Seven Integrated Strands
Within the Nurturing framework, the curriculum is closely tied to the universal structure presented in the previous section and to its seven principal components. It is worth noting here that the Quran similarly refers to the “recurring seven.” These components represent the seven developmental areas, or strands, that constitute the holistic makeup of the child and his connection to the world. These strands comprise the rope, or handhold, that a student needs to develop to maintain a state of balance and well-being (istiqamah) throughout life. Muslims are instructed to pray and work towards this central goal every day.
In addition to integrating the content of the curriculum, a second issue here is integrating our view of the child—as a whole person.
For most people, the practical goal of education is to fill a student’s mind with as much information as possible (even if much of it is quickly forgotten or becomes obsolete).
Framework of Knowledge, Education & Personal Development
The real purpose of education, however, is for a goal far greater than this, which is to guide and assist students in their overall development as whole people. This is the heart of real education: total human development.
The Content Strands
Each strand of the Tarbiyah curriculum revolves around a single universal concept, or big idea, along with a set of ancillary concepts and themes. These concepts are woven together within and between the other strands of the framework. Structurally, each strand consists of three major learning threads, known as powerful ideas. These correspond to the three learning domains of effect (feeling, Ihsan), cognition (knowing, iman) and kinesthetics (doing, Islam) This guarantees the integration of these three dimensions into each strand of the curriculum.
The structure and components of the Tarbiyah curriculum are listed below, followed by a brief overview of the seven strands of the curriculum.
Spiritual Literacy
God Consciousness: Wholeness, Holiness & Systems
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Awe & Wonder: Discovering God's Wonder
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Wholeness & Worldview: God, the World & Me
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Faith & Piety: Building on Faith
Moral Literacy
Noble Character: Force & Causation
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Values & Identity: Knowing Yourself
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Conscience & Conviction: A Heart of Gold
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Character & Conduct: Actions Speak Louder
Intellectual Literacy
Useful Knowledge: Space, Connection, Relation, Structure
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Learning & Literacy: Learning to Learn
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Useful Knowledge: Love of Learning
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Problem-Solving: Finding Solutions
Physical Literacy
Healthy Living: Form & Proportion
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Health & Wellness: The Sacred Vessel
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Fitness & Exercise: Keeping in Shape
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Recreation & Enrichment: Renewing Ourselves
Interpersonal Literacy
Human Relations: Motion & Interaction
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Communications & Understanding: Understanding & Being Understood
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Relationships & Cooperation: Getting Along With Others
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Community & Belonging: A Sense of Belonging
Cultural Literacy
Daily Living: Time, Pattern, Change
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Culture & Confidence: Drawing Strength From the Past
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Lifestyle & Modern Living: Islam a Way of Living
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Change & Challenges: Facing the Challenge, Facing the Future
Social Literacy
Public Service: Function, Purpose & Outcome
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Justice & Peace: Caring for Allah's Creation
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Service & Stewardship: Making a Difference
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Examples: Leading by Example
Strand 1: Spiritual Literacy
God-consciousness (Tawhīd – ﻟاﺘوﺤﻴد). Spiritual literacy is the first strand of the Tarbiyah curriculum. Its main theme is oneness, unity and systems. It is the centre point and pivots around which all the other strands of the curriculum connect, emanate and return. This reflects the view that God is the beginning and the end of the cycle of creation and existence Quran (37:4) and that spiritual literacy is the central aspect of the child’s wholesome (holistic) growth and development.
When nurtured properly, it plays a constructive and transformative role in the life of the individual and society. This is done by opening up to the child a sense of the creative power (jalāl), beauty and wonder (jamāl), and perfection (kamāl) of God’s work in creation, and by guiding the child to discover the underlying universal pattern (sunnah) that is woven throughout all of it. Spiritual literacy is rooted in the concept of oneness (tawhīd). This is the foundational principle of Islam and its worldview. The Quran (37:4) makes clear this central principle of oneness:
“Your God is surely One, Lord of the heavens and earth and what is between them both.”
The Islamic worldview is therefore rooted in the belief that there is a single and sole creative force responsible for the cosmos and that the One God created and unified the elements of creation within a single, integrated system, known as the universe.
Oneness is the main idea and central concept of this strand of the curriculum. Wholeness, wholesomeness, holiness (sacredness) and unity, along with the concept of “systems,” are the key concepts of this unit.
Also related are the concepts of integration, completeness, synergy, simplicity and identity. All of these are important conceptual building blocks in the child’s construction of his view of the world and his place in it.
Unity in Diversity is the overarching theme of this unit. Realizing the underlying unity of creation, despite its multiplicity and diversity of forms and functions, is one of the key learnings of the unit. The goal here is God- consciousness, or being fully and continually aware of God in all that one thinks, feels and does. This means being aware (‘ilm) of the sacred imprint of God (‘alamāt) in creation (‘ālam). This means discerning the universal paradigm that unifies creation into a single, whole system all the parts of which, by their very existence, are in constant praise (tasbīh) of the Creator (Quran 17:44 and 24:41).
Awareness of God and the sacredness of God’s creation is, at its core, the heart of spiritual and religious education.
Modern man has cut himself off from this sense of the sacred. The challenge for educators today is how to restore to wholeness the connection between the children of modernity and the sacred vision of life and creation that was once their heritage. Developing the student’s sensibility (taqwa) to the presence of God, through His ever-present signs, and to the interconnectedness of creation is the central goal of the unit. Further, the goal is to develop his/her understanding of God’s unfolding plan for the world and man’s role in it, nurturing in each student a personal commitment to God and a life of spiritual piety and discipline.
