(4) Educational Axiology
4-1. Religious and Intellectual Education
Khajeh Naseer Tusi has considered a very firm and deep relation between religion and philosophy, and has also considered the task of these two as compatible and coordinated. He has introduced religion as the helper of intellect and as the first educator, and wisdom and philosophy as the second educator for human beings. He has combined the doctrines and teachings of these two with each other, and recommends that it is up to parents to lead their children to religion, because it is religion that can lead humans to wisdom, justice, bravery and chastity, and makes them moderate away from extremes. Thus, parents and educators should first teach the Qur'an and religious traditions and obligations to children, and direct them to follow the religious commandments. When children finish their childhood period, they should be invited to learn wisdom so that they may follow what they have learned in the beginning through imitation, based upon reason, and try to appeal to moderation, and govern justice in their lives, although achieving justice seems very difficult in every field. Humans can only attain real happiness when they control and direct their lust, anger, and desires, make their intellectconsistent with the orders of religion, and make their will power in harmony with God's will.
Khajeh Naseer Tusi recommends to three facts to guarantee the implementation of religious commandments: 1) encouragement and punishment: Parents and educators can make children and adolescents interested in religious affairs through praise, compliment and acknowledgment in the presence of others, and through becoming attached to them. 2) Good mentioning of the pious: children accept models; therefore, if the pious ones are praised before them, sinners and the mischievous are blamed, and the badness of sin is well portrayed for them, they will undoubtedly tend to good models, appeal to piety and avoid sins. 3) Endurance: Patience and endurance are necessary to get to the divine straight path, and one cannot achieve perfection and elevation without them. Worship is of the important religious education factors, and is divided into three kinds: 1) inner worships: these are concerned with one's heart, such as beliefs, and thoughts 2) organ's worships: these are concerned with the body, such as prayer, fasting, and hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca), 3) social worships: these are manifest in social contacts, such as observing justice, equity, benevolence and prodigality. Prayer is the factor of humble submissiveness and adoration before God, and causes a decrease in the faculty of anger, and make one avoid superciliousness and megalomania. Fasting leads to patience, endurance, self-restraint and control of instincts. The Hajj is an emigration towards God and it causes nearness to Him (Beheshti, Abuja'afari & Faqihi, 2000). From the viewpoint of
Khajch Naseer Tusi, one whose knowledge and action are right and correct can be called wise (Tusi, 1981).
Avicenna emphasizes moral education and deems religious education necessary for moral education. He means by moral education upbringing of chaste women and men who have a strong will power, love virtues and consider God's satisfaction and contentment in their deeds (Sheari Nejed, 1998).
Moulavi confirms the knowledge of those ones who are not superficial in science and attain "Certainty by sense-perception" and higher ranks of knowledge (Ja'fari, 1994, vol.2, p.616). He complains of an imitational science in which a learner does not apply his or her intellect, and does not understand anything through thinking and reflection, and only rely on suspicion (2000, p.357). Therefore, those, who are satisfied only with their senses in cognition, such knowledge will be an obstacle for them, and will debar them from all kinds of perfection (Ja'fari, 1994, vol. 11,p.375).
Imam Ali introduces the real science as the root of every goodness (Ghorar-al-Hekam). Moulavi introduces "ignorance" as "disbelief' and knowledge as a factor which removes such disbelief (Ja'fari, 1994, vol. 7, p.156). He also believes that knowledge has a particular shininess. Therefore, it can he said that those persons without knowledge are in darkness and without effectiveness (Moulavi, 2000). Therefore, Moulavi believes that it is knowledge that causes piety to be effective and fruitful (Ja'fari, 1994, vol. 14, p.50).
Moulavi emphasizes informal education, in addition to formal education. According to Moulavi, the skies and the earth speak with the one who understands, but everyone comprehends the wise words of the universe according to his spiritual ability. Also, life can teach the highest lessons to humans provided that they take lessons (Rumi, 2000, pp. 15, 19-20, 71).
Moulavi believes that all teachers should really pay attention to the individual differences of their students, and speak to them according to their merits and powers of understanding.
