A Study of the Islamic Perspective of Cognitive Development and Its Implications in Education in the Muslim World

This study is an attempt at expounding an Islamic perspective of cognitive development. It begins with a critical over view of the methodological and conceptual problems of conventional psychology. This is with a view to establishing the need and relevance of the Islamic perspective. For the purpose of expounding the Islamic perspective of cognitive development numerous verses of the Glorious Qur’an and Prophetic Traditions (Hadith), which have explicit or implicit implications to cognitive development, were collated and quoted. Their authentic and authoritative interpretations as given by various erudite and celebrated Qur’anic and Hadith exegetists and scholars were investigated and reported. Upon doing this, a number of principles, factors, and processes of human development (especially cognitive development) were derived. More significantly, through inferences, deductions and syntheses, some nine (9) stages of cognitive development were extracted from the said Qur’anic verses and hadiths. Finally, the Qur’anic view on cognitive decline due to ageing was also studied. It has been found that the Qur’an affirms that human beings do experience some forms of cognitive decline with ageing. Based on the findings mentioned above, some educational implications in the Muslim World were suggested and subsequently some recommendations were made.