XIᵉ siècle – XIIᵉ siècle
Muslim countries
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Under the Seljuq dynasty, the madrasa developed into a widespread institution of religious teaching, particularly through the initiative of the vizier Nizam al-Mulk. It served both educational and confessional purposes, countering Fatimid institutions and Isma'ili propaganda while reinforcing Sunni orthodoxy. The recognition of Sufism and the emergence of Sufi brotherhoods further connected religious scholars to moral instruction, charitable practice, and the guidance of Muslim communities.
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Le récit
Under the Seljuq dynasty, the madrasa became a universal religious teaching institution through the initiative of the vizier Nizam al-Mulk, who died in 1092. Madrasas were rapidly established in nearly all Muslim countries, giving religious education an organized institutional framework. Their expansion linked teaching, political authority, and the cultivation of an orthodox Islamic order.
The madrasa was founded partly as a counterweight to comparable institutions in Fatimid Egypt and partly to provide a more effective defense against the organized spread of Isma'ili propaganda. Its role was therefore not limited to instruction: it also helped define acceptable doctrine and strengthen Sunni religious authority. The institution was consequently described as a bulwark of orthodoxy.
A second development was the recognition and incorporation of Sufism into official Islam and the emergence of Sufi brotherhoods. Religious scholars, the ulama, became members of these brotherhoods and could guide both leaders and ordinary members toward orthodoxy and away from heterodoxy. Recognized Sufi orders emphasized moral perfection, personal effort understood as the greater jihad, charitable acts, and self-negation as foundations of Muslim social values.
XIᵉ siècle – XIIᵉ siècle
Muslim countries
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
Under the Seljuq dynasty, the madrasa developed into a widespread institution of religious teaching, particularly through the initiative of the vizier Nizam al-Mulk. It served both educational and confessional purposes, countering Fatimid institutions and Isma'ili propaganda while reinforcing Sunni orthodoxy. The recognition of Sufism and the emergence of Sufi brotherhoods further connected religious scholars to moral instruction, charitable practice, and the guidance of Muslim communities.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
Under the Seljuq dynasty, the madrasa became a universal religious teaching institution through the initiative of the vizier Nizam al-Mulk, who died in 1092. Madrasas were rapidly established in nearly all Muslim countries, giving religious education an organized institutional framework. Their expansion linked teaching, political authority, and the cultivation of an orthodox Islamic order.
The madrasa was founded partly as a counterweight to comparable institutions in Fatimid Egypt and partly to provide a more effective defense against the organized spread of Isma'ili propaganda. Its role was therefore not limited to instruction: it also helped define acceptable doctrine and strengthen Sunni religious authority. The institution was consequently described as a bulwark of orthodoxy.
A second development was the recognition and incorporation of Sufism into official Islam and the emergence of Sufi brotherhoods. Religious scholars, the ulama, became members of these brotherhoods and could guide both leaders and ordinary members toward orthodoxy and away from heterodoxy. Recognized Sufi orders emphasized moral perfection, personal effort understood as the greater jihad, charitable acts, and self-negation as foundations of Muslim social values.