Crisis of Education or Decline of Civilization? (Part Five)
Results, Intellectual Implications, and Future Theoretical Direction
Dr. Afzal Razvi — Australia
A critical and comparative review of the previous discussions clearly shows that the present educational crisis cannot be resolved through a single reform measure, curriculum change, or administrative decision. This crisis is actually the result of the distortion of the very concept of education.
According to Muhammad Iqbal, when education becomes disconnected from its metaphysical, moral, and social purposes, it stops being a means of national progress and instead becomes a cause of intellectual chaos and civilizational decline.
In Iqbal’s thought, education is a formative process, not merely informative. In The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam (RRTI), he describes knowledge as a living and creative continuation of human experience — one that strengthens the self (khudi) and enables an individual to play an active role in history.
The greatest failure of the current educational system, in this context, is that it turns the student into an object rather than an agent — someone who adjusts to the system but lacks the ability to transform it.
1) Epistemological Implications
The first major intellectual conclusion from Iqbal’s educational vision is that knowledge cannot be separated from values.
Modern educational models — especially technocratic and neoliberal frameworks — reduce knowledge to mere utility. Iqbal strongly rejects this idea. According to him, knowledge that does not give a person the ability to make moral decisions is not true knowledge but intellectual deception.
His poetry expresses this clearly:
If thought is separated from action, it leads to stagnation rather than life. Religion, for Iqbal, provides life with meaning and direction, rooted in the spiritual legacy of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and Prophet Abraham (AS).
2) Sociological Implications
The second major conclusion is that education is a social institution, not merely a state service.
Iqbal views education as a social contract that defines responsibilities between the individual, society, and the state. When this contract is shaped by colonial or consumerist foundations, society becomes intellectually divided and morally weakened.
Iqbal considered the formation of a “slave mentality” the greatest educational tragedy. Education that promotes blind imitation instead of questioning, ijtihad (independent reasoning), and creativity pushes a nation to the margins of history.
However, Iqbal distinguishes between blind imitation and disciplined adherence. He supports following tradition when it maintains unity and moral order, especially during times of decline. In periods of intellectual weakness, he argues, misguided ijtihad can cause more harm than benefit.
3) Ethical and Civilizational Implications
The third fundamental result of Iqbal’s educational vision is that education is the soul of civilization.
A civilization is not defined by its buildings, technology, or economy, but by its philosophy of education. If moral centrality disappears from education, civilization becomes hollow — no matter how materially advanced it appears.
This is where Iqbal critiques modern Western civilization. He does not reject science; rather, he supports scientific progress under ethical supervision. If science becomes detached from morality, it ceases to serve humanity and begins to dominate it — a theme clearly present in both Reconstruction and Zarb-e-Kalim.
4) Policy-Level Implications
If Iqbal’s educational vision is taken seriously, its policy implications are far-reaching.
The goal of education policy should not merely be global rankings, market demands, or workforce production. It should focus on the formation of dignified human beings.
Curriculum, pedagogy, teacher training, and institutional culture must all be shaped within a coherent intellectual framework.
This is where the need for a national educational commission becomes ideological rather than merely administrative — one capable of translating Iqbal’s concepts of selfhood, knowledge, and civilization into policy language.
5) Future Direction: Educational Paradigm
Iqbal’s educational vision is neither nostalgic nor anti-Western. Instead, it offers the foundation for an alternative modernity — one that unites scientific reason, spiritual insight, and moral responsibility.
For this reason, Iqbal’s message is even more relevant in today’s age of Artificial Intelligence, digital culture, and globalization.
Iqbal captures this hope beautifully:
Iqbal is not hopeless about his barren field;
With a little moisture, this soil can become very fertile.
That “moisture” represents intellectual clarity, moral centrality, and educational purpose. When these return, education becomes more than the transmission of information — it becomes a force capable of changing the destiny of a nation.
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