Not every person does deserve receiving wisdom and higher ranks of knowledge and insight (Rumi, 2000, pp. 50-51, 19-20, 34). The prophet of Islam said that God's prophets have been ordered to speak with people in accordance to the level of their understanding and intellect (Al- Hakimi, 1991, P. 167).
According to Moulavi, it is up to all people and students to reinforce the power of thinking and reflection in themselves so that they may understand the real and hidden aspect of every fact and achieve to very comprehensive and deep meanings of every thing (Rumi, 2000, pp. 8,20,38, 40, 49, 53, 60).
Moulavi is of the opinion that speeches, deeds and characteristics of teachers and educators can actually affect students (Rumi, 2000, p. 21).
Moulavi believes that man has naturally the best aptitudes. Thus, the main role of educators is to realize and actualize these potential aptitudes in the pupils, and not to create new aptitudes in them (Rumi, 2000, p.22).
According to Moulavi, motivation, interest and enthusiasm in seeking and acquisition of science and knowledge can be very effective factors in the success of individuals. If one wants to attain comprehension of truth, it is quite necessary to make his thought free from all carnal desires and all worldly goals, which are against the divine aims (Rumi, 2000, P.4). The Qur'an confirms this fact that: "0 you who believe! Be careful of (your duty to) God and believe in His Apostle: He will give you two portions of His mercy, and make for you a light with which you walk and forgive you" (Hadid (57): 28).
It is in the light of real knowledge that man achieves a status in which he can see the being or the universe as it is. That is the reason why Moulavi repeats this pray of the prophet of Islam: "O God, show us the things as they are. It is in the light of the real possessors of such knowledge that all the world lightens, and all human beings are guided by them (Rumi, 2000. p.2).
If man wishes to understand the truth, it is quite necessary to purify his thought from all sorts of temptations, and those intents and objectives which are not Divine and godlike. Moulavi asks God to show him the entire universe as it is and not to be strayed. Worldly belongings that appear very beautiful and attractive for some superficial people are in fact objects that those who have not understood their reality fall in love with and never identify their worthlessness. From the viewpoint of Moulavi, "knowledge and sciences" can both "guide" or "make man to go astray."
Knowledge can guide man to the straight path if he is freed from the shackles of materialism and temptations. Moulavi emphasizes that if man can overcome lusts and carnal desires, even for a moment, in this case, all the knowledge of the prophets will become clear for him. However, those, who are pawns of selfishness and egoism and have not been delivered from passing fancies and urges, cannot possess useful knowledge for themselves or others. That is because worldliness and profanity make blind the man's intellectual eye and separate him from the real knowledge. Moulavi even believes that teaching the bad-natured persons is like giving a sword to a thief. That is the reason why Moulana says that giving the sword to a dead and blind drunk is better than the base and abject to have knowledge. Knowledge, wealth, and status will create havoc, turbulence, and disturbance for the bad-natured.
For the man who possesses intellect that has reached insight and intuition and has "knowledge and action"-that is, he thinks well and is driven to do deserving deeds-others will assuredly have humility and humbleness before such an intellect.
Moulavi speaks of "the pleasure of knowledge and Devine action". He deems sufficient the Devine acceptance for his own "knowledge" and "action," and he also expresses his repugnance toward all things save this. Nevertheless, Moulavi does not agree with those sciences and actions that have no spiritual effect, and spring from blind imitations and repetitions. He asks God that he would be freed from such
sciences and actions before his death. From the viewpoint of Moulana, the real knowledge tries to reach the "Certitude" and "Certitude" tries to see "the Beloved." Moulavi believes that such love cannot be found in the pages of usual books, because this real love comes from pure hearts and souls that are freed from the shackles of egotism and have therefore come to a position where they can see and understand the truth as it is. Moulavi introduces the "love" as a real school that the teacher of which is God and all men are the students. The knowledge received in such a school is "infinite" because "the Beloved," that is the Lord of the worlds is "infinite." That is the reason why Moulana orders man to acquire the knowledge that is not limited to "signs and marks."
