Roots Of Knowledge ROK 😊

Some advice to my fellow teachers out there As a teacher, you have to understand how your words land. Most students will take what you say as absolute. If you don’t make it clear what’s fixed and what has scope for difference, then you’re doing a disservice. Just because you hold a particular opinion doesn’t mean it’s the only one. Students shouldn’t walk away thinking everything they heard was final. You also need to know your audience. Beginners need beginner-level material. Intermediate students need to be pushed, but within reason. Advanced students need depth and exposure to difference. Not every student should be taught in the same way. But unfortunately, that’s exactly what happens. Everyone gets the same treatment regardless of where they’re at. Students, on the other hand, have a role to play too. They need to study with different teachers not people of deviation, but those who come from other valid scholarly backgrounds. If they don’t, they end up stuck in a bubble. And when that happens, they start to assume that their view is the view, and everyone else is off-track. It’s a dangerous mindset, but sadly it’s very common. I’ve seen it too many times students graduating after years of study, and still unable to process difference, even within their own madhhab. It takes them years to unlearn that. Some never do. And when they start teaching others, they end up passing on the same narrow vision. Part of the problem is when teachers allow emotion and loyalty to certain groups or mindsets to creep into the way they teach. It creates a sort of group-think, where their students become followers of a person or an institute rather than seekers of truth. It’s not obvious at first, but over time it becomes clear: everything revolves around a certain personality or a specific approach, and any difference is seen as a threat. This needs to be addressed. Teachers need to be honest with students. Let them research, let them ask, let them see the full picture. You’re not doing them any favours by hiding difference or forcing them into silence. If your teaching doesn’t allow space for questions or critical thinking, then it’s just indoctrination. We don’t want parrots. We want students who think students who can disagree with respect, who know where opinions come from, and who understand that this Deen has depth and breadth. That won’t happen unless we start teaching honestly.

حقيقة الطالب المتخرج العالم المتخرج من جامعة أو مدرسة دينية لا يتوقع منه أن يكون قد أحاط بجميع العلوم مباشرة بعد تخرجه فهذا أمر غير متوقع ولكن ينبغي أن يكون قد حصل على القدر الرئيسي من المعارف في كل فن ومعها الأدوات العقلية التي تصون له هذه المعارف وتعينه على الذب عنها. للأسف الأمر ليس كذلك اليوم فمن جملة الكوارث في كثير من المدارس التي تسير على نهج الدرس النظامي أن أذهان الطلبة لم تُدرَّب على التفكير، بل أصبح الطالب أشبه بجهاز تسجيل يجمع ما يُلقى إليه من المعلمين من غير أن تتاح له فرصة لينمو الفكر وينضج البحث في نفسه وهذا لا يقتصر على فن أو مادة بعينها بل يشمل الحديث النبوي والعقائد والفقه وحتى النحو العربي. وهكذا يظل الطالب المسكين يحاول بكل جهده أن يكتب كل ما يسمع خوفًا من أن يفوته شيء فيختلّ علمه ويصبح من الخاسرين ولست بهذا أستخف بالأساتذة كلا وحاشا ! وإنما أنبّه إلى أن إماتة الفكر وإغلاق باب العقل قد فشا في كثير من المعاهد كداء عضال. بينما القرآن الكريم يدعو إلى إعمال القوى الفكرية ويشجع المؤمنين على نقد البيئة التي تحيط بهم ولولا هذا المنهج لما كان أوائل المسلمين قادرين على مواجهة خصومهم وتفكيك النظريات التي كانت تعد أساس المجتمعات الجاهلية ولما كتبوا المجلدات التى كتبوا لتمييز الطيب من الخبيث لقد تغير مسار حياتهم حين عرضوا ثقافة قومهم وعاداتهم على ميزان الحق والباطل من أعظم وظائف المعلم أن يُدرّج الطالب في مراتب العلم وأن يقدّم له ما يناسب مستواه وألا يغفل عن جانب الأسئلة والأجوبة فإن ذلك يُشحذ قوة الفكر ويجعل المعلومات مترابطة معقولة كأن المعلومات لبنات متراكبة وإعمال العقل هو مادة الإسمنت التي تجعل البناء متماسكًا لا ينهار. وللأسف إذا أُهمِل هذا الجانب من مجالس الدروس، خرج الطالب ضعيفًا غير واثق بنفسه لا يقدر على النقاش مع غيره فإذا وُجِّهت إليه أسئلة من جاهل أو عالم في مسائل لم تمر به في دروسه، تجمّد حائرًا لا يدري أحق ما قيل له أم باطل، فضلًا عن أن يُحسن الجواب.

