Madrasa

A madrasa is an educational institution in the Muslim world, traditionally centered on Islamic religious learning and often teaching other disciplines as well.

Islamic education: The transmission of religious and other knowledge in Muslim societies through formal and informal institutions. Madrasas are a major institutional form of education in Muslim societies.
Nizam al-Mulk: The eleventh-century Seljuk vizier who founded influential madrasas across the empire. His patronage helped make the madrasa a prominent state-supported institution.
Ulama: Muslim scholars trained in religious disciplines who interpret and transmit Islamic knowledge. Madrasa study prepared many scholars to join the learned religious class.
Islamic seminary: A school devoted to advanced Islamic religious study and training. This modern English label often describes institutions whose scope overlaps with madrasas.
Islamic jurisprudence: The human interpretation of Islamic legal sources and their application to conduct. Legal study became a central subject in many traditional madrasas.
Nizamiyya: A network of madrasas established under Seljuk vizier Nizam al-Mulk in the eleventh century. Its schools became a landmark model of endowed higher learning.
Mufti: A Muslim legal scholar qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion on a question of Islamic law. Advanced legal training could prepare graduates for work as religious legal authorities.
Kuttab: A traditional elementary school in Muslim societies, often teaching Quranic recitation and basic literacy. Unlike advanced madrasas, kuttabs generally served younger pupils at an elementary level.
Quranic studies: The study of the Quran's text, recitation, interpretation, and history. Quranic reading and interpretation anchor much madrasa instruction.
Waqf: A charitable endowment in Islamic law that dedicates property or income to a specified purpose. Endowments commonly financed madrasa buildings, staff, and student support.

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