Integrated Islamic Education Curriculum; An Imperative for Educational Revival in Northern Nigeria.2

Integrated Islamic curriculum; An Imperative for Educational Revival in Northern
Nigeria
By
YUNUSA BELLO
B.Sc, PGDM, MBA
Independent Researcher: Islamic Education, Management and Economic
Development
ybello902@gmail.com
+2348053158402
Oct, 2014.

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Integrated Islamic Education; an Imperative for Educational Revival in Northern
Nigeria
By
Bello Yunusa
(B.sc, PGDM, MBA)
Independent Researcher; Islamic Education, Management, & Economic Development
ybello902@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
For more than five decades, the North has suffered from slow educational progress as well
as the expected rate of economic development. Despite huge resources, avalanche of
educational policies, intellectual conferences, seminars, and workshops, the problem of
educational backwardness of the North as so far defiled secular solutions. Indeed, instead
of solving the problem it as only succeeded in aggravating it; thus, increased the
educational and development gab between the North and the south. This paper intends to
critically analyze the root causes of the problem by exposing the hidden core believe of
secular doctrine that makes it unacceptable to the majority of Muslim population at the
grass root; critically review the effect and consequences of long time neglect of traditional
Islamic educational system by the state despite the fact that it enrolls over 70% of school
age children. Present strategic options for reviving and revitalizing Islamic education in the
form of Integrated Islamic Education and curriculum as encapsulated in the Islamic’
epistemology of knowledge and envisioned in the concept of Tauwhidic Islamic worldview.
The discourse postulates that Northern Ummah and other Muslim Ummah elsewhere in the
world for that matter cannot achieve optimal education under the current Worldview of
secular epistemology.

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Chapter One
1.0 Introduction
The problem of backwardness in secular educational development of Muslim Ummah is not
unique to Northern Nigerian Ummah, as similar conditions are prevails in all developing
countries where Muslim Ummah are either in the majority like Pakistan, Malaysia,
Indonesia, Egypt and Bangladesh to mention a few, or the largest minority as in the case of
India. It is a statistical fact that Muslim Ummah in the North constitutes a significant
number of the Worldwide Muslim population. Northern Nigeria has the largest population
of (65%) of the total population of Nigeria, majority of who are Muslims and occupies the
10th position in terms of population ranking out of fifty Muslim countries in the world. With
such a significant number and ranking it would be erroneous to treat the educational
backwardness of Northern Muslims in isolation without recourse to possible solutions
from Muslim Ummah in other parts of the world, when they share similar believe, religious
history and devastating colonial experiences, that “kick stopped” not only their history but
also their booming civilization. It is in this connection that this paper wonders why our
intellectuals, especially Northern Muslim intellectuals and policy makers failed to see the
linkage and explore it with a view to share from their post colonial experiences, especially
with regard to educational and economic revivals that has taken place in those countries in
line with their Islamic believes and values. A thought in this direction would have safe time
and scares resources that were being wasted for more than fifty years. Even though the
secular nature of the country’s type of governance might seems to be a constrain, the
federal nature of constituent parts allows and promotes each part to develop
independently along its chosen path. However, the desire for political hegemony, control of

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the centre and resources seem to be overriding factor among the political class and the
intellectuals. It is however an historical fact that these has not and cannot translate to
educational and economic development for the North. A new vision and strategy is
therefore required that would take cognizance of the socio-cultural factors and Islamic
believe and Worldview as encapsulated in the Islamic epistemology of knowledge.
Western Education or worst still Secular Education as presently constituted, is
epistemologically rooted in European history, traditions and values if any, and is
therefore suited only for a Godless society like theirs. Islam and Muslims on the other hand
have their own unique epistemology of knowledge, history, tradition, values and norms
that have being tried and tested for over 1400 years and have provided the best civilization
during it glorious days. It is therefore repugnant to Muslims to accept secular education;
hook, line and sinker as it is un-Islamic. In this study, it shall be argued that secular
education has not and cannot provide the kind of education that would herald the desirable
form of development for the Muslim Ummah either in Northern Nigeria or elsewhere.
Furthermore, it is the intention of the study to set a bush fire huge enough to attract the
attention of Muslin intellectuals especially in the Northern Nigeria to reawaken them and
rekindle their iman.
This has become imperative in view of the fact that despite the huge and sustained
educational revival that as long began in almost all Islamic countries, as well as countries
with secular type of government like Nigeria where Muslims constitutes a majority. The
Nigerian Muslim intellectuals especially in the North appeared unconcerned and reluctant
to key- in with their counterparts around the world to ensure that their Ummah become

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librated form the shackles of mass- illiteracy resulting from decades of domination by
unaccepted secular system of education by their Ummah. Having being secularized, they
have fallen into the trap of material accumulation and the unsustainable “political
advantage” cleverly designed by the imperialist to hoodwink them in to gradually
forgetting their Islamic culture and believe, had consistently led them to fail to realize that
their Ummah are the most educationally backward and economically deprived compared
with their compatriots in the south.
Consequent to lack of serious attention to the real causes of educational backwardness of
the North, and consistent fallen standard of secular education in national schools due to
poor and in effective educational policies formulation by the central government, there
arose a parallel system of Islamic education whose establishment was spearheaded by the
Ulamas. This led to the development of dual educational system in which traditional and
modern types of Islamic educational system co-exist with secular system of education.
Thus, like other Muslim Ummah elsewhere, Muslim Ummah of Northern Nigeria is
bedeviled with all the negative consequences of dual educational system, but unlike other
Ummah elsewhere, Muslim Ummah of Northern Nigeria have made no spirited efforts to
attempt a reform along Islamic concept.
It has therefore become imperative upon Muslim scholars to gear up efforts on the ongoing
noble objective of Islamitization of knowledge. The need to desecularise knowledge has
become more urgent in the face of backwardness of Muslim Ummah in education and
economic development leading to poverty and misery. After all knowledge is an inheritance
of humanity and as civilizations come and go each succeeding generation try to improve on
what it inherited along its own epistemological thoughts. The west has thus secularized the

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knowledge it inherited from Muslim civilization and developed it materialistic
modernization. The time is now ripe for Muslim Ummah to recover their lost glory by
reviving Muslim education along their own unique epistemology that is in congruence with
its own concept of development.

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1.1 Basic Thesis
The educational and economic development of Muslim Ummah cannot be predicated on the
epistemology of western secular schools of thought vanguard by enlightenment campaign
as currently being pursued. It is the basic thesis of this study that the education upon which
economic progress reside must be conceived, design and shaped by Islamic norms and
values. This study posit than an Integrated Islamic Education System is ideal for producing
a balanced individual with balanced education capable of been a true and effective khalifah.
And these must be achieved through the Islamic epistemology of knowledge as
encapsulated in the concept of Tauhidic worldview.

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1.2 Statement of the Problem
This study is an attempt to provide a new insight into the problem of educational
backwardness of the Muslim Ummah in Northern Nigeria. Despite several attempts over
the past 50 years to solve the problem through policy formulation using secular
methodologies, the problem of slow pace of education in the Northern Nigeria refuse to
abide. In fact instead of improving, educational statistics have consistently shown a
downward trend. This study contends that failure to find solution to the problem stem
from failure or unwillingness on the part of relevant stakeholders to conduct a proper
diagnosis of the root cause of the problem. Thus, this work intends to diagnose the problem
form an Islamic perspective and offer an Islamic solution. In the light of the above objective,
this study attempts to address the following set of questions;
1. What are the causes and effect of slow pace of educational development in Northern
Nigeria
2. What is the current state and standard of Islamiyya School in Northern Nigeria?
3. What are the effects of government neglect of Islamiyya schools?
4. What are the pros and cons of the Integrated Islamic Education and Curriculum?
5. What are the strategies options to ensure effective implementation of the Integrated
Islamic Education System (I.I.E.S) in NN?
In order to elucidate the above questions, expository and exploratory research methods as
well as analytics would be employed. Relevant texts, journals, monographs and periodicals;
concepts and ideas from primary, secondary and tertiary sources of literature would be
reviewed and analysed.

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1.3 Significance of the Study;
The study presented here is considered not only significant but also timely. It significance
lies in the humble attempt to provide an Islamic solution to the problem of educational
backwardness of Muslim Ummah in Northern Nigeria. By providing an effective solution
through proper diagnosis, the study would ensure that more than70%3 of school age
children alienated from education would now have a balanced education. If the
recommendation of this study is fully and effectively implemented, the North would have
an appropriate system of education that is proudly Islamic.
The study is also considered as timely because it came at a time when education system
both secular and Islamic had fallen to the lowest standard. It is also a time when the
consequences of neglecting the education of more than 70% of school age children of
Northern extraction are at the peak of manifestation the negative vices. Incidences such as
the Boko Haram Insurgence, and many other socio-cultural upheavals and vices resulting
from vicious circle of: low education > low economic development > poverty> lower
educational attainment.

