Teacher-student relation in non-Muslim Secular Society

 Teacher-student relation in non-Muslim Secular Society

Faiyaz M. Khan

Islamic civilisation primarily was “a civilisation of learning,”[1] as Islam regards teaching as “a great responsibility,”[2] and teachers as professionals who are deserving of respect and status in society.[3] This is because one of the most important duties of the Prophet Muhammad was to teach people Islam, as affirmed by the Qur’an where it states, “Allah has been gracious to the believers, sending them an apostle from among themselves to recite to them His revelations, to purify them and to teach them the Book and the Wisdom.”[4] Furthermore, this is confirmed in an authentic hadith where the prophet confirms that Allah “sent me to teach and make things easy,”[5] and in another narration, “Verily I have been sent as a teacher.”[6] As such, the history of Islam, commencing with the archangel Jibril teaching the prophet the Qur’an, and in turn the prophet teaching his companions the Qur’an and the Sunnah – Islam has from the outset been a belief system that passed knowledge from teacher to student.[7] Therefore, it is not surprising that Islam has outlined the proper etiquettes, ethics and responsibilities of teachers and students, which continue to be relevant in the modern age and within different contexts. Focusing on the Australian context, this paper will discuss how within a secular non-Muslim educational environment, teachers and students can interact respectfully by adopting Islamic etiquettes, despite there being challenges and restrictions.

According to the ethics index published by the Governance Institute of Australia for 2023, both primary and secondary school teachers rank among the top ten most ethical professionals in Australia.[8] Furthermore, a survey of over 71,000 participants conducted by Monash University found that 82 percent of the public respected teachers, while only 15 percent did not.[9] Notwithstanding, teachers themselves do not share this view, in 2018, 71 percent of teachers did not believe that the Australian public appreciated the work they did;[10] and this was again confirmed in 2022 when the result was almost identical.[11] While the general public’s perception of teachers in Australia is encouraging, teacher self-perception is of concern; as research has found that the status of teachers in a society has a direct correlation with student achievement.[12]

Traditionally, education in Islam is the “process of shaping character within the Islamic worldview;”[13] thus, Islamic etiquette of teaching and learning has primarily focused on teachers and students of the Qur’an and the various Islamic sciences.[14] Ghazali asserts that such teachers ought to treat their students as they would their children, they should teach for free, they should recommend students who are ready for advancement, and they should give students advice on manners implicitly.[15] Whereas, modern teacher etiquette in Islam requires teachers to be consistently updating their knowledge and skills, to teach students according to their level of comprehension, to be a role model for students so that they will respect them, to love teaching, to show compassion to students, to refrain from humiliating students, to support and assist students, to grade their work impartially, and to avoid accepting expensive gifts from students.[16]

In the Australian context, Muslim teachers would implement those etiquettes which were relevant to their professional circumstances. The only etiquette listed by Ghazali which teachers would not be able to implement would be to teach for free,[17] as teachers today need to get tertiary qualifications which they must pay for,[18] as well as paying for membership to professional bodies, and for seminars and workshops to keep updated on the latest knowledge and skills.[19] Therefore, they need remuneration for their services in order to support their livelihood and their families. As for the other etiquettes outlined by Ghazali, they are all still relevant today. In regard to treating students like they are the teacher’s own children,[20] research affirms that teachers who take an interest in their students’ lives and form a mentor-mentee relationship with them are able to influence students to achieve better outcomes academically and have more fulfilling life experiences at school.[21] In today’s context, teachers recommend students for support if they are weak in a subject,[22] as well as for gifted programs where students demonstrate excellence.[23] In addition, teachers in mainly faith-based schools in Australia are duty bound to be moral educators, which gives teachers greater scope to advise and teach students manners and ethics mainly from one of the Abrahamic faith traditions.[24] Therefore, all except one of Ghazali’s etiquettes for teachers can be implemented in an Australian context, but only in Jewish, Christian and Islamic schools.

