THE HISTORY OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION IN THE UMAYYAH PERIOD

FOREWORD

بسم الله الرحمن الحيم

Alhamdulillah, praise and gratitude to the presence of Allah SWT, who has given His mercy and guidance so that I can finish this paper entitled Islamic Education in the Umayyad Period.
In compiling this paper, with hard work and support from various parties, I have tried to be able to provide the best and in line with expectations, even though I faced difficulties in making it, due to the limited knowledge and skills I have.
I would like to thank and appreciate all those who have helped and guided the preparation of this paper, in particular:
1. Mrs. Helda Nur Ania, M.Pd.I. as the supervising lecturer for the History of Islamic Education course.
2. My friends who have given support and encouragement to me.
I realize there are still many shortcomings and still far from perfection in compiling this paper. For this reason, I hope for constructive criticism and suggestions, so that in the future I can compile it better, and I apologize for the shortcomings, however, I hope that this paper will be useful for readers. Amen.

Tanah Merah, 10 October

Compiler

LIST OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE................................................ .............................................. i
PREFACE. .................................................. ......................................... ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS...... .................................................. .................................................. iii
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A. Background ............................................... .................................................. 1
B. Problem Formulation ............................................... ............................................ 1
C. Purpose.... .................................................. .................................................. .. 2
CHAPTER II DISCUSSION
A. Social, Political, and Religious Background ............................................... 3
B. Development of Islamic Education Institutions ............................................... ...... 6
C. Madrasas and Universities................................................. .................................... 11
D. Educational Figures and Their Contributions..... .................................. 13
CHAPTER III CLOSING
A. Conclusion......... .................................................. ............................................ 15
B. Suggestions....... .................................................. .................................................. 15
BIBLIOGRAPHY

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background

With the end of the reign of the caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib, the power of the Umayyads was born. In the previous period of Ali and the Caliph, the pattern of leadership still followed the example of the Prophet. The caliphs were chosen through a deliberative process. This is different from the period after the Rashidun khulafaur or the dynasties that developed afterwards, which began during the Umayyad dynasty. The form of government is in the form of a kingdom, power is feudal (land/regional/regional control, or hereditary. To maintain power, the caliphate dares to be authoritarian, there is an element of violence, diplomacy accompanied by deceit, and the loss of deliberation in the election of the caliphate.

The Umayyads ruled for about 91 years. Quite a lot of reforms occurred, related to the field of development and progress of Islamic education. The development of science is not only in the field of religion alone but also in its technological aspects. While the education system is still the same as when the Apostle and the Rashidun khulafaur, namely kuttab whose implementation was centered in the mosque.

B. Problem Formulation

1. What was the social, political and religious background of the Umayyads?

2. What was the development of Islamic educational institutions like during the Umayyad period?

3. What Madrasas and Universities were established during the Umayyad era?

4. Who were the educational figures during the Umayyad era and their contributions?

C. Purpose

1. Knowing the social, political and religious background of the Umayyads.

2. Knowing the development of Islamic educational institutions during the Umayyad period.

3. Knowing what Madrasas and Universities were established during the Umayyad period.

4. Knowing who were the educational figures during the Umayyad period and their contributions.

CHAPTER II

DISCUSSION

ISLAMIC EDUCATION IN THE UMAYYAH TIME

A. Social, Political, and Religious Background in the Umayyad Period

The Umayyad Caliphate was founded by Muawiyah bin Abi Sufyan in 41 Hijriah and ended in 132 H. Thus, the Umayyads ruled for approximately 91 years. The names of the Umayyad caliphs who were relatively prominent were Muawiyah bin Abi Sufyan (661-680), Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (685-705 AD), al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik (705-715 AD), Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz(717-720 AD), and Hisham ibn Abd al-Maalik (724-743 AD). [1]

Apart from being filled with large, fundamental and strategic programs, the Umayyad Caliphate also gave birth to many groups and sects within Islam, as well as the development of religious knowledge, general knowledge, culture and civilization.