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Chapter Two
2.0 Overview of Factors that led to rejection of Secular Education in Northern
Nigeria.
2.1 Historical Antecedence
It is an undeniable historical fact that when the truth precedes falsehood, it is always
difficult (if ever) for falsehood to triumph, but the truth will always be victorious over
preceding falsehood no matter how long it may take. This assertion always hold unless and
until the truth is no longer pure, having become contaminated with falsehood. Thus, when
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) came with the truth, that is Islam: as encapsulated in the Qur’an,
he did not only triumphed over the idol worshipers of Mecca, he also became victorious
over all semi-falsehood and it areas of influence extended far and wide culminating in what
was referred to above as the Golden Age of Islam. It was not until the hold on the truth
became weak and the rank and file of Muslim ummah got broken and their iman (faith)
somersaulted. These led to the decline of Islamic caliphate and its subsequent defeat by the
marauding crusaders, consequence of which is the rise of western civilization, colonization,
the spread of Christianity and modernization.
Hence, before the coming of colonial intruders, the North had a booming Islamic education
and culture. In the words of Khalid (1997),” Islamic scholars trooped in from all nocks and
corners of Islamic world and transmit knowledge of advanced nature. Intellectual activities
were said to compare favourably with what obtained in Italy about the same time”. It was
also an historical fact that there was a significant number of local Ulamas who were the
vanguards of preserving and disseminating Islamic knowledge and education, and about

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them Smith (1987:35) wrote, “they possessed a vast fund and Qur’anic knowledge, and were
in addition particularly well informed in tradition, laws, rhetoric and classical Islamic
history”. Similar evidences of advanced nature of Islamic education have been variously
recorded to prove that Islamic education in Northern Nigeria was not simply Qur’anic
recitation, memorization and ritual prayers, but more advanced scholarly knowledge in
several spheres of academic discipline that would have ushered in new dawn of vibrant
Islamic state would have come to being.
By 1960 when the onslaught of colonization had ended and despite the in-direct rule and
the purported protection of Islamic tradition and religion by Lord Lugard, Islamic
education had suffered serious and deliberate neglect. Not only that and as always the case
everywhere, the oppressive forces of western imperialism don’t just occupy lands only,
they also enslave minds and hearts of the oppressed nations. This they did in Northern
Nigeria by neglecting the elsewhere thriving Islamic education in favour of their own
western Worldview and epistemology. This strategy enables them to create a class of the
Ulamas which were Muslim in name but practically loved the western values and culture in
all aspects. Nevertheless, Islam and Islamic traditions have not only become widespread
but also deep rooted amongst the majority of rural population under the tutelage of local
Ulamas who are graduates of foreign Islamic scholars. It was these groups of Ulamas that
formed the core of the ultra conservative traditional Islamic scholars. With large
followership, they hold sway in most rural and semi-urban areas commanding great
respect among the nobles as well as the talakawas. They were not only revered as teachers,
they are also opinion leaders and moulder in fact they were regarded as inheritors of the
Prophets. They are the reference points for both the nobles and their followers on personal

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and state matters. Thus by time when Christian missionaries started venturing into the
North to spread Christianity and western education, the message of the Holy Qur’an has
already become implanted in the minds of the vast majority of the populace. And the
Ulamas only need to quote relevant verses like the ones below to send the message of
rejection across which were promptly adhered to;-
Q.3:100 O ye who believe! If ye listen to a faction among the people of the Book, they
would indeed render you apostates after ye have believed. (Al-i-Imran)
Q.3:118 O! Ye who believe! Take not into your intimacy those not into your ranks: they
will not fail to corrupt you. They only desire your ruin: Rank hatred has already
appeared from their mouths. What their hearts conceal is far worst. We have made
plain to you the signs if ye have wisdom. (Al-i-Imran)
These and other similar verses from the Holy Qur’an warn Ulamas to be wary of treachery
and deceits of the people of the Book and has been used to effectively hardened the minds
of Muslim believer against the onslaught of Christian evangelism. Thus, the Ulamas
succeeded in pressurizing the emirs who in turn persuaded the colonial administration into
prevailing on the European Christian missionaries not to venture into the North.
However, despite the vehement resistance by Lugard to the incursion of the Christian
missionaries in to the North, A.I Ajayi et al ( 2012), asserted that Christian missionaries did
penetrated into the hitherto pagan minority enclaves converting them to Christianity and
subsequently western education schools were established in Katsina and Bauchi by 1922.
And by 1931 there were 29 western education schools in the North with a total of 1,931
students (FRN)1. It was the products of these schools consisting mainly of Christian

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converts and children of the servants of emirs of Northern emirates (forced by emirs to
fulfil mandated school enrolments by the colonial administration) that formed the first
class of Northerners to receive western education. Unfortunately, some of these pioneers
became captivated by western glamour, thoughts and civilization. Consequently, they
became westernized in their thought, appearance and habit in place of their Islamic
traditions and values.
These developments led the ultra conservative Ulamas to quickly point out the erosion of
Islamic value as a consequent of western education that must be avoided. They provided
evidences from the Qur’an like the verse quoted above, and the net result was to drive the
vast majority of rural population away from anything western. In fact not even the relative
prosperity and material acquisition of the westernized Muslims was enough motivation for
the grass root population to change their perception, as they found solace in the qur’anic
verse that says:-
2:168. O ye people! Eat of what is on earth, lawful and good; and do not follow the
footsteps of the evil one, for he is to you an avowed enemy. (Baqara)
Thus the Qur’an has provided for the Ulamas true guardian and warnings of things to come
even before they become manifest. Although consequences of some warnings and
guardians may not be immediately apparent to Ulamas, they are nevertheless required to
accept and believe the message of the Qur’an as the absolute truth and have faith until they
can fully understand they full meaning of the message and those things that were not
immediately apparent becomes manifest, ( …. “We hear, and we obey” ….: 2:285) .Hence
as contemporary events began to unfold Ulamas began to notice a transformation of

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western Christian education to Western secular education. The former was repugnant
enough to Ulamas, while the later was considered an outright blasphemy. In addition,
unfiltered liberal freedom of western civilization that promotes and enforces ungodly
activities like atheism, nicked walking, lesbianism, and other social vices on humanity as
well as unceasing military attacks on Ulamas and Islam is seen by the ultra conservative
Ulamas as a confirmation of Qur’an warnings and a manifestation of its unapparent
meanings.
In a nut shell, the most fundamental factor that led to the consistent and prolonged
rejection of western education Muslim ummah is the its secular nature. The concept of
“Godlessness” is not only repugnant to Muslims; it is UN Islamic and therefore completely
unacceptable. To try to persuade a whole Muslim Ummah to accept secular education
(Godlessness) is akin to renouncing the Islamic religion.
2.2 Consequences of Rejection
The rejection of secular education by the Ulamas led to the declaration of the verdict of
unlawfulness of western education; “Boko Haram”. This is because to them western
education (Boko) connotes all the vices listed above which are islamically unlawful
(Haram). It was this verdict that increased the resistance to western education among the
rural population of Northern Nigeria who constitutes over 70% of the Northern population.
Thus the degree of resistance to western education is not only deep rooted, is it also
massive but because it is passive it is often underestimated by scholars. It should however
be borne in mind that the verdict of “Boko Haram” is erroneously been attached to western
education per se instead of the western epistemology that de-emphasizes Godliness,

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morality and value, the consequent of which are the ungodly activities and vices listed
above and these are unequivocally un-Islamic and therefore Haram. Thus Islam does not
oppose to scientific knowledge or any other knowledge for that matter as long as it
contains Godliness, morality and value systems. Thus, secular education as currently
presented, is devoid of these basic criteria that are so fundamental to the tenants of Islam
and therefore cannot be accepted.
The rejection of Western education coupled with failure of the government to patronise
Islamic education lead to sustained educational crises resulting in erosion of standards and
an increasing number of out of school children. Thus as the population continue to
increase, the number of out of school children also raises. It is this situation that led Ulamas
to take advantage of educational gap created by government’s neglect of Islamic education
and badly managed secular schools to establish Islamiyya schools that proliferated and
mushroomed over the years. Thus without a central control and supervision agency, and
with increasing enrolments Islamiyya schools became over populated, under staffed, poor
infrastructure, lacked of internal efficiency and effectiveness. The resultant effect is poor
educational outcomes and like the secular counterpart, both system of education capsized
and somersaulted leading to the total or near total collapse of education in Northern
Nigeria generally.
The challenge to present day Muslim Ummah is therefore to develop an educational system
that does not only satisfy the spiritual and moral requirement of their religion but also
capable of ushering the much desired accelerated but sustainable economic development.
Thus if the economic development of a people is dependent upon its level of educational

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attainment, then the process of economic development must start with reviving and
revitalizing an Islamic educational system capable of comprehensively training individual
in all fields of human endeavours necessary for the achievement of desired goals. It is in
these regard that Islamic scholars must brace up to lead the vanguard in emancipating
Muslim Ummah from the entangling York of colonial mentality. An entanglement that is so
pervasive that only concerted and consistent efforts can ensure a successful and
sustainable mental decolonization of the Muslim Ummah.

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Chapter Three
3.0 State of Educational System in Northern Nigeria, A CRITIQUE
The educational system prevalent in Northern Nigeria can better be described as
educational dualism. A system that is common to the universal Muslim ummah, having
suffered from similar colonial experiences. Dualism in education denotes two different
system of education; traditional Islamic system (Religious Education) and modern secular
system (Western Education). Religion is compartmentalized as one subject namely Islamic
Studies, among many subjects taught in the modern secular system. Whether it focuses on
Religious Education or Modern Education, these two systems or modes of education are
completely independent. Students who opt for religious education are usually exposed to
traditional subject matters related to religion, and they tend to discredit and considered
modern sciences as secondary. As for those who opted for “secular” system of education,
mathematics, science, geography, chemistry known as modern education, are their
favourite subject matters, but lacking the satisfactory level of knowledge of their Islamic
faith, tradition and religious duties. Thus creating dual personality within the same society;
a situation that has been vehemently criticized by contemporary Islamic scholars as doing
immeasurable damage to the moral, spiritual and ethical values of Islamic culture and
heritage (Ali 1984: 51). Having two parallel streams of secular and religious education has
drawn virtually unanimous condemnations in the Islamic world as a hindrance to national
development and "the epitome of Muslim decline" (Farabi 1982). This study, in the section
below seeks to critically examine the present state of both educational system with a view
to highlight their strengths and weaknesses:

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3.1The Islamiyya system of education
Historical facts revealed that by the beginning of the 20th century when the British
colonialists conquered and established their suzerainty over the caliphate, Islamic
education was very much alive in the hands of the Ulamas. However, the system was dealt
a heavy blow even before the formal commencement of colonialism due to the death or
dispersal of a large number of ulama in the military campaigns that characterized British
colonial conquest of the Sokoto caliphate (Khalid 1997). In addition, by introducing an
alternative education and making its acquisition the sole criterion for entry into privileged
positions, the ‘new’ colonial order undermined the monopoly of the Ulama over literacy
and access to positions, resources and prestige (Umar 2001). Overwhelmed but not dead,
Islamic schools persisted as parallels to the growing dominance of western education.
Lacking any cohesive response to the onslaught of western education and modernity, these
schools maintained an exclusive focus on other-worldly aspects of Islamic education
described earlier (Bano 2009). Even though Islamic schools continued to have large
patronage among the populace, they remained without supervision or support from the
state because the British colonial authorities failed to develop a coherent policy of engaging
with them or their owners. Instead, the attitude of the colonialists towards these schools
were characterised by ambivalence, and neglect. Therefore, according to Abdulrahman &
Canham 1978; Ozigi & Ocho 1981, while the ulama lost linkages with the state, their control
over curricula contents, instructional practices and management of Islamic schools
remained as it had always been in the pre-colonial period: uncontested and unchecked.

