In Islam teachers are given high status in the society but at the same time some responsibilities are also assigned to the teachers, which they are supposed to consider by performing their duties. The Holy Quran and the Hadith give number of instructions to the teachers. “As part of the mercy of God, you deal with them gently; if you were severed and hardhearted, they would have broken away from you.” (Al-Imran) This verse of the Holy Quran is having guideline or a piece of advice for the teachers and teachers are asked to deal students gently, they are asked to have kindness for them because if you will be harsh with them then they will not come to school and will be fed up. If we see the modern era theories about attitude of teachers for students, it is recommended that the teachers need to “deal the students with love not punishment”, this theory is introduced by the West just fifty years back but this was shared in the Holy Quran centuries back. The Holy Prophet (SAW) said, “Teach without chiding. Teachers are preferable to the scolders.” He also said, “Use leniency to those whom you teach and those who learn you.” The above comments of our Prophet (PBUH) are providing guideline to teachers that how do they need to treat their students, it is clear from the statement that teachers should not blame their students and teachers are asked to be lenient with their students, means if your students do mistake then you need not to be harsh with them. Prophet (SAW) is reported to say, “Teachers who have three students- of different social classes- and do not treat them equally, will be in the line of the traitors on the day of Judgment.”
Teachers at Muslim schools must struggle to cultivate God-consciousness in their students as well as knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the Sunnah. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said: “And speak nicely to people.” The quote teaches us that teachers need to be careful while speaking with their students, they need to choose proper, suitable and respectable words for their students, and they should not use such words which heart them or which could become the reason of depression or bring lack of confidence in the students.
It has been observed that sometimes teachers become little unfair with their students, they give favors to those students who are close to them or who give extra benefit or who are taking tuition from them or who belongs to same religion. If the teachers will start appreciating students in such case then surely students will attend the school or the class and will take interest. The teacher’s response to the well mannered students will provide motivation to the other students present in the class and they will change themselves with the passage of time. The teacher is given more important than the books. Imam al-Shafi’i, the famous jurist, said: “Whoever learns from books will miss the required achievement” Imam Al-Ghazzali, one of the most outstanding Muslim scholars and teachers of all time, regards the first duty of a teacher to accept the child unconditionally as his own. He quotes the saying of our Prophet Muhammad (SAW): “I am to you like a father who desires to save his child from the fires of hell, which is more important than any of the efforts of parents to save their children from the fires of earth.” If we read the statement of the Holy Prophet (SAW) and the statement of Imam Al-Ghazaali, we learn that a teacher needs to consider a student his/her son/daughter. As the Holy Prophet (SAW) has given his own example that as I am saving you from the hardships or fires of Hell as I am your teacher therefore in the same way you (teachers) need to save your students from the hardships of the world by providing them knowledge to tackle the problems. Teachers at Muslim schools must struggle to cultivate God-consciousness in their students as well as knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the Sunnah. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said: “And speak nicely to people.” The quote teaches us that teachers need to be careful while speaking with their students, they need to choose proper, suitable and respectable words for their students, and they should not use such words which heart them or which could become the reason of depression or bring lack of confidence in the students.