educational methods in the prophetic sayings (hadiths)
educational methods, whether old or new, have strong effect in clarifying the meaning and establishing it in the minds of learners. they excite the leaner to listen, encourage him to interact with the information so that to benefit from them, link it with life’s facts and enhance the senses’ perception. these methods increase the understanding, help to think and remember, organize the content, develop positive tendencies of the learner and arrange thoughts and consolidate them. they also persuade learners of the information in addition to other educational and pedagogical aims.
educational methods used by the prophet (pbuh) in teaching muslims:
1- drawings
narrated abdullah ibn mas'oud: the prophet (peace be upon him) drew a square and then drew a line in the middle of it and let it extend outside the square and then drew several small lines attached to that central line, and said, "this is the human being, and this, (the square) is his lease of life, encircles him from all sides (or has encircled him), and this (line), which is outside (the square), is his hope, and these small lines are the calamities and troubles (which may befall him), and if one misses him, another will snap (i.e. overtake) him, and if the other misses him, a third will snap (i.e. overtake) him." [al-bukhari]
the calamities mean difficulties that humans encounter in their lives. if they escape this one, another will befall them and if they do not face any difficulty they eventually will die suddenly.
2- environmental methods
narrated by imam ahmed from abi said al-khidri that the prophet (peace be upon him) thrust a small stick that was in his hand and then he thrust another then a third away from them, then he (pbuh) said: "this is the human, this is his lifetime and this his hope. he seeks hope but his lifetime stands between them." al-hafiz ibn-hajar said: both hadiths are conformed in showing that the lease of life (lifetime) is nearer to the human than hope.
narrated ibn abbas that the prophet once passed by two graves of two persons. he said, "they are being tortured not for a great thing (to avoid). one of them never saved himself from being soiled with his urine, while the other was going about with calumnies (to make enmity between friends). he then took a green leaf of a date-palm tree split it into two pieces and fixed one on each grave. the people said, "o allah's apostle! why have you done so?" he replied, "i hope that their punishment may be lessened till it (the leaf) becomes dry."
3- visual samples
ahmad, abu dawud and al-nasai record with a good chain from ali ibn abi-talib (ra)1 that the prophet (peace be upon him) took silk in his right hand and gold in his left and then said, "these two are forbidden for the males of my nation."
4- gestures
a) pointing with the fore and middle fingers
sahl ibn sa'd reported that the prophet (peace be upon him) said, "i and the guardian of the orphan will be in paradise like that," indicating his forefinger and middle finger. [sahih al-bukhari]
forefinger: it is the finger between the thumb and the middle finger. it is the finger that usually muslims use to count their remembrance of allah (mentioning his name or what is called as tasbeeh).
b) holding the tongue
al-tirmidhi narrated a long hadith from mu'adh ibn jabal in which the prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned the pillars of islam, doors of goodness, main important matter, its summit and foundation then the prophet (pbuh) said to mu'adh ibn jabal, "shall i not tell you of what controls all that?' mu'adh said: 'yes, o messenger of allah.' so he took a hold of his tongue, and said: 'restrain this!' (i.e. hold your tongue) mu'adh said: 'o prophet of allah, will we be held accountable for what we say?' he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "may your mother be bereaved of you, o mu'adh! is there anything that causes people to be dragged on their faces – or he said – on their noses into hellfire other than the harvests of their tongues?''' [al-tirmidhi, ibn majah and ahmad- classified as hadith sahih]
narrated abullah ibn omar that "the messenger of allah (peace be upon him) visited sa'd ibn ubadah along with abdul-rahman ibn awf, sa'd ibn abi waqas and abdullah ibn mus'ud (may allah be pleased with them all).thereupon the messenger of allah (pbuh) wept. upon seeing the messenger of allah (pbuh) in this state, the people also wept. the prophet said, ''don't you hear?! allah does not torment the people because of the tears of the eye or the grief of the heart. rather, he torments or bestows his mercy upon the people because of the returns of ''this'' and he pointed to his tongue.'' [bukhari]
c) interlacing fingers
prophet muhammad (peace be upon him) said, "the relationship of the believer with another believer is like (the bricks of) a building, each strengthens the other." he (pbuh) illustrated this by interlacing the fingers of both his hands. [al-bukhari and muslim]
d) joining fingers together
narrated anas ibn malik (ra) that the prophet muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "whoever nurtures two girls until they reach puberty will come with me thus on the day of resurrection," and he brought together his two fingers. [muslim]
this shows that one attains high position and nearness to the prophet rowing to his care and protection of his daughters until they reach the age of puberty and responsibility.
e) pointing to the chest thrice:
abu hurira narrated a long hadith in which the prophet (peace be upon him) said: "…a muslim is the brother of a muslim. he neither oppresses him nor humiliates him nor looks down upon him. the piety is here, (and while saying so) he pointed towards his chest thrice. it is a serious evil for a muslim that he should look down upon his brother muslim. all things of a muslim are inviolable for his brother in faith; his blood, his wealth and his honor." [sahih muslim book 31, number 6219]
f) pointing with the finger
narrated ibn abi aufa: we were in the company of allah's apostle on a journey. he (pbuh) said to a man, "get down and mix sawiq (powdered barley) with water for me." the man said, "the sun (has not set yet), o allah's apostle." the prophet again said to him, "get down and mix sawiq with water for me." the man again said, "o allah's apostle! the sun!" the prophet said to him (for the third time) "get down and mix sawiq with water for me." the man dismounted and mixed sawiq with water for him. the prophet drank it and then pointed with his hand (towards the east) and said, "when you see the night falling from this side, then a fasting person should break his fast."
