\u066d<\/i><\/a> when the naked, barefooted shepherds compete with each other in constructing high building.\u201d<\/i> Then the man quietly turned his back and disappeared. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:<\/p>\n\u201cBring that man back to me.\u201d<\/i> The Companions went to bring him back, but they could not find him.Thereupon the Messenger of Allah asked:<\/p>\n
\u201cO Umar! Do you know who that man was?\u201d I said:<\/p>\n
\u201cAllah and His Messenger know best.\u201d Then Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) told us:<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was Gabriel, who came to teach you your religion.\u201d<\/i> (Muslim, Iman, 1, 5; Bukhari, Iman, 37)<\/p>\n
Another version of this narration reported by Abu Hurairah (r.a.) shows more clearly how the Prophet (pbuh) employed the method of questions and answers. Abu Hurairah (r.a.) narrated:<\/p>\n
\u201cAllah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) told us:<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk me questions (about matters pertaining to Islam),\u201d<\/i> but they (the Companions of the Holy Prophet) hesitated to ask questions out of profound respect for him. In the meantime a man arrived and sat near the Prophet\u2019s knees \u2026 (Muslim, Iman, 7)<\/p>\n
These narrations consist of many significant aspects regarding educational methods and training activities. We can enumerate them as follows:<\/p>\n
1. Scholars should compassionately approach their inquirers and gain their confidence. Thus, a student can ask his questions without fear.<\/p>\n
2. One should ask his questions politely.<\/p>\n
3. If someone who attends a scholar\u2019s circle recognizes that people are hesistant to ask certain questions, he should bring up those issues. In this way, not only the questioner but also the entire circle will be able to benefit from the scholar\u2019s response.<\/p>\n
4. By asking questions and receiving answers, matters can be listened to more carefully and be better understood.<\/p>\n
Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) taught many principles and rules of Islam through answers given to the enquiries of the Companions. He even encouraged his Companions to ask questions sincerely and told them:<\/p>\n
\u201cAsking questions is the cure for ignorance.\u201d<\/i> (Abu Dawud, Taharah, 125)<\/p>\n
However, asking useless questions is discouraged. In fact, at that time, some people were asking questions just to ridicule with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). Some others were asking question to test him and some others were asking strange questions just because of their naivety. \u201cWho is my father?\u201d \u201cWhere is my lost camel?\u201d are among the examples of such questions. (Bukhari, Tafsir, 5\/12)<\/p>\n
According to a narration, when the verse \u201c\u2026pilgrimage to the House is a duty men owe to Allah, those who can afford the journey\u2026\u201d<\/b> (Al-i Imran 3; 97) was revealed, Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) was asked:<\/p>\n
\u201cO Messenger of Allah! Is it required forevery year?\u201d Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) stayed quiet and did not answer the question. He was asked second time:<\/p>\n
\u201cO Messenger of Allah! Is it required for every year?\u201d He said:<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, but if I had said \u201cyes,\u201d it was going to be obligatory for every year.\u201d<\/i> (Tirmidhi, Tafsir, 5\/15)<\/p>\n
The following verse was revealed about such people:<\/p>\n
\u201cO you who believe! Ask not of things which, if they were made known unto you, would trouble you; but if you ask of them when the Qur’an is being revealed, they will be made known unto you. Allah pardons this, for Allah is Forgiving, Clement. Some people before you did ask such questions, and on that account lost their Faith.\u201d<\/b> (al-Maidah 5; 101-102)<\/p>\n
Out of their deep respect and love for him, the people of Medina were hesitant to ask the Prophet (pbuh) questions so much that they would sometimes wait and hope for a stranger to come and ask questions so that they could also benefit from the answer.<\/p>\n
Nawwas b. Sam\u2019an (r.a) reported:<\/p>\n
\u201cI stayed with Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) in Medina for one year. What precented me from migrating was nothing but persistent inquiries from him about Islam. It was a common observation that when anyone of us migrated to Medina, he ceased to ask questions from Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh). So I asked him about virtue and vice. Thereupon, Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) said:<\/p>\n
\u201cVirtue is the goodness of morality and vice is what rankles in your mind and that which you do not want to be known by the people.\u201d<\/i> (Muslim, Birr, 14-15)<\/p>\n
Asking questions is the key to attaiing scholarship and the cure for ignorance. However, questions should be asked properly and in certain manners; so that everyone can get the best out of the answers. <\/b><\/p>\nb.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Asking Questions for Elaboration<\/h4>\n
Sometimes Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) would ask questions in order to attract his Companions\u2019 attention to a certain matter and then he would give the answer.<\/p>\n
Abu Huraira reported:<\/p>\n
