Sheikh-e-maktab hai ik emarat
gar!
Allama Iqbal is undoubtedly the most well-read poet of Pakistan. What
distinguishes him from other poets and philosophers is the element of positivity
and hope in his works. Throughout his poetry, he elucidates the problems and
criticizes those responsible for the state of affairs, yet he remains optimistic
and suggests remedies to heal the deep inflicted wounds of the nation. He
considers teachers (religious & secular) as one of the most influential groups
of people, whom he holds accountable and delegates the responsibility for the
reformation and revival of society. Allama Iqbal uses several words to denote
teachers including sheikh, hakeem, saqi, peer-e-haram and has dedicated an
entire section titled, Taleem o Tarbiyat in Zarb-e- Kalim to this topic. He
mostly refers to educational institutions as madrissa, maktab, haram, maikhana,
and khankah. For Allama Iqbal, the youth is like the eaglets and it is the
responsibility of the teachers and the educational system to give them the
strong wings to soar high. The following verse is a sharp illustration of
Allama’s anguish at the prevalent education system (which sadly still exists).
He says sorely, Shikayat hai mujhe ya Rab! khudawand-e-maktab se, Sabaq shaheen
bachon ko de rahe hain khaak bazi ka! (Bal-e-Jibril) (Meaning: O Lord, I have
complaint against teachers for they are teaching the eaglets to grovel in the
dust). He sees teachers as craftsmen whose role is to create the best out of the
raw material provided to them, so he says: Sheikh-e-maktab hai ik emarat gar,
Jiss ki sana’t hai ruh-e insani! (Zarb-e-Kalim) (Meaning: A teacher is like a
builder whose industry is to build and develop the soul of a human). It is
clearly evident from these two verses why he holds teachers accountable and also
his expectations of them. Before immersing into Allama’s Iqbal’s poetry on this
topic, it is pertinent to understand the meaning of the word Ilm, which is more
often used as a product of or as an end result of acquiring education. The
Arabic word for Ilm ( ل م عِ ) is a derivative of ع-ل-م) مَ عَِ ) which
literally means standard or flag. In Arabic Ilm ( ل م عِ ) is the term used for
knowledge. In broader sense Ilm means raising the standard (flag) which
distinguishes the individual from others. Ilm is not education as it is
generally taken to imply. Unfortunately, there is no true equivalent of the word
Ilm in English. For better understanding we can say, Ilm denotes a combination
of education, training, knowledge and wisdom and this includes religious,
spiritual and material knowledge. On the contrary, the word education is limited
to the degrees taught in educational institutions and does not include training
which is seen as separate from education in the present educational system.
Allama Iqbal strongly believes that education without training is useless. The
present educational system is producing successful professionals like doctors,
professors, engineers, accountants etc. but are these educational institutions
imparting “Ilm” in the true meaning of the word? The answer is probably, no!
This is mainly because the quest for knowledge has been replaced by quest for
education, which is determined by market demand. That is, students want to
acquire a degree with better job prospects. Therefore, today we have education
but not Ilm. In Allama Iqbal’s view: Woh ilm, kam basri jiss main hum kinar nahi,
Tajjaliat-e-Kaleem o mushahidat-e-hakeem! (Ilm aurDeen, Zarb-e-Kaleem) (Meaning:
Such knowledge is short sighted/ limited which does not illuminate the seeker
and the surroundings like Musa (AS) and does not include deep philosophical
observations. Ilm transforms thinking and behavior. It distinguishes one from
others in conduct and practice. Hence, linguistically it is completely incorrect
to apply word Ilm to modern day education. Furthermore, Ilm enlightens the mind
and broadens vision. It creates foresight and understanding. It is like a candle
that illuminates its surroundings and shows the way and is not merely a means of
living. Allama Iqbal asserts that the purpose of educational institutions should
be to deliver Ilm and not just an educational degree. He says: Ilm mein doulat
bhi hai, qudrat bhi hai, lazzat bhi hai, Aik mushkil hai ke hath ata nahin apna
suragh! (Tarbiyat, Zarb-e- Kalim). (Meaning: Modern day Ilm brings wealth, joy,
and power but the problem is that it does not develop ‘self’ awareness). This
verse shows that he views contemporary education as completely superficial,
worthless and a waste of time. Nonetheless, Allama Iqbal was not against modern
education. In his view however, education should be for materialistic gains (to
secure a job, status and a means for living) as well as for enhancing knowledge
and for spiritual development (understanding the true meaning of life and
developing the Selfhood of students). He does not separate material/ secular
education from spiritual and religious education. In his opinion, both streams
of education can flow concurrently in harmony with each other. According to
Allama Iqbal, a society cannot progress if it does not have progressive and
enlightened teachers. He sees teachers as role models who have the
responsibility of bringing out the best in their students – not only
academically but also at all levels of personal development. For this, he
expects teachers to come to the level of the students, understand their needs
and inculcate in them ethics and values necessary for the reformation of a
society. He asserts that educators / teachers need to be open to fresh ideas, be
ready to experiment new ways of teaching and acquiring knowledge, and give up
fixation with old school of thought. He thus calls for the enlightenment of the
teachers and their own constant personal development and believes that the
pursuit of knowledge must never stop. In his view, a teacher who is still
struggling with his/her own personal development cannot be a role model for the
students. He says: Ahl-e-danish aam hain, kamyaab hain ahl-e-nazar, Kya ta’ajjub
hai ke khali reh gya tera ayagh! (Tarbiyat, Zarb-e- Kalim) (Meaning: There is no
dearth of lettered men but people of vision are scarce. No wonder that your bowl
is still empty. No wonder the students are not achieving their true potentials).
