AL-ATTAS’ CONCEPT OF
TA‘DIB AS TRUE AND COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATION IN ISLAM – WAN MOHD NOR WAN DAUD
DECEMBER 19, 2009 BY
FARAZRABBANI
Al-Attas’ Concept of Ta‘dib as
True and Comprehensive Education in Islam
Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas
(b.1931)1 is the first thinker in the contemporary Muslim world, for the last
two centuries, who has systematically defined the meaning of education and has
coherently articulated a system to actualize it, starting, strategically, at
the university level. Deeply imbedded in the sufi metaphysical and ethical
tradition, he has also consistently argued and clarified that the purpose of
education in Islam is not merely to produce a good citizen, nor a good worker,
but a good man. In one of his most important and influentional works he
underlines that:
it is man’s value as a real man,
as the dweller in his self’s city, as citizen in his own microcosmic kingdom,
as a spirit, that is stressed, rather than his value as a physical entity
measured in terms of a pragmatic or utilitarian sense of his usefulness to
state, society and the world.2
He argues that a good citizen or
worker in a secular state may not necessarily be a good man; a good man,
however, will definitely be a good worker and citizen.3 It is obvious that if
the employer or state is good as defined from the wholistic Islamic framework,
then being a good worker and citizen may be synonymous with being a good man.
But an Islamic state presupposes the existence and active involvement of a
critical mass of Islamically-minded men and women. In a later work, al-Attas
emphasizes that stressing the individual is not only a matter of principle, but
also “a matter of correct strategy in our times and under the present
circumstances.”4 He further argues that stressing the individual implies
knowledge about intelligence, virtue, and the spirit, and about the ultimate
destiny and purpose. This is so because intelligence, virtue, and the spirit
are elements inherent in the individual, whereas stressing society and state
opens the door to legalism and politics.5
However, al-Attas asserts that
Islam accepts the idea of good citizenship as the object of education, “only
that we mean by ‘citizen’ a Citizen of that other Kingdom, so that he acts as
such even here and now as a good man.”6 The primary focus on the individual is
so fundamental because the ultimate purpose and end of ethics in Islam is the
individual.7 It is because of this notion of individual accountability as a
moral agent that in Islam it is the individual that shall be rewarded or
punished on the Day of Judgement.
A MAN OF ADAB
An educated man is a good man,
and by ‘good’ he means a man possessing adab in its full inclusive sense. A man
of adab (insan adabi) is defined as:
the one who is sincerely
conscious of his responsibilities towards the true God; who understands and
fulfills his obligations to himself and others in his society with justice, and
who constantly strives to improve every aspect of himself towards perfection as
a man of adab [insan adabi].8
Education, is thus ta‘dib”:9 the
instilling and inculcation of adab in man. The Qur’an testifies that the Holy
Prophet is the Ideal who is the best example of such a man, whom some scholars
have called the Perfect or Universal man (al-insan al-kulliyy).10 Thus the
organization of administration and of knowledge in an Islamic educational
system should reflect the Perfect Man.11
The concept of ta‘dib, if
properly understood and competently explicated, is the correct concept for
education in Islam, and not ta‘lim or tarbiyah which are currently in vogue
among Muslims all over the world, because ta‘dib already includes within its
conceptual structure the elements of knowledge (‘ilm), instruction (ta‘lim),
and good breeding (tarbiyah).12 Although the Qur’an does not use the word adab
or any of its derivatives, the word itself and some of its derivatives are
mentioned in the traditions of the Holy Prophet, of the Companions, in poetry
and in the works of later scholars.13 Adab had a wider and more profound
meaning before it became restricted to only a few of its many significations,
namely belles-lettres and professional and social etiquette.14 In its original
and basic sense, adab means the invitation to a banquet which already implies
therein the idea of a good and honourable social intercourse which has been
Islamized from its pre-Islamic context by introducing spiritual and
intellectual elements into its semantic field. There the Qur’an is referred to
as God’s invitation to a banquet on earth (ma’dabat Allah fi ‘l-ard), of which
we are persuaded to partake by means of acquiring knowledge of it (fa ta‘allam‚
min ma’dabatih)”.15 Al-Attas expounds the tradition thus:
The Holy Qur’an is God’s
invitation to a spiritual banquet, and the acquiring of real knowledge of it is