figures of speech
similitude:
the prophet (peace be upon him) was given the keys of eloquent and figurative speech and purity of the language. one of the most important figures of speech is the simile. this is why there are countless hadiths that contain similes. abu musa (ra) reported that the prophet muhammad (peace be upon him) said, "the example of the one who remembers his lord in comparison with the one who does not remember his lord is that of the living and the dead." [sahih al- bukhari; 11:208, muslim; 1:539]
jabir ibn-abdullah narrated that the prophet (peace be upon him) said: "the five daily prayers are like a running river at the door of someone’s house. he washes himself in it every day five times." al-hasan then said, rhetorically: "would that leave any dirt?" [sahih muslim (1072)]
muslim narrated from ibn abbas that the prophet (peace be upon him) saw a man who was wearing a gold ring; he removed it from him and tossed it onto the ground. then he said, "one of you takes an ember of the fire, and then puts it on his hand!" when the prophet (peace be upon him) left them, someone told him to pick up his ring and use it in some other way. he said, "by allah, i will not take a ring that the prophet (peace be upon him) threw away."
al-bukhari and muslim both reported from abu musa al-ash'fari (ra) that the prophet (pbuh) said, "the case of the good companion and the bad companion like that of the seller of musk and the blower of the bellows (iron-smith). as for the seller of musk, he will either give you some of the musk, or you will purchase some from him, or at least you will come away having experienced its good smell. whereas the blower of the bellows will either burn your clothing, or at least you will come away having experienced its repugnant smell."
narrated ibn abbas that the prophet (peace be upon him) said: "the worldly comforts are not for me. i am like a traveler, who takes a rest under a tree in the shade and then goes on his way." (tirmidhi)
abu hurayra narrated that the messenger of allah (peace be upon him) said: "one who weeps out of fear of allah, will not enter hell till milk returns back in the udder; and the dust raised on account of fighting in the path of allah and the smoke of hell will never exist together." reported at-tirmidhi who said the hadith is hasan sahih.
narrated abu musa al-ash'ari: the prophet muhammad (peace be upon him) said, "the example of a believer who recites the qur'an, is that of a citron which smells good and tastes good; and the example of a believer who does not recite the qur'an, is that of a date which has no smell but tastes sweet; and the example of a hypocrite who recites the qur'an, is that of an aromatic plant which smells good but tastes bitter; and the example of a hypocrite who does not recite the qur'an, is that of a colocynth plant which has no smell and is bitter in taste." [al-bukhari and muslim]
imam muslim narrated in his collection on the authority of mustaurid ibn shaddad (ra) that prophet muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "by allah, this world (is so insignificant in comparison) to the hereafter that if one of you should dip his finger (and while saying this he pointed with his forefinger) in the ocean and he should see as to what has stuck to it."
it was reported on the authority of abu dhar al-ghifari (ra) that the prophet (peace be upon him) related from his lord, glorified and exalted be he, who said: "...o my servants, even if the first amongst you and the last amongst you and the whole human race of yours and that of jinn gather together on a sector of land and all ask of me and if i were to give everyone of them what they asked, that will not in any way decrease what i have any more than a needle decreases what is in the ocean when it is put into it...."
questions and answers:
on the authority of abu huraira (ra) who narrated that the messenger of allah (pbuh) asked: "do you know who the bankrupt are?" they said: "the one without money or goods is bankrupt." so the prophet said: "the bankrupt are those from my nation who come on the day of resurrection with prayer, fasting, and charity, but come also insulting, slandering, consuming wealth, shedding blood, and beating others. they (victims) will each be given from his good deeds; if his good deeds run out before the score is settled, their bad deeds will be cast upon him then he will be thrown into the fire."
narrated abu hurirah that the messenger of allah (peace be upon him) said: whom do you consider to be a martyr among you? they (the companions) said: the one who is killed while fighting in the path of allah is a martyr. he said: then (if this is the definition of a martyr) the martyrs of my ummah (muslim nation) will be small in number. they asked: messenger of allah, who are they? he said: one who is killed while fighting in the path of allah is a martyr; one who dies in the way of allah, is a martyr; one who dies of plague is a martyr; one who dies of cholera is a martyr. [sahih muslim 20:4706]
narrated abdullah ibn mas'oud that the messenger of allah (peace be upon him) said, "who do you reckon to be the childless among you?" they said, "they are those who do not have any children." no," he said, "the childless are those who have not sent any of their children ahead (i.e. none of their children have died)." he then said, "who do you reckon to be the one who most often throws people down (in a fight)?" they replied, "the one whom men do not throw down." he said, "no the one who throws people down is the person who controls himself when he is angry." [sahih muslim]
repetition:
anas ibn malik (ra) said: "whenever the prophet spoke a sentence (said a thing), he used to repeat it thrice so that the people could understand it properly from him and whenever he asked permission to enter, (he knocked the door) thrice with greeting.” in another narration anas ibn malik (ra) said: "allah’s apostle (peace be upon him) used to repeat the word thrice to be understood properly from him."
