As one of the oldest surviving educational religious models in the history of Muslim education, Mahdara remains a poorly studied desert-based religious institution of traditional learning. In its Bedouin context, the Mahdara produced religious scholars no less competent in the mastery of religious Islamic sciences than graduates of other reputable…

Discusses the self as socially constructed by comparing George Herbert Mead and Robert Kegan and then addresses the construction of the religious self by focusing on Mead, Kegan, and George Lindbeck. Considers the "theonomous self" (identity related to God). Concludes by discussing ecclesial practices that correspond to the theonomous…