Curriculum of Education
When the first revelation of the Quran was sent down, the Lord Almighty said to His Prophet ﷺ:
(اِقْرَاْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّـذِىْ خَلَقَ(1)خَلَقَ الْاِنْسَانَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ(2) اِقْرَاْ وَرَبُّكَ الْاَكْـرَمُ(3) اَلَّذِىْ عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ(4)عَلَّمَ الْاِنْسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ(5))
“O Prophet! Read in the name of your Lord who created everything. He created man from a clot of congealed blood. Read, and your Lord is Most Generous. Who taught by the pen, taught man what he did not know.”
Similarly, in Surah Al-Baqarah it is stated:
(كَمَاۤ اَرْسَلْنَا فِیْكُمْ رَسُوْلًا مِّنْكُمْ یَتْلُوْا عَلَیْكُمْ اٰیٰتِنَا وَ یُزَكِّیْكُمْ وَ یُعَلِّمُكُمُ الْكِتٰبَ وَ الْحِكْمَةَ وَ یُعَلِّمُكُمْ مَّا لَمْ تَكُوْنُوْا تَعْلَمُوْنَ)
“As We have sent among you a Messenger from yourselves reciting to you Our verses, purifying you, teaching you the Book and wisdom, and teaching you that which you did not know.”
Considering these verses, think about how much importance Islam has given to knowledge. The first revelation itself is about education and learning, and Allah sent His messengers as teachers to impart knowledge.
In a Hadith, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
(( إِذَا مَاتَ الْإِنْسَانُ انْقَطَعَ عَنْهُ عَمَلُهُ إِلَّا مِنْ ثَلَاثَةٍ إِلَّا مِنْ صَدَقَةٍ جَارِيَةٍ أَوْ عِلْمٍ يُنتَفَعُ بِهِ أَوْ وَلَدٍ صَالِحٍ يَدْعُو لَهُ ))
“When a person dies, their deeds come to an end, except for three: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, and a righteous child who prays for them.”
This means knowledge is an everlasting treasure that benefits a person both in life and after death; its benefits remain with the person, and no one can steal or snatch this treasure, nor can anyone stop its benefits by force.
What is Knowledge?
Regarding this, it is appropriate to present the verses of Imam Shafi’i رضي الله عنه:
كل الْعُلُومِ سِوَى الْقُرْآنِ مُشْغَلَةٌ إلَّا الحَدِيث وَ إِلَّا الْفِقْةَ فِي الدِّينِالعِلْمُ مَا كَانَ فِيهِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَاوَسِوَى ذَاكَ مِن وَسُوَاسِ الشَّيَاطِينِ .
“Except for the Quran, Hadith, and jurisprudence in religion, all other knowledge is a pastime and distraction. Knowledge is only that in which it is known that so-and-so narrated this Hadith; otherwise, it is merely satanic whispers.”
Yes, if someone says, what about the knowledge of medicine, engineering, etc.? Regarding this, there is a Hadith in which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied to a questioner, when the questioner asked:
(( أَى الْعَمَلِ أَفْضَلُ؟ قَالَ : الْإِيْمَانُ بِاللَّهِ وَجِهَادِ فِي سَبِيلِهِ . قُلْت : فائى الرِّقَابِ أَفْضَلُ؟ قَالَ: “أغْلَاهَا ثَمَنًا وَأَنْفُسُهَا عِندَ أَهْلِهَا، قلت: فَإِن لَّمْ أَفَعَلُ؟ قَال:” لان تُعِيْنَ صَائِعًا أَوْ تَصْنَعَ لِاَخَرَقِ. قَالَ : فَإِن لَم أَفْعَل ؟ قَالَ : ” تَدْعُ النَّاسَ مِنَ الشَّرِ فَإِنَّهَا صدَقَةٌ تُصَدِّقُ بِهَا عَلَى نَفْسِكَ .))
“Who will do the best deed?” You ﷺ said:
To believe in Allah and to strive in His cause. I asked:
Is freeing a slave better? You ﷺ said:
The one who is most valuable and most beloved in the sight of the owner. I said:
If I am unable to do this? You ﷺ said:
Then to help a Muslim laborer or an unskilled person. They said:
If I am not able to do this either? Upon this, you ﷺ said that then protect people from your evil; this too is a charity which you will do upon yourself.”
Meaning, Islam has counted helping a craftsman and teaching someone a skill (whether it is pottery, making ships and boats, or the skill of weapon-making) as charity and worship, and among the best deeds after faith.
But the condition is that the method of teaching, the curriculum, and the place of education and training must be pure and pleasing to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.
Is our method of education somewhere… ?
Come! Now let us see whether our method of education and training and the place of learning are displeasing to the Lord and shameless.
