Studying the meaning of the Arabic word for education gives us a linguistic cue as to how we should begin to approach Islamic Education for a more sophisticated understanding. Fortunately, the richness of the Arabic language offers us three different words which are used relatively interchangeably for education, and convey the complexity of the subject.

The first word is tarbiyya which comes from the Arabic root raba (to grow, increase) and refers to the development of individual potential and to the process of nurturing and guiding the child to a state of completeness or maturity. The second word is ta’dib which comes from the root aduba (to be refined, disciplined, cultured) and refers to the process of character development and learning a sound basis for moral and social behavior within the community and society at large. It includes coming to an understanding of and accepting the most fundamental social principles, such as justice. The final word, ta’lim, comes from the root ‘alima (to know, be informed, perceive, discern) and refers to the imparting and receiving of knowledge, usually through training, instruction or other forms of teaching.These three words taken together describe nurturing a child to physical maturity, development of morals and character, societal integration as well as knowledge through instruction. This means that our educational designs must include considerations as diverse as nutrition, exercise, morality, ethics, civics, community, society and law. To make things even more difficult we must address the complex societal and civic issues resulting from our status as a minority living in a non-Islamic society. This simple introductory inquiry into the meaning of education through a linguistic analysis reveals a more sophisticated understanding of Islamic education than what is currently circulating amongst Muslims and should serve as a basis for our efforts to educate our young. Yet it becomes evident that what we have constructed as a means to educate new generations of Muslims is inadequately addressing much of what is mentioned above. Tragically, most Muslim communities do not realize that their schools are deficient because they do not comprehend the subtle complexities of education. Rather the main, and often times sole consideration, is ta’lim, or knowledge, which they hope will benefit their children in the acquisition of a “good job.” This handicapped assumption about education can lead to disastrous consequences and will no doubt expose Muslims to the variety of psychological afflictions associated with Western society resulting from the combination of materialism and institutionalization.

What we need is a revolution in the way we think about education. And we need one soon.

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