Education is a word, which makes us think of various institutions. However, you can find it at various places and at various levels. Education begins the day we begin our life in this world. As soon as we are born we learn how to suck milk, then we learn how to identify people, then how to move our body, how to crawl, how to walk, how to pronounce words like Allah, Mummy and Daddy, how to eat, how to drink, How to wear clothes and so on and this process is endless. To do something, we first need to get educated about it. Therefore, this word education never ends until the end of our lives. Now, if we try to analyze the various levels of education, we find three major branches of it. They are:
1. Professional Education (which is used to earn a livelihood during lifespan)
2. Awareness Education (which helps us to know about various things and their usage)
3. Soul’s Education (which makes a man perfect in manners, etiquettes, responsibility, behavior, wisdom and other important requirements).
1. Professional Education: As we know that this word “Professional Education” itself says that it is concerned with one’s occupation. The study, which makes a person capable of earning a livelihood after its completion is known as Professional Education. A person can be selective about his/her profession and study only the subjects of his/her interest. For example: The education, which we pursue from, the schools, colleges, universities etc is known as Professional Education.
2. Awareness Education: If you purchase a Television, a computer, a projector, a mobile phone, a DVD player, a gas cylinder, a car or a motorcycle, what is the first requirement to start it? We need to know how to operate it or how to use it. It is called the awareness about the product. If we need to cook something with the help of a gas stove, we need to know the method of its usage. Can a layman play a movie with the help of a computer, without the basic knowledge of how to operate a computer? No, its not possible. Awareness is not always thought at the schools, colleges or any other institutions, its we who need to get awareness about various things by various resources. So by this we can say that, Educating our selves about various things in life is known as Awareness Education.
3. Soul’s Education: Now, you must be admiring what this could be or what it may contain. Before explaining about Soul’s Education in detail, I would like to ask one question. “Can any institution, school or college guarantee that after completion of Professional Education, your children will even evolve as well groomed, well behaved, well mannered, will respect the society, will oblige to all the human duties?” I challenge every institution, which is engaged in providing basic or Professional Education that, no one can guarantee this and if anyone among those guarantees, they cannot see it successful. It is the Soul’s Education, which has its significance in this regard. Fighting with the evil within us is the biggest war, and it’s the duty of every human to wage a war against one’s own evil side. To know how to do this, we need to gain the Soul’s Education. We can now define it as educating the soul is called Soul’s Education.
RESPECT or AFFECTION+BENEFIT+FEAR=WORK ACCOMPLISHED
A man or an women, who is employed with a firm, discharges his/her duties properly, for the following reasons:
1. Due to affection towards management and appraisal for every work done, one tries to deliver the best in order to receive compliments and respectable status.
2. Due to monetary benefits such as salary, commission, bonus, allowances etc. A person tries to deliver his/her best so that he/she can obtain all these benefits.
3. Deduction in salary and termination from service are among the few setbacks which every employee fears. To avoid such circumstances, one always tries to be punctual and follows all the rules and regulations set by the employer.
The above circumstances play an important role at all workstations. The employers lure the employees by offering them good salary packages, bonus etc., or try to always appraise the work done by the employee and this even increases the status of respect of the employee. Still there are many rules and regulations set by the employers, which has to be obliged by all the employees, failing which would lead to deduction in salaries or even termination from service. Now let us learn about few of these rules and regulations and the punishment for not obeying them:
1. The employee must be punctual and must have full attendance, failing which will attract penalty of a day’s salary
2. The employee must follow the dress code mentioned by the employer,
Failing which will attract a penalty or a day’s salary or even more.
3. The employee will be under probation period of employment in the beginning of his/her service and if his/her service is found to be unsatisfactory, then this will lead to his/her termination from service.
4. The employee must not insult, nor arrogantly behave with any member of the staff and if anyone is found guilty for the same, then he/she will be expelled from the service immediately.
These are few of those rules, which are laid by the employers for their employees and are meant to be abided in any circumstance. By abiding all these rules and regulations, an employee grooms into a good professional and commits fewer mistakes because the fear of punishment, takes him towards a successful direction. Can we imagine a workstation where there are no rules to be followed? Can such workstation exist for long? Will the employees groom into better professionals or become worse instead? And everyone has the answer for the above-asked questions. Now we understand that a person does right things and become successful by abiding certain rules. By following these rules, one is respected, benefited and even feels the fear of punishment which refrains a person from doing wrong.
Exactly the same way, we need to follow certain rules laid by Allah (S.W.T) to gain prosperity in this world and in the Hereafter. These rules are laid only for the benefit of human beings. These rules bind us with the good and refrains us from the bad and when the employer has the right to punish you when you break his rules, then why cant Allah (S.W.T) punish us, when he has created us, bestowed wealth and blessings upon us and gave us all the worldly benefits from his bounty? Surely, He can punish us. Now let us understand that what does our creator (Al-Khaliq) wants his slaves (Allah’s entire creation) to do. What are the grievous punishments and why should we abide them? What are the clear ways by which we can be obedient to Allah (S.W.T)? Moreover, What is the way of saving ourselves from the anger of our creator and prospering in this world? THE ANSWER IS “ DO NOT FOLLOW THE PATH OF DEVIL (SATAN/SHAYATEEN)”.
