Islamic Education
Date:
Channel: Mufti Menk
File Size: 16.42MB
Episode Notes
A talk on the holistic understanding of Islamic Education delivered to parents pf children at the Abu Hanifah Foundation in Blackburn UK.
AI Generated Transcript ©
Salam alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh
smilla rahmanir rahim In the name of Allah subhana wa tada Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Bismillah Alhamdulillah wa Salatu was Salam ala rasulillah Allah and he was happy Ah man, we praise Allah subhanho wa Taala we send blessings and salutations upon Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam his companions, his household May Allah bless them. May Allah subhanahu wa Jalla bless every single one of you, and your offspring And may Allah Subhana Allah Allah bless the oma May, Allah subhanho wa Taala grant is to those who are suffering across the globe, particularly at this moment in Syria, and in various other places as well. I mean,
my brothers and sisters in Islam, the parents of the learners here at Abu hanifa Foundation, I was here three years back and I recall, we were talking about the growth of this beautiful foundation. I am here again, and very rightly, I have actually changed my plan in order to be here with you. The idea in Sharla more than the people who are seated here, perhaps a broader audience may benefit later on. May Allah subhanho wa Taala make that happen. And may Allah subhanho wa Taala bless us. What is Islamic education? It's something I want to speak about today. When I say Islamic education, it starts off with Islam. Islam, I'm a Muslim, I follow Islam, Islam is submission unto Allah
subhanho wa Taala. Some people think Islamic education is only to know how to parrot fashion recite the pollen. So if you can rattle out? Or should I worry more respectfully, if you can say a few religious phrases. If you can recite verses of the Quran or say a few a hadith or a few hours, then you're supposed to have been a person who went to a powerful madrasa. You achieved Islamic education. Is that really what it is? Come on, you're educated? So am I?
Is that what it is?
No, it's not. It is not. If you think that Islamic education means I can read source with fancy hair like the mom of a hammer. I think my kid who's even four years old can perhaps imitates to this. That doesn't mean they have even a droplet of Islamic education. Not at all. So when we talk of Islamic education, please, please, I beg you to think deeply what exactly you are trying to say or what is being said or referred to.
That's something you need to think about.
Because a lot of us, I'd like to say the majority of us, we don't really know, what is Islamic education, if I know rules and regulations is that Islamic education, to be honest with you. It's not because Islam means submission.
It's only a part of it. I agree. I'm not saying it has nothing to do with it. It has something to do with it. But it is only a portion, if I don't know all the rules and regulations of Islam. But I'm trying my best to adopt whatever is incumbent upon me whatever it is obligatory upon me. I'm trying to improve myself for the sake of Allah by surrendering as best as I can, on a daily basis. Trust me, I'm a better Muslim than the one who knows all the rules and regulations but is far from the practice. So this is why when we say madrasa a long time back, and I'm going to say it I also passed through some of the systems there. And when we said madrasa A long time ago, it was number one
totally divorced from school. Number two is it concentrated on that which we learned parrot fashion. With all due respect to those who taught us they did a good job. They did a brilliant job. We know that. But the deficit was filled by our folks, in a lot of cases, our mothers, they were at home, they sat they nurtured us when we sat to eat, they taught us how to sit what to say and so on. How many of us has parents actually have the time to do what our mothers did for us? A generation later, may Allah subhanho wa Taala forgive us. It's a fact we busy life has changed. You have to go to work. Sadly, you may not get a chance to see your child. And in the case of a lot of the sisters,
especially in the West, they have to go out to work, they've got their careers, they've got their lives, they don't have a lot of time for their children. They don't not like they don't want to have it. It's just life. That's how it's become Be honest face it.
So
We it's not like something went wrong with us. No. But there was a holistic mechanism in place that ensured that we got the deficit from somewhere else. What I mean is something we didn't get at the madrasa. We caught it at home. We were told we we were whacked to be honest with you. I don't know if you guys recall, you recall.
Don't be shy to say, Yeah, I was whacked. I was whacked as well. So Panama, that time it was okay. Now it's no longer okay. May Allah forgive us?
We took it. We enjoyed it, didn't we? We actually see you today that some of what contributed to who we are is a bit of that wacky.
I think in my case, it's true.
