Cooperation or Competition? The Islamic Answer and What Modern Education Really Says

In a world of rapid change and increasing pressures, an important educational question emerges:

Is competition among students a healthy educational choice, or is cooperation the better path for building balanced, confident learners?

This question extends beyond classrooms—it touches the core of parenting, community life, and character formation.

At IISO, we are committed to ensuring that our educational practices align with Islamic values and the best global educational models.

Competition or Cooperation? What Modern Education Says

Modern educational research consistently shows that:

• Cooperation enhances deep learning, emotional well‑being, and social skills.

• Competition may boost short‑term performance for a few students, but it weakens the overall learning climate and increases anxiety and comparison.

Decades of meta‑analysis by Johnson & Johnson confirm that:

• Students in cooperative environments achieve higher academic performance and better long‑term retention.

• Continuous competition leads to stress, surface‑level learning, and weaker long‑term outcomes.

For this reason, modern education increasingly promotes:

Cooperation as the foundation… and self‑challenge (competing with oneself) as a healthy alternative to peer competition.

This aligns perfectly with IISO’s vision of creating a safe, fair, and motivating learning environment.

Islamic Perspective: Cooperation as the Foundation, Competition as a Moral Aspiration

Islam presents a balanced educational model that places cooperation at the heart of human development.

1. Cooperation is the default

Allah says:“And cooperate in righteousness and piety.”Cooperation builds mercy, belonging, and justice, and prevents harmful comparison.

2. Competition is encouraged only in the Hereafter

Allah says:“So in that (the Hereafter) let the competitors compete.”This is a spiritual competition where opportunities are unlimited and success is not at the expense of others.

3. Islam warns against worldly competition that corrupts hearts

The Prophet ﷺ said:“By Allah, it is not poverty that I fear for you, but I fear that the world will be opened up for you… and you will compete for it as those before you competed for it.”(Mutaffaq ‘alayh)

He ﷺ also said:“Do not envy one another… do not turn away from one another… and be, O servants of Allah, brothers.”(Sahih Muslim)

These teachings show that worldly competition breeds envy, division, and insecurity, which contradicts the goals of Islamic education.

Therefore, Islam does not encourage competition among students which leads to comparison, inferiority, or weakened character. Instead, it promotes cooperation, compassion, and self‑improvement.

Finland and Japan: What Do Leading Education Systems Do?

When examining the world’s most successful education systems, a clear pattern emerges:

Finland: A Global Model of Cooperative Education

• No competitive exams in early grades.

• No ranking or comparison between students.

• Focus on deep learning, teamwork, and emotional well‑being.

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Japan: Collective Discipline Over Individual Competition

• Students work in groups to clean the school, solve problems, and complete tasks.

• Success is measured by the ability to work with others, not outperform them.

• Competition exists but is limited, regulated, and mostly self‑directed.

• Grades are given privately to avoid comparison and rivalry.

These models show that advanced education systems rely on cooperation—not peer competition—to build strong learners and healthy school cultures.

What Research Adds: Insights from Johnson & Johnson

The extensive research of David W. Johnson and Roger T. Johnson provides one of the strongest scientific foundations for cooperative learning. Their meta‑analyses reveal that:

• Cooperative learning consistently produces higher academic achievement than competitive or individualistic structures.

• Cooperation improves reasoning, problem‑solving, creativity, and retention, and increases intrinsic motivation.

• Students in cooperative settings outperform others in verbal, mathematical, and procedural tasks, showing stronger accuracy and higher‑order thinking.

• Cooperative classrooms foster better peer relationships, higher self‑esteem, and more supportive learning climates.

These findings show that cooperation is not only morally sound—it is scientifically superior for learning and human development.

IISO’s Position: A Balanced Islamic Educational Model

Aligned with international Islamic school standards, IISO adopts the following principles:

✔️ Cooperation as the core learning environment

It strengthens belonging, ethics, and social skills.

✔️ Self‑challenge instead of peer competition

Students measure progress against their own growth—not against others.

✔️ A psychologically and spiritually safe environment

Free from comparison and pressure, rooted in mercy and justice.

✔️ Celebrating excellence without exclusion

We honor achievements without creating feelings of inferiority among peers.

Conclusion: Cooperation Builds… Competition destroys...

Sound education—Islamically and scientifically—rests on:

Continuous cooperation + individual excellence without comparison Not peer‑to‑peer competition.

At IISO, we believe that raising a generation that is balanced, confident, and cooperative is the true path to academic success and human flourishing.