Editing Ulama (section)

==Traditional way of education==
[[File:Diploma WDL2489.png|thumb|Ijazah (diploma of competency) in Arabic calligraphy, written by 'Ali Ra'if Efendi in 1206 AH (1791 AD)]]

Students of Islamic doctrine do not seek out a specific educational institution, but rather seek to join renowned teachers.<ref name="Berkey 1992"/> By tradition, a scholar who has completed their studies is approved by their teacher. At the teacher's individual discretion, the student is given the permission for teaching and for the issuing of legal opinions ''([[fatwa]])''. The official approval is known as the ''[[Ijazah|ijazat at-tadris wa 'l-ifta]]'' ({{lit|license to teach and issue legal opinions}}).<ref name=G-Makdisi>{{cite journal | last=Makdisi| first=George| title=Scholasticism and Humanism in Classical Islam and the Christian West| journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society| volume=109| issue=2| date=April–June 1989| pages=175–182 [175–77]| doi=10.2307/604423| jstor=604423}}</ref> Through time, this practice has established a chain of teachers and pupils who have become teachers in their own time.<ref>{{cite journal| last1=Graham| first1=William| title=Traditionalism in Islam: An essay in interpretation.| journal=Journal of Interdisciplinary History| date=1993| volume=23| issue=3| pages=495–522| doi=10.2307/206100| jstor=206100}}</ref>