the partaking of the fine food in it. In the same sense that the enjoyment of
fine food in a fine banquet is greatly enhanced by noble and gracious company,
and that the food be partaken of in accordance with the rules of refined
conduct, behaviour and etiquette, so is knowledge to be extolled and enjoyed,
and approached by means of conduct as befits its lofty nature.16
Al-Attas further refers to
another hadith cited in the same work, which records the statement of the Holy
Prophet: “My Lord has instilled adab in me (addabani) and so made my education
(ta‘dibi) most excellent.” Al-Attas has carefully translated the verb addabani
in that hadith as has educated me, and has rendered ta‘dib as education, hence:
“My Lord has educated me and so made my education most excellent.”17 Al-Attas
cites Ibn Manzur who equates addaba with ‘allama, which fortifies his position
that the right and proper Islamic concept for education is ta‘dib.18 To my
knowledge, al-Attas is the first to interpret and hence translate ‘addabani’ as
‘educated me’. The content (maudu’) of ta‘dib according to early scholars is
akhlaq (ethics and morality).19 The fact that the Prophet’s education (ta‘dib)
is made most excellent by God Himself is corroborated positively by the Qur’an
which affirms the Prophet’s most honoured status (akram), as well as his
excellent and exemplary ethical-moral standing (akhlaq).20 This is further
confirmed by the Holy Prophet’s statement of mission that he was sent to perfect
good ethics and morality: Innama bu‘ithtu li-utammima husna ’l-akhlaq.”21 The
most perfect of believers in terms of faith (akmalu ’l-mu’minin imanan)
according to the Holy Prophet are those with the best ethics and morality
(ahsanuhum khulqan).22 It is obvious now that the Prophet’s activities of
teaching the Holy Qur’an (yu‘allimu ’l-Kitab) and wisdom (hikmah) and purifying
the Muslims are direct manifestations of this role of ta‘dib.23 Thus, from the
earliest Islamic times, al-Attas has thought, adab was conceptually fused with
right knowledge (‘ilm) and proper and sincere action (‘amal), and became
significantly involved in the intelligent emulation of the Sunnah of the Holy
Prophet.24
Based on what he regards as the
original Islamized meaning of adab and on an analysis of its semantic field,
al-Attas proposes his own definition:
Adab is recognition and
acknowledgement of the reality that knowledge and being are ordered
hierarchically according to their various grades and degrees of rank, and of
one’s proper place in relation to that reality and to one’s physical,
intellectual and spiritual capacities and potentials.25
Recognition, is knowing again
(re-cognize) one’s Primordial Covenant with the Lord and everything that
follows from it.26 It also means that matters and things are already in their
respective proper places in the various orders of being and existence, but that
man, out of ignorance or arrogance, “makes alterations and confuses the places
of things such that injustice occurs.”27 Acknowledgement is requisite action in
conformity with what is recognized. It is ‘affirmation’ and ‘confirmation’ or
‘realization’ and ‘actualization’ in one’s self of what is recognized. Without
acknowledgement, education is nothing but mere learning (ta‘allum).28 The
significance of the above meanings of adab as they relate to the education of a
good man is further underlined when it is realized that the recognition, which
involves knowledge, and acknowledgement, which involves action, of proper
places explained in the section above, are related to other key terms in the
Islamic worldview, such as wisdom (hikmah) and justice (‘adl), and reality and
truth (haqq). Reality and truth (haqq) is defined as both the correspondence
and coherence with the right and proper place.29
Several examples of how the
notion of adab is manifested in the various levels of human existence can be
cited. Adab towards one’s self starts when one acknowledges one’s dual nature,
namely the rational and the animal. When the former subdues the latter and
renders it under control, then one has put both of them in their proper places,
thereby placing one’s self in the right place.30 Such a state is justice to
one’s self; otherwise it is injustice (˙ulm al-nafs). When adab is referred to
human relationship, it means that ethical norms which are applied to social
behaviour would follow certain requirements based on one’s standing in say, the
family and society. One’s standing “is not formulated by the human criteria of
power, wealth, and lineage, but by the Qur’anic criteria of knowledge,
intelligence and virtue.”31 If one displays sincere humility, love, respect,
care, charity, etc., to one’s parents, elders and children, neighbours and
community leaders, it shows that one knows one’s proper place in relation to
them.