\u201cOne day Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) asked those who were with him:<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know who is poor?\u201d They (the Companions of the Holy Prophet) said:<\/p>\n
\u201cA poor man amongst us is one who has neither a dirham with him nor wealth.\u201d He (the Holy Prophet) said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe poor man of my ummah is the one who shall come on the Day of Resurrection with prayers and fasts and Zakat but he shall find himself bankrupt on that day as he would have exhausted his funds of virtues since he hurled abuses upon others, brought calumny against others, unlawfully consumed the wealth of others, shed the blood of others and beat others, and his virtues would be credited to the account of the one who suffered at his hand.If his good deeds fall short of clearing the account, then his sins will be entered in his account and he will be thrown in the Hell-Fire.\u201d<\/i> (Muslim, Birr, 59; Tirmidhi, Qiyamah, 2)<\/p>\n
Another example for the method of question and answer is narrated on the authority of Mu\u2019adh b. Jabal (r.a.):<\/p>\n
\u201cI was riding behind the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) on an ass known as ‘Ufair. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) asked:<\/p>\n
\u201cO Mu\u2019adh! Do you know what right Allah has over His bondsmen and what right His bondsmen have over Him?\u201d<\/i> I replied:<\/p>\n
\u201cAllah and His Messenger know best.\u201d Thereupon, the Holy Prophet remarked:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe right of Allah over His bondsmen is that they should worship Him and should not associate anything with Him, and the right of His bondsmen over Allah, the Glorious and Sublime, is that He does not punish those who do not associate anything with Him.\u201d<\/i> I said to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh):<\/p>\n
\u201cShould I then give these glad tidings to the people?\u201d He (the Holy Prophet) replied:<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not tell them because, they would trust in it alone and show laziness.\u201d (Bukhari, Jihad, 46; Muslim, Iman, 48, 49)<\/p>\n
Here, Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) not only states a fact but also warns not to talk about things that may cause people to be lazy.<\/p>\n
Our beloved Prophet (pbuh) would sometimes do something or smile and then would want his Companions to ask the reason for his action. And then, he would give an answer after the reason was asked. Anas b. Malik (r.a.) narrated:<\/p>\n
\u201cOne day Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) smiled and said:<\/p>\n
\u201cAren\u2019t you going to ask me why I smiled?\u201d<\/i> And then he continued:<\/p>\n
\u201cI was amazed by a servant\u2019s dispute with his Lord on the Day of Judgment.<\/i><\/p>\n
The servant says:<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cDear Lord! Haven\u2019t You promised not to torture me?\u201d Allah the Almighty responds:<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cYes, I have.\u201d The servant says:<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cI do not accept anybody\u2019s testimony about me except my own.\u201d Allah the Almighty asks:<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cWould not I and the angels responsible from recording deeds be enough as witnesses?\u201d The servant first repeats his words, then his mouth becomes sealed and his limbs start to talk about their deeds. Thereupon, the servant says:<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cShame on you! Stay away from me. I am trying to defend you (but you reveal everything.)\u201d<\/i> (Hakim, IV, 644)<\/p>\n
The Companions tried to imitate the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) in every aspect of life. One day Uthman b. Affan (r.a.) asked for water and then performed ablution. He smiled and asked his friends:<\/p>\n
\u201cAren\u2019t you going to ask me why I smiled?\u201d After his friends\u2019 question, he said:<\/p>\n
\u201cOne day Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) asked for this amount of water, performed ablution, and smiled. Then he asked us:<\/p>\n
\u201cAren\u2019t you going to ask me why I smiled?\u201d<\/i> When we asked him, he remarked:<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen a servant washes his face during ablution, Allah the Almighty cleanses the sins committed by his face. The same thing happens when he washes his arms, rubs his head, and cleanses his feet.\u201d<\/i> (Haythami, I, 229)<\/p>\n
Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) would sometimes ask questions to encourage his Companions to perform good deeds. According to a narration reported by Abu Umamah (r.a.), one day Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) asked those who were with him:<\/p>\n
\u201cWho amongst you is fasting this day?\u201d<\/i> Abu Bakr (r.a.) replied:<\/p>\n
\u201cI am fasting, O Messenger of Allah.\u201d He (again) asked:<\/p>\n
\u201cWho amongst you has attended a funeral prayer today?<\/i> Abu Bakr said:<\/p>\n
\u201cI have, O Messenger of Allah.\u201d He (the Holy Prophet) again asked:<\/p>\n
\u201cWho amongst you has served food to the needy?\u201d<\/i> Abu Bakr said:<\/p>\n
\u201cI have, O Messenger of Allah.\u201d He (again) said:<\/p>\n
\u201cWho amongst you has visited the sick today?\u201d<\/i> Abu Bakr said:<\/p>\n