narrated abdur-rahman ibn abi-bakr from his father that the prophet (peace be upon him) said: "shall i not tell you the three greatest sins?" (repeating the question three times) they said. "indeed o messenger of allah." he said, "associating partners with allah (shirk) and ill-treatment of parents." he was leaning [when he mentioned that], and then sat up straight (as if he was alarmed) and said, "and bearing false witness." [the narrator] said, "he continued to repeat this until we said [to ourselves], "if only he would stop." [sahih al-bukhari & muslim]
stories:
narrated abu huraira that the messenger of allah (peace be upon him) said: "a man was walking on a road when he became very thirsty. he found a well and went into it and drank and came out. there was a dog panting and eating earth out of thirst. the man said, 'this dog has become as thirsty as i was.' he went down into the well and filled his shoe and then held it in his mouth until he climbed out and gave the dog water to drink. allah thanked him for it and forgave him." they said, "messenger of allah, do we have a reward for taking care of beasts?" he said, "there is a reward for every one with a moist liver." [al-bukhari and muslim]
narated by abu huraira (ra) that allah's apostle (peace be upon him) said, "there were two women with whom there were their two sons. a wolf came and took away the son of one of them. that lady said to her companion, 'the wolf has taken your son.' the other said, 'but it has taken your son.' so both of them sought the judgment of (the prophet) david who judged that the boy should be given to the older lady. then both of them went to (the prophet) solomon, son of david and informed him of the case. solomon said, 'give me a knife 'sakkin' so that i may cut the child into two portions and give one half to each of you.' the younger lady said, 'do not do so; may allah have mercy on you! he is her child.' on that, he gave the child to the younger lady." abu huraira added: by allah! i had never heard the word 'sakkin' as meaning knife, except on that day, for we used to call it 'mudya'."
raising the attention:
narrated abdullah ibn omar that the prophet (peace be upon him) said: "it is one of the fatal sins cursing the parents. they said, 'o prophet of allah, how a man curses his parents? the prophet (pbuh) said, 'by insulting others father and mother, then the latter returns back the insult for him.' '' [al-bukhari]
narrated anas bin malik: a funeral procession passed and the people praised the deceased. the prophet (peace be upon him) said, "it has been affirmed to him." then another funeral procession passed and the people spoke badly of the deceased. the prophet (pbuh) said, "it has been affirmed to him". omar ibn al-khattab asked allah's apostle (pbuh), "what has been affirmed?" he replied, "you praised this, so paradise has been affirmed to him; and you spoke badly of this, so hell has been affirmed to him. you people are allah's witnesses on earth."
abu huraira (ra) reported that the prophet (peace be upon him) said: "woe unto him! woe unto him! woe unto him!" it was said: "who is he, o messenger of allah?" he said: "he who finds both or any one of his parents in old age and he does not enter paradise (on account of not serving them)." [muslim]
narrated abu sharh that the prophet said, "by allah, he does not believe! by allah, he does not believe! by allah, he does not believe!" it was said, "who is that, o allah's apostle?" he said, "that person whose neighbor does not feel safe from his evil."
narrated abu huraira that the prophet (peace be upon him) said: "allah will say on the day of judgment: 'o son of adam i was sick and you did not visit me.' he will say: 'o lord how can i visit you. you are the lord of the worlds?' he (swt)2 will say: 'did you not know that my servant so and so was sick yet you did not visit him? did you not know that if you had visited him you would have found me with him?' "
narrated abu huraira that the prophet (peace be upon him) said: "allah (awj)3 will say on the day of judgment: o son of adam! i was sick and you did not visit me! the man will submit. my lord! how could i have visited you when you are sustainer of the world? allah will say: did you know that my servant so and so was sick and you did not visit him? did you not realize that if you had visited him you would have found me with him? o son of adam! i asked you for food but you did not give me food. the man will submit: o my sustainer! how could i have fed you when you are the sustainer of the world? allah will say: did you know that my servant so and so asked for food and you did not fed him? did you not realize that if you had fed him you would have found its reward with me? o son of adam! i asked you for water but you did not give me water. the man will submit: o my sustainer! how could i have given you to drink when you are the sustainer of the worlds?" allah will say: my servant so and so asked you for a drink but you did not give him water. did you not realize that if you had given him to drink you would have found its reward with me?" [sahih muslim]
conclusion:
this quick review of education’s methods aims at clarifying how our beloved prophet (peace be upon him) explained information and established them in minds of people. each and every caller to islam, teacher and educator should use these methods that would help learners to absorb the lessons and encourage them to listen attentively. this is how the educational process would achieve its aim.
the prophet muhammad (peace be upon him) was assigned by the lord (swt) to proclaim the message of islam to people as it is mentioned in the qur'an: "o you messenger, proclaim whatever has been sent down to you from your lord; and in case you do not perform (that), then in no way have you proclaimed his message; and allah safeguards you from mankind. surely allah does not guide the disbelieving people." (al-ma'idah: 67) he (pbuh) made use of all the means available in his time to clarify and ascertain the divine message to the people. we should take him as our example and follow his footsteps in addition to making use the modern technologies as well.
we need to utilize all available means whether old or new to attract the attention of the receiver and make information understandable to establish the meaning in his mind.
these educational methods have developed from the board, chalks and small drawings to multimedia formats, audios, videos, computers, educational tv and radio, films and language labs etc.
the muslim educator and parents should be familiar with all these methods to achieve the prophetic aims in education and spreading knowledge. this is how we can say that we followed the footsteps of the prophet (peace be upon him) and fulfilled our duty in proclaiming the message of islam the best we can.
may allah forgive us and send his peace and blessings on our beloved prophet muhammad, who showed us the straight path as revealed to him. peace and blessings be on the prophet’s family and companions.
how the prophet (pbuh) educated muslim preachers
written by dr. khalid ben hadoub al-mehedib
fulfilling the duties of muslim preachers is based the preparation and education of these preachers to be role models for people. the general public always looks up to scholars as their example in following the teachings of religion. this is why the prophet (peace be upon him) was the best example for the companions and all muslim in word and action. when the prophet (pbuh) talked with them about the noble qur'an, like reciting revealed verses to them, he (pbuh) was the most affected and first follower and applier of those verses. when he (pbuh) taught them their religion, he was the first to apply the teachings of islam. when he trained them on acting according to good manners and having patience against hardships, they saw him as the best example in doing what he preached and taught.
