THE NOTION OF MURABBI: AN ISLAMIC CRITIQUE OF TRENDS IN CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION

This article was written by Prof. Dr. Yedullah Kazmi, a Professor in Institute of Education of International Islamic University Malaysia. The article was published in Islamic Research Institute Journal, International Islamic University Islamabad, Pakistan. The following writing is an analysis written by Asrofi, as a responsibility to give a significant contribution to rise up ummah’s recognition to the idea of Islamic education.



In this article, the author gives a brief discussion towards the idea of murabbi as an attempt of ontological understanding of the notion of murabbi from an Islamic perspective. This article is divided into four categories. The first part focuses on the concept of murabbi, and the second part gives emphasis on the function of murabbi, while the third part discusses about the co modification of knowledge and the last part explains about whether the role of murabbi is still needed or not in modern civilization.


The concept of murabbi was conceived and practiced at the early period of Muslim civilization. It is not a new term that is tried to be introduced into modern educational system, but it is a term which is now has been put behind and be practiced only in some madrassa or it is called as pondok in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and some other parts of the world. The term murabbi is regularly defined as one who is not only knowledge able and wise but also pious, kind, and considerate. In other words, the author of this article defines murabbi as a person who combines a life of learning with a life of virtue, and hence a perfect and an ideal person to learn from.


However, the author of this article does not give any explanation about the other terms related to the person who convey the message or the knowledge. Even though the article discusses about the notion of murabbi, it is also better to present other terms which are mentioned in many Islamic educational literatures such as mu’allim, mu’addib, and mursyid. Our understanding towards these all terms will give us a better view about the Islamic educational itself. We will not only know a part of Islamic education, but we will know the whole idea about it. So it is also important to notice what are their definitions, how they are different each other, and how are these all terms correspondence in the sense of Islamic educational.

The Mu’allim is derived from Arabic root word ‘’ta’allama – ya ta’allamu – ta’lim’’. Ta’lim is then defined as the instruction and training of the mind and the transmission of knowledge. While, mu’allim is called as transmitter of knowledge. Imam Al-Ghozali says that ta’lim is a process of acquiring knowledge that will differentiate the position of human from animal which share the same some characteristics. However, human are given mind to think and faith to judge. The meaning of ta’lim can be understood from Allah’s saying in the Quran in surah Al-Baqoroh, verse 31 ‘’And He taught Adam all the names (of everything), then he showed them to the angels and said,’’Tell Me the names of these if you are truthful.’’ From this ayah, it is can be inferred that the matters which Allah had taught to Adam make him had a special and noble position than angels who know nothing.


Then the term murabbi can be understood from the Arabic word of ‘’ rabba – yu rabbi – tarbiyah’’ which means as educating, caring, growing, and teaching with loving. Zaharrah Hussin refers the meaning of tarbiyah as stated in the Quran, surah Al-Isra’ ayah 24 ‘’ My Lord! Bestow them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was young’’. From this ayah, it is can be understood that the role of tarbiyah is just like the role of parents who have bring a child up, giving he or she the best in order he or she can be a good and great man latter on.


The term mu’addib comes from the Arabic word of ‘’addaba – yu addibu – ta’dib’’. Syed Muhammad Naquib aI-Attas defines ta’dib as "discipline of body, mind and soul" which enables man to recognise and acknowledge "his proper place in the human order" in relation to his self, his family and his community. This order is "arranged hierarchically in degrees (darajat) of excellence based on Qur'anic criteria of intelligence, knowledge and virtue (ihsan)". In this sense, ta’dib does not only focus on the intellectual demand of the learners, but also it gives a significant emphasize on the increasing spiritual quality of learners to be leader in this world ‘’khalifah’’.


