Mass Production of Alims and Alimaas and Teaching of Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi

There seems to be a rush for the mass production of “Aalims” and “Aalimas” which is in conflict with the teaching of Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi: Becoming a good human (ach-ha insaan) is more important than becoming a buzurg because a good human would be a source of benefit to the fellow people, whereas a buzurg would only be a source of benefit to himself!!!!” With a heavy heart, I must point out the issues emanating from the establishment of of assembly lines for the mass production of certified “Alims” and “Alimas”. Foremost among them is the contradiction of the intent to produce Aalims and Alimas with the intent of Maulana Asharf Ali Thanvi (1863–1943) [1] “to produce a good human and not a buzurg”, who is among the most revered religious scholars of the 20th century in sub-continent.

I think the “hikmat” in Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi’s teaching was to make sure that his disciples clearly understand that (i) being a good human comes before being a buzurg, (ii) to understand that “buzurgi” is a personal attribute, (iii) they need to protect themselves against “raya” and “superiority complex”, which can be seen in the works of his disciples when they use “ahqar” in place of first person “I” and their names written on their published works typically has the prefex “ahqar” attached. This is also in-line with his thrust of “Tareeq e Qalndari”[3] that he followed all his life.

Certfying that a person is an “Aalim” is problematic “literally” speaking, given the vastness of “ilm” and its dimensions for which several lifetimes are required. I don’t see Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi’s teaching would ever reconcile with his taking pride in calling himself “Aalim” and criticising others beneath him. One could not find any pretensions to superiority based on his “ilm”, erudition and knowledge.

• See also: Encounter Project 2: Propagating Islam as an Inflexible, Rigid, Harsh System 

My thesis is that the product coming out from factories of mass production of “Alims” and “Alimas” who often seem to be inheriting a sense of “superiority complex” in addition to the problems observed from the products of similar mass production assembly lines that have been setup by conventional schools and universities which are producing love for materialism and lack of respect and love for the fellow human beings. This seems contrary to what was practiced and preached by the Hakeem ul Ummat and is practiced by his true desciples.

Since such mass factories for Alim and Alima production (aka madrassahs) seem to have acquired the structural attributes (and hence the underlying assumptions) of modern schools and universities, they consequently suffer from the same problems that are present in these school and universities. These include:

1. Studying to only pass the exams and obtain the degree (sanad) and ignoring that they are studying for tazkia [4] and for hasan in their life of dunya and akhirah [5], and making life of the people dependent upon them better [6]. 
2.  Studying only the assigned outline selectively to pass the exam. 
3. Assuming that the knowledge is only contained in the prescribed texts. 
4. Assuming that the only teacher they have is the assigned teacher. They can not refer to other teachers and other material. 
5. Ignoring that they are studying the relevant material to identify linkages with their own experience, and the experience available in existing knowledge, linkages and influences of other subjects and fields of knowledge, and across experiences of people in time and history. 

In their eagerness to imitate the structures of these mass production lines of schools and universities, madrassah’s mindlessly have jettisoned some of their distinctive advantages. However, these madrassahs still retain some of their original attributes such as humility (e.g. use of addressing oneself as Ahqar), but Islamic schools have even jettisoned those remaining traditional virtues also in their zeal for spiritual marketing. In this post we identify the issues arising from the adoption of school/university structural elements:

• See also: Structural Paradigm of Schools: Foundations and Assumptions

Relationship with Aalim/Shaikh:

Traditional madrassahs have been structured around the connection and relationship with the Aalim or shaikh. One used to go for learning with a particular Aalim, not with the brand name of the institution. Our schools were based on this association with the Aalim. A student was recognized by the shaikh or the teacher from which he received his all encompassing guidance. Recognizing the thirst and potential of the mureed (student), and given that he has acquired whatever the shaikh had to offer, the shaikh himself would recommend the student to another aalim or shaikh, often in a different city or country. The student established this close connection with the aalim or shaikh from whom he was associated. This companionship was responsible for the acquisition of not only knowledge of the scriptures, knoweldge of the world, but also spiritual knowledge and cleansing. The association was a complete package of knowledge, competence and character.

Strict Timeline for graduation.

A student may graduate (get khilafah) in a few days or in months, or in years. Some may not get that even in their entire lifetime spent in the “suhbat” of the Shaikh.