Among the major, fundamental and strategic programs during the Umyyah era was the expansion of Islamic territory. At the time of Muawiyah, Tunisa was conquered. In the east, Muawiyah could control the Khurasan area up to the Axus river and Afghanistan up to Kabul. His navy made raids on the Byzantine capital and Constantinople. The expansion to the east by Muawiyah was then continued by Caliph Abd al-Malik. He sent an army across the river Oxus and managed to subdue Balkh, Bukhara, Khawarizm, Ferghana, and Samarkand. His army even reached India and was able to control Balukhistan, Sind, and the Mintab area as far as Maltan. [2]

Then the expansion on a large scale was continued in the time of al-Walid bin Abdul Malik. History records that al-Malik's reign was a period of peace, prosperity, order, and happiness. During his reign, which lasted for about 10 years, a military expedition was recorded from North Africa to the Southwest, Continental Europe, namely in 711 AD. After al-Jazair and Morocco were subdued, Tariq bin Ziyad, the leader of the Islamic forces, crossed the strait that separates Morocco. with the continent of Europe, and landed in what is now known as Gibraltal. The Spanish army was defeated and thus the Spanish capital Kordofa was quickly overrun as well as other cities such as Seville, Elvira and Toledo. At the time of Umar bin Abd Al-Aziz, the expansion of the territory continued to France through the Piranee mountains, under Commander Abd al-Rahman Ibn Abdullah al-Ghafiqi. He started by attacking Boredeau, Politiers, and on to Tours. But in the battle that took place in the city of Tours, al-Ghafiqi was killed, and his army retreated back to Spain.

Through these various successful expansions, the Islamic territories during the Umayyad era, in addition to the Arabian Peninsula and its surroundings, have also covered Spain, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenia, Uzbeks and Kyrgyz in Central Asia.

In the field of social and development, the Umayyads succeeded in establishing various buildings in various fields. Muawiyah set up postal services and certain places by providing horses complete with equipment along the way. He also attempted to organize the armed forces and minted currency. In his time, the special position of a qadli was a specialist in his field. Abd. al-Malik changed the Byzantine and Persian currencies used in areas controlled by Islam. For that, he printed a separate currency in 659 AD using Arabic words and scripts. Caliph Abdul Malik also succeeded in making government administration improvements and enforcing Arabic as the official language of Islamic government administration. Furthermore, at the time of al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik (705-715) a strong-willed and capable man carried out the construction of orphanages for the disabled whose officers were paid by the state. Apart from that, al-Walid also built highways that connected one area to another, factories, government buildings, and a magnificent mosque.

In the religious field, during the time of the Umayyads it was marked by the emergence of various religious movements with an ideological political pattern. They include Shi'ites, Khawarij with their various sects: Azariqah, Najdat Aziriyah, Ibadiyah, Ajaridah and Shafariyah, Mu'tazilah, Maturidiyah, Ash'ariyah, Qadariyah, and Jabariyah. These various sects and religious groups sometimes carry out movements and rebellions against the legitimate government. With the death of Hussein in Karbala, the resistance of the Shi'ites never died out. Many rebellions were spearheaded by the Shi'ites. The most famous one is the rebellion of Mukhtar in Kufah in 685-687 AD. In addition, there is also the movement of Abdullah bin Zubair. He built his opposition movement in Mecca after he refused to swear allegiance to Yazid. But,

In addition to the above movements, the anarchist movement launched by the Khawarij and Shia groups can also be appeased. It was the success in eradicating the movement that allowed the orientation of this dynasty's government to be directed towards securing the territory in the eastern region, which included cities around Central Asia and northern Africa, and even paved the way for the conquest of Spain.

The political, social and religious situation began to improve during the reign of caliph Umar ibn Abd. Al-Aziz (717-720). When crowned as caliph, he stated that repairing and improving the land that is in Islamic territory is better than increasing its expansion. This means that the top priority is domestic development. Although his reign was very short, Umar ibn Abd. Al-Aziz can be said to have succeeded in establishing good relations with the Shia group. He also gave freedom to followers of other religions to worship according to their beliefs and beliefs. Taxes were reduced and the position of the Mawali (Muslims who were not of Arab descent, originating from Persia and Armenia) was on an equal footing with Arab Muslims.

B. The Development of Islamic Educational Institutions During the Umayyad Period

During the Umayyad dynasty, the pattern of education was decentralized. The scientific studies in this period were centered in Damascus, Kufa, Mecca, Medina, Egypt, Cordova and several other cities, such as: Basrah and Kuffah (Iraq), Damascus and Palestine (Syam), Fistat (Egypt). Among the sciences he developed, namely: medicine, philosophy, astronomy or astrology, exact sciences, literature, art, be it architecture, fine art, or sound art.

At the time of the Rashidun and Umayyad caliphs there was actually a level of teaching, almost the same as today. The first level is Kuttab, where children learn to write and read, memorize the Qur'an and learn the basics of the Islamic Religion. After completing the Qur'an they continued their lessons to the mosque. Lessons at the mosque consist of middle and high levels. At the middle level, the teacher is not yet a major scholar, while at the high level, the teacher is a scholar who is knowledgeable and well-known for his piety and piety.

