent and the supreme help.

The Muslims who have/had weak beliefs, some questions arise in their minds. The Holy Qur’an answers us about these questions.  For example:

Q:        If God created everything, then who created God?

A:         According to Qur’an:  Allah tell us that he is the only Creator and sustainer of all that

exists and that nothing and no one exists alongside Him, nor does He have any partner.  He tells us that he is not created, nor is He like His creation in any way.  He calls Himself by a number of names and three of them are:

 

(a)   The First:  (Al-Awal)

(b)   The Last: (Al-Akhir)

(c)    The Eternal, who is sought after by His creation, while He has no need from them at all. (As-Samad)

 

He always has existed and He never was created, as He is not like his creation, nor similar to it, in any way.

 

Q:        How can you believe in God, when you can’t see, hear, touch, smell, taste or even imagine what He is?

 

A:         We know from the teachings of Muhammad (SAW) that no one has ever actually seen God, at least not in this life time.  Nor are we able to use our senses to make some kind of contact with Him.  However, we are encouraged in Islam to use our senses and our common sense to recognize that all of this Universe could not possibly come into existence on its own.  Something had to design it all and then put it into motions. That is beyond our ability to do, yet it is something that we can understand.  We don’t have to see an artist to recognize a painting, correct.  So, if we see painting without seeing artist’s painting them, in the same way, we can believe that Allah created everything without having to see Him or touch, or hear, etc.,

 

 

Q:        Where is God? 

A:         Some other religions teach that “God is everywhere”.  This is actually called “Pantheism” and it is the opposite of our believe  system in Islam.  Allah tells us  clearly that there is nothing anywhere in the Universe that resembles Him, nor is He ever in His creation.  He tells us in the Qur’an that He created the Universe in six “Yawm” (periods of time) and then He “Astawah, Ala Al-Arsh” (rose up, above His throne).  He is there (above His throne) and will remain there until the end times.

 

Q:        Why did God create everything?

 

A:         Allah says in his Qur’an that He did not create all of this for any foolish purpose. He tells us that He created us or the purpose of worshipping Him, alone and without any partners.

 

Q:        Is God pure, good, loving and fair?  If so, then where does Evil, hatred and injustice come from?

 

A:         Allah tells us that He is pure, loving, and absolutely just in every respect.  He says that He is the best of judges.  He also tells us that the life that we are in is a test.  He has created all the things that exist and He has created all that happens as well.  There is nothing in this existence except what He has created.  He also says in the Qur’an that He created Evil (although He is not evil).  He is using this as one of the many tests for us.   

     

 Q:       Does God really have power of things?  If so, then why does He let people become sick, oppressed and die?

 

A:         Allah has created all that we call the universe as a test for us.  This is not our final destination. What we might consider to be “bad” or “good” could actually be quite the opposite.  As regards oppression, this is something that Allah forbids for Himself to do to anyone and He hates it when any one oppresses someone else.  He does have absolute power over everything.  He allows sickness, disease, death and even oppression so that we can all be tested in what we do.

 

Q:        Can you prove there is a God?

 

A:         Can you prove that you exist? Yes, of course you can.  You merely use your senses to determine that you can see, here, feel, smell, taste and you have emotions as well.  All of this is a part of your existence.  But this is not how we perceive God in Islam.  We can look to the things that He has created and the way that He cares for things and sustains us, to know that there is no doubt of His existence.

            Think about this the next time that you are looking up at the moon or the stars on a clear night, could you drop a drinking glass on the sidewalk and expect that it would hit the ground and on impact it would not shatter, but it would divide up into little small drinking glass, with iced tea in them?  Of course, not.

            Can a fast food restaurant operate itself without any people there?  That is crazy for anyone to even think about.

            After considering all of the above, how could we look to the universe above us through a telescope or observe the molecules in a microscope and then think that all of this came about as a result of a “big bang” or some “accident”.

 

Q:        If there is only one God, then why are there so many religions?

 

A:         Allah does not force anyone to submit to Him.  He has laid out a clear path and then made it known to them the two ways (Heaven or Hell).  The person is always free to make his or her own choice.  There is no compulsion in the way of “Islam”.  Whoever chooses to worship Allah without partners and is devoted to Him and is obeying His commands as much as possible, has grasped the firm hand hold that will never break.  Whoever denies God and chooses some other way to worship or not to believe at all, for them there is an eternal punishment that is most horrible (Hell).

