Meaning of Education:

Education means giving awareness repeatedly, even if it affects the student’s mind.

The Importance of Education:

Education is a process through which an individual and a nation gain self-awareness, and this process is a means of refining the consciousness of the people who formed this nation. This process, the new generation is being taught to live. Through education, a country transmits its religious, intellectual, cultural, mental, and intellectual heritage to future generations. Through education, a society transmits its collective knowledge, skills, traditions, and values ​​from one generation to the next. The fact is that the life of a nation depends on its education.

The Importance of Education in Islam:

Education is critical in Islam. Hardly any other religion has emphasized education as much as Islam has emphasized education. Because no system of the world can function without education, that is why the first revelation of the Holy Qur’an has commanded to be educated in surah “Iqra.”

The rest of the other commandments came later. The importance of education can be judged from the fact that the Holy Qur’an, on the one hand, states that the basis of fear of Allah is education. As Allah Almighty says in Qur’an:

اِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللّٰهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمٰۗؤُا ۭ

That is, only those servants fear Allah; who knows?

On the other hand, the declaration of the obligation of education for men and women, that is, the demand for knowledge, is an obligation of every Muslim man and woman.

Elsewhere, the Holy Prophet has given the glad tidings of Paradise to those who take the education path in these words.

(مَنْ سَلَكَ مَسْلَكًا فِي طَلَبِ الْعِلْمِ سَهَّلْتُ لَهُ طَرِيقَ الْجَنَّةِ) ۔

Thanks to this knowledge, the first Adam was made capable of prostration, and the last Prophet Muhammad was told to teach.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

(انما بعثت معلما)

Of course, I was sent as a teacher. “

To seek knowledge is worship, and to discuss it is tasbeeh, and to debate on it is jihad, and to spend on it is a means of nearness to Allah, and to tell those who do not know it is charity.

Islam Believes in Free Education:

Islam believes in free education. Education was free in the time of the Holy Prophet. The prophet has made it the responsibility of every Muslim scholar to impart knowledge to others. Thus Hazrat Umar established various schools for the education and training of Muslims during his caliphate, Whose teachers’ salaries were paid from the Bait ul Mall (a treasury fund established in Madinah). During this period, in addition to the Holy Qur’an, education in Hadith, Seerah, Fiqah, Literature, Arabic, Genetics, and Writing was also free of cost. Scholarships were also arranged for students who were studying the Qur’an.

Children’s Education:

Children are the future of any nation. The management of their education is to shape the nation’s future. Therefore, the Holy Prophet instructed the parents to educate their children.

Women’s Education:

Just as men need to be educated, it is also important for women to be educated regarding religion and skills. Through this, they can get an education for their basic needs, whether religious or worldly. And let them remove all obstacles in their way. Women’s education should be conducted in a purely Islamic environment.

Also Read: The Status of Women in Islam

During the caliphate of Hazrat Umar, this trend was further expanded, and regular separate educational institutions for women were established. And these were the reasons for their rise. Even then, if there were separate educational institutions for women in Muslim countries, people would be safe from many crimes and sins without co-education.

Adult Education:

The importance of adult education is also recognized in every society. Many older people drop out their school simply because they could not get an education in childhood due to some compulsion, problems or lack of resources. Islam does not set any time for education. That is why the companions appear in large numbers. Who not only acquired knowledge in old age but also reached perfection.

This process continued in later times, but the process of memorizing the Holy Qur’an in old age continues even today.

Therefore, we should also establish adult education circles and various sciences and fields where illiterate people of old age can acquire religious knowledge and knowledge of worldly needs according to their needs.