Refering to the domain of
knowledge, adab means an intellectual discipline (ketertiban budi) which
recognizes and acknowledges the hierarchy of knowledge based on the criteria of
degrees of perfection (keluhuran) and priority (keutamaan), such that the ones
that are based on revelation are recognized and acknowledged as more perfect
and of a higher priority than those based on the intellect; those that are fard
‘ayn are above fard kifayah; those that provide guidance (hidayah) to life are more
superior to those that are practically useful (kegunaan amali). Adab towards
knowledge would result in the proper and correct ways of learning and applying
different sciences. In conjunction with this, respect towards scholars and
teachers is one manifestation of the adab towards knowledge. The purpose of
seeking knowledge and of education ultimately is such that the self will attain
happiness in this world and in the hereafter.
For the natural world, adab means
the discipline of the practical intellect (akal amali) in dealing with the
hierarchical program that characterizes the world of nature such that a person
can make a proper judgement concerning the true values of things, as God’s
signs, as sources of knowledge, and things useful for the spiritual and
physical development of man. In addition adab towards nature and the natural
environment means that one should put trees and stones, mountains, rivers,
valleys and lakes, animals and their habitat in their proper places. And adab
towards language means the recognition and acknowledgement of the rightful and
proper place of every word in a written or uttered sentence so as not to
produce a dissonance in meaning, sound and concept. Literature is called
adabiyat in Islam precisely because it is seen as the keeper of civilization,
the collector of teachings and statements that educate the self and society
with adab such that both are elevated to the rank of the cultured man (insan
adabi) and society. For the spiritual world, adab means the recognition and acknowledgement
of the degrees of perfection (darajat keluhuran) that characterize the world of
spirits; the recognition and acknowledgement of the various spiritual stations
(makam keruhanian) based on acts of devotion and worship; the spiritual discipline
which rightly submits the physical or animal self to the spiritual or rational
self.32 Jurjani’s definition of adab is equivalent to ma‘rifah (which is a
special kind of knowledge) which prevents its perceptor from all kinds of
error.33 No wonder then, adab is also the spectacle of justice (‘adl) as it is
reflected by wisdom (hikmah).34 Therefore, by synthesising the meaning of
knowledge, of meaning and of adab, the complete definition of Islamic education
is given as ta‘dib, which includes the ultimate purpose, content and method of
education:
the recognition and
acknowledgement, progressively instilled into man, of the proper places of
things in the order of creation, such that it leads to the recognition and
acknowledgement of God in the order of being and existence.35
As stated earlier, al-Attas
rejects the terms tarbiyah and ta‘lim — independently used or in combination
(ta‘lim wa tarbiyah) to refer to the comprehensive meaning of education in
Islam, thereby indicating their individual inadequacies. He rejects tarbiyah
because it pertains only to the physical aspect in the case of plants, and only
to the physical and the emotional aspects of growth and development in the case
of animals and man.36 Since tarbiyah involves only the physical and emotional
aspects of human growth. Hence the Pharaoh in the Qur’an, al-Qasas (28):18, can
claim to have given tarbiyah to Prophet Musa. As for the term ta‘lim, it is
generally limited to the instructional and cognitive aspects of education. The
significations of both ta‘lim and tarbiyah, as they pertain to man, are already
included in the meaning of ta‘dib.37 It is perhaps due to these subtle shades
of meaning that some authorities tend to distinguish ‘ilm and ta‘lim or their
synonyms, from adab and ta‘dib. Al-Attas would agree with the interpretations
of earlier authorities such as Ibn ‘Abbas and Ibn al-Mubarak. Ibn ‘Abbas,
commenting on the verse in al-Tahrim (66):6, “Protect yourselves and your
families from a fire (whose fuel is men and stone)”, said that it means
“instruct them (faqqihuhum) and teach them adab (addibuhum)”.38 Ibn al-Mubarak
has been quoted as saying that “We stand more in need of adab than a great deal
of knowledge (‘ilm).”39 The usage of ta‘dib and addaba in other contexts does
not negate the educational significance of these terms, i.e., fiqh and ‘ilm; in
fact they further reinforce it. For example, the Holy Prophet has used ta‘dib,
albeit in the metaphorical sense, to refer to the taming of horses,40 which
requires disciplining their souls to respond to the instructions of their
master. The verb addaba has also been used in early Islam to indicate
punishment,41 and in modern Arabic, the phrase majlis al-ta‘dib is equivalent
to the disciplinary board. Since punishment is within the semantic field of
ta‘dib, it implies that proper education should include certain types of
punishment, that are intended to discipline the mind and spirit. Certainly the
meaning of discipline cannot be reduced to refer to punitive aspects only but
more importantly it should refer to the intellectual, spiritual and ethical.
