The Importance of Teaching and the Duties of Teachers 

part 2

Reza Khan, too, was only one person. And even when he came down to Tehran, he was only a single individual who was part of an army and held an insignificant position in some section. However, those who wished to usurp this country with force had discovered that this was their man. This is why they had selected him and as per their own radio announcement which was the British radio that had announced when they had exiled him outside of Iran, that “we had brought him to power”‌. And that later on when he “spoilt matters for us and when he messed up and betrayed us, we eliminated him from the scenes”‌. There is a chance that someone in your custody is not given a proper training and he emerges as a Reza Khan or maybe a Muhammad Reza. You do not know what this child who has been placed in your hands - even if he is say the child of a farmer or the child of a small-time trader – will eventually become. Reza Shah was also “just one child”‌ who belonged to a lowly family. But simply because he was not given an Islamic upbringing and a training worthy of human beings, he emerged as a corrupt person and dragged an entire country into corruption for long years. And as you saw, because the father and the son lacked a worthy Islamic and human upbringing, in spite of being “just one person”‌, they turned out to become pawns only to be empowered by foreign hands. Therefore, do not think that just because someone is the child of a small-time trader, he will not end up becoming anyone important and that he will eventually become join his father’s profession; and similarly for a farmer’s son who you are teaching. You should instead keep in mind that maybe some day this child may end up becoming the head of a country or perhaps the chief of an army. And maybe then he could end up dragging an entire country or a whole army to destruction.

   There are always some rare people who come up and either lead a country to progress or to ruin. You should keep in mind that if your training was, God forbid, against an Islamic and human training, whatever evil that person ends up doing later on, you too are his partner in crime. And if your training was a worthy human training based upon the primordial nature in man, you will hold a share in whatever good that person ends up doing. A teacher is a trustee and unlike all other trustees, what he is entrusted with is a “human being”‌. Any betrayal of trust even as far as general matters are concerned is sinful. For example, if someone is entrusted with a carpet that he does not take proper care of, he has not really harmed the entire society although he has inflicted loss upon a particular person, which he is duty-bound to compensate for. But if he were to be entrusted with a human being or a child who is capable of receiving human training, and if, God forbid, there is a betrayal of trust on his part, this betrayal will amount to the betrayal of an entire nation or the betrayal of a society or the betrayal of Islam. It is for this very reason that while teaching is a noble and worthy profession, since it is in the same lines as the mission of the divine prophets (A.S) who had been sent for building the human character, it is therefore a great responsibility as well; just as the responsibility of the prophets (A.S) was also great.

The Importance of the Job of Teaching

An offence committed by an individual in a ministerial office is not likely to cause an upheaval in a country unless of course it is a rare case. However, if a child turns out to be corrupt, or if a child is trained to hone out his evil and egotistical characteristics, this child with an evil and selfish character could ruin an entire country and ruin the lives of a large number of people. And throughout all of this, you people who are involved in this noble profession are partners in all the good and evil that is committed by them. At times you may be partners in their crimes and at others you could share in the goodness that you have brought out in them. You should always keep in mind that you cannot afford to be like other ordinary people. You are the teachers of a generation of children into whose hands the fate of the nation will eventually be invested. You are the trustees of such a generation. Your education should go hand in hand with ethical training. This responsibility is not exclusive to religious teachers. This is the duty of each and every school as well as university teacher, no matter what subjects they teach.

   In the same way that if a religious teacher who only suffices with academic education without paying attention to ethical or religious training or without paying attention to the overall progress of his students could possibly cause mayhem and bring a country to its ruin, a general teacher could end up doing the same. If, God forbid, in any field of study a deviation occurs or if there happens to be some teachers who cause deviation, not only are they partners in the crimes that are committed at the hands of their students but their own country, too, could be lead to destruction. As religious teachers your responsibility is not limited to imparting knowledge. Not only should you impart education to these children who are in your hands but you should pay even more attention to their ethical training than you pay to their education.

The Duties of Teachers in the Training of Students

   Train your students to develop human and Islamic characteristics and to remember God in all their activities; and train them to abstain from the corruption that takes place in decadent societies. Cause them to realize that if they were to imbibe an Islamic and human upbringing, it would end up being beneficial to them as well as their society. You should warn them against the decadent nature that leads man towards degeneration and should warn them against the love for position, post, and material possessions. Warn them against things that act as obstacles on the human path blocking their human progress. Explain to them that as long as man is caught up in the narrow trench of nature he hasn’t attained the worthy status of a human being. Those who exert all their efforts in gaining material benefits in order to make a comfortable living for themselves are still caught up in the trench of nature. They will finally be treated as animals whose heads are caught up in their troughs. You should teach them the value of a noble life, worthy of a human being. You should forbid them from enslaving themselves to anyone besides Allah and should train them to serve only Allah. If one serves society with the intention of serving Allah, all his acts are like worship.

   If one only bows in the service of Allah and refrains from enslaving himself in the service of other persons or things, and if he even engages in worldly matters or answers the call of his instincts or attends school or government offices or is active anywhere in society for the cause of Allah, every act of his would become like worship because it originates from his intention to serve Allah. As you must have all noticed in the noble Qur’an as well as in your daily prayers, the servant (‘abd) aspect of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) precedes his Messengership.[3] And this may refer to a fact that the Prophet (PBUH) attained his Messengership through the course of divine servitude (‘ubإ«diyah) He is freed from everything and is dedicated only in the service of Allah and not anything or anyone else.

Source: imam-khomeini.com

[3] In our daily prayers in the tashahhud we say: I testify that Muhammad (PBUH) is God’s servant and Messenger.

Other Links:

Kolineh and Seyyed Sadeq offensive operation (2) (March 6th, 1981)  

Democracy in an Islamic Community   

The Concept and Principles of Democracy   

Roqabieh offensive operation (March 19th, 1980)     

Chaghalvand offensive operation (March 20th, 1980)