Editorial

Abstract

This issue of Islam and Civilisational Renewal contains six articles:

My own article “Classical and Contemporary Approaches to Education: An Islamic Perspective”, treats the underlying ethico-religious postulates and value structure on which it is founded. I explore Institutional developments and emergence of learning centres in mosque and madrasah, maktab, and jami’ah and address the question whether education is a basic right of every individual Muslim, indeed of all citizens. Other themes addressed are methods of learning that characterise Islamic education, and the 'ulama’ expositions on classification of sciences. Modern developments, encounters with the West and between Islamic rationality and science, as well as some of the responses that have been given to these challenges are explored. The article ends with a review of the international conference of Makkah 1977 and three similar events that followed and their recommendations for an Islamic educational agenda.