Apologies no livestream today 😢

Some of the Notes for tomorrow's course in oldham

If Students Can’t Think, They Can’t Teach One of the biggest problems I’ve noticed in institutes that don’t nurture a student’s ability to think is that the student simply becomes a recorder of whatever the teacher says. Whether it’s in fiqh, hadith, aqidah, or even grammar, the notes are written down as though they are the ultimate truth on the matter. The issue shows itself later. When these same students graduate and go on to teach, they struggle to revisit what they learned. They find it difficult to deal with questions or objections, because the way they were taught was one-directional. They were never trained to think beyond the lines. This is why it’s essential for institutes to move away from producing copy-and-paste graduates. If we want our students to be people who can stand in front of communities, call to good, forbid wrong, and represent the deen with strength, then we have to nurture their minds at the very time of study. Otherwise, we’re setting them up to collapse when they’re tested.

Why Students Must Be Allowed to Think Students have the right to think in class. They should not be expected to just nod their heads and agree. Their minds must be active, searching for the reasoning behind what is being taught. They may not always be right, but the process of questioning is what strengthens their understanding. If something doesn’t make sense, it doesn’t mean the teacher is wrong, it means the student needs help to understand, and the teacher’s job is to guide them through it. A student should be able to disagree respectfully, and a teacher should not take offence. No one owns knowledge, not one scholar, not one group. Each science has its principles, and those principles must be respected, but within them students must be free to ask, to challenge, and to think. A teacher is not the final authority. A teacher is a guide, someone with more experience who can help the student navigate the layers of texts and discussions. Students should never feel they have to shut off their minds to be “respectful.” If we don’t nurture their questions and intellect, then we make Islam look closed, irrational, and disconnected from real life, and that is what drives people away from the traditional sciences. If institutes neglect this, they will end up producing nothing more than carbon copies of themselves, students who look the part but lack the depth. Outwardly, they may resemble their teachers, but inside there will be no substance, no independence of thought, and no ability to carry the tradition forward with strength.

*📜 History Course – This Weekend – Register Now!* It’s only one weekend, these few hours will open your eyes InshaAllah. 📅 Sat 27 & Sun 28 Sep 2025 🕙 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM 💷 Course Price: £25 👥 Open to All 💡If the course fee is a difficulty, simply mention it when completing the form, we will make arrangements confidentially, insha’Allah. 🔗 Register now: https://tinyurl.com/nimourhistory Nusrat ul Islam Masjid & Education Centre - Oldham

I'm trialling this for those who want to ask questions but feel shy on the livestreams. : https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf555FMgL2QBE5lA1sU8MVgGO8gs4CKHlCH0e9gWIL0OTxffA/viewform?usp=header

