Islam inspires and propels its followers to seek knowledge for the pleasure of their Lord, and to work towards and facilitate promotion and welfare of humanity. In other words, the motto of education in Islam is acquisition of knowledge for the sake of serving God and His creatures. That is why throughout Islamic history, equal attention has been paid to the learning of both the religious sciences and the natural sciences.

Islam places great emphasis on learning. The Quran and Hadith both hold men of knowledge preferable to the ignorant (39: 9). The books of Hadith have a whole lengthy chapter devoted to the importance of knowledge, and the rewards of teaching and learning.

For instance, there is a saying of the Prophet that, one who treads a path in search of knowledge has his way paved to Paradise by God as a reward for this noble deed. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 2699) According to another saying, angels in heavens, fish in the water and ants in their dwellings pray for the well-being of a seeker of knowledge. (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 2682)

In another Hadith, the Prophet of Islam observed, those who learn virtues and teach it to others are the best among humankind. (Shu'ab al-Iman by Al-Bayhaqi, Hadith No. 1767)

The mission of the Prophet of Islam has been introduced in the Quran as an instructor of the Book and a teacher of wisdom.

At the time of the revelation, few people could read and write. They made the maximum use of their abilities to memorize their learnings, preserving their entire literary heritage in their memory. There was no trace of any systematic or organized activity of learning or teaching in Arab society of the time. But soon after the revelation of the Quran, the trend of education set in. Everyone who accepted Islam learnt the Quran from the Prophet, and after learning taught others who desired to learn. In this way, the homes of the early Muslims—Abu Bakr Siddiq, Al-Arqam bin Al-Arqam, Fatima bint Khattab—turned into centres of learning.

Source: Spirit of Islam July 2020