1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:08,740 A Summary of the Concepts of Ahl as-Sunnah 2 00:00:08,740 --> 00:00:10,740 Leadership is an innate talent. 3 00:00:10,740 --> 00:00:19,019 It is not enough for an educator to merely possess the capacity to monitor and care for the student. 4 00:00:19,019 --> 00:00:27,019 Rather, alongside that, he must possess a natural leadership ability that reassures the learner without being authoritarian. 5 00:00:27,019 --> 00:00:28,019 Accordingly, 6 00:00:28,019 --> 00:00:33,020 the presence of educational leadership is a communal obligation (fard kifayah) upon the Ummah. 7 00:00:33,020 --> 00:00:41,020 It may even become an individual obligation—like all communal obligations—for anyone who possesses the foundational talent for leadership. 8 00:00:41,020 --> 00:00:48,020 In that case, he is required to nurture himself and refine his skills through management and leadership training, 9 00:00:48,020 --> 00:00:55,020 and subsequently employ those skills in educating the Ummah, both individually and collectively. 10 00:00:55,020 --> 00:00:58,530 Education by Example 11 00:00:58,530 --> 00:01:05,010 Setting a good example is one of the most paramount and essential characteristics of an educational leader. 12 00:01:05,010 --> 00:01:12,010 It is the most effective of all means in the educational process and exerts the greatest influence on its success. 13 00:01:12,010 --> 00:01:18,299 While the character of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, serves as the ultimate role model, 14 00:01:18,299 --> 00:01:26,299 it remains an example that a Muslim can realize in practice to the extent that he draws inspiration from it, 15 00:01:26,299 --> 00:01:30,299 and to the extent that he patiently strives toward noble heights. 16 00:01:30,299 --> 00:01:39,299 Thus, his example, peace be upon him, is not a mere fantasy for souls to adore without practical emulation. 17 00:01:39,299 --> 00:01:44,290 Essential Traits of an Educator 18 00:01:44,290 --> 00:01:52,829 Since it has become clear from the foregoing that leadership and setting a good example are essential traits of an educator, 19 00:01:52,829 --> 00:01:56,829 we can add to them the following: 20 00:01:56,829 --> 00:02:05,829 First, the educator's standing in knowledge, wisdom, and soundness of judgment must exceed that of the learner. 21 00:02:05,829 --> 00:02:09,830 It is not a prerequisite that he be older in age, 22 00:02:09,830 --> 00:02:14,830 even though advanced age usually exerts an influence on the learner's acceptance— 23 00:02:14,830 --> 00:02:19,830 but only as a supporting factor that aids acceptance, 24 00:02:19,830 --> 00:02:21,830 not as a strict condition for it. 25 00:02:21,830 --> 00:02:28,090 Second, the educator must possess substance to impart to the student. 26 00:02:28,090 --> 00:02:34,280 Third, the educator must excel in the method of imparting what he possesses. 27 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:44,379 Fourth, he must possess the ability to care for those he educates, continually following up with them and guiding them. 28 00:02:44,379 --> 00:02:50,409 These are the traits that an educator needs to realize with whomever he educates, 29 00:02:50,409 --> 00:02:56,409 whether that student is a young child or an entire nation. 30 00:02:56,409 --> 00:03:03,409 Yet, how vast is the difference between the two in their need for these traits in their educator! 31 00:03:03,409 --> 00:03:08,409 For as the domain of education expands and the number of students increases, 32 00:03:08,409 --> 00:03:13,409 the required degree of these traits becomes greater and deeper. 33 00:03:14,409 --> 00:03:19,009 The Muslim Teacher 34 00:03:19,009 --> 00:03:24,009 The Muslim teacher is, in truth, an educator of his students, 35 00:03:24,009 --> 00:03:31,009 in addition to being their instructor in the academic subject he teaches them. 36 00:03:31,009 --> 00:03:37,009 Therefore, he must embody the characteristics of an educator that we have mentioned, 37 00:03:37,009 --> 00:03:40,009 practice Islam in actual reality, 38 00:03:40,009 --> 00:03:44,009 and embody the character of the Qur'an in his behavior, interactions, 39 00:03:44,009 --> 00:03:47,009 appearance, demeanor, and overall conduct. 40 00:03:47,009 --> 00:03:50,009 To achieve this, it is required of him 41 00:03:50,009 --> 00:03:56,780 to be knowledgeable in the principles, values, and concepts of Islam. 42 00:03:56,780 --> 00:04:00,610 The Islamic School 43 00:04:00,610 --> 00:04:05,610 The Islamic school, by encompassing Muslim teachers, 44 00:04:05,610 --> 00:04:08,610 ought to serve as a nurturing environment 45 00:04:08,610 --> 00:04:14,610 that raises Muslim generations who know their religion, love it, and practice it— 46 00:04:14,610 --> 00:04:21,610 understanding its breadth, comprehensiveness, and integration, and living and practicing it in the real world. 47 00:04:21,610 --> 00:04:25,639 However, the reality of today's schools is quite the opposite, 48 00:04:25,639 --> 00:04:31,639 as they tie students and generations merely to the desire for obtaining certificates and jobs 49 00:04:31,639 --> 00:04:34,639 for purely worldly benefit. 50 00:04:34,639 --> 00:04:38,470 The Female Educator 51 00:04:38,470 --> 00:04:43,529 Among the primary roles of a woman in Islam 52 00:04:43,529 --> 00:04:45,529 is the upbringing of children. 53 00:04:45,529 --> 00:04:50,529 Hence, she is tasked with safeguarding Islamic values and principles 54 00:04:50,529 --> 00:04:53,529 and disseminating them within society. 55 00:04:53,529 --> 00:04:58,529 She also fulfills the child's innate need for love, affection, 56 00:04:58,529 --> 00:05:00,529 and the care required 57 00:05:00,529 --> 00:05:03,529 so that the child grows up in a sound manner, 58 00:05:03,529 --> 00:05:06,529 achieving psychological balance. 59 00:05:06,529 --> 00:05:11,529 No one other than the mother can provide this to the child. 60 00:05:11,529 --> 00:05:16,589 All of this necessitates that she possess knowledge of the religion, 61 00:05:16,589 --> 00:05:19,589 experience regarding societal conditions, 62 00:05:19,589 --> 00:05:22,589 and training in dealing with them. 63 00:05:22,589 --> 00:05:25,589 Thus, she should study what assists her in this 64 00:05:25,589 --> 00:05:28,589 and grants her this knowledge and experience. 65 00:05:28,589 --> 00:05:31,620 For a woman is a specialized mother, 66 00:05:31,620 --> 00:05:34,620 except in cases of compelling necessity 67 00:05:34,620 --> 00:05:38,620 which rarely occur in a Muslim society. 68 00:05:42,199 --> 00:05:44,199 According to Ahl as-Sunnah.