Moulana believes that one can be delivered from usual schools, pages, and repetition. The seekers of truth do not become tired of such inborn and instinctive knowledge. The sciences that are found in the usual schools are something different from "love". Thus, a man who appeals to the Divine love is as if he has obtained all the real sciences and it is not necessary for him to have any other distinctions and sciences. Because when the knowledge is blended in man's heart and soul, it really helps and saves him.
Moulavi uses the words "spirit", "knowledge", and "love" with each other, and believes that the real life is in the light of such knowledge ingrained with love, which pervades the man's body, and the body receives the spirit and life. It is in the light of "love" that man's intellect changes into pure gold and finds its true value. Thus, Moulana requests insistently from the
superficial jurisprudents to seek the "knowledge of love" and learn and teach it, because this knowledge can save man in this world and in the Hereafter. Therefore, the enlightened know the knowledge of reaching God through their hearts.
According to "Abu Ali Varaq", whosoever considers a saying from knowledge without sufficient piety becomes an offender. Hafez orders such persons :
"0 ye, the unaware and ignorant! Try to become aware and knowing".
It means that Hafez asks those persons to remove all lusts which are obstacles of receiving the real heartfelt things and cleanse the rust of sins from their hearts so that they may change to true learned and real scholars and enlightened wise men. That is because there would be nothing hidden to to a man who does this and loves God. According to the Holy Qur'an :
"0 believers, if you fear God. He will assign you a salvation, and acquit you of your evil deeds, and forgive you; and God is a bounty abounding" (Anfal (8): 29).
In this stage, it is possible for man to require the insight, wisdom, and knowledge along with a real love, and in such a period, he can be the leader of others because according to Hafez :
"The way of love, is a way which it is impossible for one to guide others to until he himself become a true lover inwardly and heartily" :
"As long as thou art not a true follower, then how may it be possible for thee to become a true leader?"
A school that nurtures such pupils and students is the school of mysticism (Gnosticism) and love :
"In the school of truth, before the love belletrist 0 ye the son! Try to become a father someday."
The necessity of accompanying "love" and "intellect" and avoidance of absolute rationalism is emphasized by Hafez.
Evidently, Hafez does not disagree with all sciences; rather, he confirms the knowledge which leads to the spirituality, truth. and God, but "his critical nature and alerting mind often oppose the pedantries and pretentiousness of the superficial learned men of his time" (Khorramshahi, 1993, Vol. 2, p. 991).
Hafez worries that the joy of life and fervency of love are not found in the lives of most people, and that thought of piety, guidance, and cure or remedy of the hearts among men are not seen in the society. Thus, he is waiting for a state and time when the enlightened recluse, by enlightening the bright sun of truth, to bestow upon the dark and sunless life of men a real verve and vigor :
"I see no verve in anyone nor any thought of heart's cure and piety. The inner self became dark; may God want that from the unseen a recluse would enlighten a light, Hafez attends not in lessons and seclusion, nor the learned have an absolute knowledge."
Therefore, it can be deduced that "Hafez's criticism of science, knowledge, book, lesson, piety, learning, and college is not because he himself is not a learned man or a scholar; for it is quite evident that Hafez had learned well the prevalent sciences of his day and was a wise man and an eloquent and literary master, and he knew the art of religious argumentation and theosophy, and he had a high status in the field of the Qur'anic sciences.
Hafez's criticism of knowledge and science is at least due to two reasons; first, disagreement with rational sciences and philosophy in the forth and fifth centuries in the Muslim world, which Gazzali is its leader and the Sufis, such as lbn Jauzi and lbn Teymiyyeh, its followers; second, disagreement with pedantries of the superficial scientists and the avaricious hypocrites and sanctimonious ones during the time of Hafez (Khorramshahi, 1993, Vol. 2, p. 991).
Such learning, science and intellect are obstacles of attaining a true insight and knowledge, because it is possible for man to require this insight and knowledge when he is freed from the shackles of materialism, egoism, ambitiousness, and pretentiousness :
"As long as (in thyself) the wisdom of excellence thou seest (and of that wisdom art proud), thou sittest void of divine knowledge; to thee, one word I say: Thyself, behold not, so that (in safety) thou mayst escape."
