Islamic Paradigms for Women’s Education and Their Roles to Bring up Tawhidic Ummah (Believed Nation)

From the Islamic perspective, man and woman are not come to this world accidentally without any mission and purpose in his life. This principle is clearly laid down in the Qur’an: “Did you think that We had created you in play (without any purpose), and that you would not be brought back to Us?” This verse makes the point that man and woman have to realise that their existence in this worldly life is very precious. Hence, education is crucial for every individual Muslim whether man and woman concerned with a comprehensive development in order to achieve a successful life in this world. Education is crucial ways in which to know and believe in Allah, the effective means to develop good character and the right way to cope with worldly life. This evidence shows that from the very beginning of the revelation, Islam has been very concerned about knowledge and education rather than any other aspects; “Iqra’” It means that from the Islamic point of view, the development of intellectual and good moral qualities through divine guidance constituted the foremost programme existing in human. This means that education is mainly to develop man and woman to seek virtue in accordance with the Din al-Islam which has no conflict with human’s worldly life. If we refer to the Hadith, “Every new-born child is born in a state of fitrah. Then his parents make him a Jew, a Christian or a Magian, just as an animal born intact. Do you observe any among them that are maimed (at birth)?,” which signifies that the parent’s role and their responsibility for transmitting the knowledge of tawhid is crucial, as well as for feeding, clothing etc. This means those Muslim parents particularly woman may inculcate the way of the Sunnah, such as recitation of supplications (duca’), during the activities of feeding, clothing and so on, and the cultivation of other aspects of education. These are the roles and ways of woman bringing up her children. The effects of this education may lead Muslims to deal with their knowledge for the benefit of themselves and for others in accordance with the teaching of Islam which is concerned with the development of the whole range of human faculties, both physical and spiritual, and the development of society of balanced growth. Indeed, this atmosphere may enable every individual Muslim voluntarily to surrender himself to Allah whole-heartedly and maintain his dignity and superiority as a servant and vicegerent of Allah in this world and further, to attain felicity and prosperity in the hereafter. This concept paper attempts to examine and discuss the efforts how woman’s education is important and how she able to play her roles to facilitate this type of education to bring up Tawhidic Umma.