The Senior School visited Oxford at the start of this month, touring a number of colleges of the University, speaking to a university student as well as the History of Science Museum. Ustadha Sadia describes the visit.
This month's visit to Oxford was a wonderful opportunity for our students to be inspired by great traditions of knowledge and the pursuit of learning; to think about the way worlds of knowledge interact, transmit and borrow from each other; to consider upon the mastery of ‘sciences’ that the human being has achieved, and can continue to aspire to. Through the day, our group of students reflected on knowledge seeking of the past and the present in continuum.
Our exploration of the University of Oxford began with a cursory tour of a few of the university’s colleges, accompanied by our in-house commentary on the beginnings of the modern university. We discussed medieval cultural and intellectual transmissions from Al-Andalus and Sicily which fertilised the intellectual development of 12th Century Wester Europe, laying the groundwork for the modern university. From Spain to Central Asia, Muslim cities had become the world's leading centres of learning where, through the medium of classical Arabic and the Islamic Sacred Tradition, the intellectual heritage of ancient civilisations was preserved, critically assessed, developed and improved upon. Often referred to as the Golden Age of Science, it produced an extraordinarily rich legacy of scientific progress and advancement that ultimatley led Christian scholars from what we now call Western Europe to places like Toledo in Al-Andalus, seeking out the knowledge of what they called the 'Arabick Sciences'. In the end they brought back not only texts, but also exposure to structured educational models and systems which had been developed and refined in the Muslim world.
We discussed other intellectual traditions and educational structures that came from this fertilisation such as the original licenciate degree. We also reflected on the symbolism of architecture and design: inward-facing design creating an enclosed meditative atmosphere to facilitate learning, contemplation and scholarly community life, and originally though perhaps no longer also facilitating a prayerful life with the chapel at the centre of each college. We considered the quad structure and open courtyard tradition, and its similarity in architectural logic to the inward-facing courtyard-based structure of universities and great institutions of learning in the Muslim world.
Following these explorations, we were able to have a wonderful student-guided tour of University College. We are very grateful to the college Access Team for liaising with us to arrange an access tour for our students with one of their students of clinical medicine, Ayesha. Ayesha was a delight, taking our small group of students and teachers around to show all aspects of the college: grounds and gardens, dining halls, shared kitchens and accommodation blocks, a range of new and old libraries, the chapel, as well as little nooks and crannies such as the little prayer room she set up of her own initiative. Her tour was accompanied by stories and experiences aplenty: her own as well as that of others’, alongside a host of advice and tips from her experience in applying to university, making a success of university life in general and specifically at Oxford, coping with challenges, and particularly focused insight into access to support at Oxford. Through her conversations, students were able to ponder on a number of important themes: being proactive to make change rather than accepting the status quo, taking initiative to contribute to and participate in college life whilst keeping to personal values, seeking help and support repeatedly with a trust that it will be received. Thank you Ayesha for doing such a wonderful job introducing the pursuit of university life to our students.
Though students were somewhat fatigued and struggling with walking around for a long while on a hot day, the impact on them was apparent. At lunch, they slowly began to comment on the overwhelm they felt noting the legacy of learning which they had been seeing, and its inspiring effect. Some also expressed pleasant surprise upon the protected atmosphere within colleges, consisting of what seemed like a balance of serious study, relaxed reflection and somewhat quaint light entertainment.
The afternoon presented a chance to also reflect further on the legacy of knowledge exploration and mastery of intellectual pursuit which we had begun thinking about earlier in the day - through looking at objects. We had planned a visit to the History of Science Museum in Oxford, with a particular view to visit their great collection of Astrolabes - ‘the finest collection', as a complement to their learning in History of Science lessons at school. Unfortunately, on the day we visited, we were told the upper gallery, containing a full floor of the museum’s complete collection of astrolabes, was under lock and key with no information as to when it may be opened again. We were saddened to not have been informed of this on a pre-visit call, and the reception shared the news with a wry grin, 'that’s the University of Oxford for you!’
However, we were pleased to still be able to see the smaller collection of astrolabes in the entrance gallery, and students were able to build on their classroom learning about these.
Astrolabes are quite a marvel. They are a stunning example of how a scientific tool and artistic craft come together; of how beauty and symmetry are always in sight. Essentially, they are an example of excellence pursued in all things at all times. Dubbed the ‘original smartphone’ or ‘the medieval smartphone’, they are an incredibly sophisticated tool not only for astronomy and navigation, but for religious observance. Astrolabes can measure the altitude of celestial bodies, determine time by the position of the stars or sun, create star charts and map the heavens, help travellers and traders navigate over land and sea, find the Qiblah - the direction to Makkah; tell of the prayer times; calculate the lunar months for religious observances like Ramadan. The students saw how so many of the astrolabes in the collection were made by Muslims, and they discussed the Muslim contribution to the development, refinement and and use of astrolabes, which laid the groundwork for the scientific revolution in Europe and the evolution of navigational instruments during the European era of discovery and exploration.
The day altogether was in essence an intensive dip into worlds of knowledge and great learning pursuits, leaving both students and teachers with plenty of food for thought and inspiration.