Examination of the Emergence and Development of the Philosophy of Education in the Qom Seminary Over the Last Century

Extended Abstract
 
Introduction and Objectives: Throughout history, Islamic seminaries (ḥawzah) have consistently undertaken the mission of promoting religion, ethics, spirituality, and the education of society, adapting their efforts to the conditions and available resources of each era. These seminaries trained the necessary human resources—including teachers, preachers, Imams of congregational prayers and Friday prayers—and through the establishment of schools and maktab-khānahs, contributed directly to the education of the public. A brief historical review shows that, in addition to educational activities, seminaries have played a pioneering role in research and knowledge production in the field of education, generating works on moral education, the ethics of teaching and learning, educational methods, and related topics.
Since its reestablishment by Ḥājj Shaykh ʿAbd al-Karīm Ḥāʾerī, the Qom Seminary has paid serious attention to education and upbringing, acting in both theoretical and practical capacities. The aim of this article is to examine, from a historical perspective, the role of the Qom Seminary in shaping and developing the philosophy of education during the last cetury. The fundamental question addressed here is: What role has the Qom Seminary played over the last century in the emergence of the philosophy of education as an academic field, and through what developments has this process unfolded?
Methodology: This study employs a historical–analytical method. Using documentary and library data, it investigates the emergence, evolution, and deepening of the philosophy of education in the Qom Seminary over the last cetury. By analyzing historical trends, official documents, published works from seminary, and institutional developments—such as the establishment of the Office for Seminary–University Cooperation—the theoretical and institutional trajectory of this development is reconstructed. The main focus is the analysis of scientific texts, policy documents, and major scholarly works from each historical period, in order to provide a systematic and comparative account of the growth of philosophy of education within this academic institution.
Conceptual Clarification: The philosophy of education refers to the philosophical examination of educational practice and processes, grounded in philosophical assumptions and findings. This definition assumes that the referent of the genitive (“of education”) is the practice or process of education itself. However, if the referent is taken to be the discipline of education, then the philosophy of education is defined as an inquiry into that discipline’s assumptions, methods, validity of findings, and functions—in which case it constitutes a second-order discipline. The common usage, however, reflects the first definition, where philosophy of education denotes a philosophical examination of the practice of education.
Findings: Educational discussions have been present in the Qom Seminary since its modern reestablishment, with particular emphasis on moral and religious education. Modern educational sciences, however, did not initially receive significant attention. The philosophy of education—one of the subfields of educational sciences—is comparatively young and has a global history of less than a century. It is therefore unsurprising that it does not have a long-standing tradition in the seminary. Nevertheless, the development of the philosophy of education in the Qom Seminary can be divided into three major stages:

Preparatory Stage (Before 1993)

Martyr Murtaza Motahhari was one of the pioneers in introducing Islamic educational discussions from a philosophical perspective within the Qom Seminary. In the 1970s, he delivered a series of lectures titled Education in Islam for teachers and physicians, which were later published as a book. In these works, he addressed topics such as rational education, nurturing human capacities, moral education, human dignity, and factors influencing education. Although he did not explicitly label these discussions as “philosophy of education,” they laid the groundwork for more systematic attention to the field after the Cultural Revolution.
Following the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini, emphasizing the dangers of cultural dependency, called for fundamental transformation and the replacement of colonial intellectual frameworks with Islamic culture in universities. He stressed the independence of universities from Eastern and Western ideologies and the need for training committed and service-oriented intellectuals. In line with these guidelines, the Cultural Revolution Headquarters was established in June 1980.
Its primary mission was the Islamization of universities through the selection of faculty members and students, revising curricula—especially in the humanities—and restructuring university administration. Following Imam Khomeini’s directive to incorporate seminary expertise, the Office for Seminary–University Cooperation was founded in 1982 under the supervision of the Qom Seminary Scholars Comunity, with Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi as its head. Its purpose was to strengthen research aimed at explicating Islamic perspectives in the humanities and to facilitate scholarly interaction between seminary and university professors, leading to the formation of specialized working groups, including one in educational sciences.

Formation and Consolidation (1993–2003)

During this stage, the primary focus was indigenizing the philosophy of education. A major milestone was the publication of An Introduction to Islamic Education (1): Philosophy of Education in 1993 by the Education department of the Office for Seminary–University Cooperation. As the first non-translated, indigenously authored work in this field, it examined concepts such as the nature and aims of education with reference to Islamic sources, and received widespread academic attention.
The second volume, Educational Aims from the Perspective of Islam (published in 1997), classified ultimate aims—such as Gorb (nearness to God) — and intermediate aims within four domains of human relationships: with God, with the self, with others, and with the environment. Parallel to these original works, important Western texts were translated to enhance awareness of Western philosophical schools. The significant collection Theories of Muslim Scientists on Education and Its Principles, which analyzed the thought of approximately thirty major Islamic thinkers, became an authoritative reference. Together, these collective efforts established and stabilized the formation of a localized discipline of philosophy of education in the Qom Seminary.

Flourishing and Deepening (2004–2021)

In this period, the concept of “indigenization” became explicitly synonymous with “Islamization.” The works produced demonstrate notable theoretical growth and intellectual maturity. New fields of inquiry opened up, including educational schools and orientations in Islamic civilization and efforts to formulate Islamic philosophies of education based on the major philosophical traditions of Mashāʾī, Ishrāqī, and Transcendent Philosophy (ḥikmat-i mutaʿāliyah).
Works such as the translation of Schools and Orientations of Education in Islamic Civilization and multi-volume series on Mashāʾī Philosophy of Education and Ishragh Philosophy of Education were published, each systematically examining anthropological, epistemological, and axiological foundations of these traditions and deriving corresponding educational theories. During this period, the emphasis of the Supreme Leader on the necessity of “fundamental transformation” in the national educational system and the drafting of a national document grounded in an indigenous philosophy acted as a powerful catalyst.
In response to this call, two major works titled Islamic Philosophy of Education—one published by the Imam Khomeini Institute and the other by the Research Institute of Hawzah and University—were produced. Drawing upon primary Islamic sources and Islamic philosophical traditions, these studies articulated foundational concepts, aims, principles, educational domains, and developmental stages, offering comprehensive models. One of these works, which identified eighteen educational domains organized according to the fourfold human relationships, became a core textbook at Farhangian University. This stage represents a peak in the formation of a coherent, indigenous intellectual system for education.

Expansion and Application (2022–Present)

In the most recent stage, the philosophy of education in the Qom Seminary has moved toward the philosophical analysis of specialized educational domains such as religious and aesthetic education. Works such as Philosophy of Religious Education and Aesthetic Education from the Perspective of Islam, both published in 2023, serve as exemplary contributions that examine the foundations, aims, and principles of each educational domain in systematic fashion.
Conclusion: The Qom Seminary has undergone an epistemic transformation, shifting from traditional approaches toward systematic knowledge production in the philosophy of education. This transformation has been made possible through the development of indigenous scholarly works rooted in the Qur’an, the Islamic tradition, and Islamic philosophy, as well as through the institutional role of bodies such as the Office for Seminary–University Cooperation. The outcomes of this movement offer a potential model for the broader humanities in Iran and can serve as a foundation for the fundamental transformation of the national education system, given its emphasis on aims such as Ghorb and achieving balanced development in the fourfold human relationships.