The Importance of Education and the Status of Teachers in Islam

He heard the first command from the Almighty: “Read (Recite) in the name of your Lord who created you… He taught man what he did not know.” (Sura: Al-‘Alaq, Ayat: 01–05)

In the light of the Holy Qur’an there are several kinds of knowledge  for example: ‘Ilm al‑Yaqin’ (knowledge of certainty in faith), ‘Ayn al‑Yaqin’ (knowledge by seeing), and ‘Haqq al‑Yaqin’ (true/realized knowledge).

Acquiring knowledge is obligatory. The beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Seeking religious knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim.” The Prophet undertook the primary initiatives to spread education: establishing the Dār al‑Arqam, sending learned Companions to their tribes for instruction, the regular teaching and training of the Ahl as‑Suffa, and even arranging teaching as ransom for prisoners of war.

The purified Ahl al‑Bayt, the noble Companions, the Tābi‘ūn and Tābi‘ al‑Tābi‘īn, and the great imams and mujtahids of tafsir, hadith, fiqh and tasawwuf  each of them were luminous teachers of the highest moral excellence.

Because the Qur’an contains analysis of knowledge and sciences in 756 verses, the Muslim scholars in amazement submitted: “Our Lord, You did not create this in vain.” (Sura: Ali ‘Imran, Ayat: 191)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “The words of knowledge are the lost valuable treasure of the learned; wherever he finds it he has the right to take it.” (Ibn Majah)

Thus the contribution of Muslim intellectuals is undeniable:

• Jabir ibn Hayyan - pioneer of chemistry.

• Al‑Biruni - world‑class authority on geography.

• Ibn Sina (Avicenna) - pioneer of medicine.

• Al‑Farabi - discoverer of various principles in natural philosophy.

• Omar Khayyam - pioneer in analytic geometry.

• Al‑Kindi - decoder/recoverer of encrypted messages.

• Al‑Khwarizmi  - pioneer of algebra.

• Al‑Razi - discoverer of the smallpox vaccine.

Measuring the worth of teaching by financial value is absurd. Still, some idea of its worth can be gleaned from certain Qur’anic verses and Prophetic hadith. Allah says, “Indeed, those who possess knowledge fear Allah most.” (Sura: Fatir, Ayat: 28)

Thus true knowledge is that which makes a person God‑conscious (muttaqi).

He says, “Are those who know and those who do not know equal?” (Sura: Az‑Zumar, Ayat: 9). This verse shows that Allah grants special honor to people through knowledge. Teachers, as distributors of that knowledge, are therefore entitled to that special respect.

He also says, “He who has been granted knowledge has been given a great bounty.” (Sura: Al‑Baqarah, Ayat: 269)

So we may say that those whom Allah grants the ability and success to impart correct knowledge are recipients of a special blessing from Him.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “With regard to character, the best among the believers are those who have the fullest faith.” (Tirmidhi). He also said, “Everyone seeks forgiveness from Allah for the one who teaches beneficial knowledge.” (Tirmidhi)

SubhanAllah  this hadith reminds us how fortunate are those who teach beneficial knowledge! The Prophet (peace be upon him) further said, “The best charity is when a Muslim learns something and then teaches it to another Muslim.” (Ibn Majah). He also said, “Both the teacher and the student are entitled to reward.” (Ibn Majah).

That is, teachers of beneficial religious knowledge are honored not only in this world but their afterlife will be adorned as well. However, knowledge is truly beneficial only when the scholar acts according to his knowledge. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “The real scholar is the one who acts according to what he knows…”

Nowadays so‑called self‑learning, bad education, and half‑baked learning cause controversy and confusion! True teachers are not being appreciated. The Prophet’s (peace be upon him) warning is striking: “When there will be no sincere scholars, people will appoint the foolish as their leaders. When ignorant people are asked about religious matters they will issue verdicts despite their ignorance. Thus they will err and lead others astray.” (Bukhari)

Since 1994, World Teachers’ Day has been observed globally on October 5. This year UNESCO’s theme: “Recasting teaching as a collaborative profession.” A short poem:

Teaching bound in bonds of cooperation,
New needs in a new education formation.

Those who give the nation its upright strength are the makers of human beings. In the movement against discrimination the impassioned recitation of Professor Golam Rabban and the words of Professor Dr. Chowdhury Saima Ferdous cut deeper than bullets  “If you strike one, ten will come; if you strike ten, hundreds will come… It feels as if if I am martyred in the streets, perhaps this shame will be somewhat lifted…!”

May World Teachers’ Day 2025 be successful. May teachers’ respect and rights be established.

Author: Associate Professor and Head of Department