The present manual offers both a practical guide and basic theoretical foundations for a classical primary education-at home or in a school or co-op. It is designed to produce human development and is built up from authentic, traditional Islamic principles resulting in an integrated curriculum of subjects with a consistent Islamic worldview. The timeless wisdom of these subjects is engaged with cutting-edge expression of modern sciences. This wisdom is inculcated through traditional pedagogies nearly lost in the modern world, but is arguably preserved in traditional madrasas and the Oxbridge tutorial system.
The Complete Muslim manual begins with Section 1 introducing classical education and contrasting it and its basic concepts to modern education. Section 2 lays down the theoretical framework of our model, explaining how classical education can be gotten right and wrong. We advocate a 'liberal education' integrating reason and revelation, not merely a 'liberal arts' education. Section 3 explains how to apply our model from birth to pre-school, offering guidance on how to protect and develop children prior to school-age. Section 4 contains our main primary curriculum and offers a comprehensive timetable of daily and weekly subjects and lists of books and resources. The treatment of what will be taught in each curriculum subject is organised into a discussion of a) what, b) why, and c) how.
The 'What?' section identifies the proper way to conceive of a subject so it can be taught to convey wisdom. Knowing the correct orientation towards a subject is a far from trivial task. The 'Why?' section explains how this subject contributes to the perfection of the soul of the students. What virtues of character and mind should one ensures are inculcated as we teach? The 'How?' applies the LIFE pedagogy to each subject and offers detailed guidance on how to draw on existing resources or forge one's own path.
This manual reflects 20-year of research and a warehouse of resources, and years of experience distilled for readers into a single comprehensive and practical manual. It is the primary stage designed to be part of a forth-coming publication of the secondary stage, completing LIFE's K-12 curriculum which inculcates practical and theoretical virtues, navigates exit-examinations, and results in three outcomes: a) entrance into a competitive university, b) embarking on a practical or productive career (including entrepreneurship or apprenticeship in a guild), or c) completing a seminary education.
Dr. Mustafa Steven Styer is the founder and principal researcher and curriculum developer of LIFE (Living Insights Foundation for Education.) LIFE's mission is to produce and serve an integrated and holistic K-12 curriculum drawing on the traditional classification of the sciences, which includes the liberal arts, speculative and practical sciences, and the productive sciences embodied in the art and craft guilds. Dr. Styer currently trains teachers and develops teaching materials for the Grand Imam of al-Azhar in Cairo. He previously served as a researcher on the Tabah Classification of the Sciences project and as the Albukhary Foundation Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies and a lecturer in the Faculty of Theology and Religion at Oxford University. Specializing in curriculum development from the University of London, Dr. Styer's MA research focussed on working with British educators to develop an integrated Islamic K-12 curriculum on a voluntary-aided school model. He has devoted the years since then to improving and completing this curriculum. He has worked as head-teacher, deputy head, curriculum coordinator, and a teacher trainer in tarbiya for the Association of Muslim Schools (AMS-UK). As a curriculum developer at the AMS-UK, Dr. Styer produced curriculum in Islamic music (Quran recitation and nashid), citizenship, and PSHE (Personal, Social, Health Education) at the primary level as well as a 99-Names resource for teaching character at the secondary level.