this is what made his companions sacrifice their souls and everything they hold valuable to support islam because they found the true meanings and manners of religion in their role model and teacher, the prophet muhammad (peace be upon him).
mus'ab ibn-umayr1 (ra)2 is one of those companions; he gave up his money, leadership, fame and supremacy to be one of the supporters of this new call. suhayb ibn-sinan3 (ra) set the best example by giving up all his money to commit to his belief. when polytheists caught him on his way to madinah, he offered them his money in return for letting him immigrate and they accepted. this is way, ibn-sinan won the freedom of belief, and he ascended a higher position with his belief over those who preferred the money. when suhayb reached quba, just outside madinah where the prophet (pbuh) himself alighted after his hijrah, the prophet (pbuh) saw him approaching. he was overjoyed and greeted suhayb with beaming smiles. he (pbuh) said: "your transaction has been fruitful, o abu yahya. your transaction has been fruitful."4 he repeated this three times. yes indeed! suhayb's transaction was fruitful. the revelation affirmed the truth of this: "and of mankind (there is) he who barters himself seeking gracious satisfaction from allah; and allah is ever-compassionate with (his) bondmen." (al-baqarah: 2o7) he was one of the early muslims who embraced islam in dar al-arqam.
they both reflect the true belief instilled in them by the prophet muhammad (peace be upon him). they exerted time, money and effort to keep their belief.
otba ibn-rabi'a kept beating abu-bakr (ra) with two shoehorns on the face until abu-bakr fainted when he was calling people to believe in allah and the prophet (pbuh).5 bilal ibn-rabah6 (ra) was tortured by his master omaya ibn-khalaf who ordered his slaves to make him lay on the hot sand and put heavy stones on his body so that he could not move. he was taken to the hot desert around makkah and all he said was "ahdun ahad"(he is one, he is one)7 ammar ibn-yasser8, his parents and his wife were all tortured by the polytheists. when the prophet (peace be upon him) passed by them he would console them by saying, "be patient o family of yasser! for your final destination is paradise."9
"this way, the prophet (pbuh) clarified to his companions and callers to islam that tribulations are natural in this road. it has always been the norm or usual reaction to calls of prophets since the time of prophet noah (peace be upon him) till the time of prophet muhammad (peace be upon him), but some people do not have the patience as they want to rash into results.
the method of the prophet muhammad (pbuh) in educating his companions was to set an example in everything. he ascertained the pillars of belief in them and taught them the correct worshipping and exalted manners."10
if we look through the generations of companions (ra), we will realize that the prophet (pbuh) educated the companions and muslims the best way. they went through tough tribulations and hardships that even firm mountains would have shakes if they go through what the companions went through. yet, they met all this with patience, endurance and persistence to keep their faith. they carried the responsibility of jihad to fight difficulties and tribulations and eventually spread the call to islam. they understood islam very well and they paid attention to all concerns of the call of islam with the prophet (pbuh) and the rulers who followed him in leading the islamic nation. they spread the religion and followed the methodology of the prophet (peace be upon him) in calling for the belief in allah in the best manner and insight.
"we need to deduce the characteristics and qualities that made the generation of the companions the best among muslims. these teachings made them the standard of achievement for all following generations because they had the best of qualities and manners. these teachings should be incorporated into our method of upbringing, education and media. they should be reflected on all methods of cultural formation, this way we will transfer from the stage of pride and glory to achievement and application of these teachings. this will change the current situation we are experiencing. we need to enlist and categorize these good qualities. narrated abdullah: the prophet said, "the people of my generation are the best, then those who follow them, and then who follow the latter. after that there will come some people whose witness will go ahead of their oaths, and their oaths will go ahead of their witness." ibrahim (a sub-narrator) said, "we used to be beaten for taking oaths by saying, 'i bear witness by the name of allah or by the covenant of allah."11
we have to inquire about the characteristics that define this goodness and how to follow and apply it. we have to get as near as possible to the manners of this refined generation. this will improve the manners of current and next generations to carry the message of islam as the followers of the prophet (peace be upon him) did. we have to apply these manners of the prophet and his companions, what will help us more is reading the qur'an because it mentions some of the qualities characterizing the generation of the companions, with which this generation was classified as the best of all times. this is why studying the life stories and battles is important from a practical perspective, as it is considered a continuation of studying the chapters of the qur'an. it is basically acquiring knowledge and application. the companions assume a distinctive position on the path of humanity, especially on the path of supporting the prophet and the muslim nation. they were distinguished people; they were great miracles of islam and criteria to every generation at each place and time."12
if we want to prepare a generation of muslim preachers who call to allah, undertake the missions of dawah13 and overcome obstacles on their way, then we have to revive the qualities and spirit of the companions' generation and instill them in the callers to allah (swt)14 to achieve success in dawah.
calling to believe in allah is an exalted mission requiring all possible efforts to get people, by the will of allah, out of darkness to light. this is why allah chose the most perfect humans in manners and creation to take this mission, namely the prophets and messengers (peace be upon them) who called people to believe in allah and the last day. allah (awj)15 honors the ummah of muhammad (peace be upon him) with the duty to call to islam following the footsteps of the messenger of allah muhammad (pbuh) as allah states in the qur'an: "say, 'this is my way. i call to allah with demonstration, i and whoever closely follows me; and all extolment be to allah; and in no way am i one of the associators.' (those who associate other with allah)" (yusuf: 108)
the education of the companions by the prophet (peace be upon him)
the prophet muhammad (peace be upon him) educated his companions to carry the responsibility of dawah to accomplish this mission the best they can do. his methods of upbringing and education were based on certain unchangeable foundations over the passage of days and generations, because they are the heart and essence of islam and the reason for islam to survive on earth.