It is thus clear that education
as ta‘dib is different from mere instruction or training. The distinction
between education and training is being made also by many serious educationists
in the West. They seem worried that modern education is more concerned and
effective in the training of students for different professions but not in
their education. While training can be performed on man and animals, education
properly speaking, can only be carried out for human beings.42 Many parties
have neglected the fundamental distinction between education and mere training
because they have consciously or unconsciously erased the ontological boundary
between man and animal, a condition which is at cross purposes with the Islamic
worldview.
The term ta‘dib as education has
been rightly used primarily by Sufi scholars who characteristically championed
the complete development of the Islamic personality through the proper
development of the senses, intellect and morals. However, the adab of all
Muslim students and professional groups, such as the jurists and judges,
political and military leaders, musicians, teachers and students, has been
emphasised as an integral part of education. The fact that adab has been linked
to professional education and ethics throughout Islamic history is sufficient
to reject the idea that ta‘dib is basically limited to education at the lower
levels, or to younger students and performed first by families then followed by
private tutors or teachers.43
The creative reintroduction of
ta‘dib as the comprehensive concept of Islamic education in the integrated and
systematic manner by al-Attas is of great significance not only for the fact
that it appears for the first time in the contemporary Muslim world, but more
significantly, it provides an authentic, integrated and comprehensive concept
and powerful framework for our educational thinking and practice. It is quite
certain that ta‘dib, as understood in a limited sense, was institutionalized in
the form of personal instruction given by scholars and teachers (mu’addib) to
children of Caliphs, Sultans, ministers, military leaders, scholars and wealthy
families. This form was evident during the periods of the Umayyads all the way
to the Ottomans, which has helped produce distinguished leaders of various
occupations.44 Just as illuminative knowledge (ma‘rifah) is of a special kind,
a subset of the wider knowledge (‘ilm), in like manner ta‘dib should be
regarded as that “special” kind of education that is distinctively Islamic,
compared to all the other forms of education (ta‘lim). As we have seen, adab by
definition, includes knowledge and wisdom. By “special” we do not mean that
which has developed in later Islamic history and as interpreted by certain
scholars such as Grunebaum and Makdisi to be mainly the education of the
scribes or litterati.45
Modern Western scholars who try
to understand the great educational ideas of several civilizations concur that
the Greek notion of paideia or cultural education and their understanding of an
educated man remain among the most comprehensive and profound ever developed by
the human race; yet the meanings contained in the concept of paideia clearly
lacked the much needed spiritual element. It has been observed that Christian educational
philosophy does have a clear spiritual root, but as evidenced in a larger part
of its intellectual history, it did not show widespread and consistent
inclination toward the non-religious sciences. Modern scholars have found a
better integration of the religious and the so-called secular sciences in the
Muslim conception and practice of adab. Some even suggested that the many
advantages of adab as education par excellance can help solve some of the
crises in modern education.46
SOCIETAL DEVELOPMENT
The educational philosophy of
al-Attas clearly emphasizes the development of the individual; yet it is
inseparably social in the manner and context of its fulfillment. He derives the
inseparability between the individual and society and of human brotherhood, not
from any historically documented social contract, but rather from the
Primordial Covenant (surat al-A‘raf (7): 172) and from the meanings inherent in
the concept of din. The first person plural employed therein (bala shahidna!