Hafez has criticized "intellect" in some of his poems, but "his purpose is not to dispraise the innate intellect, but he wants
to confront giving extremist validity to intellect, and oppose putting it against intuition, spiritual insight, mysticism, and love" (author, year, page). The college, which is the promoter and disseminator of such intellect and knowledge, is in contrast and conflict with love, intuition, and insight. It is not confirmed by Hafez, even it is very dreary and gloomy for him :
"Now, weariness of the (useless) disputation of the (outward) college, hath my heart taken :
Once, awhile (only) the service of the beloved (the perfect murshid) and of wine (of love) I will do."
"Seek the book of verse (truths and subtleties) and make way to the desert (choose solitude) ('Tis the time of justice.) What time is this for the college, and the argument of the Kashf-i-Kashshaf?
"Yesterday, the Head of the college was intoxicated. and he gave decision, Saying: "Wine is unlawful, but (is) better than the property of legacies (obtained by fraud)."
In the two above poems, Hafez mentions "Kasf-I- Kashshaf, on the subject matters, administering the school(s) of endowments and "he names the formal college and book tauntingly and bitterly" (Khorramshahi, 1993, Vol. 1, p. 275).
Hafez addresses, with much emphasis, the unaware persons and wants them to become aware of the facts of the universe (1997, p.554), because if they do not change themselves, they will die of egoism (ibid). Hafez considers egoism as the worst veil and obstacle in the way of achieving elevation, knowledge
and submission to God. The great wish of Hafez is the purification of all humans from what is had (Eslami Nadushan, 1995, p.19). Therefore, Hafez does not confirm a school in which controversies, arguments and discussions do not lead to the truth, but cause pedantry and hypocrisy (1997, p.433). Hafez believes that carnal desires and worldliness are the greatest obstacles of attainment for sacred goals.
According to Hafez, the seeing and comprehension of truth determines the worth of every person (1997, p.370). However, Hafez speaks of the conceit of science and the science without action (which proves that science) and complains of them (ibid, p.521 and p.122).
Hafez introduced elevation and perfection obtained through submission to God and His worship. Undoubtedly, those who can achieve such a station have known and recognized God. Therefore, the goal of education can be the acquisition of knowledge and the acquisition of love and nearness to God.
Sa'di considers the forsaking of carnal desires as the cause of acquisition of real knowledge (1995, p.947). That is the reason why he emphasizes that truth should be searched for in those ones who have succeeded to forsake their carnal desires (ibid, p.796). Also. Sa'di introduces a superficial scholar whose action does not prove his or her knowledge, as those individuals who suffer in vain and make effort in vain (Alavi. 2002, p.186). Sa'di believes that committing crimes and sins is much more objectionable from scholars as compared with others (ibid). Even, Sa'di introduces knowledge as the factor of nurturing religiosity (ibid, p.214).
Sa'di believes that a man is lucky and prosperous if he provides a provision from knowledge for himself (1996). Sa'di introduces science and knowledge as the heritage of God's prophets (Alavi, 2002, P.180).
Sa'di introduces the wise persons as the pure gold that everywhere they go, all people do know their values, while the ignorant are like counterfeit jewelry that are alone and outsider in their own home (ibid, p.180).
Sa'di strongly emphasizes that "knowledge" is the factor of nurturing "religiosity" in humans (Alavi, 2002, p.214). Thus, he puts emphasis on this fact that people are not to waste their valuable times learning superficial sciences, and to appeal to those sciences which lead them to perfection (Sa'di, 1374, p.847).
Sa'di considers humanity, magnanimity and courtesy as the knowledge, or the essence of knowledge. Thus, from his viewpoint, if a human being lacks such characteristics, he is only apparently human, and will be inwardly as an animal (ibid, p.974).
