I have worked with quite a few Qur'an Teachers. Teaching Qur'an to young girls and boys, and even adult women is not easy. However, difficulty in itself does not warrant bad behaviour. It is not okay to ridicule or impeach a student who struggles with the language of Qur'an or questions Allah's views. When we teach Qur'an, we should become vessels of Allah's Mercy and Wisdom in action. We should reflect His compassion and Love to others. Only in doing so, we can become His witness, bring Credit, Honour and Glory to Him.
The man who was living Qur'an, the the first teacher of Qur'an, the man upon whom the Qur'an was, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w)'s foremost characteristic was service. We are most like him (s.a.w) when we serve as he served others.
Many Qur'an teachers seem to think that a person is most like the Prophet (s.a.w) when they preach like he preached, taught like he taught, recite like he recited and perform miracles like he performed miracles (s.a.w). They only look at the outward manifestations of the Prophet's character (s.a.w). We need to look beyond this and examine the motivation for the Prophet’s life (s.a.w). That motivation was always guiding others with love. Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) preached, taught, healed, and performed miracles in order to help others come close to Allah, never to call attention to himself (s.a.w). He was neither frightening, loud, punishing or self-indulgent. He wasn't out to get his followers, he didn't wait around for them to make a mistake so he could catch them and demean them. He (s.a.w) poured out his very life so that others might be guided. Allah says,
Allah calls us to serve one another just as the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) did. Allah didn’t guide us or call us to teach Qur'an so that we might look down upon our students. How many Qur'an teachers belittle their students? Speak to them harshly in a scolding and condescending manner, poke fun at their efforts or lack thereof. Being a Qur'an teacher does not give us the right to be judge, jury and executioner. This behaviour not only discourages but often repels the students away Qur'an and at the same time insults Allah (swt). Some mistakenly think as Qur'an teachers, we can yell and scream at our students because we have guidance and they are without it. This is far from true. Allah guided us so we can serve Him and others. Guidance does not privilege us over others; it obliges us to be humble and serve others. Allah guided you and I to the Quran so that we would serve as examples to others of His Mercy and Wisdom at work in and through a human life. Allah guided us so that we each might transform living on earth into a heavenly experience—that we might be His people on this earth, doing the kinds of works that Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) would do if he were walking in our shoes, through our world, during our lifetime. Allah desires to manifest the character Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) through our personalities and giftedness.
Allah loved us so that we might love others. He blesses us so that we might share His blessings with others. That’s what a Muslim's life and a Qur'an teacher's life is all about.The most important thing we can do after accepting Allah as our Owner and Master, is to give our life to Him and allow Him to lead us each day.
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