On the other hand, the modern etiquettes proposed by Gulcur are included in the code of conduct for teachers in Australia. In the code of conduct for Victorian teachers, it affirms that teachers must “maintain high standards of competence,”[25] provide opportunities for every student to learn,[26] treat students with “courtesy and dignity,”[27] conduct themselves in a manner befitting the profession’s standing in society,[28] maintain objectivity in their relationship with students,[29] and maintain “a professional relationship”[30] with all students.[31]

Contemporary educational research does not paint a positive picture concerning Australian students, their status and behaviour. A report published by the Australian Council for Educational Research states that close to a third of school principals in Australia believe that students lack respect for teachers and their fellow classmates, and it is affecting learning in the classroom.[32] Moreover, another study found that students school attendance in Australia has been on a steady decline from 90% in 2014 to 86% in 2022:[33] with students feeling unsafe and lacking any sense of belonging at school.[34] Additionally, 19% of teachers feel unsafe at work due to either “violence, aggression, or physical assault”[35] perpetrated by students; moreover, these are also factors that teachers cite as possible reasons for leaving the profession.[36] In addition, teachers listed student behaviour as one of the “top challenges facing teaching and schools today.”[37] This explains why only 30 percent of teachers feel respected at work,[38] with just over 50 percent of teachers believing that students respected them.[39] Therefore, the relationship between teachers and students in Australia is facing challenges which is having adverse ramifications on education and on society today.

The etiquettes for students outlined by Ghazali include that they are spiritually and physically pure to undertake studies of the sacred sciences, to forgo earthly connections of home to pursue seeking knowledge, to be humble in order to learn, to serve the teacher, to avoid listening to theological disputes which may affect a student’s heart, to complete his studies in all the Islamic sciences, to prioritise the most beneficial knowledge to attain felicity in the hereafter, and to adorn one’s heart with what brings one closer to Allah.[40] Furthermore, Kinani details s student’s etiquette towards his teacher by firstly choosing a righteous teacher, respecting and obeying the teacher, honouring and praising the teacher, showing gratitude towards the teacher, asking permission of the teacher, sitting with respect in front of the teacher, being patient with the teacher’s criticism, thanking the teacher for their assistance, speaking respectfully to the teacher, listening attentively to the teacher, not trying to outsmart the teacher, to give and take things dutifully, and walking with due care with the teacher.[41] While according to Gulcur, the modern student needs to demonstrate honesty in all aspects of learning, to be courteous towards teachers and peers, to build social relationships with fellow students by not bullying them, and to take care of their personal hygiene and health as it is “an important mark of a person with excellent character.”[42]

The contemporary Australian educational context prioritises secular matters over spiritual ones. As such, Ghazali, Kinani and Gulcur’s lists of recommended student etiquettes would be solely unsuitable in a modern Australian classroom. For example, in a secular environment, a student’s cleanliness, whether physical or spiritual, has no relevance, as it does not directly relate to a student’s academic life, only to his or her personal or social life. This also applies to many of the other etiquettes, as it presupposes that the student is a Muslim, like being humble; or serving, obeying and showing gratitude to one’s teacher out of respect; or thanking one’s teacher for their assistance; or accepting criticism from one’s teacher with patience; or safeguarding one’s spiritual heart from the harms of theological controversies; or being courteous towards one’s teachers and fellow students. However, Gulcur’s recommendations of no bullying and total honesty do have relevance in the Australian educational context; as plagiarism or academic dishonesty by students has serious consequences academically,[43] and student bullying is also seen as a major problem which schools must address in order to provide a safe learning environment for students.[44]

