Role of Education in the Development of Spirituality and Community Empowerment: Lessons from the Approach of Prophet Muhammad (SAW)

From time immemorial, education has been used to empower and develop communities through equipping them with knowledge and putting that knowledge to practical use. Applied knowledge led to the development of great civilizations. In Islam, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) used education to change the course of history. Even after his death, the Islamic civilization spread far and wide covering most parts of the world. The main element in the educational approach of prophet (SAW) was the development of spirituality. Through this, he converted the harshest Bedouin Arabs into an admirable generation. Morality became the foundation of society with brotherhood as the basis of individual responsibility towards one another. In doing so, the Prophet (SAW) endeavoured to impart practical knowledge that his disciples translated into a true appreciation of meaning of life, thereby transforming themselves and creating a civil society that became a model for generations to come. This paper is intended to unpack the education strategies and processes that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) used to transform human life and how Muslim scholars practiced and conveyed them to generation after generation until when the British introduced Western education leading to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.