Muhammad (SAW) as an Educator (Murabbi)

Transcript of the Talk delivered by Dr. Munawar Haque on Dec 2, 2017 on occasion of the Seerah Conference at the American Muslim Diversity Association (AMDA)

الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين

Assalamu alaikum everyone,

I have been asked to share some thoughts with you on an important aspect of the many aspects of the blessed life of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), and that is his role as a murabbi. Murabbi means a counselor, a teacher, a guide, an educator, an adviser, or a mentor.

Islam stands as the most rational and precise religion that Allah (SWT) has given to mankind. It gives importance to education, which is the process of teaching and acquiring knowledge which includes beliefs, values, attitudes, manners and skills. A hadith tells us: “Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim.” Allah sent Prophet Muhammad (SAW) not only as His final messenger and the seal of the prophets, but also as the greatest murabbi or teacher to mankind.

هُوَ الَّذِي بَعَثَ فِي الْأُمِّيِّينَ رَسُولًا مِنْهُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آَيَاتِهِ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَإِنْ كَانُوا مِنْ قَبْلُ لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ

“It is He who has raised among the unlettered people a messenger from among themselves who recites His revelations to them, and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and wisdom, for they had formerly been clearly misguided.”(al-Jumu’ah, 62:2)

Indeed, the Prophet himself emphasized that his primary duty as a Prophet was to teach. "I have been sent only as a teacher to you," he said. To explain his duty as a teacher, he also said, “I have only been sent to make perfect the moral conduct.”

To keep the wheels of life moving, the world has to have the leaders and the led, the poor and the rich, the professionals and the lay people. It is also a fact that the life of man consists of a wide range of moods and inclinations governing his actions in different situations and circumstances. We stand and sit, we walk and talk, we eat and sleep, we laugh and weep, we give and take; in short, we act in different ways on different occasions. Sometimes we are praying to God. At others we are engaged in our business. Sometimes we are guests and sometimes we are hosts, and, for all these occasions we need an example or a standard to know the correct way of behavior suited for that occasion.

Besides the actions involving physical exertions, there are also those which relate to the mind and heart of man, which we call sentiments. Our sentiments are ever-changing. Often we are pleased and at times we get angry. We experience feelings of hope and dejection, of pleasure and pain, and of success and failure. These are different states of mind which take hold of us and influence our actions.

Therefore, we require a practical model to discipline our emotions and feelings. We need a practical example to regulate our behavior in each of these varied conditions. But, where are we to look for them except in Muhammad (SAW). He is a model which can serve as a standard for every class of people acting under different circumstances and states of human emotions.

لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الآَخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا

“You have an excellent model in the Messenger of Allah, for all who put their hope in Allah and the Last Day and remember Allah much.” (al-Ahzab 33:21)

To understand the Prophet’s role as a teacher and educator, let me share with you the some of the principles deduced from his teachings, which one should adopt during the process of educating people. In order to gain a following, most leaders and educators make tempting promises to their followers of things like power, wealth, position or bright future. However, the Prophet (SAW) made no such promises to his students and followers. He conquered their minds and hearts and promised them Allah’s good pleasure and Paradise. He always sought to prepare them for the eternal peace and permanent bliss while himself setting for them a good example of that peace and bliss.

Perhaps one of the greatest qualities that made Prophet Muhammad (SAW) such an exceptional teacher is that he led by example and practiced with utmost sincerity and honesty what he communicated to others. History has witnessed many leading persons whose ideas did not have an enduring effect on people, and the systems they established did not last long since they themselves did not practice what they preached. An educator must possess a high moral conduct. Addressing His beloved Prophet, Allah says in Surat al-Qalam:

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلى خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ

“And you are surely on an exalted standard of character” (al-Qalam, 68:4).

An educator must know his people very well in order to educate them and urge them to the realization of a cause. The Prophet (SAW) knew everyone to whom he would convey his message. He knew the person’s character, his abilities, shortcomings, feelings, bent of mind, and level of understanding. Besides, he also knew very well how to act in certain conditions and gave the best decision in times of crises. Through his limitless love, compassion, forgiveness and tolerance, he made uncivilized, warmongering people into the best community in human history.

The Prophet (SAW) used to criticize the behavior not the agent. When someone complained to him about someone, or he saw a fault in someone, he did not fling the fault in the agent’s face. Educationalists and psychologists say that for sustainable long-term education, a stable and uncritical relationship between teacher and learner is a must. When we look at our Prophet (SAW), he would say, “what is the matter with those people that they say or do so and so!” and thus he made people realize that what is wrong is the behavior, and he did not insult or scold people. He did not criticize the person, but rather the faulty action and he tried to correct it in the best way.

When correcting people’s mistakes, there is another fundamental rule, and that is to remain calm when dealing with their mistakes, especially when being too harsh could make matters worse and do more harm than good. Let me narrate to you two stories from the seerah.