When leaving the house:
When leaving the house, do our children (sons and daughters, brothers and sisters) recite a prayer? Have they been taught a prayer?
If yes, then the mother has earned reward; if not, then both parents will be questioned on the Day of Judgment. The Prophet ﷺ said:
((كُلُّكُمْ رَاعٍ وَمَسْئُولٌ عَنْ رَعِيَّتِهِ فَالْأَمِيرُ الَّذِي عَلَى النَّاسِ رَاعٍ وَهُوَ مَسْئُولٌ عَنْهُمْ ، وَالرَّجُلُ رَاعٍ عَلَى أَهْلِ بَيْتِهِ وَهُوَ مَسْئُولٌ عَنْهُم ، وَالْمَرْأَةُ رَاعِيَةٌ عَلَى بَيْتِ بَعْلِهَا وَوَلَدِهِ وَهِيَ مَسْئُولَةٌ عَنْهُم ، وَالْعَبْدُ رَاعٍ عَلَى مَالِ سَيِّدِهِ وَهُوَ مَسْئُولٌ عَنْهُ ، أَلَا فَكُلُكُمْ رَاعٍ وَكُلُّكُمْ مَسْئُولٌ عَنْ رَعِيَّتِهِ ))
“Each of you is a guardian and each of you will be questioned about his subjects. So indeed, the leader of the people is a guardian and he will be questioned about his subjects; secondly, every man is a guardian over his family and he will be questioned about his subjects; thirdly, a woman is a guardian over her husband’s house and his children and she will be questioned about her subjects; fourthly, a slave is a guardian over his master’s property and he will be questioned about his subjects. So know that each of you is a guardian and each of you will be questioned about his subjects on the Day of Judgment.”
This hadith is worth reflecting upon from the beginning to the end, even for school children.
Uniform:
Are the uniforms of our boys and girls such that Islam and the Merciful Lord dislike them..?
Entry into School:
Have we ever considered whether our children and youth, when entering school and college, adopt Islamic principles such as respect for teachers, courtesy towards elders, and kindness towards juniors or not?
Assembly:
In the assembly of our school (whichever institution they study in), are the builders of the nation made to internalize aspects of reform according to Islamic values and civilization, or is materialism encouraged? Do they learn lessons of hatred, pride, and courage through practice, or favoritism and inferiority complex? When they are punished for violating school rules, are they also taught lessons of correction regarding religious shortcomings in the practical curriculum?
Entry into the Classroom and ?
When entering the classroom, do the children who come later greet the children and teachers already present?
Welcoming the Teacher and Standing in Respect
When the teacher enters the classroom, the children stand up to welcome him, and there are lessons in regular textbooks for this training that among the etiquettes of the class and the teacher is that when the teacher comes, one should stand up. However, the Prophet ﷺ trained his noble companions, may Allah be pleased with them all, in such a manner that:
عَنْ أَبِي مَجْلَرٍ قَالَ خَرَجَ مُعَاوِيَةُ عَلَى ابْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ وَابْنِ عَامِرٍ فَقَامَ ابْنُ عَامَرٍ وَجَلَسَ ابْنُ الرُّبَيْرُ فَقَالَ مُعَاوِيَةُ لَابْنُ عَامِرٍ اجْلِسُ فَإِنِي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ : مَنْ أَحَبُّ أَن يُمَثْلُ لَهُ الرِّجَالُ قِيَامًا فَلْيَتَبَوَّاً مَقْعَدَهُ مِنَ النَّارِ . ))
“Abu Majlaz narrates that Muawiyah (Abdullah) went to Ibn Zubair and Ibn Amir; Ibn Amir stood up while Ibn Zubair remained seated. Muawiyah said to Ibn Amir, ‘Please sit down, for I have heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say that whoever likes people to stand up for him, then he has prepared a place for himself in Hell.'”
This is the mindset shaped by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and it is different from what is found in our textbooks, which are borrowed from the disbelievers.
Applause:
We read in textbooks that when a child gave a speech, other children and teachers applauded a lot for him. Similarly, regarding dancing, the Quran mentions that this was the practice of the polytheists:
(وَ مَا كَانَ صَلَاتُهُمْ عِنْدَ الْبَیْتِ اِلَّا مُكَآءً وَّ تَصْدِیَةًؕ)
“And their prayer at the House was nothing but whistling and clapping.”
Dr. Luqman Al-Salafi wrote in Taseer Al-Rahman, p. 531, citing Hafiz Ibn Al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him), that these actions are polytheistic.