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Although post independent development plans tried to maintain the status co, failure of
most educational development policies from 1970s to date encouraged the resurgence of
Islamic schools. This was view is supported by studies conducted by both USAID (2003a)
and Abd-el-Khalik, Boyle & Pier (2006) which suggested that the motivation of parents in
enrolling their children in Islamic schools is not entirely religious; they have concerns over
quality as well. The point here is to establish the poor delivery of public education in
Nigeria as the driving force behind the different manifestations of Islamic schools in the
education arena. Although they have been effectively sidelined in the implementation of the
state’s development agenda in education, Islamic schools have regained relevance
following the failure of these developmental policies. Another point that has also been
made is the inability of the state to seize the initiative by providing a common framework
that would guide the future direction of Islamic schools and establish credible points of
contact between these schools and the state-driven education agenda. This situation
according to N.M Baba (2011) leaves the ulama in charge of the dominant discourse as far
as the participation of Islamic schools in educational development is concerned.
Consequent to the above historical antecedents, N.M Baba (2001) identified three types of
Islamic education namely; Madrassa, Islamiyya schools and Traditional Qur’anic schools.
However, a fourth type that can be called Modern Islamiyya schools which is a recent
development as an attempt to integrate secular and Islamic education may be added for the
purposes of this paper. It is considered pertinent at this point to review each of these
Islamic learning centres to ascertain their strength and weakness in contributing to the
education at least from the Muslim Ummah point of view;-

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3.1.1Traditional Qur’anic Schools:- These are commonly referred to as “Makarantan
Allo”. These are the earliest forms of Islamic education, being introduced into Northern
Nigeria since 14th century. It is therefore deep rooted amongst the vast majority of rural
populace under the tutelage of ultra conservative Ulamas. It is the entry point for most
Muslim children and is binding upon all Muslim parents to enlist their children and wards
as a religious obligation. The primary function of Qur’anic schools is to contribute to the
early upbringing of Muslim children by training them in the reading and memorization of
the Qur’an. In performing these functions, Qur’anic schools laid the foundation for the
emergence of an Islamic system of education long before the advent of western education
in Northern Nigeria (Clarke 1982). The second phase is the Makarantar ilmi; - This is the
school of higher learning where graduates of Makarantar Allo, now being adults Muslims
further their studies in different branches of Islamic learning. The sole objectives according
to A.M Gada (2010) is to make a student more familiar with the knowledge of the Qur’anic
exegesis, the knowledge of the explanation of the Ahadith of the Prophet particularly
contained in the renown collections of the traditions, Islamic law and jurisprudence, and
knowledge of the existence, uniqueness and attributes of ALLAH. While Qur’anic schools
provide the equivalent of modern pre-primary and primary education, Makarantar ilmi is a
long educational experience designed to provide students of Qur’anic schools with an
understanding of the meaning of the Quran and exposure to other specialised branches of
Islamic learning (Fafunwa 1991). Although many of the Islamic schools described above
had humble beginnings as Qur’anic schools, the expansion they have witnessed has been
concentrated at the advanced level of Islamic learning.

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However, Traditional Qur’anic schools are been criticized by secularists has been basically
as centres of “indoctrination” they asserted that Islamic education "moulds" students into a
predetermined conception of how they should lead their lives and inculcates "specific kinds
of dispositions", which does little to "liberate pupils from ignorance and misconceptions"
(White 1982: 126). He went further to say that “One of the primary dicta of education in a
modern context is to prepare people for productive employment. The relevance of religious
education from this perspective is unclear since obvious priorities should be given to those
subjects furthering usable skills in the work place. Furthermore, N.M Baba (2001) pointed
out that these traditional religious schools have also provided the intellectual and
recruitment base for what Danfulani (2009) refers to as ‘syncretistic and anti-
establishment’ Islamic movements. These movements blend Hausa folk beliefs and
practices with selected parts of Qur’anic content to justify anti-development practices such
as non-school enrolment, the rejection of immunization programmes, and the denial of
women’s and children’s rights. The latest manifestations of these movements are the Boko-
Haram and Kala Kato upheavals that affected some northern states in July and December
2009 respectively. This is in line with the view expressed in this study that the ultra
conservative Ulamas heading the Traditional Qur’anic schools are averse to modernity
generally and would do everything humanly possible to maintain the status co.
Despite the above criticisms and many more, Traditional Qur’anic schools has played and
would continue to play vital and indispensable religious function among the Muslim
ummah. Firstly, the products of these schools are memorizers of the Qur’an (hafz).
Learning the Qur’an by heart ensures its incorruptibility; for they do not only recite they
can also write the whole Qur’an off head without missing out a coma or a full stop. Thus,

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Muslim ummah cannot afford not to have hafiz within their mist in fact the more the
number the better. It is pertinent therefore that the noble traditions of Qur’an
memorization is uphold and passed from generation to generation. As pointed out by
U.A.Al-beely (1980);-
“Nobody concerned with Islamic education would disagree that the Qur’an is a
cornerstone which links the Arabic and Islamic. Memorization of the Qur’an helps
the jurist in producing evidences, helps linguists in finding examples, and helps
others interested in Islam and Arabic studies whenever they used authoritative
references. It also improves the style of public speakers and writers whenever they
borrow from its elegant, unlimited words and verse”.
Moreover most graduate of Traditional Islamic schools (Makarantar Allo and Makarantar
ilmi), are eligible to pickup employment as scribes, theologians, Muslin magistrate or qadis
in addition to traditional occupation of farming and other vocational works. Thus contrary
to the claim that they are not economically productive graduates of Traditional Islamic
schools do and can contribute to the socio-economic development of the ummah if properly
harnessed, empowered and mainstreamed by relevant stake holders.
3.1.2 Madrassas;- These are Islamiyya schools that were modelled out of a government
initiative that capitalized on the provision of a colonial legacies of 1934, that established
the institution named Northern Provinces Law School. It was meant to train judges to
administer Islamic laws in it territories (Umar, 2003). This follow the pioneering
establishment of primary and post primary in the south-west (Taiwo 1980; Ibrahim 2005),
by the late 1980s when concerns over the quality of public schools became widespread, the
penetration of the Ulama in the delivery mechanisms of public education had, therefore,
produced two tracks of Islamic schools that became popular, particularly among urban

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Muslims in Northern Nigeria (N.M.Baba, 2011). The Madrassa operated a distinct
curriculum based mainly on Arabic and Islamic studies. The medium of instruction is
basically Arabic, and English was taught only as a subject. They were fully owned and
operated by the Ulamas in conjunction with their urban Muslim collaborators. They were
however under a loose kind of supervision from the National Board of Arabic and Islamic
studies. In an effort to incorporating elements of western education in their programmes,
they adopted modern organizational and management styles of public schools. However,
they differ from the latter in their conscious projection of distinct Islamic cultural identity
and orientation in the physical outlay of the school, dress and discipline. The reason
according to (Umar, 2003) is the emphasis they place on Arabic and Islamic studies in their
curricula that shapes their Islamic character and differentiates them from public schools.
This effort was one of the earliest in presenting Islamic education in a formal setting.
As encouraging as the above may seems, graduates of the Madrassas have limited job
opportunities, as most of them ended up as Arabic and Islamic studies teachers. Their lack
of good command of English language makes it difficult to socialize and integrate fully with
their peers in secular schools. This also explains why most of them find it hard to gain
admission into Nigerian Universities and when they do find it even harder to graduate.
Consequent upon this, graduate of Madrassas now find it a profitable venture to establish
their own modern Islamiyya schools where attempts are made to integrate some secular
subjects with the Madrassa curriculum. In fact some more progressive ones have
introduced English language as medium of instruction; however these efforts are largely
constrained by poor quality and lack of trained English teachers. The prevailing
proliferation of Islamiyya schools leads to mushrooming devoid of unified standards.