I wasn't a rogue. But I do know that perhaps that was their system. And I loved it. And it did not distance me from my dad or my mom. It did not, because that's the generation that's how it was a long time back.
As we became busier, and then we got married, and we still needed a bit of help in our own lives. It's a fact, we got married and we still needed to be nurtured, we still needed to ingrain within us qualities that Islam requires. And that culture requires we needed to build our morals and values and character ourselves. And suddenly, we found ourselves with a child.
I have a baby, guess what? 20. So Panama, I still need to learn how to speak to people. And I've now got a little baby who I need to teach how to talk and how to speak. So Pamela, that's what has happened.
So then the child grew, Mashallah, I'm busy trying to develop myself, I hope, and at the same time, the child becomes two, three years old. And what do I do? Now I need to send the little child to someplace to learn to learn what to learn something holistic, that's what I mean, to learn something that will provide number one,
an education, some form of learning how to read how to write, because that's a duty responsibility without losing values, morals, character conduct, and the dedication to the maker. That's what makes us Muslims.
So this is where things started changing. And this is where we found that people still had the old mentality in their heads. What was that mentality, life has changed, everything around us has changed, but my child still needs to just go and learn parrot fashion and come back. That's what happened. And in a lot of communities, you don't have an alternative. You don't have an option. You're not as blessed as you are here. In the UK, for example, you're not as blessed. In a lot of communities. That's it. You go to school, you go to madrasa, we do not have options. That's it. And when they go to madrasa, what do they learn? They don't learn how to speak to people, they don't
learn values, morals, they just come in and they recite the Quran in the most beautiful way. So
Mashallah beautiful. You say? I mean, straight after that, below this lovely, oh, my child goes to the best madrasa. That's it. We're lucky, the world has changed, everything has changed. The same people I am telling you, from my experience, being in the field for the last 17 years, approximately, I can tell you that a lot of fans out there who need urgent attention because they're on drugs, but they recite the Quran melodiously they are battling their wives, and they have no form of a social life because nobody mentioned that, but they are powerful. They know the power of my heart. You find people who perhaps no rules and regulations, sometimes people who've graduated from
Islamic institutions as what we would call a molana. But in his own home, you would not believe how he treats his wife and children because there was a deficit some way somehow, he just looked at the opposite sex. He looked at something and he thought to himself, you know what, that's it. I'm the boss. I'm the king. And I was just this way and that's it. My brother, my sister, they did not learn. I'm not saying they are bad people. But I'm saying something went wrong, what went wrong? That's where we come in. We need to start looking into this. We're educated. Everything has changed. I'm not saying change the teachings, but start learning how to prioritize and start understanding
that I would rather have a child who's not the best recycler of Quran but pleasant in character and conduct. They can come to you and speak cinema and a comb. Would you like a cup of coffee? My dad's not here right now. But if you wait for five minutes, I'm sure he'll be back. You're not gonna say sit, read Quran. You don't get lost. You don't know anything. You can
be impressed because why? That is what a Muslim child is. That is a child whose character is built. You want a child, you know, I, I know a few golfers may some of you might be golfers. Okay.
And I learned over time, I'm talking of Africa where it's much cheaper than Europe, okay? Especially the UK. And I've learned over time that sometimes we have these people who are what they call ringers, they cheat in golf, right? cheat, they lie that this is my handicap. And it's not just to win something. What happened, I believe, even if they can read the Quran perfectly, they don't have those Islamic values in them. There's something missing in their lives, somehow, somewhere, they need help. They really need help. I don't mind losing a game. That's how I must be taught. I don't mind not being first. But at least I participated to make the game.
Without the losers, the winners would not be winners, I hope you understand what I'm saying. You need two teams winning team and a losing team. If the losers decided we never playing again, what would happen, you don't have the game ever again, you need to have two teams a winner or loser. So if I'm a loser, I must be taught that look, you know what the fact that you participated is very, very good. That is what counts because you made the game without you, there would have been no game. So Panama. That's where we come in.
And this is why you must be wondering, where's Abu hanifa? And what are you talking about? Some of you might have already picked up what I'm trying to get to.
We have a very, very difficult era. At this moment. We have bombardment from all angles in terms of our children.
They being
bombarded by games, and perhaps the television and the Internet, and the media and advertisements and technology
in such a way that some of us who Mashallah can afford it think that love means we need to get them the latest of everything they want. That's it done, I love you.
