Advancement for Allah (swt's) Sake: Fatimah al-Fihri

Welcome to the first episode of Ummah Voice Podcast’s “Advancement for Allah’s Sake” series, where we explore the contributions Muslims made to science, mathematics, medicine, education and human civilization.

Today, we are exploring the legacy of a Muslim woman whose investment in knowledge has continued to benefit humanity for more than a thousand years: Fatimah al-Fihri.

In the ninth century, Fatimah lived in the city of Fez, in present-day Morocco. Upon the death of her father, she inherited a sizable amount of money which she used to invest in her vision of establishing a center for learning for the sake of Allah swt. Using her wealth, she established the al-Qarawiyyin Mosque in the year 859. That mosque gradually developed into the world’s first university.

Today, Guinness World Records recognizes al-Qarawiyyin as the oldest existing and continuously operating institution of higher learning. Students and scholars gathered there to study the Qur’an, Arabic, Islamic law and theology. Over time, its intellectual life expanded to include subjects such as mathematics, astronomy, medicine, logic and language. Our Ummah since the beginning has never viewed worship and learning as two unrelated activities. The mosque was not restricted to individual rituals. It was a center for pleasing Allah swt by educating society, discussing its affairs and producing scholars capable of serving the Ummah.

When the history of universities is presented, however, the story often begins with Bologna, Oxford or Paris. Al Qaraqiyyin University was established more than two centuries before the conventional founding date of the University of Bologna in 1088, which often credits itself as the oldest university in the world.

Fatimah al-Fihri’s accomplishment was not simply the construction of a beautiful building. Her greater accomplishment was establishing a foundation through which knowledge could continue moving from one generation to another. Her life also challenges two modern misconceptions at once. The first is the claim that Islam historically prevented women from contributing to public and intellectual life. Fatimah did not need to imitate a secular model of liberation to leave her mark on civilization. She acted from within a Muslim society, using her wealth to establish an institution that served worship, scholarship and the community.

The second misconception is that wealth becomes meaningful only when it produces more personal wealth. Fatimah could have spent her inheritance on comfort, status or luxury. Instead, she transformed temporary wealth into lasting benefit. Her name did not survive because she accumulated the largest private fortune. It survived because she spent from what Allah had given her in a manner that continued benefiting others.

This is the meaning of sadaqah jariyah: a charity whose reward continues even after the person has returned to Allah.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that when a person dies, their deeds come to an end except for three: continuing charity, beneficial knowledge and a righteous child who makes du‘a for them.

Fatimah al-Fihri’s legacy brings together two of those doors: continuing charity and beneficial knowledge.

And here we see the difference between the Islamic aqeedah and the dominant capitalist worldview.

Capitalism asks: How can wealth increase the power and possessions of its owner?

Islam asks: How can wealth be used in obedience to the One who provided it?

A capitalist society may turn education into an industry, knowledge into a product and students into customers carrying decades of debt. The Muslim understands that knowledge is an amanah from Allah (swt), and advancements in civilization that are gained through that knowledge become an endless source of hasanat for the scholar, the learner, the student.

Fatimah did not establish al-Qarawiyyin so that her name could appear on a patent or so that shareholders could extract revenue from generations of students. She invested in an institution through which people could worship Allah, understand His creation and benefit society. She knew that access to quality Islamic knowledge would conitnue to benefit not just the universities students, but those living in the Islamic society because it is with scholarship, studying the Quran, understanding the Shariah and implementing it all that causes Muslims to benefit holistically from the mercy of Allah’s laws.

Anas ibn Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ فَرِيضَةٌ عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ«

"Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim."

Our Ummah today has the understanding that constructing a mosque, maintaining a library, supporting a scholar and teaching a student are investments whose returns are measured not only in this world, but in the Hereafter- but the piece we are missing is the connection to the larger society. Even if we keep enrolling our children in Islamic institutions, take online alim courses online ourselves, and dedicate our time to learning as much as we can about our Deen, we will all continue to be impacted and fall prey to the poisons of society because the knowledge we are gaining is not making a systemic change.

Ummah Voice Podcast