Muhammad Munir Mursi
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Muhammad Munir Mursi (b. 1352 AH / 1933 CE) was an Egyptian scholar and professor of education, best known for his academic treatise al-Tarbiya al-Islamiya: Usuluha wa-Tatawwuruha fi al-Bilad al-Arabiya (Islamic Education: Its Foundations and Development in Arab Lands).
Early life and education
Muhammad Munir Mursi al-Barri, commonly known as Munir Mursi, was born on September 21, 1933, in Birket al-Sab' in the Menofia Governorate of Egypt. His father was an educator. He received his primary education at al-Ayyat Primary School in the Giza Governorate, completing it in 1947, and earned his secondary certificate (tawjihiyya) from al-Ibrahimiya Secondary School in Garden City, Cairo, in 1952.
Mursi graduated with a licentiate from the Faculty of Dar al-Ulum at Cairo University in 1952. He pursued graduate studies at the Faculty of Education at Ain Shams University, where he earned a General Diploma in Education in 1957, a Special Diploma in Education in 1958, and a Master's degree in Education in 1961. He subsequently completed his doctorate (Ph.D.) in education at the University of London in 1969.
Career and scholarly contribution
Mursi began his professional career as a teacher at al-Nuqrashi Model Preparatory School before working in the adult education and technical research departments within the Egyptian Ministry of Education. Between 1960 and 1962, he was seconded to teach Arabic at Tajikistan University in the Soviet Union. Following his return to Egypt, he published numerous cultural and literary articles in periodicals such as al-Majalla, al-Risala, and al-Thaqafa, receiving encouragement from the writer Yahya Haqqi. During this period, he translated several Russian works on Arab heritage and literature into Arabic, including orientalist studies by Ignatii Kratchkovsky, Theodore Shumovsky's study on the nautical poems of Ahmad ibn Majid, and Anas Khalidov's work on the second epistle of Abu Dulaf.
In his educational writings, Mursi focused on educational philosophy, comparative pedagogy, and the history and principles of Islamic education. His study al-Tarbiya al-Islamiya: Usuluha wa-Tatawwuruha fi al-Bilad al-Arabiya, first published in 1977 and later reissued in revised and expanded editions, examined the foundational principles, historical evolution, and institutional practices of Islamic pedagogy across the Arab world, incorporating pedagogical analyses of classical thinkers such as al-Mawardi, Ibn Miskawayh, Ibn Taymiyyah, and Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. He also authored Falsafat al-Tarbiya: Ittijahatuha wa-Madarisuha (Philosophy of Education: Its Trends and Schools), exploring foundational approaches to educational thought.
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al-Tarbiya al-Islamiya: Usuluha wa-Tatawwuruha fi al-Bilad al-Arabiya (Islamic Education: Its Foundations and Development in Arab Lands) is an academic treatise examining the pedagogical foundations, historical evolution, and key figures of Islamic education from the advent of Islam to modern times.