Ibn Sina’s idea of character development as main ‘product’ of a Muslim education; 4 stages

(credit: summarize from an accedemic journal article by Adlina Ariffin, 2011- Islamic Education: A Contrastive Analysis of Ibn Sina’s and Al-Ghazali's views)

Aim of education from Ibnu Sina's perception : making of an upright citizen, sound in body and mind, and preparing him for some intellectual or a practical work; intellectual development and the amassing of knowledge nor devote on moral aspect alone, but formation of a personality complete in body, mind and character.”

(part from original article are as below)

According to Ibn Sina, educational process is equivalent to the “making of an upright citizen, sound in body and mind, and preparing him for some intellectual or a practical work.”

 This process can be divided into two phases where the first phase involves attaining equilibrium in the holistic development of individuals since young. It connotes the idea that all the different aspects of human development i.e. physical, mental and moral must be given equal emphasis; that none should be neglected. He opined that education is “notaim[ed] exclusively at the intellectual development and the amassing of knowledge nor devote on moral aspect alone, but formation of a personality complete in body, mind and character.”

The second phase is geared towards obtaining specific skills or specialization so as to enable individuals to contribute meaningfully to the society. This concurs with the Avicennian social theory that “society is founded based on cooperation, mutual exchange of services between its individuals.”

Ibn Sina emphasized the importance of education since the birth of the child. He explicitly and carefully laid down the procedures that need to be implemented during child birth in his famous book al-Qanun. He also meticulously explicated the forms of activities that are necessary at this infant stage such as sleep, bathing, suckling and other suitable exercises. The first stage of childhood begins at age 3 to 5 years.

At this phase the aim of education is to provide happy childhood experiences through the development of physical and motor skills and some emphasis on musical appreciation. The focus of educational is more inclined towards moral development, physical coordination, and initial appreciation of virtuous behaviors.

 Ibn Sina held that children are ready to start the primary education at 6 years old and it will continue until they reach 14 years of age. The knowledge acquisition at this stage is much more systematic and organized with a gradual decrease in the physical activities. Learning during this stage takes place in classes in a school or maktab rather than individually. Ibn Sina stressed that learning in groups is more advantages than having a personal tutor because it sets the foundation for children to interact with one another particularly in discussions and debates, to inculcate the value of competition and to emulate the good values among them.

He stated in Kitab al-Siyasah that “the child should be taught alongside the children of the nobility (the great or the rulers) whose conduct is good and whose habits are acceptable. For children will teach and learn from one another in the process of building a strong friendship. If one child is left alone with the teacher, that is most likely to be unsatisfactory for them both; when the educator moves from one pupil to another, the risk of boredom is less, the pace  of activities is more rapid and the child is eager to learn to succeed.”At this stage they are taught the Qur’an, Islamic metaphysics, language, literature, Islamic ethics and some minor practical skills.

The last stage is the specialized education which starts from 14 years onwards. Education at this level is more concerned with acquiring a specialization in an area which the children will be interested to pursue as their future career. Ibn Sina stressed the importance of giving freedom to the child to chart his own future, his studies and vocation. He reiterated that they must not be forced to take up something which is against  their interest and will. At this stage too, parents and teachers should pay close attention on the child’s behavior for it will be indicative of his or her inclinations on the future occupation.

From Ibn Sina’s stages in education, it is most obvious that he did not merely focus on the acquisition of theoretical knowledge per se. Rather he gave greater emphasis on the mastery of practical skills which are essential in developing knowledgeable workers who can contribute effectively toward the progress of the society.