The Poet-Teacher’s Ode
The renowned poet Ibrahim Touqan eloquently portrays the significance and esteem of educators:
Shawqi states without knowing my plight,
Stand for the teacher, offer him respect,
Sit down, I beseech you, can he truly be honored,
Who has been a companion to young minds?
His words from the prince seem to unsettle me,
The teacher is almost like a messenger.
If Shawqi had experienced teaching for just an hour,
He would have spent his life in hardship and fatigue.
The burdens of the teacher are marked by gloom,
As seen in the notebooks, morning and evening.
A hundred marks on a hundred, if they get fixed,
Blindness surely would find a path to the eyes.
And if there were benefit in rectification sought,
I swear I wouldn’t be stingy in correcting errors.
Yet, to amend, for instance, a grammatical mistake,
And use the book as a guide.
Citing the finest verses from its revelations,
Or expounding a hadith in detail.
I dive into ancient poetry, carefully selecting,
What is neither confused nor easily found.
I almost resurrect Sibawayh from the dust,
And those from the earliest generations.
Yet after all that, I find a donkey,
Elevating both the genitive and the accusative.
Do not be surprised if I one day cry out,
And fall victim between the seasons.
Those who seek to end it all, take heed:
The teacher does not live long.
Enduring the Trials of a Teacher
Imam Al-Shafi’i gives his perspective on the respect and esteem owed to educators:
Be patient with the bitterness and harshness from a teacher,
For the failures of knowledge arise from their dismissiveness.
And he who has not tasted the bitterness of learning for a moment,
Will drink the bitter cup of ignorance throughout his life.
For those who miss the chance of education in their youth,
Let them mourn their passing as if proclaiming four times his death.
And a man’s worth, by God, lies in knowledge and piety;
If they are absent, then his essence bears no merit.
Poems on Education
Knowledge is Acquired, Not Innate
Learn, for no one is born a scholar,
And the learned are not like the ignorant.
Even the elder in the community, lacking knowledge,
Is a child when faced with the onslaught.
And the youth of the community, if knowledgeable,
Is regarded as an elder when honored in gatherings.
Lines from ‘Through Knowledge, the Pinnacle is Attained’
Khalil Gibran highlights the importance of education:
Through knowledge, the utmost glory of nations is achieved,
And no nation can rise without knowledge.
O you who answer the call of your innate nobility,
Like the gratitude of nature to the rain.
The generous will be rewarded if their intentions are pure,
With everlasting blessings and favors.
If you find generosity without commendation,
It may wield the essence of death in its kindness.
The institutions of learning thrive on the generous,
Building pathways toward a promising future.
And place a stone in the foundation of a school,
That preserves his people from the decay of time.
There is a stark contrast between a house that nurtures,
The strength of nations and a home left in ruin.
The East has only been burdened by a stagnant existence,
Where ignorance reigns. Nations are as mere cattle.
The past holds no benefit for those who have dwelled,
In a forgetful haze, for ages now, it’s time to awaken from oblivion.
Today, those who thirst shall find no water,
Unless they are alert and insightful.
Today, even the least sustenance is denied to seekers,
So engage your mind, for abundance lies within knowledge.
Collectively, just like individuals, those who missed their education,
Are enveloped in shadows of ignorance and despair.
Knowledge is the Ladder to Greatness
Mustafa Sadik Al-Rafii underscores the crucial role of knowledge and education:
Indeed, knowledge is a ladder to greatness,
And the knowledgeable toil to find comfort.
Knowledge is the adornment of its possessors among people,
In this realm, the wealthy and the destitute stand equally.
The sun rises on a bright day,
While the moon remains concealed by darkness.
There is no pride in lineage for one who does not boast,
Of knowledge; without it, nobility is subdued.
And those who seek greatness strive and find what they desire,
While others waste their days in bitterness.
The complacent may be blamed when you blame them,
For they could be heard as if serenading their folly.
Among people, there are living souls who are like the dead,
Their suffering under wounds does not cause them pain.
Strike their ignorance with knowledge; it is indeed,
The most effective blow against ignorance.
Serve the land from which you belong,
For a nation’s growth depends on its people.
Fill your heart with compassion for the afflicted,
For the merciful know no mercy from the Merciful.