Another term relate to the Islamic education is mursyid. Mursyid derives from the Arabic word ‘’ arsyada – yursyidu ‘’ which means giving guidance. So, mursyid can be said as a mentor who gives guidance, advice, support, and help (hidayah) to the learners so that they can be in the right path to get the success. Hence, one cannot deny that a person who best embodies the quality of Mu’allim, Murabbi, Mu’ddib, and Mursyd or according to the author of this article, the perfect living example of murabbi is the Prophet Muhammad (peace is upon him). The prophet Muhammad (peace is upon him) becomes an example for all Muslims not only because of he is knowledgable and wise, but also because of his high quality of attitude or akhlak against all the matters in this life and what he had done to bring and enlighten this ummah to be the best people ‘’khairu ummah’’ through iman, ihsan, and islam. In the Quran, surah Al-Jumuah verse 2, Allah says ‘’He it is Who sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves, reciting to them His verses, purifying them (from the filth of disbelief and polytheism), and teaching them the book (This Quran, Islamic laws and Islamic Jurisprudence) and Al-Hikmah (Sunnah: legal ways, orders, acts of worship of Prophet Muhammad). And verily, they had been before in manifest error.’’ This ayah implied that Muhammad is a person who carried a responsibility to enlighten the ummah, guidance them to the right way, transform and mobilize all of their potential with full of love to be the best ummah who live under the light of iman or in other words, he has all the qualities of being Mu’allim, Murabbi, Mu’addib and Mursyid.


Furthermore, the discussion of this article also explains about the two kinds of knowledge which is different but they are closely relating each other to give more understanding about the role of murabbi. The first knowledge stated by the author is theoretical knowledge which usually associates with the term knowledge. Theoretical knowledge can be best defined as the knowledge that can be fully expressed in the language. It is enough for someone to get the knowledge only by taking the book or the article and reading it. This person then will be able to know the knowledge. However, he or she only knows that, not yet knows how to or to understand. Then the author mentions about the second kind of knowledge, which is personalized knowledge. Contrary to the first one, this personalized knowledge cannot be fully formalized or completely objectified in the form of language. It needs another way in which all the idea can be delivered and captured well by the learners. The only proper way to convey the idea is through styles and strategies of living. In another words, we may say that personalized knowledge is theoretical knowledge which is interpreted through the act of life. Only by doing this way, a person may understand something or know how is something matter to his or her life.


Although these two kinds of knowledge are distinct, then the discussion of the article explains how they complement each other. They will be meaningless without the other. They go together. Therefore, being a murobbi is becoming a person who not only know that but also know how to. All the action of murabbi is based on the theoretical knowledge, but then he or she translates it through the action in his daily life. Through this person, then we will know the values of the truth and will actuate the truth in our real life.


So, from this article, we may get an understanding that being a murabbi is being a person who possess the knowledge then him or her process and interpret the information gathered from the world around through the action. Just take a look to a man who are learning how to drive a car. He definitely will not be able to drive a car when he learns it only by reading a book or watching the video or listening to the instruction. To have an ability driving a car, this man has to learn it by doing it. Not only by reading or watching it, but learn it through the act. That is why, a murobbi is a good example or ‘’qudwah hasanah’’ to the others because all which come from him or her give good lesson to the others.


In the second part of this article, the author discusses about the function of murobbi. The author gives an example of family in which it is actually an example of how the role of murobbi is run in our daily activity. However, the role of murobbi is much complicated. Parents do not teach their children through theoretical discourse. But they teach their children by how they live their lives. It is then, by the author, called as the style of life or the strategies for living.
As it is stated earlier, murabbi is a person who teaches trough his style of life. In the life of murabbi, there is a far less of a distance between knowledge and practice, between theory and praxis, and between knowing and acting. In other words, the author states that a murobbi is a living proof of why one should accept the body of knowledge, why and how the truth of that knowledge matters. Then the author points out the example of some sahabah who needed more time to read the Quran. For instance is Umar, who try to understand a surah of Quran in quite long time. He took fifteen years to read the surah of Al-Baqoroh. It is not because he lacked the ability to comprehend the text linguistically, but rather he needed time to personalize it by living it.


In this part, the author emphasize on the importance of personalization of knowledge. Every one may have different idea on how he or she personalizes the knowledge as long as it does not violate the truth. In short, we can say that the personalized knowledge will differ from place to place and from time to time. It depends on the context and the situation or the issues faced by the society. People who are living in Africa will have different issues with those who are living in America. People who are interested in astronomy will have different understanding towards the Quran compared to those who are interested in psychology and so on. That is why the only way to understand knowledge is to live with it, and to test its validity in order to know what difference it makes to a life of Muslim.


In the next discussion, the author of this article explains about how knowledge is so far has been placed as something being a commodity. Knowledge has been treated just like the way how people treated goods which are sold in the market. In other words, the author says that the logic of modern educational discourse is shaped increasingly by the trend to characterize knowledge as a product which is produced by the factory of knowledge, in this case is educational institutions. Some views of western experts also quoted here. Most of them regard education as a form of investment in which it can increase labour productivity. If education is viewed as an investment, investing in education should not be different from investment in any other commodities. The consideration that guides investment strategy is the prospects of returns on the initial expenditure. Then they believe that society have to invest in only that education which promises higher returns. In other words, the reason for teaching a subject is decided by the demand for it. The demand for a subject is determined by the subject’s marketability.