In general, lessons are given by the teacher to students one by one. Either in Kuttab or in the mosque at the intermediate level. At a high level, lessons are given by the teacher in one halaqah which is attended by students together.

The sciences taught to Kuttab were initially simple, namely:

• Learn to read and write
• Read the Qur'an and memorize it
• Learn the basics of the Islamic religion, such as how to ablution, prayer, fasting and so on.

The sciences taught at the middle and high levels consist of:

• The Qur'an and its interpretation.
• Hadith and collect them.
• Fiqh (tasri').

The government of the Umayyad dynasty paid attention to education. Give a strong impetus to the world of education by providing facilities and infrastructure. This is done so that scientists, artists, and scholars want to carry out the development of the fields of knowledge they master and are able to carry out knowledge regeneration. Among the sciences that developed at this time were:

1. Religious knowledge, such as: Al-Qur'an, Haist, and Fiqh. The process of bookkeeping of Hadith took place during the Caliph Umar ibn Abdul Aziz since then the Hadith has experienced rapid development.
2. The science of history and geography, that is, all science that discusses the journey of life, stories, and history. Ubaid ibn Syariyah Al Jurhumi succeeded in writing various historical events.
3. Science in the field of language, namely all sciences that study language, nahu, neurology, and others.
4. The field of philosophy, namely all sciences that generally come from foreign nations, such as logic, chemistry, astronomy, arithmetic and science related to it, and medicine.
5. Educational institutions that developed during the Umayyad era, apart from mosques, kuttab and houses as they had existed before, were also added to educational institutions such as the Palace, Badiah, Library, Al-Bimaristan, Kuttab, Mosque and Literature Council.

a. Palace

Education at the palace not only teaches general knowledge, but also teaches children about intelligence, mind and body.

b. Badiah

This Badiah educational institution emerged along with the policy of the Umayyad government to carry out an Arabization program initiated by the caliph Abdul Malik ibn Marwan. Badiah literally means a Bedouin hamlet in Padang Sahara in which the Arabic language is still fluent and pure according to the rules of the Arabic language.

c. Library

Libraries grow and develop along with the growth and development of science as well as research activities and writing of scientific papers. In research-based education and teaching, the library plays a very important role. He became the heart of an educational institution.

d. Al-Bimaristan

Al-Bimaristan is a hospital for treatment and care for people and also functions as a place for internships and research for prospective doctors. At present Al-Baristan is known as the Teaching Hospital (teaching hospital).

e. Kuttab

Children need more intensive education and lessons in order to obtain the expected, orderly and regular results. This method is not possible to do at home. Because it needed a special place and space outside the house.

Placing children to study in the mosque will cause noise from other people who are carrying out their worship. In addition, the cleanliness of the mosque is not guaranteed. The nature of children is that they are active, always on the move, regardless of their surroundings.

The way out of this difficulty is to set up special rooms outside the house and outside the mosque. The place where these children study is then called a kuttab.

In subsequent developments, this kuttab underwent changes and developments in its form and organizational system. However, the first form of the kuttab still carried out its original function, with its teachers consisting of dhimmis who taught only writing and reading. This kuttab began to appear during the time of al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf Ats-tsaqafi. In this kuttab children begin to memorize the Qur'an regularly, because it is the source of religious life and the basis for the formation needed by every Muslim. According to Prof, Dr, A Salabi "Kuttab of this type as a school house for the public, is the result of the development of the education of the sons of kings and their superiors.

f. Mosque

The mosque is very closely related to the history of Islamic education, it is an Islamic educational institution since the beginning was built by the Prophet Muhammad. from this mosque echoed calls for faith, piety, morality and social teachings; both related to state individuals and those related to socio-economic and social culture that are just and civilized and are pleasing to Allah SWT.

The role of the mosque as a center for education and teaching is always wide open for everyone who feels he is capable and capable of giving or teaching his knowledge to people who have a thirst for knowledge. After the children's studies at the kuttab ended, they continued their education to the secondary level which was conducted at the mosque.

In the mosque there are two levels of schools; secondary level and college level. Lessons given at the secondary level are carried out individually. While at the tertiary level it is carried out halaqah, students sit together around their teacher who gives lessons to them. At the secondary level, subjects are given to the Koran and Tafsir, Hadith and Fiqh. Meanwhile, at the tertiary level, Tafsir, Hadith, Jurisprudence, and Islamic Shari'ah lessons are taught.

g. Literary Council

Literary assembly is the development of the mosque which is usually done by the Rashidun khulafaur together with other friends to hold meetings and discuss issues that require a complete solution. In this assembly the friends have complete freedom in expressing their criticisms and opinions.

