It’s Teachers’ Day today! And we want to commemorate and celebrate one of our first sources of guidance in our lives - our teachers. As students of Islam, it is important for us to recognise our teachers as our gateway to success - they are the ones passing down their wisdom and knowledge to us. The role of a teacher in Islam is very significant and they are important in one’s life.
As a result of COVID-19, classes are now shifted online, and that in itself poses its own set of challenges. For students, it might be harder to pay attention, or even to attend class on time. However while you are in the comfort of your own bedroom, remember that a gathering of knowledge is still attended by angels, even if you can’ see them!
Here are 5 adab (etiquettes) that we should start implementing when attending an online class with your teacher, so that you can fully benefit from these sessions.
1. Be in a state of wudhu’ (ablution)
One of the blessings and benefits of Wudhu’ is to safeguard yourself from shaytan. Having wudhu’ during your class will insya-Allah protect you and help you focus. Physically going through the motions of wudhu’ also helps you to mentally prepare and get yourself in the headspace that ‘I’m about to attend a class now’, even if you’re just sitting on your bed!
2. Cover your Aurah
Your video may not be turned on, but covering your aurah when attending a Zoom class or any online class is not for your teacher. It is for the angels attending, as well as for you to demonstrate your seriousness when it comes to gaining knowledge. These things will insya-Allah help to maximise the blessings that you will get from attending classes.
3. Pay attention
It might be difficult, especially if your ‘classroom’ setting is at home, where the bed is calling you to it every time you start your online class. We know it’s hard to stay disciplined at home, but giving our teachers our undivided attention is important. Remember that our teachers have already mastered the subject, so paying attention to what is being taught is our duty as a student. If we fail to do so, we are missing out on a great deal and it is only a loss for us.
“Sometimes knowledge enters and stays in the heart not because of our brilliant intellectual capacity or sound comprehension and understanding, but really, it could be the barakah (blessing) of the adab you observe towards knowledge and your teachers even when they are not in your presence.”
4. Be grateful
As much as we, students, are learning from our teachers, they are also learning about the ways to impart their knowledge to us. For example, learning and figuring out how to use Zoom, Facebook Live, or ways to conduct online classes and engage students. We should be grateful that we are so privileged to be able to get knowledge at the tip of our fingers. Thus, we should show gratitude to our teachers by maintaining our adab.
Adab in seeking knowledge should be practiced by all of us consistently. We should strive to make these etiquettes a habit, and reap more rewards and blessings. Your sincerity in attending these classes and upholding the etiquettes will maximise how much you receive from it.
Let’s also make dua for our teachers consistently. Dua can bring so many blessings, and our teachers are doing so much for us. May Allah s.w.t. reward our teachers, grant them a high level in Paradise and help us follow in their footsteps.