The commodification of knowledge takes place when knowledge is needed to sustain and increase the production of goods and services; the increase in production goods and services in turns promotes the increase in the production of knowledge. Hence, when knowledge is identified as a commodity and enters into competition with other commodities for the determination of its value, the landscape of the education undergoes a fundamental change. Then a place where knowledge takes place then is regarded as sites where knowledge is produced. Schools and universities will be function just like factories which produced goods. They will provide knowledge which is mostly needed by the market value.


As the result, the author than says that education will be no longer personal. It has changed to be impersonal. In such context education would collapse into collecting and gathering information. The function of education would be reduced to teaching information retrieval skills. Here, the author tries to tell the reader that we have to consider this education’s trend changing. The author does not mean that we have to come back to the early learning environment as practiced by the former scholars, but at least we have to know that Islam views education as a way to understand His signs in order we can get close to Him. And seeking knowledge is a need for us to increase our intellectual and spiritual ability. So education is not merely a way to have better life in term of higher income. But it is a way how we than can understand Him through His signs given, either written ‘’Quran’’ or created ‘’this nature’’. When we understand His signs, means that we live in the light of the truth. We not only know that, but also we know how to by applying the matters we know through the real action. Living through His light is living in the right path ‘’shiraat Al-Mustaqim’’. So the aim of education in Islam is to make the seeker of the knowledge getting close to his Creator. The more he or she knows, the closer will be he or she is.


In the last part, the author raises a question regarding the position of murabbi in today’s educational system. No one deny that modern educational system provide students with millions of information at his or her fingertip. Teaching and learning are designed to be more effective and efficient using computer, internet, and other means of learning. Teachers are not more important. The most important is how the skills needed by the students can be caught easily. This thinking is based on the fact that world needs qualified people who can enter the job market directly after they finish their study. As the consequence, the profile of teacher is only a transmitter, not a person who also shaped the way how students should think and behave according to the truth values. Of course then, parents send their children to the schools which are good in terms of providing the students to have working skills even though they have to pay much more the children’s education.
As it was stated in the previous part of this article, the fact that educational system is designed to teach the students to have life skills that can make them able to go to the competition of market job. In this part, the author explains about the changing of the educational system which is very difficult to talk about the role of murabbi any more in relation to the today’s school, except in madrasaa or pondok.


However, being a murabbi does not always mean being a teacher. In my opinion, every Muslims should become a good example to the others. Because Allah through His messenger and His book has given a rule in which we may become creative without doing something harm. As best people ‘’ khairu ummah’’ Allah has said in His holy book what should we do in this life regarding to our position. In the surah Ali Imran ayah 110, Allah says ‘’ You are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin Al-Ma’ruf and forbid Al-Munkar, and you believe in Allah’’. From this ayah, we may conclude that basically we are all Muslims are good example to the others. We are all mu’allim, murabbi, mu’addid, and mursyid regarding to whatever our position, profession, race and nation. Our responsibility is to raise people’s recognition to do Al-ma’ruf ‘’good’’ and to avoid Al-Munkar ‘’harm’’


In conclusion, being a murabbi is a must to everyone since we are created as the best people. When we talk about murabbi, it does not always mean we have to come back to the early system of Islamic education. But it is rather as how we than can act based on what the truth that we know. Allah says in the Quran in surrah As- Shaff ayah 2 ‘’ O you who believe! Why do you say which you do not do?’’. This ayah explains that as a Muslims, what we know should be go hand in hand with what we do. And this what a Murabbi is as stated by the author.














Referrences:
Yedullah Kazmi,The notion of Murabbi in Islam: an Islamic critique of trends in contemporary education, Islamic Research Institute, IIU Islamabad, Pakistan, 1999.
Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, The Concept of Education in Islam, 1980
Zaharah Hussin, Akhlak-education in Islamic Education curriculum, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 2005.
Nabil Nofal, Al-GHOZALI, Paris, UNESCO: International Bureau of Education, vol. XXIII, no. 3/4, 1993, p. 519-542, 200.
Al-Quran Al-Karim

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