allah says in the qur'an (what means): "allah has indeed already been bounteous to the believers as he sent forth among them a messenger from (among) themselves (who) recites to them his ayat (i.e., signs, verses) and cleanses them, and teaches them the book and (the) wisdom; and decidedly they were earlier indeed in evident error." (al imran: 164)
almighty allah also says (what can be translated as): "he is the one who has sent forth among the illiterate (i.e., unlettered arabs; the common folk) a messenger from among them, to recite his ayat (verses, signs) to them, and to cleanse them, and to teach them the book and (the) wisdom, though they were earlier indeed in evident error." (al-jumuaah: 2)
preparing and educating muslim preachers (callers to allah) on a very high level by teaching them a great deal of branches of knowledge because building a generation of callers to islam is one of the most important foundations of the islamic nation. the first and foremost basis of knowledge is religious sciences which depend profoundly on the qur'an and the sunnah (teachings of the prophet muhammad peace be upon him).
many imams and scholars were raised to learn these religious sciences. they excelled in learning them on the course of history and they left a lot of knowledge for muslims after them. their works and books have a great effect in helping to understand islam and follow the teachings of the religion."16
"the spiritual education is indispensable necessity in building and in any work of dawah in general. spiritual education means strengthening the relation with allah, softening hearts to worship him and reminding humans of the last day.
this was a foundational part of the prophet's efforts in raising his companions (ra), especially in makkah. he (peace be upon him) directed them to perform qiyam al-layl (the voluntary night prayer) to establish this connection between them and allah. it is to raise them spiritually to be connected to allah. this was all to prepare them for another matter, it was not just an aim, it was a mean to a bigger purpose.
if we reflect over the verses of surat al-muzzammil, it will be clearer to us that with the command to pray a voluntarily prayer at night there was a strong indication of future obligations. so, qiyam al-layl is a preparation and initiation of these duties. allah (swt) says (what means): "o you enwrapped (in your raiment). rise up (to pray during) the night, except a little, a half of it, or diminish a little thereof, or increase thereto; and recite the qur'an (in a distinct) recitation. surely we will soon cast upon you a weighty saying." (surat al-muzzammil 'enwrapped': 1-5)
then looking further in the verses of the same sura, we will understand the reason why allah (awj) chooses qiyam al-layal to be the method to prepare souls to endure current and future obligations. almighty allah says (what can be translated as): "surely (prayer) by night is more intense in performance and more upright in (devotional) oration.” (surat al-muzzammil: 6) it is because qiyam al-layl is the most powerful preparation for the souls to undertake duties.
thus, we have to strengthen our connection with allah (swt) to be able to carry out the obligations of islam the best way especially jihad and patience over tribulations.
this religion is so important because it is the divine methodology to reform life and raise the virtuous human who undertakes the righteous succession 'khilafa' on earth."17
"allah chooses the best of humans to take the responsibility of dawah. he (swt) surrounds them with care, preparation and comprehensive development ever since a young age to fit the responsibility to reform humanity. the most foundations of a muslim preachers' character are having the strength, will and perseverance. he has to be a leading character which is actually the cornerstone of his success. the muslim preacher has to have the quality of leadership as much as he can, this can be also acquired by practice and training."
the most powerful method to intensify the character, promote pride and determination is destroying the psychological barrier imposed by the enemy to break the morale of the preacher and weaken his character. it is like the psychological warfare at the times of war, or the propaganda against the enemy especially at this modern time that can also be called as the media time because the media has became a powerful tool in changing people's lives.
the prophet muhammad (peace be upon him) directed the companions, when he saw a weak point or fragility; he would strengthen and support it until the ummah became strong. this is why they carried the call to the east and west, north and south to every destination of the earth. when the prophet (pbuh) authorized osama ibn-zaid (ra)18 to lead the muslim army, some people got annoyed because he was young so for them he is less efficient as a leader in fighting one of the main powers back then19." narrated abdullah ibn-omar: the prophet sent an army under the command of osama ibn-zaid. when some people criticized his leadership, the prophet said, "if you are criticizing osamas's leadership, you used to criticize his father's leadership before. by allah! he was worthy of leadership and was one of the dearest persons to me, and (now) this (i.e. osama) is one of the dearest to me after him (i.e. zaid)."20
"the prophet (pbuh) did that in front of osama to strengthen his character and enforce his confidence to feel proud of being a muslim; also he wanted to teach others that the islamic character is not measured by age or body, but rather by efficiency, talent, hard work and pride of being faithful and muslim. this was reflected in the situation when rabie ibn-amer (ra) said to the commander of the romans with confidence and belief: "allah sends us to take his servants from worshipping servants to worshipping allah, from the narrowness of this life to the broadness and from oppression of religions to the justice of islam."21, 22
the prophet muhammad (peace be upon him) prepared and educated his companions to be proud of their religion and belief in the creator. he directed them to surrender to none but allah (awj). hardships and experiences strengthened them; they used to get out of each difficult situation stronger than before. no doubt, the dawah benefited from these experiences and great characters that history never witnessed people like them.