Sa'di has a comprehensive view of education. He considers all kinds of education as complementary of each other. According to Beheshti, Faqihi and Abuja'fari (2001), kinds of education from the viewpoint of Sa'di can be classified as follows :
1. Intellectual Education
Sa'di considers intellect as the great gift of God. He believes that if intellect governs man's existence and being, then the carnal soul will have no power to fight with intellect, and man will be able to reach perfection. It is in this way that man speaks thoughtfully, avoids pretentiousness, takes lessons from every happening, swallows his anger, quells his lust, and is not avaricious. Sa'di believed that the soul's purification and deliverance from the captivity of gluttony and lust is the first step in intellectual education. He considered talkativeness, speaking unpretentiously when it is necessary to speak, and speaking when an event does not deserve speech as the characteristics of ignorant people.
2. Religious Education
Sa'di frequently speaks in Gulistan and Bustan of God, His greatness, mercy, forgiveness, kindness, creation manifestations, and of the hereafter and resurrection day. He invites people to religion and religious education. He has considers religion and faith as the basis of a man's life, and he even considers knowledge as the means of nurturing of religiosity. He emphasizes knowledge and good deeds in religious education, and recognizes the religious knowledge as the means of bringing man to his spiritual purpose. He says that good deeds are the result of that religious knowledge. Sa'di places emphasis on three points in religious education :
1) God's remembrance, 2) lamentation and supplication for morality, 3) thinking of the hereafter,.
3. Mystical Education
Sa'di was aware of mystical thoughts, and he frequently spoke in his works of mystical education, deep emotion, exaltation, love, self-sacrifice, approaching God, welcoming hardships for the sake of God, and annihilation in divine essence. He has allocated the third part of Gulistan to love, deep emotion and exaltation and says that it is up to the mystic seeker to start the journey toward the infinite region of cognition and mysticism by self-refinement and overcoming the carnal soul, until he gradually reaches a place where there is no trace of his own name and remembrance.
4. Moral Education
Sa'di frequently speaks of moral virtues and high human values such as forgiveness, chivalrousness, sympathy. compassion, justice, magnanimity, goodness, righteousness, and contentment. In Gulistan and Bustan, he has allocated many chapters of these two books to moral education. He considers himself an educator of morality and as an admonisher. Sa'di's art is in his ability to express skillfully and artistically the moral virtues and admonishments using beautiful, eloquent, fluent, and rhythmical statements in order that the reader may accept them and may not become tired of them. Sa'di has particularly emphasized moral education, and has introduced moral education and acquisition of good morality as the purpose of the mission of the prophet of Islam
and the aim of the Qur'an's revelation. He considers badtemperedness and moral degeneration as factors that will cause man to fall into a burning Hell and eternal punishment. Sa'di believes that moral education is very difficult and requires much time. He emphasizes two fundamental points in moral education. Sa'di is of the opinion that moral education should begin in childhood, because if a bad habit is positioned in a man's nature or soul, it cannot be easily omitted. Secondly, Sa'di believes that the success of moral education is dependent upon a good educator who has virtue and knowledge, does good deeds, has right speech, and has educated his own soul before educating others.
Motahhari (1997) takes puts emphasis on intellectual development and reasoning in students so that they may achieve a position that they may be able to identify and differentiate goodness from badness and have a critical thinking.
Intellect in itself is not sufficient; rather it is necessary that knowledge and science to be added to it, so that it may be cultivated. It is also necessary that we make free our intellects from the indoctrinations of the environmental norms and habits, and try not to follow the majority if we see that they go astray. In other words, we should have a scientific spirit (Motahhari, 1997).
He introduces man's intentions as the spirit of worship. Those worships can be accepted by God and are effective for humans which their doers have a good intention for the sake of
Motahhari (1996) considers self-esteem as the center of the Islamic ethics. He emphasizes this Islamic tradition that whosoever knows oneself will surely know one's God. He also says that it is up to all of us to know ourselves in order that we may discover how to be and how to behave.
