History and Development of Teaching and Compilation of Islamic Jurisprudence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Abstract

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province is located in the northwest of Pakistan. The people here have a great devotion to the religion of Islam in general and to the religious sciences in particular. Islam has entered the region since the first century and since then, the teaching and learning of the Qur'an and Sunnah has continued in the region. The jurists have used the term jurisprudence for the knowledge of rules and issues by deriving inferences from the Qur'an and Hadith. In the past, due to the special circumstances of the region, there was very little formal system of teaching and learning in the early days of the Islamic jurisprudence but, these sciences are often passed on by hearts. The tradition of training a child in religious matters at home, in a mosque and other places has been prevalent in the region since ancient times. The best opportunities for the promotion of science and art in the region began when (in 1526-1206) a formal Muslim government was established here in the name of the Delhi Empire. This era is of great political, social, scientific and cultural significance. Interest was expressed in jurisprudential discussions, teaching and learning of jurisprudence, authorship and compilation of fatwas. After the reign comes the Mughal period (1858-1526) The Mughal rulers were generally knowledgeable. The Islamic scholars of the time took a special interest in this art, which came to be regarded as an important means of intimacy with the ruler and special financial support is given to scholars who have made teaching or researching jurisprudence as their life's mission. The authorship of Fatwa Alamgiri on the orders of Aurangzeb Alamgir, one of his rulers, is a great jurisprudential endeavor. During this period magnificent mosques were built in which teaching and learning continued and Jurisprudential writings were also written and the invention of the printing press played an important role in advancing this work. In 1857, the British snatched the government from the Mughals and occupied India. The British published anti-Islamic literature. The Qur'an, Qur'anic exegesis, Hadiths of the Prophet, Sira of the Prophet, jurisprudential laws such as the duties of marriage and divorce, etc. were attacked. Muslims have been known to teach sectarian tensions, weaken national unity, patronize new religious leaders, provide financial support to strengthen the Qadiani movement, and increase Shia, Sunni, Deobandi and Barelvi prejudices to create chaos and dissension among Muslims have been tried by British. Because of these conspiracies that the Islamic scholars issued a fatwa of jihad against the British and strengthened the attachment of religion among the Muslims and awakened the national consciousness among the Muslims and promoted the establishment of madrassas and the spirit of religious books for the teaching of Qur'an, Hadith and Fiqh. Thus, the teaching and research of jurisprudence continued to increase. The printing of books also took on a new and modern form. Mosques, madrassas, iftar centers as well as modern educational institutions such as schools and colleges were established but public universities did not exist. When Pakistan came into being in 1947 after the departure of the British, the teaching and research of jurisprudence continued but there was no organized network of madrassas and nor was there an education board. The practice of writing large books of jurisprudence and fatwas was not common and nor was there an element of innovation. However, after the first ten years, there was a new lease of life in the teaching and research of jurisprudence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Large religious madrassas, ifta centers, government universities and education boards established. In which the activities of teaching and researching jurisprudence began to intensify. If we look at the role of madrassas and government universities in the promotion and evolution of jurisprudence, then in the field of teaching and research of jurisprudence, madrassas and universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are not behind other provinces of Pakistan.