Yea! We do bear witness!) means that each soul realizes its individuality as
well as its relationship to each other and to their Lord.47 With regard to the
integrally social nature of religion (din), al-Attas has carefully analysed and
interpreted the basic meanings of the root dal-ya’-nun and summarized that the
primary meanings of the term din can be reduced to four elements, namely, human
indebtedness of existence to God, human submission to Him, an exercise of
judicious power, and a reflection of natural human tendency or fitrah, which
goes back to the Day of the Primordial Covenant. By further analysing the
various derivations of the word din, such as dana (being indebted), da’in
(debtor/creditor), dayn (obligation), daynunah (judgement), and idanah
(conviction), al-Attas connects all of these meanings with cosmopolitan and
cultured organization denoted by the terms madinah (city or town), maddana (to
civilize or humanize) and tamaddun (civilization/refinement in social
culture).48
In another place al-Attas
stresses that:
When we say that the purpose of
knowledge is to produce a good man, we do not mean that to produce a good
society is not its purpose, for since society is composed of people, making
everyone or most of them good produces a good society. Education is the fabric
of society.49
An individual is only so when he
realizes simultaneously his unique individuality and the commonality between
him and other persons close to him and surrounding him. An individual is
meaningless in isolation, because in such a context he is no longer an
individual, he is everything. As seen from our brief exposition of the meaning
of adab, it is clear now that a man of adab (insan adabi) as understood by
al-Attas is an individual who is fully conscious of his individuality and of
his proper relationship with himself, his Creator, his society and other
visible and invisible creatures of God. Therefore, in the Islamic sense, a good
individual or a good man must naturally be a good servant to his Lord and
Creator, a good father to his children, a good husband to his wife, a good son
to his parents, a good neighbour to his neighbours, and a good citizen to his
country. It is instructive to note that another term for civilization in the
Malay language, beside tamadun, is peradaban, which denotes the comprehensive
and multi-generational contributions of men and women of adab.
Although a society consists of
individuals, the education of society cannot happen unless sufficient
individuals are educated. Yet society, which is the whole, is greater than the
sum of its parts.50 Having said this, no Muslim who understands even a general
worldview of the Qur’an would negate or neglect his societal duties, for he
knows that even though God’s judgement in the Hereafter is strictly individual
in nature,51 yet His judgement in history is societal. This judgement of God in
history generally does not affect the good men and women, except as trials, but
sometimes even they may have to suffer if they do not perform their duty as
required.52 Without doubt, such an integration of the spiritual and ethical
qualities is the highest end of the meaning of citizenship and vocation.53
Furthermore, the proper
understanding and implementation of fard ‘ayn (obligation towards the Self) and
fard kifayah (obligation towards Society) categories of knowledge, a category
which al-Attas develops from Abu Hamid al-Ghazzali, would ensure the
realization of personal and societal welfare. While it is obvious that the
latter category of knowledge is directly socially relevant, the role of the
former is generally thought to be only indirectly significant. On the contrary,
mastery and practise of the fard ‘ayn’ — which is not the rigid enumeration of
disciplines as commonly thought — will ensure the proper success of fard
kifayah sciences, for the former provides the necessary guiding framework and
motivating principles for the latter. Al-Attas reminds us that the assessment
of what courses and areas to be taught and offered under the fard kifayah
category must not be a matter of personal choice only, but rather, should
involve a just consideration of the societal and national needs.54 In fact,
according to Tibawi, the succinct personal objective of traditional Islamic
education, which is the attainment of happiness in this world and the next, is
more concrete and more beneficial to individual citizens compared to the vague
general goals of society formulated by modern national governments.55
LOSS OF ADAB
As elaborated above, one of the
most fundamental cornerstones of al-Attas’ philosophy of Islamic education is
his comprehensive concept of adab. Naturally, his analysis of the educational,
intellectual, and civilizational problems points to the fact that they are
rooted in the external and internal causes as explicated elsewhere. The external
ones are caused by the religio-cultural and socio-political challenges from the
Western culture and civilization56 while the internal ones are manifested in
three interrelated phenomena; namely, the confusion and error in the meaning
and application of knowledge (kekeliruan serta kesilapan mengenai faham ilmu),
the loss of adab (keruntuhan adab), and the rise of unqualified and false
leaders (tiada layak memikul tanggungjawab pimpinan yang sah) in all fields.57
However, it is the loss of adab that must be effectively checked and corrected
if Muslims are to solve the confusion and error in knowledge and the rise of
false leadership in all fields. He writes that we must first solve the problem
of the loss of adab because knowledge cannot be taught to, or inculcated in,
the learner unless he shows proper adab towards knowledge, its various
categories and its legitimate authorities.58
Since adab is an integral part of
wisdom and justice, the loss of adab would naturally entail the prevalence of
injustice, and stupidity, and even madness.59 Injustice is of course a
condition where things are not in their right places. Stupidity (humq), is the
deployment of wrong methods to arrive at right goals or ends, while madness
(junun) is the struggle to attain false or wrong aims or goals.60 It is indeed
a madness if the very purpose of seeking knowledge is other than the attainment
of true happiness or the love of God (mahabbah) in this world according to the
dictates of the true religion, and the attainment of His vision (ru’yatullah)
in the Hereafter.61 Similarly, it is utter stupidity to attempt to attain
happiness in this world and in the next without the right kind of knowledge and
practice.