Qorbani (2005) introduces the properties and characteristics of the Universal Perfect Man from the viewpoint of Motahhari as follows :
- Faith and belief in God
- Moderation and harmony between values and aptitudes
- Being of service to God's creatures
- Freedom, so that one does not put up with any compulsion, not to be slave of any power, and to select all (good) things freely
- Having a spiritual suffering because of the lack of harmony with this world; man has to struggle for eternality and get attached to the Supreme Deity.
Motahhari believes that one of the reasons for the lack of success in the refinement of the soul is that moral education among us has been reduced to instruction and teaching, not in the form of constructiveness and treatment (EFALB. 2007).
Motahhari (1991) believes the cognition, which is obtained through man's senses, is called "superficial" cognition but the kind of cognition obtained through "intellect or reason" is "deep cognition". Sense and imagination are considered as
preparing factors for intellect to make conceptual form which is proportionate to the intellectual or reasoning faculty.
According to Tabatabaee (1987), speculation and reflection on man's status and paying attention to the Qur'anic verses indicate that human theoretical sciences (the knowledge of properties of things) spring from senses which intellectual knowledge follows. As for practical sciences, which are concerned with piety, impiety, corruption and righteousness of affairs, these sciences are obtained through divine inspiration which have been placed in man's heart and nature. The third kind of knowledge that roots from divine inspiration can be effective whenever the second kind of knowledge is competent and it grows correctly as intellect can be effective when man is stable in his natural piety and religion. God says in the Qur'an: "And none do mind except those having understanding" (Aal Emran (3): 7). The Qur'anic statements both in extending religious sciences and teaching useful sciences to people, regarding the details which possess sensory properties, uses such wording as the following which refer to man's senses: Did you not see?, do you not see?, did you see? ...etc. As for the intellectual generalities which are related to material and immaterial general facts, even out of matters and sensory things of environment, the Qur'an does introduce "intellect" as a reliable source and it uses such sentences as: "for the people who reflect and rationalize, the people who think or reflect, the people who remember or remind themselves of their actions, the people who comprehend" ... etc.
In practical propositions which concern good and evil, profit and loss in piety and ugliness, the Qur'an refers to divine inspiration and mentions those things that man can understand through his inner inspiration and uses statements as "this is better for you", "his heart is verily sinful"...etc.
Tabatabaee (1987) refers to this fact that despite more than three hundred verses in the Qur'an, which invite people to thinking, reminding, and reasoning, or teach the prophet of Islam an argument for proving a truth or wiping out any vanity, there is not even one verse in the Qur'an where God orders His bondmen to believe unknowingly or do anything else that God has ordained and go in a way blindly.
The world is just like a book written by an aware and informed author, that each sentence and chapter of which consists of some meanings, subjects and purposes. A discipline appHed in words and sentences is of particular precision, and it indicates a special aim. Every one can somewhat read the sentences of the creation book, understand some meanings from them, and find out the purpose of the author of this great book. Every one can comprehend clearly the wise systems, signs, and symbols of prudence in the reaction of the world. Thus, the Qur'an invites and leads all human beings to study the creation and the structure of creatures in order that they may recognize and know God. This fact has also been much emphasized in the speeches of the infallible Imams (Tabatabaee; Footnote by Motahhari, undated).
Tabatabaee (1990), in the interpretation of this verse, "Certainly We sent our apostles with clear arguments, and sent
down with them the Book and the balance that men may conduct themselves with equity" (Hadid (57): 25), says that the Qur'an explains the meaning of the divine legislations of the religion through sending the messengers and divine scriptures and balance. He adds that the purpose of all of these things is that people may become accustomed to justice.
Tabatabaee (1990) in the nineteenth volume of al-Mizan Interpretation when interpreting this Verse: "He is who raised among the illiterates an Apostle from among themselves, who recites to them His communications and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and the wisdom, although they were before certainly in clear error" (Jom'eh (62):2), states that the word "purification" means pure growth, growth which is accompanied by blessing divine grace. Therefore, the reason why the Qur'an says that the prophet purifies people is that he makes their morality virtuous and their deeds rightful. As a result, they reach perfection in their humanity, their statuses become good in the world and in the hereafter, and they live prosperously and die prosperously.
