مولانا مناظر احسن گیلانی اور ان کی صوفیانہ فکر

Juristic rules laid the foundation of law, along with such juristic rules, Islām promotes the values of piety (through mystic guidelines). Most of the theologians opine that the real approach to get close the Creator can only be achieved through the mystic guidelines. In the early period of Islām, during the time of the prophet, , caliphate guided rightly the of periods the during and (صلى الله عليه وسلم) Muhammad when people were trained in a very righteous environment, there were no such reservations about the applications of clear jurisprudential injunctions along with the mystic guidelines, but, when Muslims tasted the grandeur of rule, regime and abundance of wealth, they indulged in the worldly affairs and adopted a materialistic approach, not only in their daily life, but, toward their religion, too. The Muslim thinkers have been trying to define and explain whether the typical rituals of mysticism are reconcilable with the larger demands of an Islamic vocabulary. Despite the wide diversity of the critical approaches, a certain pattern has been identified by Muslim responses as mysticism, which is, sometimes found closer to asceticism and sometime as a mediator. Many Muslim mystics have dealt with mysticism, but, perhaps, Manāẓir Aḥsan Gīlānī has displayed, with reference to Ibn ‘Arabī and Shāh Walī Ullāh, the most impressive and knowledgeable applications of such mystic ideas within an Islamic framework. Manāẓir’s applied mysticism is not a typical mysticism; his special focus upon legal injunctions of al-Sharī‘ah goes much further than any of his peers in establishing a strong framework for better understanding of Islām. This study is devoted to examining the effects and implications of mysticism, not only for individuals, but also for the Muslim masses, generally.

Teachers Workplace Learning in a Developing Country: Facilitating and Inhibiting Conditions

Teacher workplace learning (TWPL) is an essential strategy for increasing opportunities for professional development towards maintaining teacher competencies for high quality teaching. Workplace learning is a relatively new concept in most developing countries. In Uganda (my country of origin) there are a few private schools where TWPL is a common practice. In most schools, however, teachers rely on distance education and, occasional, formal in-service training usually organized by district officials of government, that take the form of single- loop workshops or short courses external to the schools. In Pakistan (the context for this study) teachers engage more in site-based learning because few institutions offer formal pre-service and in-service teacher education. Individual schools, especially of the private sector, set up structures to offer in-housing training. My experience of learning to teach in compartmentalized structures, marked with cultures of individualism, pointed to a need to understand the conditions that facilitate and inhibit teacher workplace learning at the earliest opportunity. Today, it is essential to change schools into learning communities, where teachers are learners. This study sought to examine the personal and contextual conditions that facilitate and inhibit TWPL, in order to inform the process of introducing learning communities in Uganda. Three cases were studied and are presented here, along with a cross-case analysis. Studying the cases involved three interviews each, observation of their TWPL activities, two interviews with the principal, review of both teacher-made and school documents, and keeping of reflective memos. The major finding was that both personal and contextual conditions are essential in harnessing TWPL. The exemplary and proactive leadership, and ongoing internal and external support, were major contextual conditions in buttressing TWPL. It was also clear that the ‘unique person’ in the teacher has the potential to cross the contextual hurdles and maintain and influence the working cultures, so vital in TWPL. The study has some implications for different stakeholders, given in chapter five. It is hoped that the cases presented here may offer models for the teachers to learn from. Conversely, the cases may also point to issues and undesirable practices to guard against.