the teacher needs to comment on the student’s answer after he asks him a question, because the student may not be sure of the correctness of the answer. also, other students might be anxious to know whether the student’s answer is right or not. the teacher has to comment on each answer, this way the student will benefit from the teacher’s remarks or correction and other students as well will get the same value, they will gain more knowledge by listening to any additional commentary by the teacher. the teacher has to be accurate in his commentary and rectification; he should not classify the student’s answer as totally wrong, if it is relatively correct. he should praise the student for the correct part and then rectify the wrong one. when he reviews and corrects the answer, he should not choose harsh terms or mockery of the answer. this might frustrate the student and discourage him of answering any future questions for fear of mockery or insults by the teacher. the teacher’s comments should rectify the answer, yet in an encouraging way. if we look in the sunnah (prophetic teachings), we may find many examples such as:
1- narrated abu hurira (ra)1 that a man came to the prophet (peace be upon him) and said: ‘i saw a dream tonight.’ abu bakr interpreted the dream. the prophet (pbuh) said to abu bakr: ‘you are right in some of it and wrong in some.’ abu bakr said, ‘o allah's apostle! by allah, you must tell me in what i was wrong.’ the prophet said, ‘do not swear.’ this shows the prophet’s comment on abu bakr’s interpretation of the dream. he said to him that a part of it is right and a part is wrong. this is the fairest and most reasonable attitude for the teacher to adopt, to mention the parts that are right and parts that are wrong of the answer. the teacher has to correct the wrong part. in the previous example, the prophet (peace be upon him) did not mention the wrong part, and did not make it clear because of the bad consequences of doing so. this is why he did not mention them. yet, the point here is to show how he (peace be upon him) mentioned the evaluation of the interpretation, saying that some parts of it are right and some parts are wrong.
2- obai ibn ka'ab reported: the prophet (peace be upon him) taught me how to recite a surah (qur’anic chapter). while i was in the mosque, i heard a man who recites the surah in a different method of recitation than mine. i said to him, ‘who taught you this surah?’ he said: ‘the prophet (peace be upon him).’ i said: ‘don’t leave me till i meet the prophet (pbuh).’ we met the prophet and i said: ‘o messenger of allah, this man recited the surah in a different method of recitation than what you taught me.’ he said: ‘recite obai!’ i recited to him. he said: ‘you recited well.’ he said to the other man: ‘recite!’ he recited in a different method of recitation than mine. he said to him: ‘you recited well.’ then he said: ‘o obai! the qur’an was revealed to me in seven ahruf (seven methods of recitation). all of them are healing and appropriate.’ obai said: ‘i did not have any doubt about any part of the qur’an afterwards.’ if we look into the comment of the prophet’s about both methods of recitations, we would find that he (pbuh) said that they are both correct. then he directly revealed the reason why they are both right, even if they are two methods of recitations (ahruf). he also used short terms and that implies eloquence.
summary:
1) commenting on the student’s answer benefits him because it corrects his mistakes if there are any. it also gives value to other students to know whether the answer was right or wrong and the reason why.
2) the answer might be totally right, partially right or wrong. part of the teacher’s comment should be clarification of the correct or wrong answer.
3) if the answer is wrong, the teacher should rectify the student’s answer putting in mind the student’s psychological state and his morale. in other words, the teacher should not hurt him by making him feel mistaken in a harsh language. he should be careful when he corrects sensitive students.
4) the teacher should not be bound to using only two words such as (right and wrong). he may use many terms that gives the same meaning in different forms such as (correct, you did well, excellent, good, your answer needs some clarifications, incomplete, etc).
Evaluating the Inquirer to Give Satisfactory Answer
teachers and educators receive many questions by their students, many of them give short answers or limited answers to the questions asked which means, they don’t extend their answer to include comments or further explanation. yet, the satisfactory answer is not a limited answer most of the times, at some situations, the teachers need to add more to the expected answer to clarify related points or strengthen important information for the inquirer. this is especially needed if the inquirer is ignorant about the things he asked bout, or not familiar with the subject. these are some examples from the sunnah (prophetic teachings):
a- putting into consideration the ignorance of the inquirer
1- abu huraira related that a man asked the prophet muhammad (peace be upon him) "o messenger of allah, we sail on the ocean and we carry only a little water. if we use it for ablution, we will have to go thirsty. may we use sea water for ablution?" the messenger of allah (peace be upon him) said: "its (the sea) water is pure and its dead (animals) are lawful (i.e., they can be eaten without any prescribed slaughtering)." [sahih al-bukhari] al-rafai said: when the prophet (peace be upon him) noticed the suspicion of the asker about the purity of the seas’ water, he (pbuh) added to the answer a statement that also clarifies the ruling of eating animals or fish found dead in the oceans and seas. iban al-arabi said: one of the best qualities of a fatwa is to express more points to give satisfactory complete answer. this is valuable to the knowledge-seeker and anyone present while the question was answered. the prophet (peace be upon him) felt that who does not know the ruling concerning ablution by the sea waters, might not know the ruling about eating its dead animals. this is why he (pbuh) added this ruling to further clarify for the listener what he needs to know and more of what would benefit him. so, this shows the wisdom of the prophet (pbuh) in adding another ruling that would be of great benefit for the asker when he sails. as ibn arabi said, who asks about the ruling of seas water purity for ablution is probably unaware of the ruling concerning eating its dead animals such as fish and all kinds of sea creatures.
