Primary Deeni Education – Coolness to our Eyes

Primary Deeni Education

Coolness to our Eyes:
Every person wishes to have children who are coolness to his eyes. The perception that most people have is that if I educate my children in secular sciences and they acquire a degree, they will earn ‘big’ money, and when they earn that type of money, I will be relaxed and have an enjoyable life. Hence the entire focus becomes secular studies and Islamic education is given very little or no importance.

However, in most cases the result is totally contrary. When the emphasis is only on material and secular studies, those children grow up into becoming ‘money making machines’ who have no feelings and values. Hence they feel that they can substitute the time and service they owe to their parents with wealth. We may enjoy a lot of wealth, but we will not enjoy the company and service of our children when we need it the most – in our old age.

Children are your Business:
Someone so beautifully said: “Your children are your business, the more effort you put in to them the greater the returns.”

One is the returns that we are desirous off in this world. This will be secured by imparting the necessary Deeni education to them, as it is Deeni education that will teach them the rights of their parents and the importance of caring for them, especially in their old age. However, as those who believe in the Hereafter, we also undertand the importance of the returns there as well. Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) has advised us that imparting Deeni education to our children and making them righteous, will serve as an ‘offshore investment’ for us when we are in the qabr. Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said,

“When a person passes away, (all) his actions come to an end except for three (things); except for a continuous sadaqah, or knowledge (which he imparted) from which benefit is being derived, or a pious child who makes du‘aa for him.” (Saheeh Muslim #4223)

Salvation from Punishment:
Once, Nabi ‘Isa (‘alaihis salaam) passed by the grave of a person who was being punished by the angels. After completing his errand, on his return, he saw the angels of mercy at the grave with large quantities of noor. He was amazed at this and hence performed salaah and asked Allah Ta‘ala (the reason for this). Allah Ta‘ala revealed to him thus: “O ‘Isa! This servant was a sinner and was suffering my punishment since the day he died. (However,) he left behind a wife who was expecting a child. She gave birth to a son and brought him up until he has (now) grown up and she has admitted him into the maktab. The teacher taught him ‘Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem’ – In the name of Allah Ta‘ala the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. Hence, I felt ashamed of punishing my servant with my fire in the earth (i.e. in his grave) when his son is taking my name on the earth”.

Apart from this, the ‘Ulama of the past would say that the young children who are learning the Quraan Majeed are a means of preventing the punishment of Allah Ta‘ala from coming on to the people of the earth.

The Best for my Children:
We generally say: “I want to give my children the best” and we take it in the material sense, but Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) explains that the best that we can offer to them is good manners. Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said,

“There is no gift that a father can give his son better than good manners.” (Sunan Tirmizi #1952)

Importance of Primary Education:
The importance of primary deeni education can be understood from the fact that whenever any person or any group accepted Islam, one of the main concerns of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and the new Muslim/s was deeni education.

We understand from the famous incident of Sayyiduna ‘Umar’s (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) accepting Islam that Sayyiduna Khabbaab bin Aratt (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) would frequent the house of his brother-in-law and sister to teach them the Quraan Majeed. This then became the means of Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) accepting Islam.

Similarly, when twelve members of the Ansaar accepted Islam at the first ‘Aqabah and returned to Madeenah Munawwarah, they sent a request to Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) that he should send to them someone who would teach them the Quraan Majeed and the basic masaa-il (rulings) of Deen. Hence, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) sent Sayyiduna Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) to them as a teacher.

Formal Teaching:
During the time of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and Abu Bakr (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), this teaching was done more informally. Whenever there was a need for a teacher, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) would send a Sahaabi or some Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum). However in the time ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) this primary education became more formal and took the shape of a maktab.

Some narrations and books have even mentioned these finer details of the maktab system which ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) had implemented:

• Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) was the first to establish the maktab system and he ordered ‘Aamir bin ‘Abdillah Al-Khuzaa‘iee to teach the children. He also stipulated a stipend for him from the public treasury.
• There were three teachers who used to teach the children and Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) would pay each of them fifteen dirhams monthly.
• Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) brought into vogue the system of Friday being a holiday in the maktab.