That's not how it works.
Rather than that, when we see all of this, we need to make a choice, we need to go and study. I'm not saying that this is the only foundation No way, there are so many others doing brilliant work, we have to acknowledge them, we have to we would be wrong, if we did not acknowledge the people who are struggling, who have, over the years, developed various methods of teaching our children
in various ways Alhamdulillah. But what I do need to say is,
we need to understand that sometimes,
we may not be able to provide everything for your child, we may not be able to make him the best leader, the best recycler the best in rules and regulations, and what we call massage, you know, the do's and don'ts of Islam and everything known to get on top of that brilliant character conduct. They know how to dress, how to talk, how to walk, how to play, how to interact, what to do, what not to do, reaching out to the poor, understanding what's going on on the globe, and how to react to it. A lot of us as adults, we see what's happening on the global line, we've never been taught how to look at it. So we don't know how to respond and how to react. We don't we get frustrated, we get
angry. And as a result, we react in a way that is even worse than the problem.
Why? Because you haven't been trained how to look at things. That's it.
So what we are saying is, you will have to have something holistic. And this is why from the time I came here a few years ago, when I said it again, today, we need to lead and when you lead you get a bashing, if people do not hate you for what you do, you're not the leader.
Not the majority, though, you will have pockets of people they really don't like why, because you're a leader, I'm sorry,
you're leading the way, they may see the light 10 years later. That doesn't mean you need to slow down and stop. If you seen the light and you know, it's according to Allah and his or her soul. And you know that you're not going up against your own faith and beliefs and so on. You're not breaking any law, go for it, go for it. That's my advice. The world can say what it wants. Don't worry, for as long as you know that you are correct. Yes, there are those who are genuine and who know and who will guide you where you are. Don't be too proud to reject or should I say don't be too proud to accept that which is correct. In terms of correction.
Someone corrects you, you know, this person knows what they're talking about. And they're genuine, take it correct yourself instantly, instantly without even batting an eyelid. But when
People bark, stop barking with them. Don't, don't turn around and start barking, you know what you've achieved. So what you need to do, check your child,
see the development of the child, the gauge of madrasa education is no longer, how good you can recite the poem. And remember this, it is extremely important, I believe. But that is not the gauge, because as I said, and I'm repeating it, there are people who can recite melodiously. But voila, he they need help, because they hooked on to porn, sometimes.
They have bad habits, they've never been taught how to look at these things, we need to start entering territory that was considered taboo to enter five years ago, 10 years ago, we need to go into it, the world is changing. If we don't, we will be forced to do it sometime. It's going to come. So therefore lead. And this is why this support that is needed for a foundation of this nature, the parents,
you need to understand if there is something that requires attention, raise it in a respectful manner, with the idea of improving the whole foundation so that generations to come can benefit from your contribution.
But can I tell you,
and I'm going to say this gloves off, indo packs have one big problem, something goes wrong, they bark about it so badly. They've done nothing. They haven't helped the community or society. They haven't held the foundation, you notice something wrong? A true Muslim will say, Listen, I noticed something Hang on, before I go and make it public on Facebook, Instagram, and wherever else. And Twitter. Let me try and correct this quietly. You know, I noticed this is a crap, can I help in some way? Can I please can you look at look into this thing here in a nice way. They might give you an explanation, who knows you might have been wrong.
But they might come in and say, Hey, thank you so much. We'll look into this. We'll correct it rectified. You don't need the whole world to know, do you know what there was something major wrong, and I was the guy who sought it out. No one needs to know that. Why do we just want our own personal acknowledgement all the time, you don't need it. It's about the human. That's what it is. It's about saving the nation. That's what it is.
So Panama, so we sorted it out and then handler when you are dying, or when you die, you see the reward of it, it will come to help you at that particular time.
Your concern for the oma was legit, not just for your own kids.
You saw something you went for you helped you assisted in such a way that you didn't embarrass and, you know, spoil the name of a foundation because of one small problem that you may have faced, which could have been resolved. But it's just that you will act. And a lot of parents have this attitude I am paying, and I'm sending my child and I'm going to show you what I'm going to do and I'm going to fix you up that attitude is does not belong to Muslim change that
it doesn't belong to Muslim, we have a problem.