The Hidden Struggles of Students of Knowledge When we talk about students of knowledge, people often picture respect, honour, and barakah. What we don’t often talk about are the struggles they go through the part that nobody sees. Students are human beings. They have worries, pressures, and weaknesses like everyone else. The difference is that they’re trying to carry the deen at the same time. The journey isn’t easy. To learn Arabic properly and to understand Qur’an and Hadith takes years of effort. Students sacrifice their time, energy, and sometimes even their health just to reach a stage where they can benefit others. But after all of that, many of them graduate into a life that isn’t glamorous at all. In fact, it can be very tough. I still remember one of my teachers. He used to earn what would be the equivalent of about £100 a month. That was it. Out of that, he had to feed his family, cover his bus fare to the madrasa, and handle every other expense. There was no such thing as holidays or taking time out. His life was service. And if you had seen him, you’d never have guessed the weight he was carrying quietly. This is the reality. Students have family problems, they face financial struggles, and they go through personal challenges. But while they’re dealing with all of that, they’re also expected to stand up and teach, to be role models, to guide the community. And most of the time, nobody sees what it costs them to do that. In the past, things were different. Scholars were supported, often by governments or wealthy individuals, so they could give their full time to the deen. That’s one reason why we saw so much barakah in their work. Today, that level of support is rare. Too many students are left to carry the load by themselves. If we really value the preservation of Islam, then we need to start seeing beyond the surface. When we hear a dars or attend a class, we’re not just receiving knowledge, we’re benefitting from someone’s sacrifice. And if we want that sacrifice to continue, then we need to step up and support our students and teachers so they can focus on what benefits the ummah.

Learn to Research and Appreciate the Work of the Scholars When someone studies properly and puts in the effort to research a topic thoroughly, they will often find themselves arriving at the same conclusions that earlier scholars reached. This is not surprising. If you go through the same sources and follow the right steps, you are bound to see why certain positions were taken and why certain books were written. This is why it is so important for students to follow a proper research process. Go through the relevant books, read around the subject, compare opinions, and ask the right questions. It is only then that you begin to appreciate the journey the scholars went through and the depth of what they wrote. Take any set of masaail in fiqh or any topic in aqidah. If a student approaches it seriously using the correct method, they will often end up with similar conclusions to the past. That is because the path itself guides you. The principles are sound, the sources are there, and the process works if you are honest with it. But if someone does not do this and just repeats what they were taught without any investigation, they miss out on something essential. They might know the opinion, but they will not understand where it came from or why it matters. They will not see the bigger picture of how that field developed or why certain books were even written in the first place. Real study means thinking, comparing, and engaging with the material properly. The more effort a person puts into understanding a subject, the more they will realise that the scholars of the past were not just stating opinions. They were responding to real questions, solving problems, and building a framework for us to benefit from. That is something you only truly grasp when you walk the path yourself.

Give Teaching its Due Right The purpose of having a teacher is to help a student access knowledge they would not be able to fully grasp on their own. If a student could master a book independently without error, the role of a teacher would be unnecessary. A teacher who merely delivers the material in a way the student could have understood alone does not truly serve the student. For this reason, it is essential for the teacher to understand both the purpose of the book and the kind of guidance students need to benefit from it. At the same time, students should engage with the text to the best of their ability so that they recognize their own limitations and can make full use of the teacher’s guidance. Unfortunately, in many islamic institutions today, teaching has been reduced to passing on information rather than cultivating genuine understanding. Effective teaching requires going beyond what is obvious, highlighting subtleties, and opening doors that students cannot access alone.

*Why Should We Study Islamic History?* Today, we can travel the world, to Egypt, Turkey, Syria, Morocco, and India, and see the breathtaking masajid, madrasahs, and Islamic heritage that still stand tall. But how much do we know about the struggles of the Sahabah, the Khulafa, and generations of Muslims who carried Islam across the world so that today we can benefit from their legacy? Studying Islamic history is not just about the past. It’s about rediscovering our story, and reawakening our duty as Muslims in today’s world. *🗓️ Sat 27 & Sun 28 Sep 2025* 🕙 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM 💷 Course Price: £25 (Early Bird £20 before 15th September) 🔗 *Register now*: https://tinyurl.com/nimourhistory Nusrat ul Islam Masjid & Education Centre, Oldham, OL4 1AL