Strand 2: Moral Literacy
Noble Character (Tazkiyah – التزكيه).Moral literacy is the second component of the Tarbiyah curriculum, which focuses on the moral aspect of the child’s development.
The Noble Prophet said that for belief to have real meaning, it must be translated into action. Ultimately, it is how we treat other people (mu’āmalāt) that reflects our true beliefs and values (dīn).
The goal of this component of the curriculum is noble character. The Quran (62:2) suggests that, after God consciousness, character is the next important building block in the process of human development. The focus of this part of the curriculum is developing a solid understanding of what good character is and helping students to achieve it in their personal lives by adopting a moral lifestyle. This includes the areas of moral knowledge and reasoning, moral feelings or conscience, and moral actions or character.
This component addresses such issues as values clarification, goal setting and decision-making, and includes such concepts as moral tradition, ethics, conscience, self-control, empathy, free will, and other issues related to character development.
Strand 3: Intellectual Literacy
Intellectual literacy is the third component of the curriculum. This focuses on the intellectual
aspect of the child’s development. In the Islamic view, knowledge is closely related to character and, ideally, these two elements are mutually inclusive and interrelated. That is to say, knowledge aids us in understanding the requirements and benefits of noble character, and noble character prepares us to receive the sacred gift of knowledge (‘ilm) and wisdom (hikmah).
Useful knowledge (Hikmah –الحكمة) is the aim of this component of the curriculum. Useful knowledge is all knowledge that brings us closer to God and can be used in a positive way to benefit humanity and creation.
Seeking this knowledge is an obligation for every Muslim. This component focuses on developing in students a love of learning and training them in how to learn and other habits of mind. Integrated subject area knowledge (from various disciplines such as Mathematics, English, etc.), as well as training in critical thinking and problem-solving, are important components of this segment of the curriculum. Together, they provide students with the knowledge base and intellectual skills needed to succeed in their quest to discern the universal patterns (Sunan) in creation, as well as to succeed academically and to handle the challenges they will face later in life and society.
Strand 4: Physical Literacy
Healthy Living (Istiqāmah – الإستقامة)
Physical literacy is the fourth strand of the curriculum and focuses on the physical aspect of the child’s development.
In the Tarbiyah framework, this is not an ancillary or secondary part of the curriculum. It is an essential and integral part because all other aspects of human development are tied to it and are expressed through it. Spiritual, moral and intellectual development all depend on a healthy body. This reflects the integrated (and paradoxical) nature of human development.
The aim of this component of the curriculum is healthy living. This emphasizes that health is an important part of total human development and highlights that our body is a perfectly designed system and one of God’s greatest miracles in creation. It further emphasizes the responsibility we have as individuals towards our health as a God-given trust (‘amanah). Fitness, wellness and balance (istiqamah) are the key elements of this component of the curriculum. In addition, it explores with students a holistic and Islam view on such topics as personal hygiene, junk food, over-eating, smoking, drugs, consumerism and other key topics. Finally, recreation, rejuvenation and restoration, creativity and enjoyment are explored as important elements of a balanced lifestyle and of total human development.
These three components of the curriculum framework— soul, mind and body—focus on the various “internal” aspects of the learner as an individual. The next three components focus on the “external” aspects of the learner concerning the larger society and the world.
Strand 5: Interpersonal Literacy
Human Relations (Ihsān – الإﺤﺴﺎن) Interpersonal literacy is the fifth component of the curriculum, focusing on the emotional and interpersonal aspects of the child’s development. Human relations are a concern of all religions and philosophies.
Inherent to all of them is the tenet, “Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself.” This is the golden rule of human relations. It is a principle that urges us toward the highest and most equitable standards of behaviour in all of our dealings with other people.
The aim of this component of the curriculum is good “human relations.” (husn al-mu’āmalah). Good human relations, however, do not just happen. They are the product of spiritual awareness, moral conscience and knowledge of the skills necessary for equitable and cordial relations between people. This part of the curriculum highlights the development of communication skills and the ability to live and work cooperatively as part of a group. Also, it focuses on issues of identity and the sense of belonging to our families, communities and society at large.
Strand 6: Cultural Literacy
Human Relations (Dīn – الدين)
Cultural literacy is the sixth strand of the curriculum. This focuses on lifestyle and culture as part of human development. How we live, that is to say, our lifeway, is the clearest reflection of who we are and what we believe in, both individually and as a society.
Working to align our lives with our principles and values is an important goal of holistic education.
The focus of this part of the curriculum is belief in action. The goal is to guide and assist students in translating their values into a way of living. This includes helping students understand the major, recurring issues of humankind and how previous generations attempted to address them, that Islam itself is a total and complete way of living, and that Islam had and continues to have an important contribution to make in addressing the problems and challenges of humankind today and as we go into the future. This component includes such concepts as culture, tradition, lifestyle, integrity, change, challenges and futures.
Strand 7: Social Literacy
Public Service (Amānah – الأمانة) Social literacy is the seventh and culminating component of the Tarbiyah curriculum. It focuses on the social aspect of the child’s development. It represents the culmination of student learning in all areas of
character education because it is the application of the values that have been taught. As children and adults develop spiritually and morally, they realize that serving others is serving God.