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3.1.3 Modern Islamiyya Schools:- These are Northern state government version of
Islamic schools modelled out of the defunct Northern Province Law School of 1934. It was
an initiative to establish colleges that offered a combination of western and Islamic
education for the training of Arabic teachers, popularly known as Arabic teachers’ college.
According to Umar (2003), these colleges had become established in the Northern Nigerian
cities of Sokoto, Gombe, Maiduguri, Hadejia and Kano by 1979. By structuring their
curricula to reflect the two-tier structure of Nigerian secondary school system, these Arabic
colleges operates the modified national curricula intended to facilitate the integration of
their students in educational and career opportunities without abandoning their pursuit of
Islamic education. They have been able to achieve this by broad coverage of subjects
prescribed for secondary schools in the NPE, the use of English as the medium for teaching
these secular subjects, and putting their students forward for common national
examination and certification processes (N.M.Baba, 2011). However, use of English to
teach only secular subjects while Arabic language is used to teach Arabic and other Islamic
studies seems to be the root causes of what (Umar 2003; Abd-el-Khalik et al. 2006),
referred to as constraints that limit their internal efficiencies. These constraints stem from
lack of qualified English based Arabic and Islamic studies teachers. Thus the lack of
effective linkage between English and Arabic language caused by failure to teach Arabic
and Islamic studies using English as medium of instruction limits students’ exposure and
comprehension of English language. The resultant effect is poor performances of students
generally and development of inferiority complex among their peers from the south-west
that uses English solely as a medium of instruction to teach the same curriculum. The poor
command of English the Nations linqua Franca is also responsible for the rapid national

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integration as envisaged by the government. Furthermore, as stated above it limits their
opportunities to gain admission into Nigerian Universities and makes it even more difficult
to graduate.
However despite the above, Modern Islamiyya schools enjoys very high patronage. Its
sources of recruitment includes students from Traditional Qur’anic Schools, who having
fulfil their parents’ desire for strong Qur’anic foundation, now wants to have a go at
modern secular education. Thus there is a fluid mobility of students from Traditional
Qur’anic Schools to Modern Islamic schools; hence Modern Islamic Schools would continue
to enjoy continuous inflow of student from TQS. In addition, Urban Muslim parents who
also desire their children and wards to be well grounded in Islamic knowledge before
proceeding to secular institutions also form a significant number of those who patronizes
Modern Islamiyya Schools.
Thus in addition to Madrassas, Ulamas have also seized the opportunity created by the
state governments to establish Modern Islamiyya Schools of various standards thus leading
to the proliferation of these schools at every nock and crannies. The resultant effect is to
impact negatively on the standards and quality of the delivery system. The Ulamas have not
only established Modern Islamic Primary Schools to feed the government Arabic teachers
colleges, they have gone even further to establish post primary Islamic primary schools and
in most cases using private secular schools as models.
3.1.4 Islamic Science Schools;- Perhaps the most ambitious in the efforts of Islamic school
to modernize and implement a curriculum in line with public schools is the establishment
of Islamic Science Secondary Schools. Being capital intensive, it is being spearheaded by

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organized Islamic sects. In most cases large day schools with huge patronage from urban
Muslim population have kept these schools alive and functioning. The curriculum design
for these schools are meant to offer Islamic education simultaneously with secular
education using the same time table and same school routine as similar to public schools.
With due approval from states ministry of education they have being over the years
presenting their students to sit for all public examination such as W.A.S.C.E, and NECO.
Despite the claims of good performances in public exams, experienced school teachers and
administrators often entertain serious reservation at such claims. Experience have shown
that the challenges of combining Islamic and secular education in one single stream using a
single time table, and ending a school days session of eight hours of forty five hours per
week including long and short breaks with the intention of covering the required
syllabuses in certainly an impossible task. It however, suggest yearnings of Muslim parents
for their wards to acquire both Islamic education and sciences education, and Islamic
schools are striving to satisfy the parents by providing hybrids of dual education.
Nevertheless, for a successful combination of Islamic and scientific education serious
thoughts and comprehensive planning of time and the curriculum ought to be carried out
to ensure the effectiveness of the system. In an Islamic based science school, only basic
Islamic education such as Tawhid, Tarbiyya, in addition to basic ritual such as sallat that
are already acquired at the early stages may be consider necessary to give room for science
and social science education, pending the ongoing comprehensive desecularization of
knowledge.

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The analysis presented above, points to a near chaos system of education in Northern
Nigeria. From the State supported and sponsored secular schools that have been
consistently near total collapse over the years to the proliferation of mushrooming
Islamiyya schools that lack unified standards nor effectiveness, Northern Nigeria is
bedevilled with an unofficial dual educational system. However, despite is weaknesses
Islamiyya schools enjoy very high patronage. Thus over 70% of school age Muslim children
are enrolled in one type of Islamiyya School or another, and of the remaining 30% that are
supposed to enrol in secular schools only 10% of them are Muslim pupils while 20% are
Christian pupils from the minority enclave and other parts of Nigerian. It is for these
reasons that official records often show that only 10% of school age children in the North
attends schools and therefore receive the support and sponsorship of the government.
While the vast majority 70% in enrolled in the Islamiyya schools are unrecognised and
therefore unaccounted for.
Consistent neglect of Islamiyya educational system over the years by the various tiers of
government meant that there are no official records of number of Islamiyya schools or
enrolments figures. However, using the statistics of enrolment figures in secular schools it
is possible to estimate the number of possible pupil enrolment into Islamiyya schools.
Using the figures presented by Prof. O.S.Okobiah (2000) in his paper on Educational
Imbalance between the Northern and Southern states. He presented tables showing
widening trends in the gap of enrolments in secular schools for primary, secondary and the
universities. These tables are reproduced below along with a modified figure to show the
possible number of enrolment in Islamiyya schools;-

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Table 1a; Primary School Level
Table 1 presents the trends in the primary school enrolment and the observed disparities
between the northern and southern states as early as beginning of the 20th Century.
TRENDS IN SECULAR PRIMARY SCHOOL ENROLMENT DISPARITY BETWEEN NORTH
AND SOUTH
NORTH SOUTH
PERIOD PARAMETERS Number %
Nation
Number %
Nation
1913
Population 8,487,000 51.5 791,000 48%
Expected Pop. Of Pri. Sch. Age 1,510,686 1,417,058
Population enrolled 25,000 7.4 313,000 92.6
Enrolment Rate (%) 1.8 22.1
1960
Population 26,854,000 55.7 21,357,00
0
44.3
Population enrolled 282,849 9.9 2,629,770 90.1
1975
Population 37,423,945 53.5 32,527,33
5
46.5
Population enrolled 1,698,700 27.6 4,463,000 72.4
1980
Population 40,607,200 53.5 35,294,10
0
46.5
1990
Population 46,593,100 53.5 40,496,80
0
46.5
1998
Population 57,656,000 53.4 50,314,00
0
46.6

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Sources (O.S.Okobia, 2000) Compiled and computed from;
(a) Federal Republic of Nigeria (1985), Statistics of Education in Nigeria, Federal Ministry
of Education Science and Technology. Lagos.
(b) Federal Republic of Nigeria (1990) Statistics of Education in Nigeria, Federal Ministry
of Education. Abuja.
(c) Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) Statistics of Education in Nigeria; Working
Document
Note: Expected population of school ages for Primary and Secondary schools are 17.8% and
14.6% respectively. (Federal Government Study group on Funding of Education, 1984)
Table 1b
ESTIMATED TRENDS IN ISLAMIYYA PRIMARY SCHOOLS ENROLMENT IN
NORTHERN NIGERIA
NORTH ONLY
PERIOD PARAMETERS SECULAR SCHOOLS ISLAMIYYA SCHOOLS
Number % Nation Number** % Nation
1913
Population Size 8,487,000 51.5 8,487,000 51.5
Expected Pop of Pri. Sch. Age 1,510,686 1,510,686
Population Enrolled 25,000 1.7 1,460,686 98.3
Enrollment Rate (%) 1.8 98.2
1960
Population Size 26,854,00
0
55.7 26,854,000 55.7
Population Enrolled 282,849 6.0 4,496,629 94.0
Enrollment Rate (%) 5.6% 94
1975
5
53.5 37,423,945 53.5
Population Enrolled 1,698,700 27.6 4,930,198 74.4
Enrollment Rate (%) 25.6% 74.4
1980
0
53.5 40,607,200 53.5
Population Size 46,593,10 53.5 46,593,100 53.5

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1990 0
Expected. Pop. Of. Pri. Sch.
Age
8,293,572 8,293,572
1998
0
53.4 57,656,000 53.4
Expected Pop of Pri. Sch. Age 10,262,76
8
10,262,768
Source; Modified from Table 1a.
Note: All figures in italics were gotten by deducting population enrolled from expected
population of primary school age. The balances are deemed to have enrolled in one
Islamiyya or the other. This is considered very crucial in explaining the short fall in
enrolment when compared with the figures of expected.
Table 1a above was used by O.S.Okobiah (2002) to showcase the consistent trend of
increasing gaps in the primary school enrolment figure between the North and south. Table
1b on the other hand was modified from table 1a to show the preference of Islamiyya
system of education than secular educational system. This argument is considered
pertinent because Muslim children who do not attend secular schools do as a matter of
course attend one type of Islamiyya School or another. Thus the Islamic educational system
provides an alternative system of education for children of school age in the North, while
their counterparts in the south do not such opportunity. Thus the rejection/acceptance
theory of Okobiah (2002) may be seen as contra factual since the presence of an alternative
led to the rejection of secular education while absence of an alternative led to an
unconditional acceptance of secular education in the south. Furthermore, the fluctuating
fortunes of public schools in terms of policy implementation inconsistency over the years
as explained by Abd-Khalik at el (2006) , is an additional factor responsible not only of the
sustenance of Islamiyya schools but also its increasing preference in most part of Northern

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Nigeria. The consequences of this preference and the consistent neglect over the years by
all tiers of government is the alienation of more than 70% in school age children most of
them in the North from receiving the type of education that is in congruence with their
faith. Thus despite its perceived good intention the government through it educational
policy of non inclusiveness as succeeded in throwing more than half of its youthful
population into the waste bin.
Similarly, the argument that Islamic educational system is not functional and therefore not
capable of producing individuals with the requisite skills and expertise to contribute
significantly to the economic development of a nation is considered in this discourse as a
secularist campaign. As argued above Islam has never been against form of skill or
expertise nor indeed scientific knowledge for that matter, as long as it is not secularized.
After all Muslim scholars were at forefront of knowledge acquisition and preservation
during the golden age of Islam before universal knowledge became secularized by
secularist propagandists. As it were, knowledge being a universal heritage need and must
be desecularise and imbibed with the spirit of Tawhid before it can be acceptable to
Muslims. However, as the challenge of de - secularising knowledge is certainly beyond the
capacity of the Ulamas who hitherto have been the vanguards of Islamic education in
Northern Nigeria, there is the need for the reluctant of Muslim elite, academia, and the
political class who have imbibed an overdose of secularist mentality to allow their Islamic
heritage and background to prevail for a sober reflection upon the state of Muslim children
education. The perception of class that Islamic education is no alternative to western
education A.Haruna (1999) is an indication of academic bankruptcy of what Islamic system
of education entails and what it should be. Unfortunately, it is these group of Northern Elite

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that have being at the helm of affairs since Nigerian attained independence in 1960. Under
their watch, Muslim children have remained half –educated or uneducated and thousands
have thus become ready tools for all imaginable vices that bedevilled the North particularly
and Nigeria in general. In the section below this discourse would highlight the Islamic
theory of knowledge, its principle and objectives as well as a brief review of scholars’
efforts on developing an Integrated Islamic curriculum. The aim is to present Islamic World
view and its epistemology of knowledge as a viable alternative to secular World view and
its epistemology.

