Exploring education in Islam: Al-Ghazali's model of the master-pupil relationship applied to educational relationships within the Islamic family

The focus of this thesis is on the philosophies of the medieval Muslim thinker, Abu Hamid Muhammad Al-Ghazali (1058--1111 CE), and their connection to the Master-Pupil relationship. This information was extracted in terms of the academic setting, and superimposed onto the Parent-Child relationship, in order to extend them to include women as equal partners with their husbands in childrearing.;Al-Ghazali was very specific curricular recommendations, both in the informal family setting and the formal school setting. These curricula are the key links in the Master-Pupil relationship and my proposed Parent-Child relationship. Because motherhood is an integral part of the family unit, this study includes a re-examination of women's education from Al-Ghazali's point of view. Muslim women have been denied opportunities or were not encouraged to become fully educated, due to the influence of certain Muslim scholars and other cultures. This situation needs to be rectified.;Two approaches were used to interpret the material: Hermeneutics and Ethnographic Content Analysis. The results of this study indicate that the legacy of Al-Ghazali contains the seeds of some powerful ideas, which can be used to enhance contemporary Islamic education. The pursuit of knowledge was Al-Ghazali's highest priority, calling it one of the highest forms of worship. Any discussion of the whole system of Islamic education, both intellectually and spiritually, must include both males and females. Because this research identified many schools of thought throughout Islamic history, this research included a comprehensive examination of a variety of key contributors to the evolution of Islamic education.;This research also discusses the implications that these recommendations may have on the future of Islamic educational policy. In order to make Al-Ghazali's teachings more accessible, the body of his resources could be published in a wider variety of media. There are suggestions for further opportunities to evaluate and extend Al-Ghazali's theories about family education in order to address contemporary social and educational environments.;The study noted that there has been very little examination of Al-Ghazali's ideas concerning family life and interpersonal relationships (e.g., husband-wife, parent-child, and child-child). This, too, leaves a wide variety of topics still to be explored.