In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
"Were it not for the mentor, I would not have known my Lord."
This is a proverb often repeated by the Arabs.
It highlights the importance of upbringing and the role of the mentor
in guiding children toward the path of goodness and knowledge.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, says:
"Whoever has a daughter or two daughters,
and raises them well, providing them with a good upbringing,
and marries them off, ensuring they are well-wed,
shall enter Paradise with them."
Indeed, upbringing must precede formal education.
The process of upbringing is not as simple as some might think.
Upbringing has foundations rooted in human values such as freedom and responsibility,
a sense of self-accountability,
the development of the mind and the soul,
the cultivation of sound character and nature,
the eradication of corrupt traits,
and the development of intellect,
so that a person may be complete in their personality, thought, character, and faith.
The best approach to noble upbringing
is the path of moderation.
For the best of affairs are the middle ones.
A mentor should be generous without reaching the point of extravagance,
courageous without reaching the point of recklessness,
forbearing without reaching the point of weakness,
victorious without reaching the point of tyranny,
and humble without reaching the point of arrogance or pride.
One must look at their own flaws first before attempting to mentor others.
One must reform oneself first, then begin the process of upbringing.
For the eyes of the student are fixed upon the mentor.
'Umar ibn Shu'bah once said to his son’s teacher:
"Let your reform begin with yourself first,
for the eyes of the students are fixed upon you.
What you do, they consider good,
and what you abandon, they consider ugly."
"Teach them the Book of Allah,
increase them in the noblest of hadiths,
and the most virtuous of poetry.
Do not move them from one science to another until they have mastered the first,
for a clutter of words in the heart hinders understanding."
Upbringing is a process that requires attention and knowledge of its methods.
We must connect upbringing in the modern era
with advanced and civilized methods.
This does not mean abandoning our distinctiveness and authenticity,
but rather, we strive to build a society whose members are based
on civilized intellectual and physical training,
and the mastery of their work in a way that achieves human dignity and high status,
serving both their faith and their community.
Upbringing has various methods and types.
It has been said that upbringing comes in two forms:
upbringing that comes from others,
and upbringing that comes from within the self.
When Ibn al-Muqaffa' was asked,
"Who taught you all this refinement?"
He replied, "My own self."
It was said to him,
"Can a person refine themselves without a teacher?"
He said, "Yes.
Whenever I saw something good in others, I adopted it,
and whenever I saw something ugly, I avoided it.
Through this, I refined myself."
I would like to whisper into the ears of mentors
regarding the gravity and importance of the educational process,
and that it is among the highest goals and most sacred of tasks.
They will be questioned about it on the Day of Reckoning.
"Every one of you is a shepherd,
and every one of you is responsible for his flock."
Furthermore, upbringing comes before education.
For what is the value of knowledge to a person
who is misguided in their thought and creed?
Perhaps the makers of events and decisions today
are the best evidence of the corruption of humanity
in this age of progress and civilization.