Thinking Anew:
Critical Thinking and Islamic Studies
A special read for Islamic Studies teachers who may agree or disagree with this article.
By Faraz Khan
photo: Me & The Butterfly at the Butterfly Conservatory, Niagara Falls, Canada.
Teaching has always been my passion. I have taught elementary, middle, high school and college level classes in two different fields – environmental science and Islamic Studies. I am proud to mention that I learned pedagogy at a Muslim school, Noor-Ul-Iman School in South Brunswick, NJ. I have always felt that the best teachers at the school were not those who taught students how to find an answer but how to think through the problem. Developing critical minds requires discernment as opposed rote learning. I must confess that I feel compelled to write about my experiences in education.
I often come across students who know the world of science based on key words such as global warming, evolution, biodiversity, El Nino, tsunami, etc. They know much about these catch phrases. However, they have never engaged themselves in science. They have never critically thought about the process at work or contributed to a better understanding of facts except simply regurgitating textbook examples. It is easy to tell that when a student has memorized the “answer” and not understood the concept. The student will give you the answer as long as you repeat the same question.
To elaborate, take for example the concept of evolution. Regardless of the fact that one agrees with the concept of evolution or not, no pun intended, many students simply rehearse what is in the text book. They are unable to explain the process of evolution in their own words. Instead of developing reasoning, ‘follow the textbook’ becomes the goal in memorization culture. In the absence of a critical mind, students only hold superficial discussions and feel like a fish out of water when discussing contending theories, weak and strong arguments, and counter criticisms on evolution. Those who are taught to memorize facts cannot look at a situation from different point of views or think on a deeper level. The point of having a critical mind is that it serves as donner des ailes, wings one can fly with. A critical mind can go beyond a literalist interpretation, black and white scenarios, think outside the box, and relate theoretical information with practical guidance.
On the other hand, let us also observe critically the state of Islamic education. Many times a person finds Islamic education curriculum to be a test of an individual’s ability to memorize dua, Quran, hadith, Arabic vocabulary words, stories of the prophets, companions, statements of great scholars and fiqh rulings. We memorize and we regurgitate to receive a good grade. We memorize and impress others with our quotations of the “Quran and Sunna”. Many Islamic Studies teachers follow a khutba model in their classroom. They play the role of a khatib and their students are expected to be patient listeners. It is as though teachers are pitchers full of knowledge and students are empty containers waiting to be filled with “knowledge”. Many Islamic studies intensive classes where “knowledge” is crammed into a few days has produced a model of studies where students sit down like zombies, unable to question the basics meanwhile an entire introductory book on fiqh, hadith, tafsir, etc. is lectured to them and then they earn their certification – they become certified listeners. Discussions and debate are not part of the curriculum because there is not enough time for discussions and many consider them to be a waste of time… continue to the next POST..