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Chapter Four
4.0 The Islamic Worldview and Epistemology:
The central theme of this paper is essentially an attempt to reverse the dwindling fortunes
of educational system in Northern Nigeria, by presenting an Islamic alternative that is in
congruence with the believe of the Muslim Ummah. The dualism of educational system
currently in practice in which state sponsored secular educational system run parallel with
Islamiyya system established by the Ulamas has not yielded desire results. As a result,
levels of educational standard continue to fall and the gap between Muslim ummah in the
North and their compatriots in the south continue to widen.
In presenting an Islamic alternative, it is considered pertinent at this juncture to know
where Islamic education is coming from and where it is headed. The concept of Islamic
epistemology spelt out the underlining philosophy of knowledge in Islam. It provides the
insights in to the sources, nature, purpose, scope, types, branches, goal as well as the uses
and how to acquire knowledge. Thus Islamic epistemology refers to the Islamic theory or
concept of knowledge which is a product of Islamic World view as enshrined in the Qur’an
and the Sunnah. Epistemology, according to M. Amin (2009) is the product of the
worldview of a society (its concept of man, the universe, and the deity).The concept of
knowledge in a society gives birth to different disciplines and branches of knowledge,
educational philosophy, and institutional infrastructure. Education plays a key role in the
character building of individuals who in turn make up the society and develop a
civilization, all of which are encapsulated in an all-encompassing concept of Tawhidi unity
of Divine knowledge.

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4.1The Islamic worldview;
The Islamic world-view is constructed on three fundamental concepts. These concepts
according to Chapra (1993) are Oneness and Unity of God (tawhid), vicegerency of human
beings (khalifah), and justice (adalah). Chapra asserted the Tawhid is the most important
of these concepts because the other two are its logical derivatives. Tawhid symbolizes the
affirmation of uncompromising oneness of Allah, this implies that the universe has been
consciously designed and created by the Supreme Being, Who is One and Unique, and that
it did not come into existence by chance or accident (Qur’an, 3:191, 38:27, and 23:15).
Everything created by Him has a purpose; it is this purpose, which gives meaning and
significance to the existence of the universe, of which human beings are a part. This being
the case, Chapra (1993) argues that, human beings by virtue of the fact that they have been
endowed with freewill, rationality, and moral consciousness combined with an inherent
God consciousness, are required to live in exclusive worship and obedience to the Supreme
Being. This is what Kamal (2003) refer to, as servitude (Udubiyyah) to AllahS.W.T. Thus,
tawhid is not merely recognition of reality, but also an active response to it.
The human being as stated earlier, is the Supreme Being's khalifah or vicegerent on earth
(Qur’an, 2:30, 6:165, 35:39, 38:28, and 57:7), therefore all the resources at his disposal
including knowledge are a trust (Qur’an, 57:7). As His vicegerents, human beings are
accountable to Him and will be rewarded or punished in the Hereafter in accordance with
whether they do or do not while in this world in conformity with the guidance provided by
Him. It follows from the above therefore that since everyone, rather than any single
privileged person or member of a particular race or group or country, is a khalifah, Chapra

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(1993) implied that khalifah essentially stands for the fundamental unity, in fellowship of
humankind. Fellowship would remain a hollow concept devoid of all substance if justice
(‘adalah) does not accompany it. The establishment of justice has therefore, been declared
by the Qur’an to be one of the primary objectives that God's Messengers seek to achieve
(Qur’an, 57:25). In fact, the Qur’an (5:8), places justice "nearest to piety" in terms of its
importance in the Islamic faith. Piety, or moral development, implies closeness to God
attained through the faithful implementation of all values and establishment of all
institutions prescribed by Him through the Qur’an and the Sunnah (the Prophet's sayings
and actions), and is thus extremely important because it serves as a springboard for all
rightful actions, including the establishment of justice.
Thus as vicegerents (khalifa), humankind especially believers are assigned special
responsibilities by Allah (S.W.T). Moreover, as followers and lover of the final messengers of
Allah (S.W.T), they form part of a unique ideological community or nation (Ummah) which
has been designated as best community or khair Ummah (Q: 3:110) for human kind to
follow. Furthermore, with all the intellectual, spiritual, and material resources put at their
disposal by the compassionate Master, Allah (S.W.T), they become a role model of excellence
of servant hood and vicegarency. Thus, they are to enjoin people to what is good, forbid
what is bad, and strive with their material and non-material resources including knowledge
to construct human life for comprehensive servitude to Allah (S.W.T). Hence, their motto in
life as pointed out from the Qur’an by M. K. Hassan (200?) is “Inna salati wa nusuki, wa
mahyaya, wa mamati li-Allahi Rabb- al-Alamin”. (Q: 6:162). They also need to
remember that all the God-giving means of acquiring knowledge including intellect are
accountable before Allah (S.W.T)on the Day of Judgment. For Qur’an (17:35)59,”And pursue

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not that which you do not have knowledge of; for surely the hearing, the sight, and the
heart of all those shall be questioned of”.
4.2 The Epistemology of Knowledge in Islam
The Islamic theory of knowledge or epistemology refers to the underlying philosophy of
knowledge in Islam. It consist of the sources, objective, scope, types and branches of
Islamic knowledge; it spelt out guidelines on useful and harmful knowledge, what is
humanly possible to know and those that are impossible to know as well as methodologies
of acquiring them. The Islamic theory of knowledge or epistemology is a product of the
Islamic Worldview explained above, and it reflects the Muslim perception of the concept of
Man, Universe and the deity. This epistemology in turn gave birth to the different
disciplines, branches of knowledge, its educational philosophy, and institutional
infrastructure. Thus, education derived from an alien type of epistemology and Worldview
such as Western or secular education world and has only promote Western values and
ideas and as noted by Al-Attas ( 1979), Western education being a product of Western
epistemology and Worldview can neither find roots in Muslim society and culture nor can it
needs be meet. This is the reason why Western education is being resisted by the Muslim
Ummah, hence the slow pace of educational development, which in turn gave rise to slow
economic development and poverty and hence a further derogation of educational
attainment of Muslim Ummah, such is the perpetual vicious circle of slow education > slow
economic development > poverty > slower educational attainment >.

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4.2.1 Sources of Islamic Knowledge
As vicegerents (Khalifah) of Allah (S.W.T) Muslims are ordained to hold in, trust, manage, and
develop the resources of the earth to construct a holistic civilization. To fulfill these
responsibility, human kind are empowered with guidance and knowledge from divine
revelations (al-wahy al- illahi) and the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad(P.B.U.H) as well as the
exertion of human intellect (al-‘aql al- insani) and will. While affirming the supremacy of
divine revelation, the Qur’an teaches that sound human intellect as being entrusted by
divine revelation to play a crucial role in the confirmation of revealed truth and the
development all fields of human knowledge necessary for effective and wholesome human
vicegarancy on earth. Thus, as M.K.Hassan (2003) asserted, there should not be any
conflict between divine revelation and sound human reason.
The Qur’an, has presented a Worldview that enjoins a harmonious integration of divine
revelation with intellectually acquired knowledge in other words; it encourages a
complimentary role between Books of revelation and the Book of universe. This
complimentary role was succinctly described by M.K.Hassan (2003): “As the most
fundamental method for sound and holistic development of man, state, culture and
civilization in order to realize the “good life”, just and the virtuous society”. “A land fair and
prosperous in the care of a forgiving God”: A balance and theocentric civilization leading
ultimately to everlasting felicity in the hereafter”.
Thus contrary to the wrong notion that Islamic education consists only of Qur’anic
memorization (rote learning) and learning of routine rituals for Ibadaat, but not functional
and deprived of critical thinking. For example, J.M. Halstead (2004; p.519) argues that the

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Islamic philosophy and education is not promoting critical thinking such as He
writes:”Independence of thought and personal autonomy do not enter into the Muslim
thinking about education, which is more concerned with the progressive initiation of pupils
into the received truths of the faith. The Islamic Worldview of Tawhid is moulded to
present a brilliant holistic Islamic civilization, which unified ethics, faith, and religion with
the natural and experimental science, technology, governance of the state, economic
activities and education. The Islamic educational system thus embodied the Qur’anic vision
of unity of religion with science, religious knowledge, and Worldly knowledge, morality
with professional discipline, the physical, and the spiritual.
4.2.2 Concept of Islamic Education
Meaning of Education
The Western classical definition of education is any process by which an individual gains
knowledge or insight, or develops attitudes or skills … (Encyclopedia Americana, Vol. 9:642).
On the other hand, the Concise Oxford Dictionary defines it as ‘bringing up’ (of the young);
‘systematic instruction’. Hence, the most typical working definition of education is as a
“process of transmitting cultural values and other information from generation to
generation” (L. Adedeji; 2012). Generally, in Western classical term, the purpose of an
educational system is that of educating and training young people who are equipped with
solid knowledge and abilities, able to think creatively and act independently. It should
educate and train fully developed personalities who unfold their abilities and talents for the
good of the society, who can think and act as patriots, have a sense of community, love for
work and readiness to defend the country (Glaessner; 1998).

