Introduction History of Education

spread among all of humanity, which had previously been restricted to the elite. The Encyclopedia Britannica (1984) notes that after the emergence of Islam, there was a large-scale expansion of madrasas (educational institutions). Initially, small educational circles were established. Then, schools (maktabs) began to be integrated as an essential part of every mosque. As the demand grew and these mosquebased maktabs proved insufficient, numerous independent madrasas were established. By the Abbasid period, this development had progressed even further, leading to the establishment of major universities such as Nizamiyah and Mustansiriyah. (Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol. 6, pp. 332-33) In summary, before Islam, various superstitions divided human society into higher and lower classes. This division resulted in knowledge being restricted to the upper class, while the lower classes remained in ignorance for thousands of years. The Islamic revolution, which emerged in the 7th century, was the first to dismantle these superstitions. It replaced the societal system based on superstitions with one founded on natural realities. Among the many positive outcomes of this revolution was the dissemination of knowledge from the elite to all segments of society. The term madrasa has become as integral to the history of education as the word education is to the English language. Today, the internet is considered a global repository of knowledge. If you type the word madrasa on the keyboard of a computer connected to the internet, you will instantly see a wealth of information about madrasas appear on the screen.