            All religions originated with Allah and then people began to add or take away from the  teachings so as to take control over each other.  Man made religions are an abomination before the Lord and will never be accepted. He will only accept true submission, obedience and in purity and peace to His commandments.

 

Q:        How do you know that the Qur’an is really from God?

 

A:         Muslims have something that offers the most clear proof of all – the Holy Qur’an.  There is no other book like it anywhere on earth.  It is absolutely perfect in the Arabic language.  It has no mistakes in grammar, meanings or contexts.  The scientific evidences are well known around the entire world, even amongst non-Muslims scholars, predictions in the Qur’an have come true;  and its teachings are clearly for all human beings, all places and all times to come.  No one has been able to produce a book like it, nor 10 chapters like it, nor even one chapter like it.  It was memorized by thousands of   people during the life time of Muhammad (SAW), and then this memorization was passed down from teacher to student for generation after generation from mouth to ear and from one nation to another.  Today every single Muslim has memorized some part of the Qur’an in the original Arabic language that it was revealed in over 1400 years ago, even though most of them are not Arabs.  There are nine million (9,000,000) Muslims living on the earth today who have totally memorized the entire Qur’an, word for word, and can recite the entire Qur’an, in Arabic just as Muhammad (SAW), did 14 centuries ago.

 

Q:        Why does Qur’an say “He” when referring to God (Allah) if God is not having Gender?

 

A:         The word “He” is used when referring to Allah out of respect dignity and high status.  It would be totally inappropriate to use the word “it” and would not convey the proper understanding of Allah being who Allah is; alive, compassionate, forgiving, patient, loving, etc.  It is not correct to associate the word “He” with gender, as this would be comparing Allah to the creation, something totally against the teaching of Quran.

 

 What is the Importance of Time Table?

 Second school clock, spark plug and a mirror: Time table is said to be the second clock which indicates all the activities undertaken in a school. It shows the hours of school work, kind of work or subjects, the teachers at work and at rest, the rooms being used in a certain period, recreational time, time of roll call, time of morning assembly, time of drill, games and other co curricular activities and time of interval. The school is the spark plug of the school which sets into motion its various activities and programmes. Time table is a mirror that reflects the entire educational programme followed in the school. It serves the following purposes:

(1) Eliminates Wastage of Time and Energy:

Undoubtedly all planned programmes eliminated wastage of time and energy and it equally true in the case of a school time-table. The work is and by is large,

equitably distributed among the members of the staff. It directs the teachers and students energy and attention to one thing at a time by placing proper persons at their proper place at the proper time and in die proper manner.

(2) Ensures due attention to every Subject or Activity:

The framing the time-table, due attention is given to every subject. Periods are allotted to different subjects according to their importance and their nature.

(3) Develops Moral Values:

It helps to develop Qualities like punctuality and regularity both in the teachers and the taught by placing before them a set programme of activities.

(4) Brings System in the School Life:

It provides work for students and keeps them busy and thereby helps in maintaining discipline. In the absence of any time-table there is found to be chaos and confusion in the school.

(5) Ensures Regular and Even Progress:

Regular and even progress is ensured because time­table prevents laxity and shortages.

(6) Psychological Value:

It has got a psychological value leading to the removal of fatigue which may occur due to prolonged hours of teaching and learning.

(7) It ensures equitable distribution of time to different subjects and activities:

Time-table helps in avoiding the allotment of too much or too less work to any teacher.

(8) Develops Good Habits:

It helps in developing regular habits of work.

(9) Advance Planning by the Teachers and Students:

Time-table helps in chalking out plans in a systematic manner.

Form of a Time-table:

The form of a time-table depends upon the nature of activities carried in a school the more the number and variety of activities, the more type of time-tables. In an ordinary school four forms of time-table i.e. consolidated time-table of the school, class time-table, teacher's vacant period time-table and teacher's time­table will serve the purpose. Time-table for co curricular activities is coming into vague in view of their importance in the field of education. Similarly in school where games are properly organised, the need for games, be stressed. The time-table for home-work is also maintained by sonic schools.

Ideally speaking there should be seven types of time-table:

(1) Master time indicating the entire programme of the school

(2) Class time-table.

(3) Teacher's time-table.

(4) Vacant period time-table.

(5) Games time-table

(6) Co curricular activities time-table.

(7) Home-work time-table.

One copy of the class time-table should be kept in the classroom concerned. A copy of the teacher's time­table should be put in the staff room. One copy of each time-table should be kept in the Head Office, so that he may know at a glance what work a particular class or teacher is doing at a given time.