The dominance of secularism in Australia is best illustrated by the fact that 38.9% of the population do not identify with any religion, and the steady decline of those who identify as Christian, which according to the 2021 census is at 43.9%, a decrease of more than one million people since the last census.[45] With the decline of Christianity in the West on the one hand, and the ascendency of science on the other, science has become entrenched within a secular atheistic paradigm, that has convinced many of the redundancy of religion in general, and a creator God in particular.[46] The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority states that as of 2022 there were 9614 schools in Australia: close to 70% were government schools, 18.4% were Catholic schools and 12% were independent schools.[47] This means that the vast majority of schools in Australia, that is 70% of schools, are secular places and spaces, where religious practice and religion are not taught or encouraged in any meaningful way. As such, these government schools teach natural sciences without ever mentioning God or religion; whereas, the Qur’an proclaims, “Do you not see that Allah created the heavens and the earth in truth?”[48] Stating with certainty the Islamic position about the creation of the universe; hence, the Islamic worldview is at odds with secularism, as Islam does not entertain the idea that any space or facet of human existence is outside the purview of religion.[49] Islam views itself as a wholistic system of God-centric beliefs, prophetic traditions, legal principles, and morals that cover all aspects of life that ensures the wellbeing and protection of society.[50] Therefore, introducing Islamic etiquettes and ethics for teachers and students would be difficult, as many people would reject it as they are not Muslims, or that they do not believe that religious ideas and ethics should be allowed in a government school since the Australian Constitution states that Australia is a secular country.[51]

Nonetheless, one of the obligations of a Muslim in a non-Muslim society is to convey Islam to non-Muslims,[52] as the prophet instructed Muslims to convey the teachings of Islam to others “even if it were a single (ayah) verse.”[53] The human soul is programmed to be receptive to the divine message of Islam, due to its innate nature (fitra) which is mentioned in the Qur’an,[54] it says: “It is the original nature according to which Allah fashioned mankind.”[55] Moreover, it should be every Muslim’s desire to make things better in their society, as another authentic narration confirms that, “Allah has prescribed (ihsan) proficiency in all things.”[56] In his commentary of this hadith, Zarabozo explains that ihsan has both the meaning of doing something in the best way possible and doing well for others.[57]

In a non-Muslim secular educational setting for Muslim teachers doing ihsan would be to display Islamic etiquettes in their interactions with their non-Muslim students and fellow teachers, while Muslim students doing ihsan would be to likewise demonstrate Islamic etiquettes towards their non-Muslim teachers and classmates. Islamic schools could also strive to implement this in their classrooms: becoming schools that exhibit excellence in respectful behaviour and creating a sense of community within their schools. This will showcase these schools to non-Muslim schools that are having behaviour management issues with students. Muslim student leaders could be trained to act as Islamic school ambassadors to non-Muslim schools, where they could go and hold workshops with non-Muslim student leaders and discuss how to implement an action plan to also become a school with respectful teachers and students. In this way, Islamic etiquettes will not be confined to only Islamic schools or schools of the Abrahamic faiths, who may have similar ethics and traditions regarding teacher-student relationships.

Once it is established that human relationships cannot be managed with only having rules and codes of conduct or behaviour management systems, it needs a spiritual connection to relate to it at a deeper more meaningful level, which provides dignity and worth to everyone as servants of God. This Islamic paradigm ensures personal reflection and accountability by all those who are in a teacher-student relationship together, since they know that they are answerable to their maker, as “not a speck’s weight in the earth or in the heavens escapes Allah.”[58] Moreover, the Muslim teacher and student has self-awareness that Allah is always watching, as the Qur’an affirms, “Your Lord is, indeed, ever-observant.”[59] These concepts will necessarily have to be explained to non-Muslims, as well as, demonstrating to them the benefits of such beliefs and how by internalising them will make the Islamic etiquettes for teachers and students effective – yielding the desired result of respect and the sense of community which all schools want.