SHAYATEEN ENCOURAGES US TO DO EVIL
Allah (S.W.T) says in the glorious Quran "O you who believe! Follow not the footsteps of the Devil, for those who follow the footsteps of the Devil, he commands lewdness and evil." (Surah An-Nur: 21)
From the above ayah, we understand that our creator has restricted us from following the footsteps of Devil. If you follow the footsteps of Satan, we not only betray Allah (S.W.T) but also even cause harm to our worldly life. As Satan cannot give us anything other than, sorrow.
Satan causes disputes between human beings, He encourages us to fight with each other, to steal or rob, to kill the innocent, to gaze women lustily, to rape women, to cheat each other etc., This will definitely fetch you a grievous punishment from the All Mighty, but also leaves you in trouble in this world. Can any one succeed or dwell in happiness on the earth after engaging one’s own self into evil activities. These evil activities will take you away from your bellowed ones. None can ever prosper under evil’s shelter.
Satan influences you by different means, with a target of forcing human to do evil. The different ways can be:
1. Whispering his evil intentions in our ears.
2. Filling our brain with evil thoughts.
3. Making us join the company of people, influenced by Satan and practicing evil. And many more.
The Satan whispers his desires in our ear, which makes us, react accordingly to him. We start reacting as per his instructions thinking that it is our own intention. If we think that it is our own desire, then we are not always right. However, we never come to know about it, unless you find the cause behind arousal of your evil desires. The Satan even tries to fill our minds will evil thoughts and we soon start thinking about doing things, which Allah (S.W.T) has declared haraam on us. For example, it is haraam for a man to look at an women with lustful gaze. Moreover, whosoever does it, will have melted glass poured into their eyes. But due to the Satan’s commands, one does commits the offence. But if the person is well aware of the punishment, then he might think twice before doing it. It starts controlling our speed of committing offences.
The other important way of satanic influence is bad company or a company of bad people. These people are influenced by Satan completely and can be called as practicing offenders. They try to divulge you towards wrong paths and its very easy for Satan to influence people by this way. As we learn many things from the people around us. For example: Friends, Neighbors, School or Office Mates. We find it very joyful and interesting when we find them practicing offences as per the commands of Satan. Soon we indulge ourselves into evil activities, which may please the practicing offenders and further please the Satan. Allah (S.W.T) has bestowed his mercy upon us by guiding us to the right path with the help of the glorious Quran. Allah (S.W.T) says in the glorious Quran: "And if the Devil should cause you to forget, sit not after the remembrance, with the congregation of wrong doers." (Al-An`am: 68).
This guides us that, if we sit with the wrong doers, we might get into the wrong practices and destroy ourselves.
IT’S OUR DUTY TO PROVIDE OUR CHILDREN WITH BEST EDUCATION:
Firstly, It is important for us to love our children and have mercy on them. We should show them love, affection and care.
Abu Hurairah (may Allah exalt their mention) reported:
"The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon Him) kissed Hasan ibn Ali (his grandson) in the presence of Aqra' ibn Habis at-Tameemi who said, "I have ten children and I never kissed any of them."
Upon that he looked at him and replied: "Whoever does not have mercy will not receive mercy."
[Bukhari #5651]
Amr bin Sa’id or Sa’id bin Al-‘As t narrated that Allah’ Messenger r said, “A father gives his child nothing better than a good education.” (Tirmidhi 4977 and Baihaqi)
Spending our money and time for educating our children, is a righteous act in the sight of Allah (S.W.T). Instead of leaving heaps of gold, hundreds of heads of cattle, hectares of land, rows of houses, billions of rupees for your children, so that they could lead a luxurious life, you can make them good human beings by educating them. Education alone is more worthy of all the worldly assets you leave for them. We will certainly be questioned by Allah (S.W.T) about the upbringing of our children and how well did we educate them and prepared them for worldly affairs and for Aakhiraah.
Abdullah ibn Umar t reported that he heard the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) saying: “Every one of you is a guardian, and responsible for what is in his custody. The ruler is a guardian of his subjects and responsible for them; a husband is a guardian of his family and is responsible for it; a lady is a guardian of her husband’s house and is responsible for it, and a servant is a guardian of his master’s property and is responsible for it. A man is a guardian of his father’s property and is responsible for it so all of you are guardians and responsible for your wards and things under your care).” (Bukhâri 3/592)
A righteous child will also pray for us even after our death. It is our duty to make them righteous.
“A man will be raised some degrees in Paradise and he will say, ‘For what reason I am receiving this?’ He will be told, ‘Because of your son asking forgiveness for you.’” (Bukhâri 1613)
Educating the girl child is also very important in Islam, they should not be overlooked and male child should not be preferred above female child.
TEACH YOUR FAMILY WHATEVER YOU HAVE LEARNT:
Alhamdulillaah, we people of our community (specially males), have good knowledge about Quran and the sunnaah. Alhamdulillaah, we even try to share this knowledge with our brothers and sisters among our community. However, we often forget, overlook or do not bother about our family. Malik bin Huwairth narrated: “I came to the Prophet (S.A.W) with some men from my tribe and stayed with him for twenty nights. He was kind and merciful to us. When he realized our longing for our families, he said to us: "Go back and stay with your families and teach them the religion. Moreover, offer the prayer and one of you should pronounce the Adhan for the prayer when its time is due. And the oldest one amongst you should lead the prayer.” (Bukhari 1/601)
So, we should understand the importance of giving da’wah, proper education and awareness among our family members.