Dance:
Regarding dance, Khansa Hinaad writes in her book “Nasabi Saleebeen,” p. 46:
Dance was once the work of courtesans; noble people considered it disgraceful to have their daughters dance or even to mention such women in front of their own women. But today, TV has brought “courtesans’ performances” into every home. The limit has reached the point that the curriculum has started teaching the technique of dancing. Consider this excerpt from the Urdu book “Alif Bay Ka Urdu” (Compulsory, Revised Edition):
“Now just a simple and sweet song, but the voice should be soft and warm, a cool balm for the wounded mind. The dance should be light, no noise of anklets. The feet should touch the ground slowly as if flowers are falling. Snowflakes are descending on the ground. But there should be no intoxication, no sleep, we have to be busy again.”
If the purpose is to teach such literature to the education department in which at every step there is encouragement of obscenity and violation of Islamic culture, then it is not surprising that after a few years books like “Umrao Jaan Ada” will be included in the curriculum. The best literature will be found in the language of courtesans.
فَاعْتَبِرُوْا یٰۤاُولِی الْاَبْصَارِ
Promotion of Polytheism:
Things heard and read in childhood often remain in memory, and there is a famous saying that “knowledge of childhood is like a line drawn on stone.”
Or understand it this way that it is an empty vessel; you may fill it with chaff or with gold and diamonds and jewels, or you may perfume and make it useful with the lesson of Tawheed, or you may scrape it with the worm of shirk and throw it into a foul-smelling pot after misguidance.
But see the injustice of our curriculum compilers, this is our Urdu sixth book, in it there is a lesson titled “Ali Hujwiri,” in which the compiler writes:
“From the study of this lesson you will learn on page number 51, page number 52, the life circumstances of Data Ganj Bakhsh number 52.”
And on the same page number 5, he quotes a couplet of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Ajmeri:
Ganj Bakhsh, the benefactor, the grace of the world, the manifestation of God’s light
For the imperfect, a perfect guide; for the perfect, a leader
Further on page number 52, he writes: “Some call him Ganj Bakhsh, and some call him Data.”
And finally, he writes that there is a vast and magnificent mosque next to their shrine. That is, he wants to tell the children that besides Allah, there is another Ganj Bakhsh (bestower and granter), and that Allah has another avatar. Besides the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, there can be another guide and leader.
Now let us examine this matter in detail:
Ganj Bakhsh:
In Persian, “Ganj” means treasure and “Bakhsh” means to grant or give, i.e., the one who grants treasures.
Whereas, in contrast, the Quran says:
((وَ لِلّٰهِ خَزَآىٕنُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضِ وَ لٰكِنَّ الْمُنٰفِقِیْنَ لَا یَفْقَهُوْنَ ))
“And the treasures of the heavens and the earth belong to Allah alone, but the hypocrites do not understand.”
Similarly, in
, it is stated:
(وَ اِنْ مِّنْ شَیْءٍ اِلَّا عِنْدَنَا خَزَآىٕنُهٗ٘-وَ مَا نُنَزِّلُهٗۤ اِلَّا بِقَدَرٍ مَّعْلُوْمٍ)
“And there is no thing but that with Us are its treasures, and We do not send it down except in a known measure.”
Yes, if anyone had treasures, then the most deserving of them would have been the Prophets until the end of their lives. Allah Almighty has negated the possession of treasures for them in the following words:
(قُلْ لَّاۤ اَقُوْلُ لَكُمْ عِنْدِیْ خَزَآىٕنُ اللّٰهِ)
“Say: I do not say to you that I have the treasures of Allah (meaning I do not have Allah’s treasures, rather He alone is the owner of His treasures).”
Giver:
In the lexicon, the meaning of “Giver” (Data) is one who gives, sustainer, guarantor. These attributes are befitting and appropriate for Allah, the Lord of Glory. As it is in the Quran:
(رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغْ قُلُوْبَنَا بَعْدَ اِذْ هَدَیْتَنَا وَ هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ لَّدُنْكَ رَحْمَةًۚ-اِنَّكَ اَنْتَ الْوَهَّابُ)
“O our Lord! Do not let our hearts deviate after You have guided us, and grant us mercy from Yourself. Indeed, You are the Bestower.”
((قُلْ اِنَّمَا هُوَ اِلٰهٌ وَّاحِدٌ وَّ اِنَّنِیْ بَرِیْٓءٌ مِّمَّا تُشْرِكُوْنَ ))
“How can you say that He is alone the deity, and I disassociate myself from those deities whom you associate with Allah.”
Regarding sustenance, the Quran questions the disbelievers of the past and presents their answer:
((قُلْ مَنْ یَّرْزُقُكُمْ مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ وَ الْاَرْضِ قُلِ اللَّهُ ))
“O my Prophet! You ask who provides sustenance to you from the heavens and the earth? You yourself tell, Allah.”
Manifestation of the Light of God:
This phrase reflects the belief in the unity of existence influenced by Hinduism, which Sufis have adopted in the form of “Hama Ust.” The views of the poet who recited this verse also interpret it in the same way.