And that problem is whenever there is a small issue, we tend to explode. The Hadith says it's a sign of a hypocrite.
It's a sign of a hypocrite. Whenever they when there is something happening a discussion, they tend to explode when they want to talk to someone, they just tend to become so angry and upset. Why? Take it easy relax, let's solve the matter of let's talk to each other. Do you not want to see development? What are you prepared to sacrifice for this? Not just for your kid, I know a lot of some families whose children have succeeded in every sphere of life, the various children and if you look at the parents, they've done nothing much for the kids. But they've served the rest of humanity in such a way that Allah took care of their own kids.
They said they were worried about other children, you want your children to succeed, worry about some a few other children as well. Because the hydric says, and this is quite clear, can Allahu fiama di mccannon Abdul,
Allah will continue to assist the slave for as long as the slave is in the assistance of others.
And you know that whenever you make a draft for someone else, it's actually a draft for you. By the angels the same. The Hadith says that the angels actually say Oh Allah give this person similar to what they're asking. So when you say Oh Allah, that child of so and so help them guide them give them success, the angel say and Allah, the child's are the children of this particular person. You give them the same, who's the highest better, mine are the angels. But we don't think that way. So going back to what I'm saying, and that's the main core of what I thought of saying today to you is my brothers, my sisters in Ukraine
On institutions of this nature, I need your support, in what way for you to understand what they are standing for, for you to understand what they are trying to give, for you to understand what to expect from it. And for you to be able to contribute to it by helping one way or another. How do you help by attending by supporting by a good word, many times we have another sickness, when something goes wrong, the whole world knows its broadcast when something goes right. Nobody knows.
From 365 days in the year, if you've had one or two bad days, or two or three things that happened wrong, and the whole world gets to know, this is what happened. What about the other days, when you went here, and you did this, and your child achieved that, and this is what happened. And that's what happened. And look at the goodness they learned and so on? What about that?
We tend not to talk about good things. We talk about bad things. And this is why we take a look at Sudoku ha ha will lady either such I'm sure all of us would know that surah if not all then almost all.
At the end that must have
been a matter of Be careful.
That's a powerful verse, when it comes to the Nirvana of a lot of the favors of Allah. speak about them. What does that mean? Does that mean bragging about what Allah has favored? You know, that whole surah is talking about difficulty and hardship. The whole surah is talking about difficulty and hardship. So Allah is telling you when you are in difficulty and hardship, when you feel all alone, when you feel like so much of negativity coming towards you, at that particular juncture, you need to start thinking of the gifts of Allah and talk about them. So that the difficulty you're in will become minimum, say I'm going through a problem 1020 problems. And then I start saying Allah,
you blessed me with eyes, you gave me ears, these are the gifts of Allah, Allah, you've given me food, you've given me so much more than the others. I've got clothing to keep myself warm in the winter. I've got so much wine, I've got children that other people don't have kids at all. I've got this, I've got that. What are you doing, you are erasing the hardship and the difficulty by talking about the gifts of Allah when you are in the condition of hardship. That's what is befitting a moment.
Today, we are going through some difficult times when it comes to Islamic education. Some people have chosen and I've met parents, with kids they've chosen not to send their kids to anything Islamic. That's why I'm fed up. They don't do anything. They miss my kids. And that's it. We're lucky, you're fortunate you have these options. And please make use of them. You have opportunities, please make use of them.
And support the cause. Try not to say a bad word about another institution. Talk about yours. That's it. That's a way of improving the relationship within the oma, I can talk about myself. Those of you who might know me, who might have followed a little bit of what I say, Do you ever, ever hear me speaking about someone else?
Do you ever hear me talk about that guy? This guy, this person that? No way? They might talk about me? That's not my way.
They might say dirty bad things about me. Have you ever heard me respond? Ever, ever? No way. Why? Because it's not them. dupattas my bread is Allah. I owe it to Allah. I want to continue positively such that 20 years from today, the generation will see that this is how things should be done. We don't create enmity and hatred, even if others try to create it. silent. Yes, if it is very, very big, and it requires a response you respect for the response.