2- abi jurri al-hujaymi said: “i saw a man whom people follow his orders, anything he says they would follow it. i said, who is he? they said, he is the messenger of allah (peace be upon him). i said, alayka assalam ‘upon you be peace’ (two times). he (pbuh) said: don’t say alayka assalam ‘upon you be peace’ because it is the greeting for the dead. say assalmo alayk ‘peace be upon you’. i asked him, are you the messenger of allah? he (pbuh): i am the messenger of allah. if you call on allah when you are harmed, he (swt) will relieve you and lift the harm. if you have a drought in your land and you call on him [for rain], he (swt) will grow its plants for you. if you were in uninhabited land or desert [unoccupied land] then you lost your camel and you call on him (swt), he will return it for you. i said: advise me. he (pbuh) said: don’t cuss people out….”
in the hadith, it is clear that the inquirer is unfamiliar or ignorant about some basic points. first, he said ‘i saw a man’ this proves that it was the first time for him to see the prophet (peace be upon him). second, he said alayka assalam ‘upon you be peace’. the greeting of islam ‘asslamo alaykom’ is well-known by the companions and all muslims because it is used on a daily basis. when the prophet (peace be upon him) noticed the things that the asker is not familiar with, he directed him first to say the right greeting ‘assalamo alaykom’ because he said it vice versa, namely the greeting for the dead when we visit their graves. then he (pbuh) explained to him how we should turn to almighty allah in every difficult situation we experience. so, supplication should only be to the creator. in the hadith, this is a very good lesson for the muslim which is clear in how the prophet (peace be upon him) educated the bedouin about the creator because only he (swt) can harm or benefit people. he said this to him to show that he, the messenger (pbuh), does not have any control over the benefit or harm of the people. almighty allah is the one who creates people, so he is the one who has power on them. this way, the prophet (peace be upon him) directed the bedouin to what is best for man, namely to seek allah’s help and call on him when he in calamity or prosperity.
b- narrated abdullah ibn omar: a man asked, "o allah's apostle! what kind of clothes should a mihrim wear?" allah's apostle replied, "he should not wear a shirt, a turban, trousers, a headcloak or leather socks except if he can find no slippers, he then may wear leather socks after cutting off what might cover the ankles. and he should not wear clothes which are scented with saffron or wars (kinds of perfumes)" imam al-nawawi said: scholars said the method of answering the inquirer is so eloquent because what pilgrims should not wear while in a state of ihram is limited in number, this is why the prophet (peace be upon him) stated the kind of clothes they cannot wear. as for what is permitted for a mihrim, it is unlimited so it is big in number this is why he (peace be upon him) said "he should not wear…", so logically the unmentioned items are all permitted for a mihrim, but because they are many and unlimited he (pbuh) did not mention them, they can be known from the context of the hadith. ibn daqiq al-eid said: what we can learn from the hadith is that the prophet (pbuh) gave a satisfactory answer to the inquirer. he gave him the information he wants and this is what counts, yet there might be minor change to add some additional information, so the answer does not have to be typical to what is asked, rather it should be informative.
2- according to ibn abbas narration, “the people asked the prophet, peace and blessings of allah be upon him, about the crescent moons.” the following verse was then revealed, “they ask you about the crescent moons, say, ‘they are determinants of time and pilgrimage.’ “by them they know the limit of their debts, the waiting period of their [divorced] women, and the timing of their pilgrimage.’ ” (al-baqrah: 189) allah has created them for timing of muslims’ fasting, breakfasting, their deeds of worship, pilgrimage and waiting period of their [divorced] women, etc.
ibn al-qayyem said: they asked him when crescents start small then they gradually increase and illuminate until they complete the course of time for the people, they are their determinants of time to make it easy for them to work on their businesses, travels and also for the timing of their fifth pillar of islam, namely pilgrimage. if they asked about the reason for them, they were given detailed better information of what they asked for. if they asked out of wisdom, they were given a very proper answer.
summary:
1) evaluating the inquirer and any additional information he might need to know. in the first example, the inquirer did not know a certain ruling that some might be familiar with and some might not. the prophet (peace be upon him) answered his question and added another ruling that would benefit the inquirer as he does not know about it, and it is related to his question. if he does not know the first ruling of whether it is permissible to do ablution using seas waters, most probably he does not know about the ruling whether it is permissible to eat dead animals of the seas and oceans.
in the second example, the question of the bedouin reflects his ignorance about many islamic matters. he said the greeting of islam in a wrong way, which is something most people would not do because the greeting is so common among people. this is why the prophet (peace be upon him) dealt with him according to his level of knowledge concerning islam. first, he (pbuh) answered his question then he told him the basic and most important teaching of islam, which is to worship allah and turn to him (swt) in every matter, in goodness and badness, in poverty and richness, in freedom and in exile. he (pbuh) taught him about his lord.
2) the answer to the inquirer’s question might be relatively different than what he asked for, yet it is more valuable, logical and satisfactory. in the hadith when the inquirer asked the prophet (peace be upon him) about what to wear when he is in a state of ihram. the things he can wear are many and countless, so the teacher of humanity prophet muhammad (pbuh) answered him with what is more logic and important, which is what he should not wear and anything else is permitted to be worn, apart from the things the prophet (pbuh) mentioned. in the next hadith, they asked the prophet (pbuh) about the nature of crescents and how it is created, he (pbuh) answered them with what is more valuable and important for them to know, not how they are created, rather what values and functions of crescents for them.
3) evaluating the nature or mentality of the inquirer and guessing other things he might need is not applicable to each and every inquirer or knowledge-seeker. this is left to the evaluation of teachers, only them can decide about what their asker might also need to know.
4) making use of students’ answers in establishing certain meanings or clarifying new rulings, etc.
Stimulating Students to Ask Questions
questions clarify a lot of confusion and misconception that students may experience. when the teacher explains a topic, he might not be sure whether students understand or not. when the student ask, it becomes clear what meanings he did not absorb or realize. the answer becomes deeply rooted in the mind of students, because he is the one who asked at first. asking a question and getting an answer for it ends ignorance, the prophet muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “the question is the cure of vagueness.” vagueness here means confusion in words and irregularity. it also means ignorance, so the hadith pictures vagueness as a disease and the cure for it is questioning and learning the answer. this is why teachers should direct and help their students to ask questions freely to know more about the topic under discussion. this was done by our first teacher the prophet muhammad (peace be upon him) and we should follow his method till the day of judgment.
