Article 171: The education policy is to form the Islamic mentality and disposition. Therefore, all subjects in the curriculum must be chosen on this basis.
Article 172: The goal of education is to produce the Islamic personality and to increase peoples’ knowledge connected with life’s affairs. Teaching methods are established to achieve this goal; any method that leads to other than this goal is prevented.
The reality of these two articles is that the meaning of the educational policy is the principle, or principles, upon which information is given. As for the goal of the education, this is the objective which the provision of that information is aiming for. So the education policy is the basis which is built upon and the goal of education is the intention which is intended by establishing it.
Therefore, the education policy is connected to the subjects taught, and the goal of the education is connected to the methods of teaching. And the reality of man is that he comprehends things and actions, and so makes a judgement about them, and comprehends things and actions and so inclines towards them, and there is nothing which is outside of these two issues. The reality of information is that it is either information which develops the mentality in order to judge upon actions and things, and information about those actual actions and things in order to utilise them, and there is nothing which is outside of these two issues. Islam made the Islamic ‘Aqeedah the basis for the Muslim’s life, and the basis for his thoughts, and in the same manner the basis for his inclinations. The verses of the Quran, and the narrations of the Prophetwhich provoke thought, such as His (swt) words:
((وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ))
“And give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth.” (TMQ 3:191), and the words of the Messenger:
«تَفَكُّرْ سَاعَةٍ خَيْرٌ مِنْ عِبَادَةِ سَنَةٍ»
“Contemplation for an hour is better than a year of worship” (reported by Al-Qurtubi in his Tafsir), are only because they provoke him to believe in Allah (swt). The verses and narrations which mention inclinations, such as His (swt) words:
((قُلْ إِنْ كَانَ آَبَاؤُكُمْ)) [التوبة 24] إلى قوله: ((أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ))
“Say, [O Muhammad], "If your fathers"” until His (swt) words: “Are dearer to you than Allah, or His Messenger.” (TMQ 9:24), and the Messenger’s words:
«لاَ يُؤْمِنُ أَحَدُكُمْ حَتَّى أَكُونَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ وَالِدِهِ وَوَلَدِهِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ»
“None of you is a believer till I am dearer to him than his father, his child, and the whole of mankind.” (agreed upon from the narration of Anas), are only mentioned as inclinations restricted by the Islamic ‘Aqeedah. Therefore, it is imperative that the judgement of a Muslim upon actions and things is built upon the basis of the Islamic ‘Aqeedah, and in the same manner it is imperative that his inclinations towards actions and things are built upon the ‘Aqeedah.
When it is the information which forms his mentality, from the angle of the judgement upon things, and forms his disposition from the angle of the inclinations towards things, accordingly it is imperative that all of this information is built upon the Islamic ‘Aqeedah, irrespective of whether it is information to develop the mentality, or information which is adopted in order to utilise actions and things. In other words, it is imperative that the information which forms the mentality of the Muslim be built upon the Islamic ‘Aqeedah, and in the same manner it is imperative that the information which forms his disposition is built upon the ‘Aqeedah. And upon this basis, it is imperative that the education policy forms the Islamic mentality and disposition. The education policy has been deduced from the reality of information from its aspect of being information, and from the collection of verses connected to thought and inclinations, and linking them to the reality of information, and Article 171 was drafted upon this basis.
Article 172 has been taken from the action of the Messenger in histeaching of the Muslims, irrespective of whether that was in Makkah before the emigration, or in Madinah afterwards, since he intended from teaching them that each one of them becomes an Islamic personality in his mentality and disposition - in other words, in their judgement upon actions and things and their inclinations towards them. So on top of teaching them the rules which treated their life’s issues, he used to teach them the noble values, such as how to seek the Pleasure of Allah (swt), such as honour and such as how to carry the responsibility of spreading the guidance to mankind, and guiding them to Islam, with an influential method, and productive styles. Allah (swt) said:
((ادْعُ إِلَى سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ وَجَادِلْهُمْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ))
“Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best.” (TMQ 16:125), and he used to make them memorise the Quran, and teach them the rules of Islam and enjoin them to follow the orders and avoid the prohibitions, and alongside that he would permit them to learn what they required for their livelihood, from trade and agriculture and industry. And so these actions of the Messenger were what formed the Islamic personality, and these are the evidences for this article.