Mustalah Falsafat al-Tarbiya fi Daw al-Manhaj al-Islami (Dirasa Naqdiyya)
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- Editions
- al-Jāmiʻah al-Islāmīyah bi-al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah
Mustalah Falsafat al-Tarbiya fi Daw al-Manhaj al-Islami (Dirasa Naqdiyya) (The Term "Philosophy of Education" in Light of the Islamic Methodology: A Critical Study) is an educational treatise by Khalid bin Hamid al-Hazimi examining the term "philosophy of education" and critiquing its adoption within contemporary Islamic pedagogical writing .
Purpose and Scope
Al-Hazimi wrote the study to address the influx of foreign terminology introduced into Muslim societies through translation and borrowing from non-Islamic cultures . The author observed that titles combining Islamic terms with philosophy—such as Falsafat al-Tarbiya al-Islamiyya (The Philosophy of Islamic Education)—had become widespread in pedagogical literature, often attempting an uncritical reconciliation between Islamic and Western values . The work seeks to define the conceptual reality of philosophy, clarify its origins, and caution against employing the term "philosophy of education" in Islamic contexts .
The study adheres to a descriptive-analytical method (al-manhaj al-wasfi al-tahlili), analyzing the semantic components and usage of the term without delving into comprehensive expositions of historical or modern philosophical systems .
Structure and Content
The treatise is organized around key thematic sections:
- Introduction and Study Framework (Madkhal al-Dirasa): Sets out the research questions, boundaries, and methodology, noting the historical phases of contact between Islamic and Western societies that led to uncritical borrowing and assimilation .
- Educational Infiltration (al-Ghazw al-Tarbawi): Analyzes the mechanisms through which Western concepts penetrated the Muslim world, identifying foreign missionary schools, cultural media, and the intellectual fascination of Western-educated youth as primary conduits . It highlights psychological factors, such as feelings of inadequacy and an educational split between acknowledging Islamic principles and imitating Western models .
- The Nature of Philosophy (Haqiqat al-Falsafa): Examines the linguistic and conventional definitions of philosophy, tracing its Greek etymology (philosophia, meaning the love of wisdom) . The author notes that whereas Western philosophy relies on unguided rational inquiry operating without religious presuppositions, the Islamic concept of wisdom (hikma) denotes correctness in speech and action grounded in revelation .
- Philosophy from the Perspective of Islamic Methodology (al-Falsafa min Mandhur al-Manhaj al-Islami): Discusses the doctrinal hazards of blending philosophy with Islamic thought, citing historical examples such as Ibn Miskawayh's alignment of the status of the philosopher with that of the prophet . The author reviews contemporary educational works that incorporated the term "philosophy" merely out of imitation—such as works by Majid Irsan al-Kilani and others—arguing that their substantive contents derived from Islamic sources rather than philosophical inquiry . Al-Hazimi also quotes Western critiques of the ambiguity of the phrase, including the remarks of D. J. O'Connor .
Key Conclusions
The work concludes that philosophy is an epistemic methodology based on abstract rationalism aimed at addressing metaphysical questions without scriptural premises, whereas Islamic epistemology begins with faith and certainty grounded in monotheism (tawhid) . It finds that classical and later Muslim scholars opposed the philosophical method and its terminology, and warns that attaching "philosophy" to Islamic educational concepts risks generating confusion and diluting the distinctiveness of Islamic pedagogy .
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