Religion and School

Religion is taught as a scientific subject in schools. Their doorways display verses from the Qur’an, sayings of the prophet, articles of faith, and devotions as a matter of course. Pupils memorise these and are tested on them, then they are forgotten, just as others have forgotten what they learned about those subjects which are outside the sphere of their specialisation. Pupils absorb very little of these writings as they stumble between the stylistic eloquence and exact meaning of the words – they endure it because they have to.

Religion is neither a science nor a branch of knowledge; rather, it is a spiritual teaching whose essence becomes manifest through social intercourse, behaviour, and vision. it is often the case that a student who possesses outstanding intelligence will also possess a bad character; he will achieve the highest grade in religion and the baseness of his character may be dismissed! Thus, the student emerges believing that there is no connection between religion and daily living, and how to act in accordance with it.

Because of this, I propose that religious lessons should provide spiritual education. They should provide guidance and be given in an atmosphere of affection and love. Such an approach would mark a significant departure away from the toils of memorising and reciting, along with the fear of lapsing. The idea here is that religion is not something to be memorised, but that it pertains to one’s conduct and behaviour, which are the foundations of human decency.

Furthermore, I view the biography of Prophet Muhammad as being the first pillar of this education insofar as it provides a sublime example of living, conduct, and vision. The biography of Muhammad should be taught to pupils in their first year of primary school through to their second year in high school. When they enter into their first year they would be exposed to a shortened, simplified version; subsequently, with each year, this would gradually become more advanced and incorporate greater detail, with verses from the Qur’an being incorporated according to the need and the level of the pupils. Verses pertaining to salat would be introduced at a specified age,1 as well as those pertaining to the fast during Ramadan. There would be a focus on verses dealing with humanitarian values, morals and goals. furthermore, the pupils could be assessed in these lessons in light of their behaviour toward their peers, how they interact with their teachers, their attitude toward learning, their opinions with regard to racial and social justice, as well as religious tolerance – there should be no bigotry – and according to their sense of national unity.