There are two important stages in history of Islamic books; first was the initial tradition in transmitting the Quran and Prophet deeds into books form. Second, the transformation from manuscripts age tradition into printed book traditions. Mahdi Muhsin said in his article that second stage of changing in book tradition is not as interesting as first tradition in seventieth and eightieth century. Since the emergence of initial preserving religious tradition in first two centuries, Muslim knew some standard of accuracy and technical process of preserving and transmitting religious texts. The second change was occurred in modern era where several inventions introduced to Muslim society. This new material culture was gradually changing behaviour culture in Muslim society.
Islamic book tradition especially in manuscripts age had have a standard of accuracy in transforming into texts; this preservation tradition was well known in Muslim society. By the late of ninetieth century to first twentieth century the introduction of printed media was changing that tradition. In this transformation which took long and extending over centuries, some problem arose deal with printed editions of religious books i.e. Quran and collection of prophet Traditions. In the first contact with this product, Muslim people questioned to the value of this new technology. Moreover, the product that coming from western people who regarding as far from understands and knows about Islamic teaching.
To understand the transformation from manuscript age into printed book, we should look at the fact that there was political, economical and social background which was led the transformation. Commonly, the spreading of printed book was hand in hand with the rise of national identity. This new tradition was encouraging by government in spreading secular culture into society. It is also related to new cultural vistas and role of non-Muslim community.
This new tradition has influenced and has strong impact in scribe profession and tradition of manuscripts age, or to translation, language and to political and economical aspect of production. Likewise, influencing above aspect, the most interesting aspects are in the change of educational system.
We can find this new impact of printed book in changing of educational system in Mesick’s article which concern about the transformation of printed editions to scholarly culture in Muslim society. If in traditional educational institution in Islamic world is based on oral tradition, which requiring met between teacher students in educational process of study in a class. In the other side the usage of printed book has changed the system of education. Here the process of education led to individual performance, such as read various books without teacher.
The situation led some people created some school as reaction of national modern-secular school, like in Yaman. But furthermore Islamic knowledge or Islamic law as a main subject in old educational institution was just a part of subject in state-sponsored college. In turn, there was mixing between secular subject and Islamic teaching in school, colleges or universities. Of course this condition has changed reading text book. People gradually read either Islamic books or secular books such as literature, science and so forth. The future educational system in yaman and in morocco as in Messick articles show that beside the adoption to modern system, traditional oral transmitting of knowledge is still exist until recent day. Even though, during 1980s to 1990s the traditional religious college, Sana’a university was replacing the Islamic law as the shared knowledge of all scholar by adding another secular major such as economics and commerce, science and literature.
In some points, Muslim contact with technology in printing had changed the tradition and scholarly attitude in Muslim society. There were some conditions that led the gradual changing in scholarly attitude. First was the colonial changing of educational system through introduction of Europe system into local educational institution. After independent, the government continued to adopt and spread the form of colonial education system into traditional system.
Another impact from the emergence of printed books in Islamic society is can be found in the case as in Bangladesh and in Egypt. In these two countries we can see how the printed book traditions have been changing social relation and social institution in both countries.
Especially in apolitical domain on public media as in Bangladesh which was related to the new appraisal of religious discourse in public sphere like in novel and booklets. In Bangladesh printed book has have social changed from early 1970 when Islamic politic allowed by government to engage in political sphere. Generally Islamic group that exist in Bangladesh are segregated between traditionalist and modernists. The later who further created new feature in literature domain during that time.
Early form of public publication in Bangladesh was in Mas’ala text which consists of religious teaching and translated work of scholar. The next publications that regard as old literacy form are biographies and booklets which are seemingly same content with the Mas’ala text deal with religious content. In another form, Islamist took novels as objectification of pluralistic views in Islamic thought through romantic and thriller genre. This similar style of writing show the constellation between Islamic modernist thought and secular thought mostly deal with feminist thought.
In addition, the promotion of secular model of education led the transformation of textual book form schools in Egypt. Of course this new education model created different model of curriculum. Gregory Starrett states that educational instructions in Egypt are still using memorization as a basic model of education. However, transformation of textual product of religious literature for school in Egypt uses a number of specific techniques to translate traditional genre of sacred texts into form of suitable from mass consumption. The first transformation was began in 1923, and continued by Egypt government in the present day. This transformation purpose is to create new generation of Egypt people.
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