Prophet Muhammed’s (ﷺ) Exceptional Teaching Skills
Talking about people in general, if we understand the concept of teaching, a person can instruct his students in two ways. Either by becoming someone like a postman; by simply carrying letter cards or envelopes with written information, wherein he is not only entitled to not to open the message howsoever, but also very probably does not understand the language used in the letter.
The second example of teaching can be comparable to that of an ambassador, who is sent with a written message, from a head of a state. The ambassador not just conveys the message to the intended recipient, but also has the capacity to explain and clarify any of the points in the message, with the minutest details. And Prophet Muhammed ﷺ is the greatest of all prophets, so he is the greatest ambassador from the Almighty!
Let us take a look at the ways in which Prophet Muhammed ﷺ taught the divine and civilizational aspects to humanity.
Illustrative and analogical approach:
In this style of teaching, Prophet Muhammed ﷺ used examples to explain various concepts to his learners. For an instance, he asked his pupils & companions to explain the virtues of establishing daily prayers by asking: “What do you think if there flows a river right by a person’s house, and he cleanses himself through it five times a day? Would he ever be dirty?” All of the companions gave an obvious answer in negative. Then Prophet Muhammed ﷺ said: “This is similar in the case of your prayers. Allah will thus purify you in this way.” (1)
Similarly, talking about greed, the Prophet of Allah ﷺ said: “If a human were to be given two valleys filled with gold, he would still wish to own another such valley. However, nothing can fill the mouth of humankind once and all, but the dust (of the grave).” (2)
*Simplification:*
Simplifying things is not that simple. However, Prophet Muhammed ﷺ excelled in this art too. To exemplify, once a Bedouin came to the Masjid and started asking the whereabouts of Prophet Muhammed ﷺ in a slightly harsh tone. When he finally met the Prophet ﷺ, he came straight to the point of asking questions on Islam, but the Prophet ﷺ gave replies to his every question in a simple and easy way, powered with his natural and beautiful smile. Finally, the man said: “I testify that I accept everything that has been revealed to you. My name is Damaam bin Thalabah, and I have been sent by my tribe Bani Sa’d bin Bakr. (3)
*Gentleness & patience:*
One of the prominent ingredients of a great teacher is to be gentle and patient toward his pupils. Those teachers who reply rudely to questions posed on to them, usually do so due to their lack of knowledge or ability to reply convincingly.
We can see how gentle and patient teacher Prophet Muhammed ﷺ was, when he was once seated with his companions, and a man came and urinated inside the Masjid. All the companions turned furious. But Prophet Muhammed said patiently: “Let him finish what he’s doing.” When the man was done, Prophet Muhammed ﷺ just asked water to be poured over the place. He then spoke to the man and said gently: “You know, it is inappropriate to do in Masjids what you’ve done. These places are built to offer prayers, remember Allah, and to recite the Holy Quran.” The man not just understood his mistake, but said this: “O Allah! Show mercy to me and to Muhammad (ﷺ), but to no one else.” But the Prophet ﷺ chuckled and said: “Allah’s mercy is much wider than that. Then the Prophet ﷺ turned to his companions and said: “You’ve not been sent to complicate and confuse people. You are sent to simplify and accommodate.” (4)
Could there be more cleaner and sacred place for a Muslim than a Masjid? How many of us make life simple and accommodative? How many of us bear these traits in our personalities? How many of us remain patient when others commit clear mistakes in front of us? How many of us are gentle and patient over other’s mistakes? How many of us present Islam properly to our Muslim and non-Muslim friends, colleagues and neighbors? Why is there so much of a hatred for Islam and Muslims (please keep media aside)? Why do Muslims quarrel on trivial issues, both in religious and personal matters, and break friendships and relationships as such? Above lies the solution, given to us by Prophet Muhammed ﷺ. May Allah help us, aameen!
*References:*
1. Sahih Bukhari & Sahih Muslim
2. Sahih Muslim, Sahih Tirmidhi
3. Sahih Bukhari, Ibn Majjah and Al-Sunan al-Kubra by Imam Bayhaqi
4. Sahih Bukhari & Sahih Muslim
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