Genealogies of Madrasas 18th-21st centuries

ʿUlamāʾ institutions, generally known as madrasas and ḥawzas, are well-endowed with resources to transmit traditional Islamic thought. The main discipline is Islamic law, supported by dialectical theology (ʿilm al-kalām) and supplemented with high doses of pedagogy in traditional ḥadīth studies, Qurʾānic exegesis and premodern philosophy. Expertise in the disciplines that enable scholars to access the traditional texts and archives of the Muslim tradition, such as high levels of competence in the Arabic language and its ancillary sub-disciplines are highly prized just as premodern studies in logic are emphasised. Apart from an emphasis on other languages such as Persian, Urdu, Hausa and Swahili and other vernacular languages in different regions, modern subjects are entirely absent from curricula, with rare exceptions. Sometimes English or another European language is taught, some computer skills and writing. In other words, traditional Islamic education for the ʿulamāʾ is largely premised on premodern conceptions and worldviews that its adherents believe are still relevant for the purpose of religious formation. Yes, some individuals from such backgrounds do equip themselves with some modern learning but often it is merely to defend the traditional doctrines or to compete with other modes of revivalist and political Islam.