Anas ibn Malik, said: “While we were in the mosque with the Messenger of Allah, a Bedouin came and stood urinating in the mosque. The Companions of the Messenger of Allah said, ‘Stop it! Stop it!’ But the Messenger of Allah said, ‘Do not interrupt him; leave him alone.’ So they left him until he had finished urinating, then the Messenger of Allah (SAW) called him and explained to him that in mosques, it was not right to do anything like urinating or defecating; mosques are only for remembering Allah, praying, reading the Qur’an, and so on. Then he commanded a man who was there to bring a bucket of water and the place was cleaned” The principle which the Prophet (SAW) followed in dealing with this mistake was to treat the man gently, and not to be harsh with him.

In another story, it is narrated that a young man came to the Prophet (SAW) and asked for his permission to commit zina (fornication or adultery). The people surrounded him and rebuked him. The Prophet (SAW) asked the man to come close to him and to sit down. Then he asked that man if he would like the act of zina for his mother. The man said, “No.” The Prophet then asked him if he would like that act for his daughters or sisters or paternal aunts or maternal aunts. Each time the man said that he would never like that and each time the Prophet told him that neither would the people like that. Then the Prophet (SAW) put his hand on him and said, "O Allah, forgive his sin, purify his heart and guard his chastity." After that the young man never paid attention to anything of that nature.

Perhaps one of the greatest qualities that made the Prophet (SAW) such a phenomenal teacher is that he was very clear in his speech. Most of us, at some point or another, have come across at least one teacher who was inaudible or incomprehensible or who spoke so fast that it was next to impossible to understand what was being said. The Prophet (SAW) was methodical in his teaching methods and never rushed his lessons. According to his beloved wife Aisha, “…he spoke in such a way that if one were to count his words, they could be counted.”

Another technique that he would often utilize effectively was asking a question to arouse the interest and curiosity of the listeners. An example is when he asked his companions, “What would be the situation of someone who has a river at his door and every day, five times a day, he comes out and he takes a bath in that river? At the end of the day would he have any dirt on himself?” They responded, “There would be no dirt on him,…” Then the Prophet (SAW) said, “Similarly there are the five prayers cleansing the person in this way.

Just as the Prophet used analogy to illustrate a point verbally, he also used drawing or illustration to make a point graphically. Once he drew a straight line through the sand and then drew lines to the right and lines to the left of the first line. Then while the people were looking intently at the drawing, he recited the ayah,

وَأَنَّ هَذَا صِرَاطِي مُسْتَقِيمًا فَاتَّبِعُوهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا السُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُمْ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ ذَلِكُمْ وَصَّاكُمْ بِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

“And verily, this is My Straight Path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His Path.” (al-An’am, 6:153)

In other instances he illustrated his point using his hands. When he said, “I and the one who takes care of the orphans are in paradise, like this.” As he was speaking, he interlaced his fingers.

What is more important than what we teach in education is how we teach it. Of course, we have to teach good and useful things, but this must be done in effective ways. It is known that the students who do not like a teacher generally do not like the subject either. A good educator should care about his students; in fact, he should devote himself to his profession and students. Our Prophet (SAW) devoted himself to his duty as a teacher. Psychologists say that the way you speak is actually more important than what you say. According to research, the words spoken contribute seven per cent of the effect; the tone of voice thirty-eight per cent; and the gestures and body language have fifty-five per cent of the effect in communication between people. The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) knew how to address the hearts, and thus he became the beloved one of the hearts. He first made himself loved, and then sought the ways to educate people. He used a style in his speeches that affected people and made them think, so he achieved permanent behavior change in people by means of the best educational methods.

There is a story from the seerah that shows us how passionate the Prophet (SAW) was to seize every opportunity to educate the ummah. After the Battle of Badr, about 70 of the unbelievers were taken as the prisoners of war. They were educated people. The Prophet announced that if any one of them would teach ten Muslim children how to read and write he would be freed. This was the first school in the history of Islam in which all of the students were Muslims, and all of the teachers were from the enemy rank.

In the process of teaching and guiding, Muhammad (SAW) explained the truth to the people. Convincing people of the truth of what we teach to them and making it approved by them wholeheartedly is of vital importance in good education. This is what the Prophet (SAW) did.

Understanding the Prophet’s methodology in guiding human beings is of great importance for every educator, because the Prophet (SAW) was guided by his Lord, and his words and deeds were supported by revelation. His methods are wiser and more effective, and using his approach is the best way to get people to respond positively. The method in which he taught the message of Islam to his companions had a ripple effect that has transcended centuries to make Islam the world’s fastest growing religion today.

May Allah give us the tawfiq to follow in the footsteps of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ وَصَلَّ اللهُ عَلَى خيرِ خَلقِهِ مُحمَّدٍ وعَلَى آلِه وأصْحَابِه أجْمَعِين- بِرَحْمَتِكَ يا أرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِين

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