Paths From The Path

Often, we get to points in our life where we start to think and talk about finding our purpose and paths in life, or finding a different path or purpose for our life. We may then take action to find a, our purpose. We may find or forge a path in pursuit of this purpose. We may indeed reach for and reach pots of gold on our path in pursuit of our purpose or are taken through other paths to find our purpose.

Did you just read that last line again? Was that the second time you read that first paragraph? Perhaps you’ve had to pause to gather your thoughts and or gain clarity on what you are reading?

Does that feel familiar? The need to stop and search for meaning? To go back to go forward? That’s because what you are feeling may be something that resonates beyond the reading of a penned reflection. It may be like a feeling of walking in a maze of words and muddled ways. In this feeling, may be a reflection of where you are presently in your life; a maze of words in your mind and a life-map of muddled walkways.

So, you have found a purpose in life, you are on a path, but are you on point? Are you on track or on the path or have you lost your tracks and become side tracked into the many paths leading to or away from your path?

Now, let’s unpack this and bring into some context concepts of purpose, paths and points for you. As a teacher and or educator, you may have been thrown into the teaching profession by ‘accident’. It could be that you didn’t get the course/scores you wanted and ‘ended up’ studying education/teaching. Maybe you did your NYSC – National Youth Service Corp in a school and was retained. You may have been connected by someone who knew somebody who knew someone who got you a job in a school. Or, you could be in the profession, because you have always wanted to be a teacher and never wavered in your dream until you got here.

Whether you chose the profession, or the profession chose you, you are now on the path, your purpose is clear to you and you are moving in a direction. The question is, are you on point with your intention and attention?

As an educator, are you expanding minds, enabling passions and or empowering lives? Are you delivering knowledge or disseminating information? Are you teaching to make a difference in lives, in life, or are you no different to the person who sleeps and wakes without making much, any difference in any one’s life including theirs?

What intention did you start out with then? What are you giving attention to now? What needs attention? What needs your attention? What do you need to keep going forward on purpose and on point? At what point on your journey do you need to turn back, turn towards the path you started out on? What do you have to correct, change or continue on your path and or purpose?

To facilitate honest reflection, critical assessment of your person and profession, here are three key transformative path pointers in and from the person of our beloved Prophet Muhammed (SAW) and his guided ways.

• The Greatest Example Of A Teacher Is In The Greatest Teacher

“I have been sent only as a teacher to you.”  – Muslim

• The Creator And Creation Call And Celebrate Those Who Teach

The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said: “Allah, His angels and all those in Heavens and on Earth, even ants in their hills and fish in the water, call down blessings on those who instruct others in beneficial knowledge.” – Tirmidhi

• The Greatest Teacher Taught;

• By meaning-making, motivating and modelling

Ibn ‘Umar (may God be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said ‘There is a tree whose leaves never fall, and which is like the believer. Can you tell me what it is?’ The people began to call out the names of trees of the countryside; ‘and it occurred to me’, said Ibn ‘Umar, ‘that it was the date-palm, but I was too shy to say it’. Finally, they asked the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) to tell them what it was, and he said: ‘It is the date-palm.

Ibn Abbas (RA) tells: “One day I prepared some water in a pot so that the Prophet could perform ablution. When the Prophet saw the pot, he asked who had prepared it. Once he learned that it was me who had prepared it, he prayed for me, “O Allah! Increase his understanding in religion”- Bukhari

Our Prophet (SAW) saw a boy who was skinning a sheep and said to him: “Let me teach you.” He put his hand between the skin and the meat until he reached up to the armpit of the sheep, and then he said: “Skin it like that, young man!” – Dawud

• With wisdom, tolerance, empathy, compassion, kindness and humility

“Allah did not send me to make things hard for people in the hope that they would make mistakes, rather He sent me to teach (as a teacher) and make things easy.” – Muslim

• According to the learner’s level of intelligence, state of mind, heart and body

Our Prophet showed a man who asked about it how to perform ablution. In some narrations it is said that he repeated it three times. – Ibn Maja

Ibn Mas’ud said: ‘The Prophet (SAW) would withhold his counsel from us some days, disliking that we might become bored.’

Mu’awiyah ibn Al-Hakam (RA) said: “By Allah I have never seen a better teacher or better teaching before or since; he, the Prophet (SAW) did not rebuke me, hit me or revile me.” – Muslim

“And I have never seen any teacher gentler than the Messenger of Allah (SAW).” – Abu Dawud

Ultimately, everyone is a teacher, everyone imparts knowledge in some capacity of the other, so these pointers are for you and for me, and yes, you too.

“Actions are by their intentions and every man (or woman) shall have what they intended.” – Bukhari.

Indeed as with all things, we must start from, with, check in, constantly clarify and purify our intentions. We must strive towards intentions that align with actions, and lives that are aligned, actualized, authenticated and accepted into the highest realms of honour in this life and the Hereafter by Allah’s Will.

This article has been published on iSchools blogsite

Teaching is a journey