THE FIRST MODERN UNIVERSITY IN THE WORLD ESTABLISHED BY A MUSLIM WOMAN

Al-Qariwiyin University, Fez, Morocco

When we think of universities and hall marks of education of the world, we usually think of Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard. Therefore, it is natural for people to also think that the first university in the world was established in the West (Cambridge). Surprisingly, that is not true.

The first University in the world was established by a Muslim woman in Fez, Morrocco in 841 CE (talk about women's rights in Islam).

Quest for knowledge is heavily emphasized in both the Quran and the Sunnah (Sunnah is the sayings and life style of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him). This meant that in early Islam, all over the Muslim world, advanced subjects were taught in Mosques, schools, and homes of the scholars.

During the middle ages, a student would go onto master Arabic grammar, Islamic theology, memorization of the Quran, algebra, history and biology after completing his primary education. This would all take place mainly in a mosque. The place of learning in Islam is intrinsically tied to the mosque. The word 'University' in Arabic is 'jamiah,' which comes from the root word 'jami,' the feminine word for 'mosque' in Arabic. So in Islam, the place of religious learning, advanced learning and worship are completely tied together. There is no equivalent in other cultures or religions.

In other words, in the traditional Muslim world, and even today to a certain extent, the university is physically connected to the mosque, and the mosque is physically connected to a school and place of learning.

A grand university-mosque complex was al-Qarawiyin in Fez, Morocco. Fatima al-Fihri originally built this as a mosque in 841 CE. She became a successful businesswoman after inheriting a lump sum of wealth from her father. Due to her religiosity, she decided to give back to her community by building a mosque that her community can benefit from. Upon launching the project, she began a daily fast until the construction of the building was completed.

Like many other mosques of the time, Qarawiyin became a place of religious learning and political discourse. It gradually extended its education to all major subjects, particularly the natural sciences. Studies were in the Quran, theology, Arabic grammar, logic, geography, math, medicine, chemistry and Muslim history. This variety of subjects and Qarawiyin's high quality learning drew teachers and students from all over the world.

The number of attendees became so overwhelming that the university had to place a rigorous selection system, just like the universities of today. Thus, al-Qarawiyin became the very first modern university. At the time the pre-requisites to attend the university were good knowledge of the Quran, Arabic and general sciences.

Financial aid was part of the education package for students. Students did not pay fees, unlike students of today. They were given monetary allowances for food and accommodations. Students lived in residential quads in two to three story buildings. All of this was possible through endowments from royal families. Like any good university, al-Qarawiyin had vast libraries with major collection of books and literature. Al-Qarawiyin, thus truly became the first modern university.

There are many other university-mosques such as, al-Azhar in Cairo that still survives today. However, I will not get into detail about these universities in this post. Perhaps, I will update another article on this and the general educational standard of the Muslims of the Middle Ages. Nevertheless, I hope you get the point of this article. Learning and higher education is not as euro-centric as it appears in our text books. Other cultures and people have been a huge part of it, especially during the "Dark Ages."

Credit: Muslim Heritage in Our World by al-Hassani