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Differences Between an Ijazah and a Diploma[edit]

The Western form of education is widely what is adapted today and used throughout the globe. This education system draws particular attention to a formal educational institution – the university. Groups of individuals are thought at once by many professors all experts in their respective fields and upon completion of a curriculum students receive a diploma. This is documentation verifying that the university institution as a whole recognizes a certain individual’s knowledge and capabilities within a respective field of study.

The Ijazah on the other hand has a much different approach in spreading knowledge. Emphasis is placed on one to one instruction rather than the institution as a whole. With the emphasis being on the relationship between student and teacher the location is not necessarily of significant importance; much of where the education is being attained depends on the subject matter being thought, religious matters were largely thought in mosques, medicine in hospitals, while other subjects may have been thought in madrasas or other locations. Upon completion of education in a subject a student would be examined orally by their instructor, much like students are to present a thesis in the modern-day education system. If a student successfully completed examination, they were to receive certification stating the subject in which they had expertise through their individual instructor; this documentation was referred to as an Ijazah and unlike the diploma it was not associated with the institution it was attained but rather solely with the instructor.

Demographics of Students[edit]

During the middle ages the need for individuals to be educated became more and more prevalent as reading and writing became a vital method of communication in societies. Students that attained Ijazahs came from all walks of life, and access to knowledge was not known to be limited by age, gender or race. While the majority of students earned Ijazahs in an advanced portion of their life in their 30's and 40's there are many notable exceptions to this social norm indicating that knowledge was not limited by societal constraints but rather the talent and devotion of the student. Throughout history barriers to education have existed however, Ijazahs defffied many of these limits. Unlike Western societies Ijazahs were not limited to men as was seen with diplomas. Western societies were also known to limit access to education for women, only wealthy women were only able to acquire basic education in the privacy of their own homes.

The fact that the demographic of a student often did not limit their ability to attain an Ijazah can be observed by studying the lives of individuals such as Zaynab bint al-Kamal who is a widely renowned women scholar of the hadith and a child prodigy earning her first ijazahs and the permission to transit her knowledge at the age of six years old. When it comes to race and ethnicity Muslim scholars were widely accepting of individuals from all backgrounds. Major efforts were made by Islamic scholars at the time to translate academic works so more individuals could understand and interpret subject matter, the acceptance of individuals from all walks of life can be seen in institutions such as the house of wisdom.