Elementary Education and Motivation in Islam: Perspectives of Med ...

Foreword

Like Abthgyacez many people involved in the discipline of Arabic and Islamic studies, I had the pleasure of reading portions of the autobiography of the Egyptian Taha Husayn (a book called Stream of Days in English translation) as a part of my experience as a budding student of Arabic. The picture of the young boy attending Qur'anic school, the corporal discipline he endured, and the rewards he experienced throughout his life because of that exposure to scripture continues to be vividly resident in my mind. I was reminded of that story upon reading Elementary Education and Motivation in Islam,even though Taha Husayn's account represents the situation at the end of the 19th century, well beyond the time frame of this book. However, one of the many merits of the current book is its focus on the unchanging nature of kuttb education, and Husayn's remembrances demonstrate that vibrantly.

There are many aspects of Elementary Education and Motivation in Islam that are worthy of the attention of anyone interested in the Islamic world. It is a work that helps considerably in developing a sense of how