1- narrated anas ibn malik that people asked the prophet (peace be upon him) till they importuned him with many questions. he ascended the pulpit and said: “ask me! anything that you would ask me about, i will explain to you…”
2- narrated abu huriria that the prophet muhammad (peace be upon him) said: ‘ask me!’ but the people were awed by him. a man came to him and sat in front of the prophet (pbuh) and said: ‘o messenger of allah, what is islam…’
3- said ibn al musaiab said: no one of the people said ‘ask me’ except for ali ibn abi talib (ra). it was narrated from al hassan that ali ibn abi talib was giving knowledge to people then he would say to them: ‘ask me!’
4- said ibn jubair said: we were at the house of ibn abbas when he said ‘ask me’. i said to him: ‘o aba abbas, may allah protect you…’
all the above mentioned shows the importance of asking questions to the teacher about obscure or unclear information. when the teacher says ‘ask me’ he urges his students to inquire about anything they have in mind. this also gives shy students more courage and confidence to ask about anything, because it is a request by the teacher. it will also benefit other students, who might have the same question in mind, so they will get the value of hearing the answer. it enables the teacher to know how much students understand the explained topic or lesson. the teacher should be alert about the kind of questions asked by students, he should answer questions that might be of value, not questions which are asked to incapacitate or mock him. these kinds of questions are irrelevant and trivial, they bring shame to the ones who ask them.
summary:
1) asking questions and getting an answer unveil any kind of obscurity or ignorance. it rectifies meanings and wrong thoughts and establishes important points in the minds of students.
2) when the teacher requests his students to ask him, it achieves some values:
a) knowing the degree of understanding of each student.
b) encouraging the shy student to have more confidence to ask questions.
c) benefiting other students by giving them the chance to hear the answer.
d) it gives the teacher the chance to evaluate his work and review his teaching method as questions reflect what students did not understand, and the points that the teacher did not analyze.
3) ignoring incapacitating, disabling and mocking questions and admonishing those who ask them.
Using Riddles to Test the Mentality of Students
asking students about some obscure matters or riddles has a great value in developing their abilities and sharpening their brains. the best way to use this method is to present the unclear subject to all students, then the teacher should give them some time to review the available information to conclude the result, then to give the solution of the matter or question asked. the sunnah of the prophet muhammad (peace be upon him) is rich with this educational technique.
1- narrated ibn omar: allah's apostle (peace be upon him) said, "amongst the trees, there is a tree, the leaves of which do not fall and is like a muslim. tell me the name of that tree." everybody started thinking about the trees of the desert areas. and i thought of the date-palm tree but felt shy to answer the others then asked, "what is that tree, o allah's apostle?" he replied, "it is the date-palm tree."
al-baghawi said, the imam said: this shows that a scholar may ask his students riddles or obscure questions to test their degree of knowledge.
ibn hajar (may allah have mercy on him) said: this hadith has many lessons. it teaches us that the scholar should test the mentality of students provided that he clears to them the obscurity later. it also shows encouragement to seek knowledge and activate the brain.
the teacher should choose subjects that he will suggest to his students, also he should let them discuss them among themselves and with him then to give their opinion or final answer. this is reflected in “everybody started thinking about the trees of the desert areas.” it is obvious that they tried their best to think of the matter to find the answer and they did not just wait for the prophet’s answer. al-hafiz said: they thought about the trees of the desert, each of them thinking about a certain one but they overlooked the date-palm trees.
if we contemplate over the matter that the prophet muhammad (peace be upon him) said, we will find that it activated their thinking and promoted them to seek the answer, it is a sort of brainstorming. this way they are more anxious to know the right answer from the prophet (pbuh) after they spent some time in thinking but they couldn’t guess the name of this tree.
another important point is that the obscure matter or riddle should imply an idea or establish a point of view for students. this is reflected in linking the date-palm tree with the muslim. what is the value of this question? al-hafiz ibn hajar explains it by saying: the value of the date-palm tree exists in each of its parts. it is valuable in all its stages, when it produces fruits till it turns dry. even when it is dry, we may use all its parts. even the kernel of dates is important as it can be used to feed animals, also the fiber and floss can be used in making ropes, etc. the blessing of the muslim is the same, it is general and on all levels. his value is not only for himself but for others as well, even after his death if he leaves a good legacy or knowledge behind him for the benefit of mankind such as muslim scientists and scholars who left their books and knowledge for generations behind them.
this is a very important educational method and effective in teaching students if it is used well by teachers. yet, the teacher should avoid complex unresolved matters. he should not overburden or incapacitate his students. rather, he should approximate the matter by giving hints or leads to help them reach the right answer. this is reflected in another narration of the hadith. in the narration it is mentioned that the prophet (peace be upon him) had spadix of the palm tree in his hands. mujahid said, "i accompanied ibn umar to madina and only heard him relate one hadith from the messenger of allah, peace be upon him. he said, 'we were with the messenger of allah, peace and blessings of allah be upon him, when the spadix of a date-palm was brought to him. he said, 'there is a tree which is like the muslim.' i wanted to say that it was the palm-tree, but i was the youngest of the people so i kept silent. the prophet said, 'it is the palm-tree.''
al-hafiz ibn hajar said: the teacher or instructor should do not exaggerate in obscurity; he rather should give clues to help listeners find a way that leads them to the answer. the more he approximates it to their minds, the more they will appeal to listen.
summary:
1) the importance of this method in activating the mind, sharpening the brain and widening knowledge.
2) using these matters in ascertaining certain important ideas in the minds of listeners.