Arguing against the usual mode of instruction and delivery of content, he asks
teachers as well as students to go beyond the conventional teaching methods and
says: Madrissay nay teri ankhon say chupaya jinko, Khilwat-e-kuh o baya ban main
who asrar hain fash! (Madrissa, Zarb-e-Kalim) (Meaning: The mysteries which
schools hid from you; Try to find them in the solitude of hills and desserts. Go
out and observe. Do not restrict your knowledge to books). Allama Iqbal stresses
that a role of a teacher is not only to complete the curriculum but to instill
the ethical values which are essential for a healthy and progressive society. He
says: Keeya hai tujh ko kitabon nay kaur zauq itna, Saba say bhee na mila tujh
ko boo-e- gul ka suragh! (Ghazal, Zarb-e-Kalim) (Meaning: The books have marred
your taste and zest to such a great extent that morning breeze has failed to
give you the clue of rose and its scent! Your pursuit is limited to books so
much so that you are unable to understand the meaning of life and needs of
time). Moreover, he asserts that it is important for teachers and educators to
understand the needs of the society and foresee the future demands and trends.
According to him, a teacher with a narrow or limited vision cannot deliver and
so he says, Sheikh-e-maktab ke tareeqon se kushaad-e-dil kahan, Kis tarah
kibriat se roshan ho bijli ka charagh! (Tarbiyat,Zarb-e- Kalim) (Meaning: The
conventional teaching does not expand the heart. How can a matchstick light an
electric lamp?) Allama Iqbal views the development of khudi (Self) as the
overarching goal of all education and training. But how can a teacher teach a
subject unknown to him/ her? Hence it is pertinent for teachers to develop their
Khudi (Self), so they are capable of helping students to realize their faculties
and develop their potentialities. Thus creating self-awareness which in turn
leads to self-development and self-actualization. He says: Ye zikr-e-neem shabi,
ye maraqbay, ye saroor, Teri khudi kay nigheban nahi to kuch bhe nahi! (Tasawuf,
Zarb-Kalim). (Meaning: Your various acts of worship at the midst of night are
useless if they do not guard and protect your ‘Self’). Conclusion All these
demands upon teachers may seem too overwhelming but we cannot deny the influence
of teachers on students. Indeed character building of a nation is a cycle that
initiates with the character building of its teachers who are the role models
for their students, who go into the society to assume different roles and be
mentors to those around them. Hence a ripple effect is created transforming the
entire system. Allama Iqbal asserts more responsibility on the teachers because
they play the most central role in the whole equation. Of course, teachers alone
cannot accomplish this goal if they are not supported and the overall
educational system remains rigidly focused on superficial education. Like every
other system, it is fundamental that all elements of the educational system
(institutions, scholars, teachers, students and educationists) are aligned and
function in harmony with each other towards a common objective. That is, uplift
of the society as a whole. This necessitates change at a large scale which needs
to initiate at a grass root level - a change not within the system but also in
the basic ideology of acquiring knowledge. To sum up, I conclude with this plea
from his poem Ae peer-e- Haram: Ae Peer-e-Haram! Rasm-o-reh-e-khanqahi chor,
Maqsood samajh meri nawa-e-sehrika, Allah rakhe tere jawanon ko salamat! De inko
sabaq khud shikani, khud nigari ka, Dil torh gyi in ka do sadiyon ki ghulami,
Daru koi soch in ki preshan nazari ka! (Meaning: O Shaykh, discard these
reclusive ways of yours and grasp what my morning songs denote and understand my
message. May God preserve the youth you guide, teach them how to break away from
the constraints and teach them to guard their ‘Self’. They are heartbroken
because of centuries of subjugation. Think of some cure for their distraught
sight – their development).
By: Dr Umneea Ahmad Khan
University of Western Australia
Member Iqbal Academy Scandinavia