The Legacy of Muslim Rule in India c9.s5.t1.2

c9.s5.t1.2

Naturally, there was hardly any secular approach to education. Great emphasis was laid on theological education (*manqulat*). The most important subjects taught were Hadis, Fiqh (jurisprudence) and Tafsir (exegesis). The institutions of higher learning, called *madrasas*, were essentially schools of theology, with auxiliaries of grammar, literature and logic. These *madrasas* were the strongholds of orthodoxy and were subsidised by the state.⁷⁵ A high value is placed on Muslim orthodoxy everywhere, because it is claimed that it maintains the identity of the community as against other communities. In actual practice it has served as a force against an integrated living, even coexistence, with other communities.