The Perfect Teacher

Course Overview

This course studies the text “Ar-Rasul al-Muʿallim” by Shaykh Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda and focuses on the Prophet’s role as a teacher. The course covers a plethora of hadith which provide insight on the Prophet’s approach to teaching and learning. Important lessons from the course are the internalisation of knowledge from intention to action,  the appropriate intentions when  learning and imparting knowledge as well as the difference between  learning actively learning passively. Other distinctive insights to be drawn from the Prophetic example are the the role of empathy in teaching, the importance of the student-teacher relationship, and the place of spiritual purification in the educational context. Finally, a detailed comparative discussion of the Prophetic approach in light of modern Western pedagogy is also undertaken. This course is vital for anyone seeking to understand the manner of Prophetic teaching, and how this can be implemented in our own lives.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students should be able to:

• Understand the Prophet’s approach and intent for teaching
• Recognize the difference between passive and active learning
• Identify the importance of an emotional bond during teaching and learning
• Recognize how the Prophet used precision, clarity, and brevity in his speech
• Identify the importance of gradualism and avoiding student burnout.
• Explain how to deal effectively with differences of opinion
• Identify how the Prophet used literary devices to teach
• Recognize the Prophet’s approach and how it fits within the Western Pedagogy
• Learn the best practices of the Prophet when it came to teaching and learning