“HOLY PROPHET AS AN EDUCATOR”

1. Introduction:
Islam emphasizes on acquiring knowledge and considers it imperative for the triumph of
Muslims in this world and in the hereafter as well. The importance Islam gives to education can
be judged from the fact that the very first word that was revealed on the Holy Prophet (PBUH)
was “IQRA” which means “Read”. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) gave greater importance and care
to education of the Muslims. He said;

“Seeking education is obligatory upon every Muslim man and woman.”

Allah sent Holy Prophet for the following four purposes;

 To recite the verses of Quran to the people

 To purify them
 To educate them the Quran
 To teach them the divine wisdom

He (PBUH) took effective measures not only to preserve the Holy Quran but also for making
arrangements for teaching it to the Muslims.

2. Importance of Education in Quran

 “Those truly fear Allah, among his servants who posses knowledge” (Surah Faatir)
 “O! Allah increase my knowledge” (Surah Taha)
 “Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know? (No they never will
be)” ( Surah Az Zumar)

3. Importance of Education in Hadith:

 “Acquire knowledge and impart it to the people” (Tirmizi)

 It is narrated that one day the Holy Prophet came into the Masjid and saw some people
gathered there. They were divided into two groups. Whereas one of the two groups was
busy offering prayers, the other was engaged in religious discussions. The Holy Prophet
was very pleased to see those people and said:
“Both these groups are doing something good but I prefer the group which is busy
discussing”. Saying this, he himself joined that group.

4. Steps taken by Holy Prophet To Promote Education:

a. Mosques under Holy Prophet: schools were set up in the mosques of Medina which
became both the place of worship and learning. Nine mosques came into being and
among them School of Quba was the most important and Holy Prophet himself used to
visit it for discussions with the pupils. This increased literacy rate during the reign of
Holy Prophet. Women were also educated. Holy Prophet used to say that even slave
girls should be educated and then set free. When Islam spread over the entire
Peninsula, Holy Prophet sent teachers to teach Quran and Islam to the Bedouin Tribes.

b. Suffa; First Islamic University: Holy Prophet established first Islamic University named
Suffa in Masjid e Nabvi. There were more than 80 Sahabas, who dedicated their lives in
search of knowledge, called Ashab al Suffa. The Holy Prophet used to teach them daily.
Often the Huffaz were sent as teachers of Quran and Islam in various part of Arabia.
Amongst then, the names of Muadh Bin Jabal, Ubayda Bin Samit and Abu Darda are
prominent.

c. Reciting Holy Quran: whenever the Prophet (PBUH) received verse(s) of the Quran, he
(PBUH) would first recite those before his male companions (RA) and then in gathering
of female companions. This reflects as to how much he (PBUH) was concerned for the
education of Muslims, both males and females.

d. Holy Prophet (PBUH) appointed educated companions for putting the Quranic verses
into writing.

e. Learning Knowledge From Prisoners of Ghazwa e Badr : In the battle of Badr, 70

prisoners were held captive. Since most of them were educated, the Holy Prophet set
the condition before them to teach the art of reading and writing to 10 Muslims, in
return for their freedom

f. Study of Foreign Languages: Under directives of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), some
companions learned foreign languages for correspondence with foreign rulers and
princes and to conclude treaties with them

5. Present Day Need:

In the present era of religious intolerance and violence, we must not forget that the
Holy Prophet termed the entire humanity “the family of God”, without any distinction
on the basis of religion, ethnicity, color or race. There is a dire need to make conscious
efforts to promote the teachings of Islam conveyed to us by Holy Prophet, to highlight ht
intellectual, humanistic and spiritual dimensions of Islam for the purpose of prevailing
peace.