Al-Attas elaborates on some other
negative effects of the pervasive loss of adab:
Authentic definitions become
undone, and in their stead we are left with vague slogans disguised as
concepts. The inability to define, to identify and isolate problems, and hence
to provide for right solutions; the creation of pseudo-problems; the reduction
of problems to merely political, socio-economic and legal factors become
evident. It is not surprising if such a situation provides a fertile breeding
ground for the emergence of extremists of many kinds who make ignorance their
capital.62
It is a truism that the world is
increasingly functioning like a global village where education for
intrinsically good men and women, i.e., men and women of adab, will be
definitely more useful than education merely for trained and useful
citizenship. This is because most important projects, whether economic,
educational or political, are increasingly international in nature and
significance, while narrow nationalistic agenda of multinational participants
will undermine the proper success of such projects. Fast and efficient
international travel enable good citizens of unjust regimes or organizations to
extend their pernicious activities with greater speed and scope, and with more
efficient ability to escape. Exciting developments in information technology
have rendered national boundaries meaningless, conveying virtually limitless
amount of information of various degrees of utility, good and evil. The
potentially useful information explosion and its almost instantaneous global
reverberations have caused innumerable confusion, not to mention the ethically,
culturally and socially harmful contents. These developments require, more than
ever before, that individual men and women be instrinsically good in the sense
of adab. The intricately intertwining nature of the global economy would
destroy the economies and millions of lives if citizens of powerful and
influential economies sought mainly to profit their own short-term personal or
national interests.63 An educated person, a person of adab, is in this sense a
universal person who understands and practices right adab in himself, in his
family, in his environment and in the world community. A person of adab by
definition, as al-Attas understands and practices it, can deal successfully
with a plural universe without losing his identity. Dealing with various levels
of realities in the right and proper manner would enable him to attain the
spiritual and permanent state of happiness here as well as in the Hereafter.
This implies that the planning, contents, and methods of education should
reflect a strong and consistent emphasis on the right adab towards the various
orders of realities. To realize this objective, a new system of education must
be formulated and implemented in the Muslim community which must focus on the
university. He has successfully experimented many of these ideas at the
International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC), Kuala
Lumpur from 1988-2002.64
International Institute of
Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC)
NOTES
1. For a detailed biography of
al-Attas and an evaluation of his thought in the context of contemporary Muslim
world, please see my The Educational Philosophy and Method of Syed Muhammad
Naquib al-Attas: An Exposition of the Original Concept of Islamization (Kuala
Lumpur: ISTAC, 1995), Introduction. The present article is a summary of chap.
iii of the book which, hereafter, will be cited as Educational Philosophy.
3. S.M.N. al-Attas, Risalah Untuk
Kaum Muslimin (Message to Muslims). A long manuscript dictated to his secretary
in March 1973. para. 14, pp. 51-52; idem, Islam: The Meaning of Religion and
the Foundation of Ethics and Morality (Petaling Jaya: Muslim Youth Movement of
Malaysia, 1976), pp. 33-34, hereafter cited as IFOEM; idem, editor. Aims and
Objectives of Islamic Education (London: Hodder & Stoughton/King A. Aziz
University, 1979) pp. 32-33, also idem, The Concept of Education in Islam
(Petaling Jaya: Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia, 1980) p. 25, cited hereafter
as CEII. I have elaborated this idea of al-Attas in my article, “Insan Baik
Teras Kewarganegaraan” (The Good Man as the Core of the Good Citizen), Pemikir,
January-March 1996, pp. 1-24.
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