Deliberations and discussions contain elements of education which include the use and control of thoughts and feelings and procedures based on applicable provisions or arguments. In addition, in this assembly there was also a process of transforming knowledge, the problems raised and the results of their solutions to the participants. [3]

There was a distinct dynamic which became the characteristic of Islamic education at that time, namely the opening of the discourse of kalam (read: theological discipline) which developed in the midst of society. As understood from the constitution of the history of the Umayyads, which coincided with their birth, there were also mentions of people who committed grave sins, the discourse of kalam could not be avoided from their daily conversations, even though this discourse was motivated by political factors. This discussion then gave birth to a number of groups that have the paradigms of independent thinking.

The pattern of education in the Umayyad period had developed when viewed from the aspect of teaching, although the system was still the same as during the time of the Prophet and the Rashidun khulafaur. At this time Islamic civilization was already international in nature covering three continents, namely parts of Europe, parts of Africa and most of Asia, all of which were united by Arabic as the official language of the State.

C. Madrasas and Universities During the Umayyad Period

Expansion of the Islamic state is not an expansion by tearing down and destroying, but an expansion that is regularly attended by religious scholars and teachers who join the Islamic army. Educational centers have been spread in major cities as follows: In the cities of Mecca and Medina (Hijaz). In the cities of Basrah and Kufa (Iraq). In the city of Damascus and Palestine (Sham). In the city of Fistat (Egypt).

The madrasas that existed during the Umayyad era were as follows:

1. Madrasa Makkah: The first teacher to teach in Makkah, after the people of Makkah were conquered, was Mu'az bin Jabal. He is the one who teaches the Qur'an and what is halal and haram in Islam. At the time of the caliph Abdul Malik bin Marwan Abdullah bin Abbas went to Mecca, then taught there in the Grand Mosque. He taught tafsir, jurisprudence and literature. Abdullah bin Abbas is the founder of the Mecca madrasa, which is famous throughout the Islamic world.
2. Madrasah Madrasah Madrasah Madrasah Madrasah Madrasah Madrasah Madrasah Madrasah Madrasah Madrasah Madrasah Medina is more famous and has more knowledge, because that is where the companions of the Prophet lived. This means that there are many prominent scholars there.
3. Madrasah Basrah: The most famous scholars of the Companions in Basrah are Abu Musa Al-ash'ari and Anas bin Malik. Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari is an expert in jurisprudence and hadith, as well as an expert in the Qur'an. While Abas bin Malik is famous in the science of hadith. Al-Hasan Basry as an expert in jurisprudence, also an expert in speeches and stories, an expert in thought and an expert in Sufism. He not only taught the religious sciences to the students, but also taught the public by holding stories in the Basrah mosque.
4. Kufa Madrasah: Ibn Mas'ud Madrasah in Kufa gave birth to six great scholars, namely: 'Alqamah, Al-Aswad, Masroq, 'Ubaidah, Al-Haris bin Qais and 'Amr bin Shurahbil. They are the ones who replaced Abdullah bin Mas'ud as a teacher in Kufah. The scholars of Kufah, not only learned from Abdullah bin Mas'ud to become teachers in Kufah. The scholars of Kufah, not only learned from Abdullah bin Mas'ud. They even went to Madinah.
5. Madrasah Damascus (Syam): After the land of Syam (Syria) became a part of an Islamic country and many of its inhabitants embraced Islam. So the land of Sham became the concern of the Khilafah. The madrasa gave birth to a resident imam from Syam, namely Abdurrahman Al-Auza'iy who was on the same level of knowledge as Imam Malik and Abu-Hanafiah. His schools spread across Syria to Maghrib and Andalusia. But then his school disappeared, due to the great influence of the Shafi'i and Maliki schools.
6. Madrasah Fistat (Egypt): After Egypt became an Islamic state it became the center of religious sciences. The first scholar who started madrasas in Egypt was Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al-'As, namely in Fisfat (Old Egypt). He is a hadith expert in the truest sense of the word. Because he not only memorized the hadiths he heard from the Prophet SAW, but also wrote them down in a notebook, so that he did not forget or make mistakes narrating these hadiths to his students. Therefore many friends and tabi'in narrated hadiths from him.

