Article 174: A distinction should be drawn between the empirical sciences such as mathematics on the one hand and the cultural sciences on the other. The empirical sciences and all that is related to them are taught according to the need and are not restricted to any stage of education. As for the cultural sciences, they are taught at the primary and secondary levels according to a specific policy which does not contradict Islamic thoughts and rules. In higher education, these cultural sciences are studied like other sciences provided they do not lead to a departure from the education policy and its goal.
Its evidence is the generality of the evidences which permit learning knowledge, since they encompass all knowledge, and so it is permitted for the Muslim to learn all knowledge. However, learning some knowledge leads to deviation of the beliefs, or weakness in the ‘Aqeedah and so these types of knowledge are forbidden from being taught as long as they result in that, and if they lost that effect then it would be permitted to learn it, applying the principle: “If one type of a permitted thing leads to a harm, only that one is prohibited, and the thing remains permitted”.
Accordingly, the general evidences which permit learning and the Shari’ah principle are the proof for this article.
Since learning what causes a deviation and weakness in the beliefs easily influences children, it is, therefore, prohibited to teach anything of these types of knowledge in the primary and secondary stages of education. As for higher education, then knowledge such as philosophy and anything similar are taught, in order to refute them and show their falsehood, and nothing from these subjects is taught without also teaching its refutation and invalidity alongside it. The noble Quran mentions the ideas and beliefs of others, but they are mentioned in order to explain their invalidity and to reject them. And in the same way, when the educational programme is drafted, these types of subjects are drafted in higher education in order to refute them and explain their falseness.