Excellence in Islamic Education

Key Issues for the Present Time *

(Part 15 of a Series)

Love for children; love for the profession of education; humility without weakness; health and vitality of the body; psychological health and emotional balance; neatness, cleanliness and good appearance; eloquence and good pronunciation; intelligence and deep understanding; understanding students and their needs; strong command of the subject; broad and deep reading and knowledge; punctuality and respect for time; co-operation with the school system and policies; being courteous with students and fellow teachers; socialization with people and no isolation; knowledge and practice of Islam; to stay away from questionable sayings or deeds, even if it is lawful to do so; and sincerity.

- ISNA handout, 1994, quoted in The Purpose of an Islamic School and the Role of an Islamic School Teacher

What is Islamic education and what role can it and Muslim teachers play in developing the whole person in present times?

I strongly believe that the most effective way to engage the whole being of anyone is to involve them in service to others. We live at a time when self-interest increasingly demands that a tangible reward is given for every supposedly “good” act, but what this does is actually to destroy the goodness of the act by turning it into a manifestation of greed. Everything becomes reduced to a profit and loss account, in which nothing is ever done for reasons other than self-gratification or personal gain and advancement.

Involvement in active charitable work or community service which brings together different communities, both the haves and have-nots, is immensely enriching to all. The poor, deprived, or needy may be materially enriched, but the givers also benefit immeasurably because of what they learn about the human spirit, the joy of selfless giving without hope of reward, the development of compassion and empathy, direct insight into the way of life of others, and an understanding of the roots of true happiness. My experience is that young people are hungering for involvement of this kind because it is part of their innate humanity, and it is an obligation on us to provide them with a context for its expression.

It is important to understand the Islamic concept of charity has a wider application than that of charitable “work” and “service” in the conventional sense: The Prophet said, “Doing justice between two people is charity; assisting a man upon his beast and lifting his baggage is charity; and pure, comforting words are charity; and answering a questioner with mildness is charity; and removing that which is inconvenience to wayfarers, such as thorns and stones, is a charity.” The simple act of “smiling in your brother’s face” is also charity.

The best Islamic education will cultivate leadership in the area of active charitable work and in the many expressions of a charitable heart. For Muslims, according to sayings of the Prophet, “Charity is proof of iman (faith)” and is “a duty unto every Muslim.”

Next: Contemporary Issues

* Republished with the kind permission of the author from Excellence in Islamic Education: Key Issues for the Present Times.

Jeremy Henzell-Thomas, a curriculum development specialist, is the coordinator of the Curriculum Project, formerly director of studies at a leading independent school in England. He holds degrees in English and applied linguistics, and a PhD in the psychology of learning. He has served as an executive committee member of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists (UK) and the Chairman of the Board of FAIR, the UK Forum Against Islamophobia and Racism.