Respect for Educational Institute and Teacher

Dear Islamic brothers! Students are the builders of the future and play an important role in the success and development of a country. The more students are sincere and hardworking during their studies, the better members a nation and society will get. Finally, these people together will not only be able to establish a good society, but they will also strengthen it by becoming the pillars of a real nation. Islam has greatly highlighted the importance of education and knowledge. Excellent future of human beings is based on bright, competent, steadfast and hardworking teachers and students who have pure love for their country and nation.^[1]

Please read some Madani pearls about ‘how should a student be’ below. This article consists of two parts.

Brief Madani pearls

٭   Students should listen to every word of their teacher attentively and try to understand it in a proper manner. If possible they should write it down. If students do not hear clearly the voice of their teacher, they should humbly mention it to their teacher in a proper manner.

٭   From the very beginning, a student should form the habit of not waiting for his teacher to ask him to read-out the lesson, but rather he should make a request himself that he wants to read-out his lesson.

٭   If resident students realize, they have plenty of time in which they can not only prepare their lesson very well, but they can also study books, etc. which are not included in their course. But unfortunately, it has been noticed that many resident students waste their time on mobile phones and other unnecessary things. Some are very fond of sleeping; they are in the habit of sleeping early after ‘Isha Salah and then continue to sleep even after Fajr Salah.

Remember! Students’ academic duration will end after the completion of a year, but the deficiency they may have due to their laziness or engagement in unnecessary matters will never end. Similarly, non-resident students who go back to their homes after the Jami’a-tul-Madinah is off should also give more and more time for the preparation of lessons and studying books. Students should not do any job at all if they have no financial problems. They should only focus on their studies, and if possible, they should stay in Jami’a-tul-Madinah.

٭   Revision of lessons is very important in order to make the base of knowledge strong, so students must attend educational circles after Zuhr and ‘Isha Salah and should revise their lessons. If a student feels that he has understood the lesson completely, he should do revision with other students with the intention of helping Muslim brothers because he has memorized, but other students will also be able to memorize with his help.

٭   The Madani activities of Dawat-e-Islami are an excellent source of goodness for the Hereafter and improving practical life; they are also an excellent source of succeeding in practical life after completing studies. So students should keep the enthusiasm and strong passion for performing Madani activities from their academic life and should not become lazy. اِنْ شَـآءَ اللّٰە, by virtue of the blessing of Madani activities their study will also improve.

٭   As a student makes advancement in his academic field, his mind opens and his thought becomes mature. On such an occasion, it is very important to avoid grouping or finding fault with administrative matters because such people hardly succeed in their practical life.

٭   Elderly students should have friendly environment only with the students of their age group. They should stay away from very young students or small students whether they belong to their class or previous classes.

٭   Students should not consider the education of Jami’a-tul-Madinah to be like worldly education by thinking that whatever they have read, they will not have to read later, but rather they should try to study and revise the books of previous years to some extent. One way to do it is to start teaching any curricular book to one or two students of previous classes.

٭   Students should keep at least one book of Tasawwuf during their extracurricular study so that their inner-self can continue to be cleansed along with the outer-self. For this, the study of Ihya-ul-‘Uloom, Lubab-ul-Ihya, Minhaj-ul-‘Aabideen, Backbiting - A Cancer in our Society, Blessings of Sunnah, Cure for Spiritual Diseases, published by Maktaba-tul-Madinah and the booklets on different topics written by Ameer-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat, ‘Allamah Muhammad Ilyas Qaadiri دَامَتْ بَرَكَاتُـهُمُ الْعَالِيَـه are very useful. Further, students must study some extracurricular books regarding every art and knowledge by consulting with subject specialists.

٭   Sometimes students may have financial, physical, domestic or mental problems or difficulties. They should not mention their problems to everyone, but rather try to find a satisfactory solution to the problems by mentioning them to any respected teacher if needed.

٭   There are ups and downs in a human’s life. Everyone has problems, illnesses and necessities of life, but taking a day off or going to an educational institute late due to being a little unwell or due to a piece of work which can also be done by any other person, is not fair. A good student should remember that not only a day off but even a little lateness can also affect his future.

1. Student and respect

Dear students! Knowledge and respect have a great relationship. It can be understood like this that if there is no respect, there is no benefit of knowledge. It is very important for a student to take great care of a teacher, book and educational institute. Sometimes even due to disrespect very intelligent students also fall into disgrace and humiliation and get away from knowledge.

Respect for teacher

In order to know and understand ‘how necessary respect for a teacher is?’ It is sufficient that a teacher is a person who teaches his students how to live a life, tells his students how to live in a society and removes their moral evils and plays an important role in making them exemplary members of the society. In Islam, respect for the teacher has been given great importance. Even a teacher has been given the status of a spiritual father. Therefore a student should consider his teachers to be more sincere with him than his real father. It is stated in Tafseer Kabeer: A teacher is more affectionate towards his student than his mother and father because parents save him from the fire and troubles of the world, whereas his teachers save him from the fire of Hell and troubles of the Hereafter. (Tafseer Kabeer, part 1, Al-Baqarah, Taht-al-Ayah: 31, Juz: 2, vol. 1, pp. 401)

Respect for tools of knowledge

Books, pens and other tools of knowledge should not be considered to be common things which are used every day and should not be placed wherever you want. In order to attain the blessing of knowledge, it is necessary for students to respect books, pens and copies, etc. They should maintain the sacredness of these things when studying and when keeping them at their places after studying. If books related to different topics have to be placed on top of each other, the order should be like this: The Holy Quran should be on top of all books, after it Tafseer and then Hadees, then Fiqh and then other books. No other thing should be kept on a book without any need.

A student should read even the books in the state of Wudu which can be touched without Wudu. Sayyiduna Imam Halwani رَحْمَةُ اللّٰەِ عَلَيْه has said: I have gained the treasure of knowledge through respect and reverence. I never touched paper without Wudu.  (Ta’leem-ul-Muta’allim Tareeq-ut-Ta’allum, pp. 48)

Shams-ul-Aimmah Imam Sarakhsee رَحْمَةُ اللّٰەِ عَلَيْه would always revise books, hold discussions and study in the state of Wudu. Once he had an upset stomach. On that night due to the upset stomach, he had to perform Wudu 17 times. (Ta’leem-ul-Muta’allim Tareeq-ut-Ta’allum, pp. 48)

Respect for educational institute

The educational institute plays the role of a mother. Its rights are also mandatory for students. It is necessary for students to protect its building and things, cooperate with its administration and abide by its rules and regulations. Some students argue with respected Nazims without any reason or consider rules and regulations to be a jail with a strict guard. However, if they are given the responsibility of any work or any place, they will also give the mind-set to follow the rules and regulations in the same way. Switching on lights, fans and keeping the tap on without any reason or not turning it off even after seeing it on, opening and closing the doors and windows violently, throwing up things without any precaution which may break lights, etc. writing something on the desks and chairs, etc. or damaging them, etc. are all against the respect and reverence of an educational institute.

Students must study books such as ‘Kamyab Talib-e-‘Ilm Kaun?’ [Who is successful student], ‘Imtihan ki Tayyari Kaysay Karayn?’ [How to prepare for exams] and ‘Rah-e-‘Ilm’ [The path of knowledge] published by Maktaba-tul-Madinah in order to become a successful student.