Classroom
The Hare and the Tortoise
Haydar Ali Madani
After annual exams, today was the first day back at school after holidays and exam results being announced. Children were excited to be going back. Receiving new books, changing classrooms, and everything else was adding to their excitement. Yet, this did not last long. As soon as they saw the school gate, they found it was still locked.
Before the children began to think it was still holidays and they could return home, an announcement was made on the school’s speaker system; “All children should assemble in the playground next to the school. Today, the school gate will open only five minutes before the DuꜤāˈ Assembly.”
Puzzled by this, the children made their way to the playground. They saw other children there, some playing games and others talking. There were five minutes left until 8am when the following announcement was made, “The school gate is about to open. All children should form four lines and come to the assembly hall.” There were some P.E. teachers in the playground who helped the children make these lines. After arriving at the school gate, the children were surprised to see their teachers standing there, holding plates full of flower petals.
As soon as the children began to enter through the school gate, the teachers showered them with petals. The children moved forward joyfully, and some of them even loudly thanked their teachers. A red carpet had been laid down from the gate to the assembly hall, and the walls were decorated with colourful signs. One of them read: “Students are the future of a nation.” Other signs had similar messages. Seeing this, the students felt highly valued and appreciated.
Once they gathered in the assembly hall in their class lines, the principal began speaking on a microphone. “اَلسَّلامُ عَلَیْکُم وَرَحْمَۃُ اللہ”, he said, “Students, I and the other teachers welcome you. Congratulations, as you have reached this stage of your educational journey successfully. As your new school year begins, we wish to give you some advice.”
The principal handed the microphone to Mr. Bilal, who said:
On the Day of Judgement, Allah will have a person brought before Him and remind them of the bounties He bestowed. He will then ask, “What did you do with these bounties?” The person will reply, “I sought knowledge and taught it to others. I recited the Quran for Your sake.” Allah will declare, “You are a liar. You gained knowledge simply to be called a scholar. You recited the Quran just to be called a qārī. You have been called these.” An order will be given for the person to be admitted to Hell, and he will be dragged there on his face.
Dear children! First, we must seek knowledge, so we can be obedient to Allah and His Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. By educating ourselves, we become successful people who can benefit our parents, other Muslims, and our country.
Finishing his speech, Mr. Bilal passed the microphone to Mr. Umayr.
Mr. Umayr asked, “Children, do you know what a stirrup is?”
Most replied in the negative, so Mr. Umayr explained, “Just as a motorbike has pedals for a person to rest their feet on, a horse also has a place where the rider can place their feet; this is called a stirrup.”
He continued:
I will now tell you about something our Prophet’s cousin used to do. He had great respect for his teacher, to the extent that when his teacher sat on his horse, he would walk alongside him and hold the stirrup.
With respect comes good fortune. With bad manners comes misfortune. Remember that alongside learning, we must also have good manners. This is not only restricted to teachers, as we must be respectful to even the place we learn in, which is our school. We must respect our fellow classmates, books, and everything connected with our learning. اِنْ شَــآءَالـلّٰـه If we are respectful, we will benefit from our knowledge in both worlds.
After speaking, Mr. Umayr passed the microphone to Mr. Muhsin:
You have heard the story of the tortoise and the hare. Do you know who they are? The hare is those children who excel in their studies but miss school days and waste time in playing useless games. The tortoise is those who might not be as good in their studies, but do not waste their time in useless activities, come to school regularly, and go over their school work every day. There comes a time when these students, despite being weaker in their studies, surpass the others.
So, all of you should make intention at the start of this new educational year, that instead of wasting your time by taking unnecessary holidays and doing useless activities, you will focus on your studies. اِنْ شَــآءَالـلّٰـه Not only will this make your teachers happy but your parents too, and you know that when our parents are pleased with us, Allah is too.
Ok, when their turn comes, all children should stay in their lines and go to their classrooms!
Comments