Studying Education at the dawn of Islam

Islamic and Muslim educational pedagogy has come under intense media and public scrutiny in recent years. This paper provides a brief overview of the early major developments impacting upon later development both in the UK and elsewhere. The topic is vast and, therefore, only some of the embryonic themes will be identified to show that the emergence of the religion of Islam and of Islamic educational pedagogy are inextricably related. Based on selected historical narratives, the paper also traces their interrelationship in broad terms to illustrate teacher and learner practices and surveys informal learning contexts at the dawn of the prophetic era and is followed by an account of the establishment of the first formal educational setting in approximately 611-616 CE. It ends with an exploration of the varied ‘types of schools’ which were established during the Makkan period to cater for the needs of the nascent community.