Imaam Bukhaari (rahimahullah):
Imaam Bukhaari (rahimahullah), as great as he was, also attended a maktab in his childhood. Muhammad bin Abi Haatim (rahimahullah) says, “I heard Imaam Bukhaari (rahimahullah) saying, ‘I was inspired to memorize hadeeth when I was in the maktab.’ When I asked him, ‘And what was your age at that time?’ he replied, ‘(I was) 10 years old or younger. Thereafter I left the maktab and began frequenting (the lessons of) Imaam Daakhili (rahimahullah) and others.’”

Solution to the Crisis of the Ummah:
Shaikhul Hind, Hazrat Moulana Mahmoodul Hasan Saheb (rahimahullah) was a great scholar of India. Most of our Akaabir were either his direct or indirect students. Towards the end of his life, he spent four years in prison in Malta due to his struggle to establish the khilaafat.

Upon his return from prison, one night after Esha Salaah, a large number of ‘Ulama gathered around him in Darul ‘Uloom Deoband. Hazrat (rahimahullah) addressed them saying: “I learnt two lessons during my stay in Malta.” On hearing this, the entire congregation became very attentive to hear what this great buzurg, the ustaaz of all the ‘Ulama, had learnt at an advanced age and after lecturing the ‘Ulama for so many years.

Hazrat (rahimahullah) then mentioned: “Whilst sitting in the confines of the jail I kept pondering over the reason for the downfall of the Muslims all over the world in their Deen and in their dunya. After much contemplation, I concluded that there are two reasons for this: (1) Their leaving the Quraan Majeed and (2) Their differences and fighting among themselves. Thus, I made a firm resolve whilst in the prison that I will spend the rest of my life in spreading the words and the meanings of the Quraan to the Ummah. In order to learn the words of the Quraan Majeed, makaatib for the children must be established in every village; and to learn the meanings of the Quraan Majeed, lessons of tafseer should be conducted. People should be encouraged to practice on the Quraanic teachings. Furthermore, at no cost should fighting and arguing with one another be tolerated.”

Great Favour:
Alhamdulillah, Allah Ta‘ala has blessed the Muslims with such a great bounty where children from as young as five learn the Quraan Majeed, hadeeth, fiqh, Islamic history, manners and etiquettes, and much more. How many of the followers of other religions can read their respective books in their original text? Today, a large percent of Muslims can read the Quraan Majeed in its original Arabic text. This is all through the blessings of the madrasah and maktab.

Let everyone of us try to imagine what Deen we would have known, and how much of Quraan Majeed we would have been able to read, had it not been for the maktab that we attended at the hands of some Aapa or ustaaz. It is this that has equipped us to continue our lives as Muslims. Hence, it is imperative for us to pass on the same to our children as well.

Another great favour of Allah Ta‘ala upon us specifically is that we, in South Africa, have such a maktab system which is perhaps unparalleled in the world today. The South African syllabuses are used in many parts of the world and ‘Ulama from other countries, even Muslim and Arab countries come over to learn our system and go back and implement it in their countries.

Value it:
Unfortunately, nowadays we do not value the maktab as much as our elders did. Islamic education is being disregarded. Instead of sending our children to the madrasah to gain the necessary Islamic knowledge and practice, which would protect their imaan and Deen, we would rather send them for tuition, sports practice, or some other extra-curricular activities. The end result is that we have children who attend Christian schools, do not attend maktab, and know nothing regarding the basics of Deen, not even how to recite the Quraan Majeed. It will be no amazement if these children turn towards Christianity or become homosexuals, etc. If we do send them to maktab, we remove them from the maktab at the age of twelve or thirteen when they just begin to understand the important issues of Deen.