In conclusion, despite many of the Islamic etiquettes for teachers being part of codes of conduct for all teachers in Australia, the fact that teachers still feel disrespected and unappreciated for the important work they do, means that the code of conduct itself is not enough. The increasing incidents of student misbehaviour and disengagement in school, also means that the current behaviour management systems and methods are ineffective, and that they have failed schools, teachers and students. The secular educational system neglects the spiritual and innate nature (fitra) of teachers and students which has led to the dehumanisation of knowledge, the loss of respect for teachers and to the alienation felt by students.[60] Therefore, Islamic etiquettes need to be taught with the Islamic worldview and within the Islamic paradigm for it to be effective.[61] The teacher and the student need to make a human connection, to see each other as being deserving of dignity and worth as servants of God. This type of learning illustrates “how a human being can fulfill his or her humanity with the hope that … [they] might have a better future.”[62] Ultimately, it is utilising a spiritual connection within the Islamic paradigm that Islamic etiquettes for teachers and students will deliver the outcomes that will give respect to teachers and the sense of community to students.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[1] Ghazi bin Muhammad, A Thinking Person’s Guide to Islam: The Essence of Islam in 12 Verses from the Qur’an (London: White Thread Press & Turath Publishing, 2018), 23.

 

[2] Abu Hamid Muhammad Al-Ghazali, Mukhtasar Ihya Ulum Ad-Din, trans. Marwar Khalaf (Nicosia: Spohr Publishers, 2013), 37.

 

[3] B. Aisha Lemu, Islamic Tahdhib and Akhlaq: Theory and Practice (Chicago: Iqra’ International Educational Foundation, 1997), 13-14.

 

[4] Qur’an, 3:164. This paper has used The Qur’an: A Modern English Version, translated by Majid Fakhry.

 

[5] Muslim bin Al-Hajjaj, English Translation of Sahih Muslim, trans. Nasiruddin Al-Khattab, ed. Huda Khattab (Riyadh: Maktaba Darussalam, 2007), 1:225, no. 229.

 

[6] Muhammad ibn Yazeed ibn Majah, English Translation of Sunan Ibn Majah, trans. Nasiruddin Al-Khattab, ed. Huda Khattab (Riyadh: Maktaba Darussalam, 2007), 3:58, no. 1846.

 

[7] Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Traditional Islam in the Modern World (London: Kegan Paul International, 1987), 123-126; Asma Sayeed, Women and the Transmission of Religious Knowledge in Islam (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2013), 3.

 

[8] Zak Wheeler, “Ethics Index 2023 Ranks Australia’s Most and Least Trusted Professionals,” Daily Mail Australia, September 12, 2023, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12507329/Ethics-Index-2023-ranks-Australia-trusted-professionals.html.

 

[9] Amanda Heffernan et al., Perceptions of Teachers and Teaching in Australia (Melbourne: Faculty of Education, Monash University, 2019), 6 & 9.

 

[10] Ibid., 8.

 

[11] Fiona Longmuir et al., Australian Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Work in 2022 (Melbourne: Faculty of Education, Monash University, 2022), 10, doi:10.26180/21212891.

 

[12] Peter Dolton et al., Global Teacher Status Index 2018 (London: The Varkey Foundation, 2018), 122, https://www.varkeyfoundation.org/media/4867/gts-index-13-11-2018.pdf.

 

[13] Nimat Hafez Barazangi, “Education,” in The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World, ed. John L. Esposito (New York: Oxford University Press, 2009), 2:122.

 

[14] Salih bin Fawzan bin Abdullah Al-Fawzan, From the Etiquettes of the Student of Knowledge & The Reality of the Pseudo-Scholar and Studies, trans. Abul Baraa Muhammad Abdullah ibn Earl Al-Allister Al-Amreeki (Self-published, 2013), 35.

 

[15] Al-Ghazali, Mukhtasar Ihya Ulum Ad-Din, 36-37.

 

[16] Musa Kazim Gulcur, Good Character: A Comprehensive Guide to Manners and Morals in Islam, trans. Jessica Ozalp (New Jersey: Tughra Books, 2023), 31-32.

 

[17] Al-Ghazali, Mukhtasar Ihya Ulum Ad-Din, 37.