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Thus, the key terms in the general definition of education guiding mainstream schools
today may be summarized; as “Education is the delivery/transmission of
knowledge/information and skills from teachers to students”. However, the concept of
“delivery/transmission” typical of most classical definition of education have been roundly
criticized as haven missed what is most important about education (HUMAN MIND). It is
this mistaken idea of what true education and how it can be achieved, that J.H. Thomas
(2002), considers as the root of mainstream education in most western countries and their
colonies.
Providing a proper definition of education is complicated by the fact that there is no clear
consensus about what is important about being and becoming educated. Thus for many,
the importance of education lies in future job prospects. For others its quality of
citizenship, and yet others just want literacy, creative thinking and or/creativity. This
study propose that behind all the different opinions about what it means to be educated is
one very basic idea: an educated person is someone who perceives accurately, thinks
clearly, and acts effectively on self-selected goals. To achieve this, the mind needs to be
nurtured (Tarbiyah) to maturity.
Furthermore, there is consensus that the western concept of education is utilitarian that
restrict and constrict education to a narrow band of skills for the work place. It is a concept
that is geared towards economic performance, completion, efficiency above all else. This
assertion is attested by the British Department of Education and E employment (DfEE),
when it postulated that: “the success of our children at school is crucial to the economic,
health and social cohesion of the country, as well as their own life chances and personal

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fulfillment”. This statement implies that economic power governs educational policies
giving it direction and solely economic goals to achieve. However, although the need for
qualified professionals capable of achieving economic goals cannot be over emphasized,
this study argue that such professionals required as a matter of necessity; a type of
education that does not only ensures their success in their specialized fields, and able to;
advance their own carriers; but also creative: well – educated and well- rounded in the
broader sense with concomitant culture, moral, emotional, and spiritual development.
Herein then lies the broad objectives of Islamic education as would be elucidated below.
4.2.3 Aims and Objectives of Islamic Education
The aim of education in Islam as stipulated in the First World Conference on Muslim
Education held in Jeddah-Mecca (1393A.H.-1977A.D.) is to produce a good man; it aims at
the “balanced growth of the total personality of man through the training of man’s spirit,
intellect, the rational self, feelings, and bodily senses”. That is not all; “it caters for the growth
in all aspects including spiritual, intellectual, imaginative, physical, scientific, linguistic, both
individually and collectively, and incorporate all these aspects in a holistic system of
education towards goodness and the attainment of perfection. The ultimate aim lies in
the realization of complete submission to Allah (S.W.T) as the Creator, on the level of
individual, community, and humanity at large”.
Islamic education therefore aims at developing peoples’ talent and inspiring lofty ethical
values in them. These goals are the main foundation upon which Islamic civilization,

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societies and peoples personality are built. The above declaration is further broken down
and articulated in to what is called powerful themes by the Tarbiyah Project as follows;-
The aim of Islamic education is to produce a total, well-rounded person who is:
� God-conscious: Is aware of God and the interconnectedness of creation in all that one
thinks, feels, and does. (Tawhīd – Unity & Systems)
� Principled: Has a sound grasp of the principles of moral reasoning and a commitment to
self-reflection, self-direction, and moral action, with an emphasis on integrity, honesty,
compassion, and justice. (Tazkiyah – Power/Force, Duality, Causation)
� Knowledgeable: Has a deep understanding of the major patterns and recurring issues of
humankind and the impact of significant events and discoveries on the course of human
development. (Hikmah – Space, Relations & Structure)
� Well-balanced: Understands the scope and importance of balance and wellbeing in
one’s personal and collective life, and actively works to establish it therein. (Istiqāmah –
Form & Substance)
� Cooperative: Has an understanding of the role of good communications, cooperation,
fairness, and friendship in establishing and maintaining meaningful and healthy relations
between individuals and groups. (Ihsān – Motion & Interaction)
� Committed: Has a commitment to a lifestyle consistent with the principles and practices
of Islam, especially as reflected in one’s daily interactions with others. (Dīn – Time &
Pattern)

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� Caring: Has a strong sense of caring, stewardship, service and social activism, and a
commitment to using one’s life to make a difference in the world. (Amānah – Function &
Outcome) (D, Tauwhid, )
These entire components need proper education and training in such a way that faith is
infused into the whole of one’s personality and creates an emotional nafs al-mutmainnah
attach to Islam and enables one to follow the Qur’an and Sunnah appropriately.
Consequently, this personality can govern by the Islamic system of values and sincerely,
willingly and ecstatically so that one may proceed to the realization of human status as
Vicegerent of Allah. This means that education has a great task in achieving this goal,
which is moulding a person to become Khalifatullah to whom Allah(S.W.T) has promised the
authority of the universe. This could be achieved through appropriate strategies,
approaches, leadership, and, well-organized curriculum.
Based on the aims and objectives above, construct of core principles upon which Islamic
education lies are illustrated below;-
Key Principles of Islamic Education
Fitrah. Each child is endowed with a God-given nature, known as the fitrah. Like the seed
of a tree, it contains the essential programming needed to grow. In the right soil or
environment, it will naturally unfold and develop. This is contrary to the notion of tabula
rasa (blank slate) of John Locke and others, and suggests instead the complementary blend
of both nature and nurture.

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� Uniqueness. Each child (and each brain) is unique, based on the unique genetics,
natural talents, and life experiences of that child. Each child has his or her own individual
personality, temperament, and abilities. This is the individualized part of the child’s fitrah,
the part that makes him or her a unique creation of God. Education must acknowledge this
unique aspect of each child and that children are not identical objects on an assembly line.
� Holistic: Tawhīd. Authentic education must encompass and engage the whole child—
spiritually, morally, intellectually, physically, emotionally and socially. It must open up to
theChild a “big picture” views of the world as a network of interconnected and
interdependent relationships and systems. Ultimately, holistic education must seek to
connect the heart, mind, and soul of the learner experientially to the Source of all
wholeness, holiness, and wellbeing.
� Integrative: Tawhīd. Education must be integrative in the broad range of topics it
addresses and its treatment of these topics; integrative across time, place and cultures;
integrative across the curriculum; integrating knowledge, beliefs, and values with action,
application and service. These integrative aspects have been found to have the potential to
truly enhance the power of the learning experience. Additionally, learning is mind-body
integrated. All learning is dependent on the body's physiological state. Nutrition,
hormones, bio rhythms, attention cycles and down time are all integrated parts of the
learning process.
� Developmental Stages: Tarbiyah. Developmental windows for learning exist, but vary
between children. Children develop in stages as a function of natural gifts, genetics, and

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environment. As noted earlier, the word tarbiyah itself conveys this idea of developing
from “stage to stage” until reaching one’s full potential.
� Emotion-based: Ayat Allāh. Emotion drives attention, motivation, meaning, and
memory. Emotional experiences code our learning as important. The Quran draws our
attention to the fact that awe, wonder, and “being there” experience are the natural starting
point of the learning process. Conversely, stress & threat inhibit normal learning and
thwart its effectiveness.
� Pattern & Meaning Seeking: Sunnat Allāh. We gain meaning through patterns;
meaning comes from understanding the larger pattern of things. In search of meaning, the
brain seeks patterns, associations, and connections between new data and prior
knowledge. This search for meaning is innate. Intelligence and understanding are the
ability to make connections and construct patterns. The Quran calls us to discover the
recurring “patterns” in nature and Human history.
� Challenging (Enrichment): Ibdā’. Students must be challenged to thoughtfully examine
what they are studying, to participate actively and assertively in-group discussions, to
work productively in cooperative learning activities, and to come to grips with
controversial issues. Such activities and experiences help foster the skills needed to
produce competent citizens able to present and defend their beliefs and principles
effectively. Challenging, authentic learning stimulates curiosity, creativity, and higher-
order thinking.
� Higher-Order Thinking (Problem Solving): Ijtihād. Higher-order thinking involves
the manipulation of information and ideas by synthesizing, generalizing, explaining,

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hypothesizing, or arriving at conclusions that produce new meaning and understanding. Of
course, the brain is continuously responding and adapting to the changing requirements of
the environment; humans have survived throughout the ages by problem-solving and
flexible thinking.
� Deep Knowledge: Hikmah. Understanding, or wisdom, is a key goal of knowledge and
education. “Deep knowledge” involves addressing the central ideas of a topic or discipline
with enough thoroughness to explore connections and relationships, and to produce
complex understanding. The Quran (62:2) notes that the real goal of knowledge is deep
understanding (hikmah, or wisdom), not information.
� Hands-on (Active): Amal. Like the roots of a tree, children must get their hands dirty in
order for knowledge and understanding to take root. This is done through active learning
experiences. Effective teaching and learning must emphasize hands-on and minds-on
activities that call for students to interact with what they are learning and use it in their
lives in some meaningful way. Teachers must be prepared to take advantage of unfolding
events and teachable moments to develop examples that relate directly to students, and to
implement other practices that facilitate active and meaningful instruction. One of the
major, recurring themes of the Quran is the importance of joining theory with hands-on
practice and application.
� Real-world Connections (Relevance): Dīn. Students should feel that the content they
are studying is worth learning because it is directly meaningful and relevant to their
personal lives (lifestyle/ways of life). Students must see the usefulness and potential
application of knowledge to their everyday lives. Real-world connections involve making