Because students don't have enough to study with a scholar in the country where they live, instead they visit other cities to continue their knowledge. Egyptian students visited Medina, Medina students visited Kufa, Kufa students visited Sham, Syam students visited here and there and so on. Thus the world of knowledge spread throughout the cities of the Islamic State.

D. Educational Figures During the Umayyad Period and Their Contributions

Educational figures during the Umayyad era consisted of scholars who mastered their respective fields such as in the fields of interpretation, hadith, and Fiqh. Apart from the scholars, there are also language/literature experts.

• Tabi'in scholars who are experts in tafsir, namely: Mujahid, 'Athak bin Abu Rabah, 'Ikrimah, Sa'id bin Jubair, Masruq bin Al-Ajda', Qatadah. During the tabi'in period, the interpretation of the Qur'an expanded by including Israiliyat and Nasraniyat, because many Jews and Christians embraced Islam. Among them the most famous: Ka'bul Ahbar, Wahab bin Munabbih, Abdullah bin Salam, Ibnu Juraij.
• Hadith scholars: The only reading book is the Koran. While the hadiths have not been recorded. The hadiths were only passed down by word of mouth. From the mouth of the teacher to the mouth of the student, that is, from the memorization of the teacher he gives it to the student, so that it becomes a student's memorization as well and so on. Half of the friends and students have recorded these hadiths in their notebooks, but not yet in the form of a book according to our current terms.
• Companion scholars who narrated many hadiths were: Abu Hurairah (5374 hadiths), 'Aisyah (2210 hadiths), Abdullah bin Umar (± 2210 hadiths), Abdullah bin Abbas (± 1500 hadiths), Jabir bin Abdullah (± 1500 hadith), Anas bin Malik (±2210 hadith)
• Fiqh scholars: Tabi'in Fiqh scholars at the time of the Umayyads include:, Syuriah bin Al-Harits, 'alqamah bin Qais, Masuruq Al-Ajda', Al-Aswad bin Yazid Then followed by their students , namely: Ibrahim An-Nakh'l (died in 95 H) and 'Amir bin Shurahbil As Sya'by (died in 104 H). after that he was replaced by Hammad bin Abu Sulaiman (died in 120 H), the teacher of Abu Hanafiah.
• Linguist/literature expert: A linguist like Sibawaih whose writings are the Bible, become a guide in matters of the Arabic language. In line with that, attention to the Arabic poetry of ignorance has reappeared so that the field of Arabic literature has progressed. In this era, poets such as Umar bin Abu Rabiah, Jamil al-Uzri, Qys bin Mulawwah, known as Laila Majnun, Al-Farazdaq, Jarir, and Al Akhtal emerged. so far it seems that the progress made by the Umayyads was centered on the areas of territorial expansion, Arabic language and literature, and physical development. In fact, at this time scientific movements have also developed, such as in the fields of religion, history and philosophy. In the first field, for example, there are scholars such as Hasan al-Basri, Ibn Syihab Az-Zuhri, and Wasil bin Ata. The center of this scientific activity is Kufa and Basrah in Iraq. Khalid bin Yazid bin Mu'awiyah was a sharp-minded orator and poet. He was the first to translate books on astronomy, medicine and chemistry.

CHAPTER III

CLOSING

A. Conclusion

From the description above, a conclusion can be drawn that the state of education during the reign of the Umayyads was more developed than during the Khulafur Rashidun era. The most prominent educational development is in the institutional aspects and the knowledge taught. In the institutional aspect, new educational institutions have emerged and developed, namely the palace, badiah, library, and bimaristan. The knowledge taught is not only in the field of religion, but also general sciences. However, religious sciences are still dominant compared to general science. Meanwhile, if we look at it in terms of the system, it is still simple and conventional, and cannot be equated with the education system that has developed as it is today.

The development of such education is because it is influenced by the political, social and religious situation which as a whole does not yet support educational activities. politically, the Umayyad period which lasted for approximately 90 years was too much used to expand territory and quell various upheavals and rebellions.

B. Suggestion

There is a saying "there is no ivory that is not cracked". That's why the author is always aware that there are so many deficiencies and errors contained in this paper. Therefore, the authors expect constructive criticism and suggestions from all readers so that in the future the authors can try to be even better.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Nata, Abdul. 2014. History of Islamic Education. Jakarta: Kencana Prenadamedia Group.

Education in the Umayyad Age 

( http://islaminstituthere.blogsspot.com/judul=makalah-dinding-di-zaman-bani_10.html?m. accessed 05 October 2016).

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