Majid Irsan Al-Kaylani (1937-2015): A unique philosophical vision of Islam and education

• In Event: Highlighted Session: Religion, Education and Social (In)Justice

Proposal

Despite the rise in Islamic schools globally, there is dearth in studies providing Islamic educational leadership frameworks. The thinker, philosopher and historian Majid Irsan Al-Kaylani has left us a valuable and inestimable treasure, and everyone who reads his books or only one of his books will find new ideas that inspire policy makers, researchers, and practitioners. Al-Kaylani in his books proves that the idea of waiting for the hero to solve the problems of the Islamic world is an illusion. If there is no sound educational movement to create a conscious generation, change will not happen by itself. This study is a great opportunity to introduce his ideas and theories to English speaking scholars since his work is presented majorly in Arabic. In addition, this study helps Arabic speakers’ scholars to reread and relearn about his contribution in a new lens. Therefore, this study aims to introduce this scholar to Muslim and non-Muslim scholars as we did not find resources showing his work in English. This chapter aims to shed light on the importance of Al-Kaylani’s theories presented in his books and what he tried to highlight during his life. To attain this goal, we will review his books and studies and utilize semi-structured interviews with his brothers, son, and colleagues to elicit his views and opinions. The chapter seeks to present a module in order to enlighten scholars, policy makers, and practitioners about the treasure he left us to reimagine educational practices and policies

Author

• Rania Sawalhi, Eduenterprise