 

[18] The University of Melbourne, “Master of Teaching (Primary),” accessed on December 27, 2023, https://study.unimelb.edu.au/find/courses/graduate/master-of-teaching-primary/fees/.

 

[19] Jasmine Kazlauskas, “Graduate Reveals ‘Insane’ Hidden Fees to Become a Teacher,” Nationwide News, December 2, 2023, para. 4-7,  https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/careers/graduate-reveals-insane-hidden-fees-to-become-a-teacher/news-story/0cdd8122f528a7fa495e4b99fe1559f6.

 

[20] Al-Ghazali, Mukhtasar Ihya Ulum Ad-Din, 37.

 

[21] Beth Bernstein-Yamashiro, and Gil G. Noam, “Teacher-Student Relationships: Toward Personalized Education,” New Directions for Youth Development 137 (2013), 46, doi:10.1002/yd.

 

[22] Jennifer Hammond, and Jennifer Miller, “At-risk EAL Students in Mainstream Classrooms,” in Classrooms of Possibility: Supporting At-risk EAL Students, eds. Jennifer Hammond and Jennifer Miller (Sydney: Primary English Teaching Association Australia, 2015), 4-5.

 

[23] Julia Morris et al., “Using Local Rural Knowledge to Enhance STEM Learning for Gifted and Talented Students in Australia,” Research in Science Education 51, supp. 1 (2021), 63-64, doi:10.1007/s11165-019-9823-2; Frank C. Worrell et al., “Gifted Students,” Annual Review of Psychology 70 (2019), 565, doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-010418-102846.

 

[24] , Jim Gleeson, and Joanne O’Flaherty, “The Teacher as Moral Educator: Comparative Study of Secondary Teachers in Catholic Schools in Australia and Ireland,” Teaching and Teacher Education 55 (2016): 45-46, doi:10.1016/j.tate.2015.12.002.

 

[25] The Victorian Institute of Teaching, “The Victorian Teaching Profession’s Code of Conduct,” last modified June 1, 2023, principle 3.1, 11, https://www.vit.vic.edu.au/sites/default/files/media/pdf/2023-06/Document_VIT_Code-of-Conduct.pdf.

 

[26] Ibid., principle 1.1, 5.

 

[27] Ibid., principle 1.2, 5.

 

[28] Ibid., principle 2.1, 9.

 

[29] Ibid., principle 1.4, 6.

 

[30] Ibid., principle 1.5, 6.

 

[31] Ibid.

 

[32] ABC Radio Perth, “Australian Students Reportedly Becoming More Disrespectful towards Teachers and Classmates,” last modified September 18, 2020, para. 1-2, https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/perth-breakfast/disrespect-in-class/12677866.

 

[33] Nigel Howard, and Andrew Bills, “School Attendance Rates are Dropping. We Need to Ask Students Why,” The Conversation, February 27, 2023, para. 5, https://theconversation.com/school-attendance-rates-are-dropping-we-need-to-ask-students-why-200537.

 

[34] Ibid., para. 16.

 

[35] Heffernan et al., Perceptions of Teachers and Teaching in Australia, 12.

 

[36] Ibid., 12-14.

 

[37] Ibid., 14.

 

[38] Fiona Longmuir et al., “When It Comes to Teachers, Respect Takes Many Forms – And All Matter,” Lens, Monash University, last modified December 16, 2022, para. 4, https://lens.monash.edu/@education/2022/12/16/1385351/when-it-comes-to-teachers-respect-takes-many-forms.

 

[39] Longmuir et al., Australian Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Work in 2022, 11.

 

[40] Al-Ghazali, Mukhtasar Ihya Ulum Ad-Din, 33-36.

 

[41] Badr Ad-Din ibn Jama’ah Al-Kinani, Etiquette of the Learner, trans. Shoaib Shah, ed. Mariam Madge Conlan (London: Turath Publishing, 2015), 43-61.

 

[42] Gulcur, Good Character, 33.

