Every year we gather on 5th September to celebrate Teacher’s Day, we cut cakes, we offer flowers, we post selfies, and we make big speeches about the greatness of teachers, but the truth is bitter and heartbreaking: today’s generation does not give teachers the respect they deserve. In fact, the very society that celebrates them one day spends the rest of the year humiliating them. Teachers are no longer honoured as the guardians of knowledge but treated as targets for mockery, as villains in every scandal, and as easy prey for social media trials. Today’s boys and girls do not see teachers as mentors but as obstacles to their “freedom.” Especially in today’s environment, if a teacher dares to scold a girl for coming late, corrects her dress or behaviour, or warns her against wasting her time, instead of respecting his advice she goes home, cries, and makes false allegations. She tells her parents or society that the teacher insulted her, or worse, she posts a video online painting herself as a victim. Without checking the truth, social media picks it up, and so-called “journalists” hungry for clicks and fame spread it like fire. They do not investigate, they do not verify, they do not wait for evidence, they simply run headlines: “Teacher humiliates student”, “Teacher crosses limits.” In seconds, a respected teacher is disgraced, his decades of service destroyed, his dignity ruined, and his family dishonoured. This is the tragedy of our times—that anyone, especially girls who are disciplined by teachers, can cry foul and the entire society believes them without a second thought, while the teacher’s truth is buried under waves of false sympathy.
Is this the progress we boast about? Is this the modernization we are so proud of? The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “He is not one of us who does not respect our elders, show mercy to our young, and honour our scholars.” (Abu Dawood). If a society insults its scholars and teachers, then it distances itself from the mercy of the Prophet ﷺ. Hazrat Ali (RA), the fountain of wisdom, said: “He who teaches me a single word, I am his slave for life.” Such was the humility of the great Imam who ruled over vast lands, yet bowed his heart to a teacher. He also said: “Whoever disrespects a scholar, Allah will disgrace him in this world and the Hereafter.” Are we not living in this disgrace today? Students rise in arrogance, teachers fall in humiliation, and the whole society collapses in its own foolishness. The Prophet ﷺ also said that scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets, which means teachers carry a portion of prophetic duty. To insult them is to insult that inheritance, and to humiliate them is to invite Allah’s wrath.
Our situation becomes more shameful when compared to the developed world. In Japan, teachers are treated as the foundation of society. If a teacher is required in court, the judge himself visits the teacher, for they know the honour of a teacher must not be touched. In South Korea and Singapore, teachers are paid at the level of doctors and engineers, and their words carry authority. In Germany, teachers are protected by strong laws, and students cannot dare to casually insult them. In many developed countries, teachers are offered green cards, permanent residency, and countless privileges because they are considered national treasures. Even in the United States and Canada, teachers are welcomed with family benefits, given high status, and treated as assets. They rise because they respect their teachers, while we fall because we disgrace ours. They give their teachers green cards; we give ours court notices. They protect teachers from false allegations; we hand ours over to social media mobs. They treat teachers as the backbone of progress; we treat them as slaves to our children’s arrogance. The government here has played a destructive role. In the name of “child rights,” they have stripped teachers of their authority. They say, “Do not be strict, do not scold, do not discipline.” But strictness is not cruelty—it is mercy in disguise.
“Our future will be bleak if we continue to humiliate teachers. A society that believes in and spreads lies will collapse. If we return to the respect taught by Islam, honour our teachers like Hazrat Ali did, and protect them as developed nations do, our society will be blessed with light once more.”
A teacher who disciplines saves a student from failure. A teacher who scolds a girl for lateness is teaching her punctuality. A teacher who warns against shameless behaviour is protecting her dignity. But society has twisted this discipline into humiliation, and instead of supporting the teacher, we brand them as villains. The result is before us: an arrogant, undisciplined generation that mistakes disrespect for bravery. Today’s children cross all limits, and when corrected, they weaponize social media to destroy their teachers. Parents, instead of standing with teachers, join the chorus of complaint. Journalists, instead of investigating, run stories without evidence. And society, instead of defending its teachers, becomes a mob that claps at their humiliation. Our pious predecessors knew the value of teachers. Imam Abu Hanifa never stretched his legs towards his teacher’s house out of respect. Imam Shafi’i said he would not even turn the pages loudly in front of Imam Malik out of reverence. Their humility brought greatness, their respect brought barakah, and their adab made them shining stars of knowledge. Today, our students argue, our girls make false claims, our boys record humiliating videos, and our teachers weep silently. Knowledge without respect is darkness. A nation without honour for teachers is doomed. This is why our children have degrees but no discipline, jobs but no manners, and money but no morality. They are “educated” but empty, literate but lost, modern but miserable. The Qur’an warns us: “Do not walk upon the earth with arrogance, for indeed you will never tear the earth apart nor reach the mountains in height” (Surah Al-Isra 17:37). Today’s generation is drowning in this arrogance. They think they become taller when they humiliate teachers, but in reality, they are sinking lower than ever. The Prophet ﷺ gave a terrifying warning: “Whoever does not respect our elders, have mercy on our young, and honour our scholars, is not from us.” This means that by insulting teachers, we are cutting ourselves off from the Ummah itself. Hazrat Ali (RA) said: “The one who does not honour his teacher will never succeed.” These words should echo like thunder in our ears, for they are becoming a reality before our very eyes.
O society, wake up before it is too late. Stop glorifying lies on social media. Stop allowing every false allegation to destroy the dignity of teachers. Hold your children accountable when they insult their mentors. Teach them that teachers are sacred, not slaves. Parents, remember: when you defend your child against a teacher’s discipline, you are not protecting your child—you are destroying his future. Governments, remember: when you strip teachers of authority, you are not modernising education—you are murdering it. Journalists, remember: when you run stories without truth, you are not serving society—you are poisoning it. And students, remember: when you insult your teachers, you are not brave—you are digging your own graves. True Teacher’s Day is not one day in September—it is every day in our hearts. The real gift to a teacher is not flowers or greetings, but respect, humility, obedience, and gratitude. If we continue humiliating teachers, our future will be nothing but darkness. If we continue believing lies and spreading false news, our society will collapse. But if we return to the respect taught by Islam, if we honour our teachers like Hazrat Ali did, if we protect them like developed nations do, then Allah will bless our society with light again. The choice is ours: respect teachers and rise, or insult them and be destroyed. For truly, a nation that does not respect its teachers can never, ever progress.
(The author a teacher by profession is a freelancer. The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”)
Dr Aftab Jan
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