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connections between the knowledge gained and the larger issues of the world outside the
classroom.
� Values-based: Akhlāq. By focusing on values and by considering the ethical dimensions
of topics, education becomes a powerful vehicle for character and moral development.
Educators need to realize that every aspect of the teaching-learning experience conveys
values to students and provide opportunities for them to learn about values.
� Social Brain (Substantive Conversation, Cooperative Learning): Hiwār, Ta’āwun.
Language is the primary means of human communication. A great deal of learning takes
place by talking and interacting with others, especially in learning communities.
Substantive conversation involves dialogue and extended conversation with peers and
experts about a particular subject or topic in order to build shared understanding. Groups,
teams, and cooperative learning experiences benefit our understanding of new learning
and its application. Essentially, the Noble Prophet (P.B.U.H) utilized similar notions as social
brain, substantive conversation, and cooperative learning in formulating the learning
communities of early Islam.
� Non-conscious Learning (Modeling) Qudwah, Suhbah. Much of what we learn is not
taught directly, but simply "picked up.” Real learning is not forced, but orchestrated. This
highlights the importance of association, role modeling, and mentoring. In fact, the
Companions of the Prophet (P.B.U.H) received their special designation of sahābah because
of their association with him in this type of learning community.
This section that deals with aims, objectives, principles, and features of Islamic education
provides a comprehensive vocabulary of powerful words and themes around which the

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transformative nature of Islamic education revolves uniquely and wholesomely. The
challenges Islamic teachers to creatively enrich the pedagogical content in an integrated
manner to provide for a balanced education.
4.2.5 Integrated Islamic Education
The meaning of Islamic education according to M. J. Saleh (2009) in its totality is
fundamentally in the combination of the terms Tarbiyyah, Ta’lim and Ta’dib. Literally,
Tarbiyyah means ‘educate’, Ta’lim means ‘knowledgeable’ and Ta’dib derived from the
word ‘adaba’ means ‘moral’. These terms comprehensively reflects the multilateral
relationship of human and their society; human and environment; society and
environment; and in relation to Allah. These cross-sectional relation are all together
represent the scope of education in Islam of both ‘formal’ and ‘non-formal’, comprising the
Fardhu Ain and Fardhu Kifayah. As S.H.Nasir (2009), explains, “Islamic education is
concerned not only with the instruction and with training of the mind and the transmission of
knowledge (Ta’lim), but also with the education of the whole being of men and women
(Tarbiya)”. The teacher is therefore not only a transmitter of knowledge (muallim), but
also a trainer of soul and personality (murabi). Thus, Islamic education ideally aims to
provide a milieu for total and balance of every student in every sphere of learning –
spiritual, moral, imaginative, intellectual and physical ; directing all these aspects towards
the attainment of a conscious relationship with God, ultimate purpose of man on earth. The
concept of education in Islam must take into consideration of all the dimensions of teaching
and learning activities that reflect the above concepts of tarbiyyah, ta’līm and ta’dīb. No
matter which one of the stated concepts is preferable to scholars, Yasin, et al, (2013)

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cautioned that it should not be used as a pretext for controversy and intellectual acrimony
among scholars; because what does matter, is not the concept, but the practice,
methodology and its objectives.
Islamic education encompasses the two traditional categories of knowledge and the
hierarchical relationship between them namely: revealed knowledge attained through the
religious sciences and acquired knowledge attained through the rational intellectual and
philosophical sciences. As explained above, in the Islamic worldview of Tawhid (divine
unity), the concept of unity of knowledge asserts that knowledge is holistic and there is no
compartmentalization of knowledge into religious and secular spheres. Both type of
knowledge contributes to the strengthening of faith, the former through careful study of
revealed words of Allah (S.W.T), religious sciences. These include:
 The Qur’an and knowledge derived from it such as its recitation, interpretation,
tafsīr and ta’wīl.
 The Sunnah: the life of the holy Prophet, the history and message of the Prophets
before him, the hadīth and its authoritative transmission.
 The Sharīhah: jurisprudence and law, the principles and practice of Islam
 Theology: God, His essence, attributes and names and acts (al-tawhīd)
 Islamic metaphysics (al-tasawwuf): psychology, cosmology, and ontology;
legitimate element of Islamic philosophy including valid cosmological doctrines
pertaining to the hierarchy of being
 Linguistic sciences: Arabic, its grammar, lexicography, and literature

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And the later, through a meticulous systematic study of the world of man and nature.
These include:
 Human sciences
 Natural sciences
 Applied sciences
 Technological sciences
It is this concept of holistic system of education as explained above that Islam aims to
provide a broad and balanced system of education based on an understanding of the full
potential of the human being and a system of pedagogy designed to awaken and develop
that potential. This it seeks to do through the means of an integrated curriculum as
presented below;
.4.2.5 Integrated Islamic Curriculum
4.2.5.1 Meaning of Curriculum
For many people, curriculum is a vague concept that everyone talks about, but no one
seems able to explain very well. It really is not that difficult.
 Curriculum is the entire body of knowledge that a school has decided a student
should learn at each level/grade.
 Because curriculum is based on what we think should be taught, curriculum is based
on our values – what we believe is important. This creates tension as we all push
and pull for our vision of the world. Sometimes decisions can be made by looking at
the subject, its expected outcomes, and the needs of our society. For example, if we

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know that universities expect students to know algebra before entering, we know
we will have to offer it before students graduate. However, sometimes we cannot
solve the problems very easily. For example, sex education is a tough subject for
schools to determine. Will we even teach it? How much will we teach? How will we
teach it? It can be a divisive topic.
 Textbooks oftentimes will cover much of the knowledge we decide to offer children,
but never all of that knowledge. If a school or teacher uses only the textbook, she/he
will omit teaching those skills/concepts not in the text but required in the
curriculum.
 Administrators need to facilitate teachers’ understanding the skills/concepts that
the curriculum calls for but that are not in the chosen textbooks. Additionally, they
need to facilitate teachers in supplementing the textbook, developing or searching
out materials to teach those skills/concepts, and making certain the entire
curriculum is taught.
 While the concept of curriculum is fairly straightforward, the decision about what to
include in the curriculum is very complicated.
The above considerations informed the concept, design and modelling of an Islamic
curriculum, this is clearly reflected presented in the section below.

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4.2.6 The Aim and Features of Islamic Curriculum
Contemporary Muslims scholars such as Professors Ismail Faruqi, Abu A’la Al- Maududi,
Mohd Kamal Hassan, Hassan Langgulung, and, Sidek Baba state that the Islamic curriculum
should aim at the following objectives:
To develop goodness piety and fear of God in individuals so that social justice
prevails
To develop tolerance, brotherhood, love, mercy, goodness and righteousness in the
individuals so that a truly Islamic society may come into existence
To develop the habit of consulting each other in the individuals so that maximum
benefit could be achieved from intellectual capacities.
To develop the ability of self–expression, and shouldering responsibility so that a
representative and responsible society is built up.
To provide opportunities to the individuals to live in an ideal, pure and happy life
so they can come closer to Allah.
They further postulated that the curriculum of Islamic education should have the following
main features:
It develops and integrated personality.
It prepares individual for every aspect of life; it should be a continuous and never
ending process of education.
It should meet the spiritual as well as material needs of the individual.
It inculcates faith on Islam in the minds and hearts of the individual.

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It develops morality based on Islamic faith.
It raises spiritual level of the individual.
It develops quest for acquiring knowledge to apply in day-to-day life.
It develops student-teacher relationship in the service of God.
It emphasizes the need of proper pre-service and in-service program of teacher-
education for Islamic education.
It develops necessary skills for exercising reasoning power and insight into life.
It discourage blind invitation of the ideas and practices of ancestors, if they
erroneous, misunderstood and twisted.
It creates in minds and souls the foundations of permanent happiness.
It ensures constant security through belief in God.
It develops in the individual the habit of acquiring knowledge throughout his life.
It encourages the individual to widen his scope of different branches of knowledge.
It emphasizes the value and sincerity of the individual’s work in the way of Allah
and humanity.
It requires that the individual should have faith in Allah.
It should develop love, righteousness, and compassion in the individual toward
others.
It should acquaint the individual with truth in his attempt to realize the unity of
being and the unity of living.
It should encourage the belief, morals, and scholarships of the individual in the
light of his sincerity and dedication to work.

