Index

Muslim Inventions that Changed the World: Degree-Granting Universities

Early on in Islamic history, mosques doubled as schools.The same people who led prayers would teach groups of students about Islamic sciences such as Koran, Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) and hadith.As the Muslim world grew however, there needed to be formal institutions, known as madrasas, dedicated to the education of students.

Muslim Inventions that Changed the World: Degree-Granting Universities

The first formal madrasa was al- Karaouine, founded in 859 by Fatima al- Fihri in Fes, Morocco. Her school attracted some of the leading scholars of North Africa, as well as the land’s brightest students. At al-Karaouine, students were taught by teachers for a number of years in a variety of subjects ranging from secular to religious sciences. At the end of the program, if the teachers deemed their students qualified, they would grant them a certificate known as an ijaza, which recognizes that the student understood the material and is now qualified to teach it.

These first degree-granting educational institutes quickly spread throughout the Muslim world. Al-Azhar University was founded in Cairo in 970, and in the 1000s, the Seljuks established dozens of madrasas throughout the Middle East. The concept of institutes that grant certificates of completion (degrees) spread into Europe through Muslim Spain, where European students would travel to study.

The universities of Bologna in Italy and Oxford in England were founded in the 11th and 12th centuries and continued the Muslim tradition of granting degrees to students who deserved them, and using this as a formal measure of a person’s qualifications in a particular subject.

SOURCE: AGENCIES

2026-05-01 (Dhul-Qaida 1447) №5.


Slave, Equal, Guardian: Who is She?

Why is it the man who is the breadwinner?   As for the responsibility of providing for the family (wife and children) this responsibility falls precisely on the man, whether husband or father, because he is the primary breadwinner. This rule will remain in effect until the Day of Judgment and it...


The Aghlabid Dynasty

In 184 AH (Muslim calendar), Caliph Harun al-Rashid sent a new governor to the province of Ifriqiya (Africa). This vast province, which regularly disrupted the supply of goods and food to the capital of the Arab Caliphate, troubled the Caliph and required constant, heightened attention. A...


The First of the Sacred Months

Dhul-Qaida is one of the four sacred months in Islam. It is the second month after Shawwal when pilgrims can perform the rites of Hajj. The Almighty Lord said in the Koran (interpretation of the meaning): “Hajj is performed in the known months (Shawwal, Dhul-Qaida and the first ten days of...


The Ideal Husband’s Commandments

Family is a daily effort. And for any family to be successful, both spouses must work hard, for, as the saying goes, one man is no match for another. To be happy in marriage, a woman does not need much... Although it is not... In fact, she needs much... But in this article, we will limit ourselves...


When a mother has no more strength

Being a mother is a serious science You can read dozens of books on raising children but until you raise your own little one, you are just a theorist. Being a mother is a practice. And each of us has moments when we want to lock ourselves in a back room, go for a walk through the streets at night...