Moreover, the concept of “Manifestation of the Light of God” bears resemblance to the Hindu beliefs in divine avatars.
The imperfect is the guide to the perfect master:
Here, it seems that Ali Hujwiri is being placed on par with knowledge in opposition, whereas the Quran describes these attributes for the Prophet ﷺ:
((وَ مَاۤ اَرْسَلْنٰكَ اِلَّا كَآفَّةً لِّلنَّاسِ بَشِیْرًا وَّ نَذِیْرًا وَّ لٰكِنَّ اَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا یَعْلَمُوْنَ))
“And We have sent you as a bringer of good tidings and a warner to all mankind, but most people do not know.”
states that the Prophet ﷺ said:
((بُعِثْتُ إِلَى الْأَحْمَرِ وَالْأَسْوَدِ .))
“I have been sent as a prophet to every red and black person.”
And it is in
:
(( وَبُعِثْتُ إِلَى النَّاسِ عَامَّة . ))
“That I have been sent as a prophet to all people.”
And the Quran says:
(وَ اَطِیْعُوا اللّٰهَ وَ اَطِیْعُوا الرَّسُوْلَ وَ احْذَرُوْاۚ-فَاِنْ تَوَلَّیْتُمْ فَاعْلَمُوْۤا اَنَّمَا عَلٰى رَسُوْلِنَا الْبَلٰغُ الْمُبِیْنُ)
“O people! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger, and if you turn away, then the responsibility of Our Messenger is only to convey the religion of Islam clearly.”
From all these evidences, it is proven that the Messenger of Allah is a guide for everyone, whether imperfect or perfect.
Training in Innovations (Bid’ah):
Where the curriculum of our country, without proper thought, is instilling the poison of polytheism in the minds of the architects of the nation, along with that, the fever of innovation (Bid’ah) is also being infused into their actions. Before us is the Urdu book for eighth grade, on page 213 there is a full lesson about Eid Milad-un-Nabi, which is an innovation (Bid’ah).
What is called Innovation (Bid’ah)?
(( بِدَعَة هِيَ الْفِعْلَة الْمُخَالِفَةُ للسنة سُمِّيت البدعة…. وَهِيَ الأمرُ المُحدَث الَّذِى لَمْ يَكُن عَلَيْهِ الصَّحَابَةُ وَالتَّابِعُونَ وَلَمْ يَكن مِمَّا اقْتَضَاهُ الدَّلِيلُ الشَّرْعِى ))
“Bid’ah is the name of an act contrary to Sunnah, meaning a new practice that neither the Companions nor the Tabi‘un (people of the best generations) engaged in, nor is it in accordance with the Shariah evidences (Quran and Sunnah).”
Why is Eid Milad considered Bid’ah?
Eid Milad is considered Bid’ah because neither the Prophet ﷺ celebrated it, nor did the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them all, nor the Tabi‘un and Tabi‘ al-Tabi‘in, and even the four Imams did not celebrate it, nor was this practice present in their time.
Deedar Ali (Barelvi) writes:
“There is no evidence of Milad Sharif from the pious predecessors in the early centuries; it was invented later.”
Ruling on Bid’ah:
After shirk, innovation (bid’ah) is the cause of corruption in belief and practice. A major reason for the current miserable condition, humiliation, and disgrace of Muslims is that they are distant from the requirements of Tawheed and trapped in the clutches of shirk and bid’ah. Undoubtedly, bid’ah is the first step towards misguidance and the backdoor to shirk, and its greatest characteristic is that it appears before the public under the guise of religion, and all the related actions seemingly appear to be part of Islam. But in reality, they are deception in the name of Islam and the offspring of misguidance in thought and practice.
That is why the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
(( مَنْ أَحْدَثَ فِي أَمْرِنَا هَذَا مَا لَيْسَ فِيْهِ فَهُوَ رَدُّ ))
“Whoever introduces into our religion something that is not part of it, it is rejected.”
Similarly, there is a hadith from Ali ibn Abi Talib رضي الله عنه regarding Medina:
(( فَمَن أحَدَثَ فِيهَا حَدَثًا أَوْ آوَى فِيهَا مُحْدِثًا فَعَلَيْهِ لَعْنَةُ اللَّهِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ لَا يُقْبَلُ مِنْهُ صَرْفٌ وَلَا عَدُلٌ . ))
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Whoever introduces any innovation in Medina or shelters any innovator therein, upon him be the curse of Allah, the angels, and all people. Neither his obligatory worship will be accepted nor his voluntary acts.
May Allah protect us from this and grant guidance to our curriculum compilers, and grant the ability to promote and nurture correct beliefs and actions. Ameen.”