 

[43] Dan Dixon, “Writing is a ‘Questionable Business’, But What to Make of John Hughes, One of the Most Prolific Plagiarists in Literary History?” The Conversation, March 1, 2023, para. 12,  https://theconversation.com/writing-is-a-questionable-business-but-what-to-make-of-john-hughes-one-of-the-most-prolific-plagiarists-in-literary-history-200897.

 

[44] Mandie Shean, “Why do Kids Bully? And What can Parents Do About it?” The Conversation, November 23, 2022, para. 1, https://theconversation.com/why-do-kids-bully-and-what-can-parents-do-about-it-194812.

 

[45] Australian Bureau of Statistics, “Religious Affiliation in Australia,” last modified July 4, 2022, para. 1 & 7 https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/religious-affiliation-australia.

 

[46] Wahiduddin Khan, The Call of the Quran, trans. Farida Khanam (New Delhi: Goodword Books, 1999), 68-69; Seyyed Hossein Nasr, A Young Muslim’s Guide to the Modern World (Cambridge: The Islamic Texts Society, 1993), 142-143.

 

[47] Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, “School Numbers,” accessed on January 1, 2024, para. 1, https://www.acara.edu.au/reporting/national-report-on-schooling-in-australia/school-numbers#:~:text=In%20Australia%20in%202022%3A,of%2033%20schools%20since%202021.

 

[48] Qur’an, 14:19.

 

[49] Joshua D. Hendrick, “Islamic Activism and the ‘Secular’ Modern World-System: Muslim Networks, Turkish Integration, and the Civil/Cosmopolitan Movement of Fethullah Gulen,” in Islam and the Orientalist World-System, eds. Khaldoun Samman and Mazhar Al-Zo’by (Boulder: Paradigm Publishers, 2008), 109; Khan, The Call of the Quran, 68.

 

[50] Mustafa As-Sibaa’ie, Civilization of Faith: Solidarity, Tolerance and Equality in a Nation Built on Shari’ah, trans. Nasiruddin Al-Khattab (Riyadh: International Islamic Publishing House, 2003), 64-69.

 

[51] Renae Barker, “Nothing Less Than the Character of Australian Secularism is at Stake in the Religious Discrimination Debate,” Australian Broadcasting Corporation, last modified November 30, 2021, para. 4, https://www.abc.net.au/religion/australian-secularism-and-the-religious-discrimination-debate/13655762.

 

[52] Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, Fiqh of Priorities (Sydney: Mybookstore, 2012), 68-69; Khan, The Call of the Quran, 66-67; Abdur Rashid Siddiqui, Lift Up Your Hearts: A Collection of 25 Khutbah for Friday Prayer (Leicester: The Islamic Foundation, 2005), 124.

 

[53] Muhammad ibn Ismail Al-Bukhari, The Translation of Sahih Al-Bukhari, trans. Muhammad Muhsin Khan (Riyadh: Maktaba Darussalam, 1997), 4:417, no. 3461.

 

[54] Camille Helminski, ed., The Book of Character: Writing on Character and Virtue from Islamic and Other Sources (Bath: The Book Foundation, 2004), 11.

 

[55] Qur’an, 30:30.

 

[56] Muslim, English Translation of Sahih Muslim, 5:293, no. 5055.

 

[57] Jamaal Al-Din M. Zarabozo, Commentary on the Forty Hadith of Al-Nawawi (Boulder: Al-Basheer Company for Publications and Translations, 1999), 2:676.

 

[58] Qur’an, 10:61.

 

[59] Ibid., 89:14.

 

[60] Syed Abdul Latif, The Mind Al-Qur’an Builds, ed. Mohamed El-Tahir El-Mesawi (Kuala Lumpur: Islamic Book Trust, 2002), 114-115; Helminski, The Book of Character, 11.

 

[61] Shabbir Akhtar, A Faith for All Seasons: Islam and the Challenge of the Modern World (Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 1990), 9.

 

[62] Helminski, The Book of Character, 10.