Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim

Like (a favor which you have already received) in that We have sent among you a Messenger of your own, rehearsing to you Our verses, and purifying you, and instructing you in Scripture and Wisdom, and in new knowledge. (Al-Baqarah 2: 151)

In the above quoted verse, Allah ST has mentioned the objectives of the mission of the Prophet Muhammad (S). One of the objectives was to teach the Book, the Wisdom and unknown things. Thus he was sent among men as a Teacher as well. A hadis also gives the same objective. Once the Prophet (S) entered into his Mosque, and saw his companions ( R) sitting in two circles. In one circle, the people were busy in Zikr and Tasbih (Glorifying Allah ST). The people in the second circle were busy in acquiring and imparting knowledge to each other. Saying “ Both of them are busy in good deeds, but I have been sent as a Teacher”, he joined the circle of knowledge. He was thus appointed as a Teacher to mankind.

According to the modern techniques of teaching, a person is a good teacher if he repeats his points, uses novel and attractive methods, gives examples, and utilizes the surroundings. He should also talk according to the maturity level of his students. He should ask questions and raise points in order to emphasize his teachings. A reader of the biography of the Prophet (S) can not fail to realize that the Prophet (S) used to adopt all such techniques. The point becomes more important, when one recalls that the Prophet (S) never attended any school or a place of learning. In fact he did not know how to read and write. Allah ST Himself says, “And you were not (able) to recite a book before this, nor you are (able) to transcribe this with your right hand” (29:48).

Here by some examples, we shall now show that the Prophet Muhammad (S) was by far a Teacher, par excellence.

The Prophet (S) used to repeat his words in order to emphasize the importance of his point. Once he said, “By Allah! He is not a believer, he is not a believer, he is not a believer!” Because of his repetition, all the companions (R ) sitting there became very attentive and eager to listen further. Even, one of them asked him, “ Who is he, O’ Prophet of Allah?” He replied, “The one whose neighbors are not safe from his mischief.” Now, how is it possible that the listeners would fail to remember this advice? The Prophet (S) has taught us that we are not his followers in spite of all sorts of our worships, if our neighbors are not safe from us.

Puzzles and riddles are found in every society. The objective of these puzzles and riddles is to test, and exercise the intelligence of the people. The Prophet (S) used to ask his companions ( R) such questions. It was a novel way of teaching important points.

Once he asked his companions ( R), “Who are the martyrs of our ummah?” They told him that those who would get killed in the battles fighting in the path of Allah. He then said, “ This way there would be only a few martyrs, as there would not be such battles quite often”. He then continued, “ Those who are killed in the path of Allah are martyrs, and those too who die their natural death in the path of Allah”. This way the Prophet (S) has taught that, in order to win the status of a martyr, one should continuously remain busy in propagating the way of Allah, for the sake of Allah’s pleasure. Similarly, once he asked, “ Who are the paupers of my ummah?” The people replied that those who do not have dirham or dinar (units of currency at that time). He said, “No. The pauper of my ummah is that person who died with many good deeds, but had usurped the rights of others as well. On the Day of Judgment, at the time of accounting of his deeds, there would be many complainants, and claimants against him. Each one will present his complain and claim his good deed. Allah would distribute his good deeds among the claimants to satisfy their complaints till no good deed would be left in his account. But there still would be some more claimants. Allah ST then would get the evil deeds of the claimants and enter those in the account of the man under judgment. Then, as the man had lost all his good deeds and accumulated the evil deeds of others, he would be thrown into the Hell. Such a person is the pauper of my ummah”. What does this teach us? We should never rely upon our personal good deeds only. We must fulfill the rights of human beings around us as well.

Psychology or the maturity of a person was always a factor, which played a part in the teachings of the Prophet (S). Once a Bedouin came to the Prophet (S) to learn the religion. There in order to respond to the call of nature, the man urinated right inside the Mosque. The man would have fled, had the Prophet (S) admonished him. Instead, he softly advised him not to urinate inside the Mosque as it was a holy place of worship. On the other hand when something unexpected happened from a person of high stature, the Prophet (S) showed his displeasure. Once a man abused Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (R ) twice, but Hazrat Siddiq (R ) kept quite. However, when the man continued his abuse a third time, Hazrat Siddiq (R ) could not control his anger and replied to the man same way. At his reply, the face of the Prophet (S ) became red, and he left the place. He showed his anger, as he had not expected a person like Hazrat Siddiq ( R) to adopt abusive words.

The Prophet (S) quite often would explain his point with suitable example. People, at that time, would demand back their gifts from their friends or relatives, if something undesirable to them happened from their friends or relatives. To eradicate this type of behavior, the Prophet (S ) gave them an example. He said, “ To take back your given gifts is like to eat back your vomit”. After listening to this example, who would like to demand back his given gift?

To weigh, or to show the true value of a point, a teacher compares that point with some other point at a suitable time, when they can grasp it easily. The Prophet (S) did resort to this method as well. Once a sheep was slaughtered in the home of the Mother of Believers, Hazrat A’isha ( R). He entered her home, and asked, “Is some meat left after distribution?” She replied, “I have saved fore-leg for you, and distributed the rest.” He said, “ What is left, we will eat it up. But what you have distributed is saved for us for the Hereafter.” How beautifully the Prophet (S ) has taught us to understand the value of all those things which we give to others for the sake of Allah!

Because of the constraint of length and space, we were able to study only a few points and examples to illustrate that the Prophet Muhammad (S) was a teacher par excellence. We should try to follow his model for the sake of Allah’s pleasure.