\u201cI have, O Messenger of Allah.\u201d Thereupon, Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one who combines in himself all of these noble qualities and virtues shall enter Paradise.\u201d<\/i> (Muslim, Fada\u2019il al-Sahaba, 12)<\/p>\nc.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Guiding the Inquirer in another Direction<\/h4>\n
Sometimes the Companions of the Prophet (pbuh) would ask him about a certain issue, but he would lead them in other directions for various reasons. He would explain more beneficial sides of the question. This is referred to as \u201cUslub al-Hakim<\/i> in Arabic rhetoric.<\/i>\u201d It means to respond the inquirer\u2019s question with an unexpected answer which is more suitable and benefitial. We can see an example of this in the following verse:<\/p>\n
\u201cThey ask you concerning the new moons. Say: They are but signs to mark fixed periods of time in (the affairs of) men, and for pilgrimage \u2026\u201d<\/b> (al-Baqara 2; 189)<\/p>\n
The Companions had asked:<\/p>\n
\u201cO Messenger of Allah! We see the new moon as slim as a rope. Then it gets bigger and rounder. And then it goes back to its old state and become thin again. Why does it not stay the same?\u201d After this the above mentioned verse was revealed. (Waqidi, p. 56)<\/p>\n
The Companions\u2019 question was about the physical state of the crescent, whereas the verse attracts our attention to its functions in people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n
Anas b. Malik (r.a.) narrated:<\/p>\n
\u201cA man came to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and asked:<\/p>\n
\u201cO Messenger of Allah! When is the end of the world?\u201d The Prophet (pbuh) asked:<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat have you prepared for it?\u201d<\/i> the man replied:<\/p>\n
\u201cI have not prepared many prayers, fasting, or charity for it, but I love Allah and His Messenger (pbuh) very much.\u201d Upon which the Prophet (pbuh) told the man:<\/p>\n
\u201cYou will be with those whom you love.\u201d<\/i> (Bukhari, Ashab al-Nabi, 6)<\/p>\n
Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) saved the inquirer from looking for answers to a matter known only by Allah the Almighty and directed him to the more beneficial matter of preparing righteous deeds for the Hereafter.<\/p>\n
\u00a0On another occasion the Companions asked the Messenger of Allah (pbuh):<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich deed is more virtuous?\u201d The Prophet (pbuh) said:<\/p>\n
\u201cTo know Allah\u201d<\/i> they asked:<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich deed elevates one\u2019s rank?\u201d He said:<\/p>\n
\u201cTo know Allah\u201d<\/i> Then the Companions said:<\/p>\n
\u201cO Messenger of Allah! We ask about deeds, but you respond to us with knowledge.\u201d Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) told them:<\/p>\n
\u201cLittle deeds done by knowing Allah give great benefits, whereas great deeds done without knowing Allah have no benefits.\u201d<\/i> (Munawi, IV, 688)<\/p>\n
Certainly there are many ways to teach and educate. The question and answer method is one of the best methods that increases the spiritual interactions between the teacher and his students, attracts the students\u2019 attention in the class, and helps to unearth the students\u2019 hidden skills. This method is based on mutual conversation between the teacher and his disciples. The teacher asks questions and the students respond to him. The goal is not to test the students but to improve their comprehension skills, increase their interest, and make the lesson understood as much as possible. This is why questions should be carefully selected; and they should be educating and disciplining. In order to prevent wasting time and energy, one should stay away from asking arbitrary questions.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\u066d<\/a> Or when mothers bear children who will treat their mothers like slaves<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There is a strong connection between the student and the teacher who is responsible for the activities of teaching and training in Islamic manners. There is a mutual enlightenment; a… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[357],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-anexcellentexemplar-ii"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3G27m-2EK","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kuranvesunnetyolunda.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kuranvesunnetyolunda.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kuranvesunnetyolunda.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kuranvesunnetyolunda.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kuranvesunnetyolunda.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10214"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.kuranvesunnetyolunda.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10214\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10215,"href":"https:\/\/www.kuranvesunnetyolunda.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10214\/revisions\/10215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kuranvesunnetyolunda.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kuranvesunnetyolunda.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kuranvesunnetyolunda.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}