But if not, keep on doing your work. Don't allow it to become
warped due to what others are saying about you when you know I've got a mission I'm doing something The same applies when it comes to the kids. The mothers get together sometimes at someone's function nowadays more the fathers also bigger gossipers than the women I believe sometimes what happens is
you know, we're all related somehow all of us and I think even here we're all related somehow, right? I know there are people who might know right here right now I see their faces. people whom who knows someone I know. Yesterday there was someone saying you know what?
Don't forget I'm going to be see today. Okay, okay, relax. I know you guys are here. It's fine. May Allah make it easy. But I tell you something, when we start talking, and we start comparing, your child goes to that place, my child goes to this place, you know that place is useless. Don't use negative words to refer to anyone. Talk about
The positives of where your child goes without referring to the negatives of anywhere else, that is what will result in the Brotherhood inshallah becoming such that we will be able to respect one another, when you will make their decisions.
They will make their decisions, not everyone has to send their kids to where your kids are going, because there's no place for them. So Allah, there's not enough place to be honest with you. But you can say the positives no Mashallah here, this is what happens. x, y, don't talk about the others. And if you want, say positive things.
Sometimes you have institutions that are specialized. It's not like they're doing a bad job, perhaps it's not holistic.
It's not like they're doing a bad job. It's specialists, like when you send your child to school, you know what, a lot of the times they're quite mischievous, almost genius. Why are they sitting there learning all day, you know, and
they repeating the verses and so on. And they sitting with this one, that when they get a little bit bored, they start fiddling with this guy and that guy, and you know what, they start poking each other. And a little bit later, they start getting a few bad words on their tongues as well. And they come and they go, and nobody's ever nurtured them. Nobody's ever sat with him. There was no time they were memorizing day in day out, nobody's had the time to talk to them to say, you know what, hang on, this is how you speak to older people. Let's go and see, let's visit this place. Let's visit that place. When I was a little bit younger, and I had my children. Some of them are actually
here with me. One of my friends who's much older than me, told me the biggest gift you can give your children is to travel with them.
And that was that one?
travel with them. I said, but then what's gonna take them out of the school travel? Sorry, we come from Africans. Okay. Okay.
homeschooling. So what you can do is you can get up, get the work and voila, he we used to cover more work when we got back from Rama man than what was covered at the school when we came back. But I've learned that what lights effect they grow. So they understand. They meet people, they see things they see places, a lot of us, we are in a cocoon, we live in a society that does not have diversity. So we don't know how to interact with different people. The same happened to me. When I traveled, I started seeing different types of people, the horizons opened, I began to understand and appreciate different people for who they were different types of Muslims, different types of human
beings. Why? Because I traveled I saw brilliant people, but they're different. They're different. They don't think exactly like me, they probably don't follow exactly what I do. They even perhaps belong to a different faith, you start learning that people are good Subhanallah they are different. So when you travel, you saw the world. And this is why do you know, I'm gonna say this, you can disagree with me, you can agree with me. The problem is you have up north are unique.
They are not the same problems faced by those who live in London. Do you know that
the schools I visited in London, for example, I can see immediately that they're very broad.
You can take you can take me up on this one to show me later on. They're very broad in their outlook, compared to a lot of similar institutions. Applause.
I put it down to one thing, cosmopolitan, London, everyone's there, you have this one, that one, the guy from here, and from there, people who think this way and that way, and the other one who comes from Mars and space, and Pluto and Jupiter, and wherever else to Panama, they all in one place, and you've got to interact with them, and you come from the moon. So Panama
subhanaw taala. But when you get to a closed society, it's good. It has its pros and cons. I'm not saying it's bad. But at the same time, we sometimes feel this is the way today I was speaking about how a lot of the times we oppress our women so badly in the name of faith, without realizing it's got nothing to do with that faith. It's a cultural matter that has stuck into the heads of the people. And it means a leader to actually take it out.
That person will not be popular. But someone needs to do something about
our culture sometimes overtakes us to the degree that we consider it faith and religion. And it's not. I'm not saying culture is bad culture is brilliant, but where it contradicts your basic human rights. And I think you need to throw it out of the window, or that particular aspect of it. Same applies to your faith. We blame Islam
for things
that have gone wrong, and we don't realize it's got nothing to do with the faith. So that's what I'm saying there's a difference. I've seen when societies are closed, they have a different type of problem.
