Many people today seem to say that Muslims are Enemies of Education with the argument that Islam or Islamic states forbid seeking knowledge, so the question is how can a religion started with the word “IQRA”(read) be an Enemy of Education?
In fact, Hazrat Muhammad SAW says “acquire knowledge even if you have to go to China” In another place, he said, “Get knowledge from mother’s lap to the grave.”
It has also been said that it is the duty of Muslim men and women to acquire knowledge. And history has witnessed that Muslims have been at the forefront of education efforts.
Let us now tell those who will ask what Muslims have done for education?
There are currently more than 28092 universities globally, but one university has the honor of being the first and oldest university in the world. According to UNESCO records, that university has not been closed for a single day in the last 1,200 years.
The university is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the first university in World. That university also launched the world’s first academic degree. The Jamia Masjid of the university could accommodate 22,000 people often prayer at a time.
People from all over the world, regardless of race or religion, came to study at this university. Popular Muslim and non-Muslim scholars including Allama Ibn Khaldun, Lesuddin Al-Khatib, Muhammad Idrisi, were graduated from the same university.
Do you know the name of this university and who built it when and where? The name of this university is ‘Jamia Al-Qurayin’, it is situated in the city of Fas in Morocco.
The university was founded in 245 AH by Fatima bint Muhammad Al-Fihriyya, the daughter of a Muslim nobleman. She invested her own money in building it. It took 18 years to build the university, during which time Fatima was constantly fasting. The sister of Fatima had built a mosque adjacent to the university at her own expense. University and mosque are beautiful masterpieces of Muslim architecture
In short, the first university in the world was built by us Muslims, rather built by Muslim women. Yet Muslims are accused of being the enemy of education. Western-influenced and Dessi Liberals asked in crooked English that what scholarly service Muslims have rendered to humanity.
