Part of The Musk of Discourse (series completed)
· Lesson 30 of 38
Musk Al-Khattab | Episode (58) | Education before education
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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"Were it not for the mentor, I would not have known my Lord."
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This is a proverb often repeated by the Arabs.
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It highlights the importance of upbringing and the role of the mentor
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in guiding children toward the path of goodness and knowledge.
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The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, says:
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"Whoever has a daughter or two daughters,
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and raises them well, providing them with a good upbringing,
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and marries them off, ensuring they are well-wed,
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shall enter Paradise with them."
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Indeed, upbringing must precede formal education.
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The process of upbringing is not as simple as some might think.
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Upbringing has foundations rooted in human values such as freedom and responsibility,
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a sense of self-accountability,
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the development of the mind and the soul,
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the cultivation of sound character and nature,
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the eradication of corrupt traits,
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and the development of intellect,
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so that a person may be complete in their personality, thought, character, and faith.
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The best approach to noble upbringing
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is the path of moderation.
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For the best of affairs are the middle ones.
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A mentor should be generous without reaching the point of extravagance,
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courageous without reaching the point of recklessness,
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forbearing without reaching the point of weakness,
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victorious without reaching the point of tyranny,
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and humble without reaching the point of arrogance or pride.
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One must look at their own flaws first before attempting to mentor others.
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One must reform oneself first, then begin the process of upbringing.
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For the eyes of the student are fixed upon the mentor.
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'Umar ibn Shu'bah once said to his son’s teacher:
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"Let your reform begin with yourself first,
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for the eyes of the students are fixed upon you.
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What you do, they consider good,
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and what you abandon, they consider ugly."
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"Teach them the Book of Allah,
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increase them in the noblest of hadiths,
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and the most virtuous of poetry.
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Do not move them from one science to another until they have mastered the first,
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for a clutter of words in the heart hinders understanding."
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Upbringing is a process that requires attention and knowledge of its methods.
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We must connect upbringing in the modern era
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with advanced and civilized methods.
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This does not mean abandoning our distinctiveness and authenticity,
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but rather, we strive to build a society whose members are based
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on civilized intellectual and physical training,
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and the mastery of their work in a way that achieves human dignity and high status,
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serving both their faith and their community.
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Upbringing has various methods and types.
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It has been said that upbringing comes in two forms:
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upbringing that comes from others,
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and upbringing that comes from within the self.
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When Ibn al-Muqaffa' was asked,
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"Who taught you all this refinement?"
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He replied, "My own self."
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It was said to him,
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"Can a person refine themselves without a teacher?"
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He said, "Yes.
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Whenever I saw something good in others, I adopted it,
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and whenever I saw something ugly, I avoided it.
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Through this, I refined myself."
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I would like to whisper into the ears of mentors
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regarding the gravity and importance of the educational process,
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and that it is among the highest goals and most sacred of tasks.
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They will be questioned about it on the Day of Reckoning.
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"Every one of you is a shepherd,
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and every one of you is responsible for his flock."
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Furthermore, upbringing comes before education.
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For what is the value of knowledge to a person
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who is misguided in their thought and creed?
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Perhaps the makers of events and decisions today
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are the best evidence of the corruption of humanity
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in this age of progress and civilization.