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It should encourage understanding rather than memorization; it should adopt
content and methodology of Holy Qur’an. and,
It should achieve the declaration of Holy Quran that is Muslims are the best
generation that was raised unto humanity; Allah (S.W.T) only awards this titled to
pious Muslim.
These features according to Dawud ( ) can be grouped to correspond to the three learning
domains of affective (feeling, ihsan), cognition (knowing, iman) and
kinesthetic/psychomotor (doing, Islam). The integration of these three dimensions into
the curriculum is guaranteed by the structure and components of the curriculum as
provided by the Tarbiyah project. These structure and components are presented below.
Spiritual Literacy
God Consciousness: Wholeness, Holiness & Systems
� Awe & Wonder: Discovering God's Wonder
� Wholeness & Worldview: God, the World & Me
� Faith & Piety: Building on Faith
Moral Literacy
Noble Character: Force & Causation
� Values & Identity: Knowing Yourself
� Conscience & Conviction: A Heart of Gold
� Character & Conduct: Actions Speak Louder

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Intellectual Literacy
Useful Knowledge: Space, Connection, Relation, Structure
� Learning & Literacy: Learning to Learn
� Useful Knowledge: Love of Learning
� Problem Solving: Finding Solutions
Physical Literacy
Healthy Living: Form & Proportion
� Health & Wellness: The Sacred Vessel
� Fitness & Exercise: Keeping in Shape
� Recreation & Enrichment: Renewing Ourselves
Interpersonal Literacy
Human Relations: Motion & Interaction
� Communications & Understanding: Understanding & Being Understood
� Relationships & Cooperation: Getting Along With Others
� Community & Belonging: A Sense of Belonging
Cultural Literacy
Daily Living: Time, Pattern, Change
� Culture & Confidence: Drawing Strength from the Past
� Lifestyle & Modern Living: Islam a Way of Living

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� Change & Challenges: Facing the Challenge, Facing the Future
Social Literacy
Public Service: Function, Purpose & Outcome
� Justice & Peace: Caring for Allah's Creation
� Service & Stewardship: Making a Difference
� Example ship: Leading by Example
The above presents a vivid picture of the structure and components of an integrated
curriculum using the Tarbiyah model. The components, which are the contents of the
curriculum, are built around powerful themes (structure). The themes are ordered
hierarchically to indicate priority of focus and emphasis. Thus, it is easy for subject
teachers to plan their lessons by selecting suitable materials that reflect the ideas
contained in each component under the appropriate structure and theme. Hence, subject
teachers are expected to not only be intelligent, but also creative, as a requisite for effective
transmission of education.
4.2.7 An Overview of Current Developments in Islamic Curricula
It is a well known fact among Islamic scholars and curriculum developers that one of the
most challenging issues in the Integrated Islamic Education is how to develop an
appropriate curriculum that would effectively and efficiently combine both revealed and
acquired knowledge in a manner that would make its use age simple but yet ideal. Freda
shamma (2011) present a comprehensive review of curriculum development among
Islamic schools and organizations. She noted that;-

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“Curriculum writers usually take one of two approaches. The older approach, used by IQRA
among others, is to attempt to put all Islamic knowledge/thinking into one Islamic Studies
class, while the remainder of the curriculum remains secular. The second approach is to
attempt to rewrite the curriculum of every subject so that Islamic knowledge/thinking is
integrated into every subject.
The limited curriculum approach is both more traditional and, for the time being, more
practical than the integrated curriculum approach. Advocates of this curriculum approach
point out that Islamic schools have to have curricula and textbooks NOW, and the
integrated curriculum is years away from having any such thing (lessons, not texts, are
currently being developed). In order to have something to teach, it is more practical to aim
at developing a curriculum for one subject, Islamic Studies, and assume that Muslim
teachers in the other subjects will do a reasonably good job of Islamizing the secular
curriculum. “To that end, IQRA has spent years and years of concentrated, dedicated work to
write such a curriculum and develop textbooks to accompany it. In terms of how the material
is presented to the students, this traditional approach stresses the importance of the student
knowing certain amounts of information very well. To take for example, the basic facts of the
life of Prophet Muhammad will be taught in the first/second grade. That same material will
be taught again within one – two years, with some additional facts added, and then several
years later, the same material will be taught again with still more material added. This is the
approach in IQRA series of books, elementary, junior, and senior levels”.
The advantage of this approach she said “is that the students receive the same material many
times, and, therefore, it is more likely that they will remember at least its salient points by the

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end of the school year. There are two major disadvantages of this approach however. If
most materials are taught in multiple years, then other material, which may be equally
important, might not get taught at all. To continue with seerah as our example, if the life of
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is taught in its traditional way, the students will
read about the battles of the early Muslims at least three times, but may never study the
Prophet as a father or as a husband. There is a great deal that students need to learn about
Islam, if everything has to be taught in one subject, and the taught material is repeated
several years, then some extremely important aspects of Islam are missing or minimized.
The other disadvantage to this traditional approach is BOREDOM. Too many of our
students dislike the Islamic studies classes because they get the same thing every year, and
the material is designed to memorize instead of engage. Rather than learn the material
well, they simply ‘turn off’ their hearing as soon as the repeated material is introduced.
Shemma (2011) acknowledged that the two most developed curricula of this traditional
approach are IQRA and IBERR. Yahya Emerick’s books, aimed at middle school, also seems to
follow this approach. Quite a number of Islamic schools are also attempting to develop their
own curriculum along these lines. The main reason for following this curriculum for these
schools is that they feel the need to develop a curriculum according to the books that are
available. Since these are mainly IQRA’s books, then obviously it will follow in IQRA’s
footsteps.
However “another approach that is still in the developing phase. This we may term the entire
curriculum approach. Proponents of this approach argue that Islamic studies should be an
integral part of every subject, not related to just one Islamic studies class. Instead of studying

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the seerah of the Prophet in the religion class, for example, this approach would have it taught
as an integral part of the history class. And the history class would not focus on
American/Canadian history as it does in the secular books, but would focus on world history
with an emphasis on the history of Muslims. Because Islamic knowledge would be integral
throughout the subjects, much more can be included. Taking history, biographies of the
prophet’s companions and famous Muslim scientists and mathematicians out of the religion
class, obviously frees up time for other matters in the religion class.
Perhaps the best known of this entire curriculum approach is the Tarbiyah Project created
by Br. Dawud Tauhidi. He has developed a comprehensive values-based curriculum that
has Tauhid (God-centeredness in all its aspects) as its core content and approach. He has
integrated all subject areas around significant themes (Powerful Ideas) that are to be
taught through authentic instructional models, which then lead to more effective learning
and life experiences for our children in the 21st century. Teaching and learning, in this
Tarbiyah Project, must inspire and transform students so that they may positively effect and
transform our world. In addition to the Islamic base, the Tarbiyah Project has incorporated
national core curricula and brain based research. Therefore, subject matter fits the ability of
the child to comprehend and attach to it so that the learning becomes meaningful rather than
rote. This project, have been completed and it cover almost all subjects. In fact, Shemma has
fully developed the framework for its implementation, and a number of Islamic schools have
begun it use.
Another project dealing with the entire curriculum approach is FADEL’s (Foundation for the
Advancement and Development of Education and Learning) Integrated Islamic Curriculum.

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This project was started in l995 under the aegis of the International Islamic University. With
the aid of up to 25 professors from many countries, a list of Qur’anic concepts was developed
that represent the most important aspects of Islam that students should be familiar with.
Then specialists were sought in each academic field – history, English, Arabic language, and
religious studies – to prepare the philosophical background for the subjects. Unfortunately,
except for the areas mentioned and art, specialists were not available for all subjects.
Nevertheless, curricula were developed for history, English/Language Arts, visual arts, and
religious studies. Developing the details of each of these and integrating them with the
curricula of the other subjects is in progress. Concurrently, work is progressing on several
history and literature textbooks to match the curriculum. The curriculum for the Religious
Studies (or Islamic Studies) is the least developed, as it is the one requiring the most input by
religious scholars. Unfortunately, since the curriculum work was moved out of the Islamic
University and into a small foundation in Cincinnati Ohio, religious scholars, who have the
time for this work have been difficult to find.
Conclusively, schools wanting the more traditional and more limited (to one class) approach
to Islamic studies, IQRA Curriculum books, where the entire outline of material is given.
Individual schools can then modify this curriculum to suit their students, and buy books from
IQRA and other places as meet the needs of the modified curriculum. IBERR’s curriculum is
not explained as well as IQRA’s, but they will soon have very detailed, very attractive
textbooks to go with their curriculum.
For schools interested in a more widespread, integrated approach, I suggest volunteering at
least one grade level to field test developed ideas of the Tarbiyah Project or FADEL Integrated

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Islamic Curriculum. The Tarbiyah Project would prefer, of course, to have an entire school try
out their ideas. For the schools that participate in either of these curriculum approaches, it is
extremely important to get back to the initiators of the curriculum to report what the
teachers did with the curriculum and how the students reacted towards it. If you want a
curriculum that fits your needs, you need to let the curriculum developers know how well their
curriculum does fit your needs, and what else should be done or changed.
The development of an integrated Islamic curriculum will not happen unless Islamic schools
commit some of their time and effort to work with the developers of the projects. Schools
cannot do it on their own, neither can curriculum specialists; the two must work together,
fisabili-llah”
In sum, these diverse perceptions and approaches to having ideal curriculum is an
indication of the complex nature of the task. It requires concerted effort from all
stakeholders to mobilize subject specialists in sufficient numbers, and adequate resources
to facilitate the completion. A curriculum is dynamic as it changes with changing
educational needs. It is therefore a work-in-progress and only concerted efforts can ensure
it completion.

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Chapter Five
5.0 Implication of the Concept of Integrated Curriculum for Muslim Ummah in
Northern Nigeria
The modern Islamic schools that sprang up from Traditional Qur’anic Schools (TQS) have
been facing serious challenges of lack of coherent curriculum and internal efficiency. The
situation is further worsened by the proliferation of Islamic schools that neither have the
basic infrastructures, suitable text books nor qualified teacher. This has made Islamic
schools no better than the public secular schools, in the sense that most modern Islamic
schools use similar curriculum with public schools given them a confused combination of
national and religious curriculum. These hybrids of secular and religious education are not
truly integrated nor do they have adequate time to allot for the effective coverage of the
syllabus. For this reason several implications of the Concept of Integrated Curriculum are
hereby postulated;-
1. An Obligation on the Northern Muslim Scholars to key-into the struggle towards
Islamization of Knowledge
For too long Nigerian Muslim intellectuals especially from the Northern extraction have
remained aloof and indifferent to the deplorable condition of the education of their kits and
kin especially in the rural areas. The continuous neglect and abdication by scholars of the
responsibility of Islamic education in the hands of the Ulamas, who lacks the basic
knowledge in acquired sciences or education management skills. And despite the fact that
they have being divinely endowed with inert ability to lead the struggle for the Islamization
of knowledge is simply unforgivable. They have the divine obligation to connect with their

Integrated Islamic Education Curriculum; An Imperative for Educational Revival in Northern Nigeria.2

Integrated Islamic Education Curriculum; An Imperative for Educational Revival in Northern Nigeria.2

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