Hazrat Alqamah bin Sa’ad ؓ narrates on the authority of his father, he said: “One day, the Holy Prophet ﷺ delivered a Khutbah during which he appreciated some groups of Quraish and said, “What happened to those who neither acquaint their neighbours with Islamic teachings nor they exhort them, nor bid what is right and forbid what is wrong? By Allah, there must be some among you who acquaint their neighbours with religious knowledge, enjoin them what is right forbid them from what is wrong.
Together with it, even the unlearned of you must learn from their neighbours and seek instructions of guidance from them, or else, I will soon punish them.” Having said so, when the Holy Prophet ﷺ descended from the pulpit, people began to ask him as which people he meant. Someone said that thereby he meant those of Asharies who have a great deal of Islamic knowledge but their neighbours were still unlearned.
When the Asharies came to know it, they came to the Holy Prophet ﷺ and said, “O Allah’s Messenger ﷺ! What is wrong with us that you made a bad mention of us while you appreciated some people too.” The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, “There must be some among you who acquaint their neighbours with religious knowledge, enjoin them what is right forbid them from what is wrong.
Together with it, even the unlearned of you must learn from their neighbours and seek instructions of guidance from them, or else, I will soon punish them.” When the Asharies repeated the same question, the Holy Prophet ﷺ gave the same reply this time again. It was then that the Asharies requested the Holy Prophet ﷺ to give them a chance for one year and he did so. Thereafter, he read out the following verse:
لُعِنَ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا مِنْۢ بَنِىْۤ اِسْرَآءِيْلَ عَلٰى لِسَانِ دَاوٗدَ وَعِيْسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ ذٰ لِكَ بِمَا عَصَوْا وَّكَانُوْا يَعْتَدُوْنَ (78) كَانُوْا لَا يَتَـنَاهَوْنَ عَنْ مُّنْكَرٍ فَعَلُوْهُ لَبِئْسَ مَا كَانُوْا يَفْعَلُوْنَ (79)
Quran Ayah Data not found….for Surah:5, Ayah:78 and Translation:24
Quran Surah:5 Ayah:78-79
“On those who disbelieve from among the children of Isra’il , a curse was pronounced by Dawud and Isa, Son of Maryam. All this because they disobeyed and used to cross the limits.” (Tabrani)
The tradition appearing above contains some points of guidance concerning the noble cause of teaching and learning. In reality, these guidelines are a charter and prescription of an educational revolution. Even today an educational revolution may be brought about making use of this efficacious prescription. Those points of guidelines are as follows:
- It is the responsibility of the educated circle to equip the unlearned and ignorant people with Islamic education. It is feared that if they pay no heed towards it, they may be held responsible for it. Hence, our predecessors knew this reality well and did their best to discharge this responsibility.
A student of Tarjumanul Qura’n, Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbas ؓ named Rashid Ikramah (R.A.) reports, “Once Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbas ؓ put the shackles round my feet so that I could not go anywhere and continue equipping myself with the commandments Quran and Hadith.” (Hikayat-e-Sahabah with reference to Bukhari and Tabqat Ibne Sa’ad Page: 175)
Similarly, it comes about Hazrat Maulana Rasheed Ahmad Saheb Gangohi (R.A.) that once a ruler of his time put him behind bars. In it there was one of his prisoner-fellow who did not know how to read or recite the Holy Qura’n. Therefore, Maulana started to teach him it.
A couple of days later, when an order has been passed about his release, he denied to return home. When asked the reason about it by the Superintendent of the jail, he said, “Since I have already started teaching the Holy Qura’n to my prisoner-fellow, I am not going to leave jail so long he learns it.” Thus, he stayed in jail and returned home only after he taught him the whole Qura’n.
- As for the ignorant and unlearned people, it is also must for them to seek knowledge for the knowledgeable ones among them, or else, it is feared that they would be also brought to book if they are indifferent to it besides its disadvantages both here and herea-fter.
It comes about Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbas ؓ that when the Holy Prophet ﷺ left for his heavenly abode, he (Ibne Abbas) said to one of Ansari Companions, “Though the Holy Prophet ﷺ is no more, but his blessed companions are still alive. Let’s seek knowledge from them.” Having heard it, Ansar companions said, “O Ibne Abbas! How surprising it is that you see that the people itself are in need of seeking knowledge from you whereas you go to other for this purpose!”
Hearing it, Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbas ؓ left that Ansari companion and go alone bearing all possible hardships to anywhere he knew that there was someone who heard some tradition from the Holy Prophet ﷺ. There, he would lay down before his door unless he was covered with dust. When he came out of his house and asked for what purpose he came there, he would reply, “I have come here to listen some tradition from you which you heard the Holy Prophet ﷺ.”
Upon it the person would say, “O the cousin of Allah’s Apostle! Why did you bother yourself for this? You might have sent anyone or at least informed us so that I myself could attend you?” Upon it, the reply he gave used to be, “In reality, it was my own duty to do so.”
Thus, Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbas ؓ equipped himself with every bit of knowledge and proved to be a torch-bearer of knowledge for the whole world. Thereafter, when his reputation with regard to mastery in knowledge spread far and wide, it was then that the very companion who had refused to accompany him for this noble cause, acknowledge the fact that Abdullah bin Abbas ؓ was wiser than the rest of him. (Siyar-ul-Sahabah: Vol: 3, Page: 259)
In the same way, Allamah Ibne Taimiyah (R.A.) is reported to have said that once when a ruler of his time ordered him to be put behind the bars, one of his students came to the ruler weeping and requested him to put him also in the prison.
The ruler was taken by utmost surprise when he saw taking place something strange. He said to the student, “Why do you want to be put in jail?” “Your honour! Since you sent my teacher in jail, I could not continue my studies for a couple of days. Only if you sent me in jail also, though I have to suffer some problems but it will allow me to obtain knowledge from my teacher.” It was, indeed, the true thirst and burning desire for acquiring knowledge.
In fact, there should be always a target and specific time fixed for accomplishing any task. It is for this reason that the Holy Prophet ﷺ too gave a chance for one year to curb away the ignorance through learning and teaching. Even today, in order to make the educational movement successful, we require fixing a specific duration which can allow the accomplishment of all our plans and programmes easily.