The nature of memorisation for embodiment

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide insights on the interconnectedness of the Muslim community, madrasah and memorisation in realising the process of embodiment. Design/methodology/approach Our anthropological study was conducted in 2011 at a prominent madrasah for higher education in England. The madrasah has approximately 400 adult learners that are studying Islamic studies programme. For our anthropological study, the notion of Islamic teaching and embodiment was integral to each other and was illustrative of a long educational tradition of the pedagogy of Islam. For this research, we follow a sensory narrative style in expressing our descriptions. Findings The findings provide an insight into the nature of memorisation for embodiment. The research suggests that the madrasah was teaching memorisation with a purpose to support the process of personal embodiment. Moreover, what we also see when considering madrasah life is that the notion of the “walking Qur’an” endures, and it transcends in the form of locally flavoured articulations of embodiment. To reiterate, the Islamic approach to memorisation for embodiment was found to be a practice relevant to all of us, as individuals, communities and institutions, reflexively engaging in the world around us. For the British madrasah, this was seen to be pivotal to the Islamic pedagogy shaped by the interplay between orality, facilitating memorisation and the didactic approach towards the sacred. From our observations, embodiment has a physical and spiritual dimension where prophecy is retained and is inherent to existence and daily madrasah practice. Originality/value Our narrative experiences bring a spiritual order to the pedagogical matters of memorisation represented by the inseparable nature of knowledge and the sacred. The interweaving of experiential narrative with a theoretical perspective brings forth our understanding towards the nature of memorisation for embodiment.