They have different issues they need to tackle. And this when societies are open, they also have their own
challenges, they have their own matters and issues that they need to deal with.
May Allah make it easy for us? So I call on everyone to think hard, what is Islamic education, I firmly believe that it is the holistic upbringing of a child, when we talk of children, and here we are talking of the children, holistic, meaning they need to know, at least a minimum of the Koran, they need to know a recitation that may not be the most melodious, but at least the best that they can do, they need to have brilliant character, they need to have conduct, they need to have the sense of responsibility unto Allah. So even if they're not the best recited, and the best in terms of knowing all minor rules and regulations, they still fulfill their Salah without anyone telling
them and at the same time, they feel good about it. Because sometimes we have a child, they fulfill Salah, you know, the scan data is, you know, the Times have changed, you need to convince them to do the right thing. You need to convince them to do the right thing in a beautiful way, so that they look forward to it. Even when you're not there. The Salah is done. Imagine you have a little challenge, when you enter the house every day, the masala is in the corner, what will happen to you, you're going to think Wow, so Panama, this madrasa that they go to is really, really so cool man, you know, it's their child is even more regular than I am in the duty unto Allah.
This is what it is. The same applies. I was talking about interaction mixing with people understanding the various faiths that exists. You're living in the UK, you're not living in them in a place where there's only one faith, no, you're living in the UK, they need to know about other faiths, other people other inclinations, they need to know how to interact, how to deal with it. All this is very important. And it's become more important now more important, because we've got less time to actually talk to them, we've got less time to spend with them. And this is why another way to actually contribute towards the foundation and towards schools of this nature is to participate
in the family days or the events, make the time, make it cancel a few appointments to make the time those are your children. That's what you're going to need. It might just be your last week with them. You might be dying after that. I know it sounds so you know, gloomy and maybe I'm assuming the guys No I'm not. I'm just telling you reality. Sometimes I know of people whom it's they spent the last week that they lived in such a beautiful way that you start thinking they know they were going
it happens. May Allah Subhana Allah Allah bless you all, may Allah subhanho wa Taala crunchy guys ease and goodness, really it's been such a pleasure to speak here. I know, I kept it to the point I kept it a little bit hard hitting. But you know me, it's not hard eating. It's soft, right? I spoke for more than 30 minutes. And I hope we've benefited from what I've said, The benefit is for myself to begin with. And then for everyone else. We're all brothers and sisters, we're all trying to achieve something good. And we do not want to be selfish. It's not just for me and my kids, although primarily Yes, it may be but I need to have a broader outlook, I need to be concerned about the kids
of the rest of the ummah. I want to end with one more example this morning.
I was answering some emails, so I get a few 1000 a day emails. And I can only reply a certain amount. So there's a waiting process it comes through and whatever. And I was replying these emails, one after the other one after the other one after the other. And I spent a long time doing this. And I was sitting on the bed on the phone. Imagine if it was anyone else, they probably would have been doing the wrong thing. But anyway.
The reason I say this is the complaints we get is my husband just sits on the phone, you know, and that's it. He can sit on the bed on the phone for two hours. And I'm thinking, gosh, I'm doing the same thing right now. Anyway, so I was thinking to myself, you're answering so much, why what for?
For the sake of Allah.
I've never got a penny from anyone, nothing. We reach out to each other for the sake of Allah subhanho wa Taala we will see the benefit and fruit of it the day we die by the will of Allah the next generations will bear witness that we tried. And that witness would actually result in us going to Gen metal filters. This is why I say I refuse to judge people. I've seen people who appear to be something and they are something else both ways, both ways. So you don't judge me you help people.
And over the years I've developed so much I can actually see how I've changed. My thinking has improved. The way I look at people has improved tremendously. And I thank Allah for that. And I thank Allah for allowing me to get such exposure and experience that will lie. I've come to realize even the mistakes I've made in the past where sometimes you say things in a harsh way. Sometimes
You pass a comment to someone who appears not to be so religious in such a way that it chases them further away than to bring them in. You'd rather say good comment no matter who they are. Wow Mashallah. And be genuine. Do it for the sake of Allah. And you'll see Allah will give it growth. May Allah Subhana Allah bless you all. I can go and speaking and speaking, but I think we all need to go also a lot of us Mr. bata, Carla and Amina Mohammed wa Salam alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh