Poem: Rise for the Teacher in Reverence
Acknowledged by Ahmad Shawqi:
Rise for the teacher in utmost reverence,
For the teacher is almost a messenger.
Do you know of anyone more noble,
Than the one who nurtures souls and minds?
Glory be to You, O Lord, the best educator,
You taught through the pen in ancient times.
You brought forth this intellect from the depths of darkness,
And guided it toward the clear light of knowledge.
You shaped it with the teacher’s hand, sometimes,
Rusty like iron, and sometimes polished.
You sent forth Moses with the Torah as a guide,
And Jesus, son of the Virgin, taught the Gospel.
You unleashed the fountain of eloquence through Muhammad,
Who spread the words of revelation and shared the narrations.
You taught Greece and Egypt, and they flourished,
Shining brighter than the sun, never setting.
Today, however, we find ourselves in a child’s state,
In knowledge, we are still just beginning to learn.
From the East, the suns have congregated,
What has become of its West, fading away?
O land, since the teacher has lost his essence,
Between the suns and your East, there’s a veil.
The ones who safeguarded the truth of their knowledge have departed,
They found sweetness amidst anguish and distress.
In a world where life is severely subdued,
Bound, shackled, restrained in its grasp.
He was struck down by the oppressive world, just as it fell,
Rendering those heads dazed from the heat of the sun.
Socrates received the cup of destiny,
From a loving mouth begging for a kiss.
They presented life to him, dull and ignorant,
But he refused, choosing instead a noble death.
Indeed, courage is abundant in hearts,
Yet brave minds seem scarce on the ground.
For the one who created the truth is bitter,
And has not left a generation of truth-tellers.
Perhaps love has slain its champions,
For love was the killer, claiming many lives.
Yet, was every defender of truth accused,
Of harboring hidden grudges and grudges?
If I believed in the cross and its message,
I would raise proof from the crucifixion of Christ.
O teacher of the valley and guide of its youth,
You who shape the hopes of the young generation.
And those who are called when they are needed to teach,
The burden of this heavy trust rests upon them.
And the steps of education have evolved since Muhammad,
As progress shifted after the time of Ishmael.
We had a light step towards him,
And sought knowledge as if it were an elephant.
Until we reached Egypt, inching forward,
In knowledge, if kingdoms move just a mile.
Those who have forgotten were immersed in ignorance,
Since the days of Khufu, they have not witnessed the lantern.
You find those who built the obelisk, their forefathers,
Do not know how to create even a single needle.
And they become complacent when they are to be guided,
Like beasts relieved to find a guide.
Men recite their desires to them,
And the successful among them are sweeter in their arrangements.
Ignorance does not allow any group to live,
How can life thrive in the hands of ignorance?
With Knowledge, Nations Can Achieve the Highest Glory
As expressed by Khalil Mutran:
With knowledge, one can attain the utmost glory from nations,
And there is no advancement for nations without knowledge.
O those who have been called, they responded with their knowledge,
Your generosity deserves gratitude, just like the garden to the rain.
Those who are generous will receive bountiful gratitude,
From the lasting blessings and favors.
If you find generosity without sincere praise,
It might just become a vehicle for death in generosity.
Institutes of knowledge are where those who are generous thrive,
Building paths for the future’s aspirations.
And those who lay a foundation in a school’s family,
Preserving them from the ravages of time.
How different it is between a house that brings together,
The strength of nations and a house that protects its ruins.
The East is weighed down only by its long-standing life,
And ignorance herds its people like sheep.
For enough is the neglect that has lasted through eras,
Now it is time for a renaissance from the void.
Today, those who are not vigilant are denied.
Those who seek do not repay their needs.
Today, even the slightest sustenance is denied to the seeker,
So use your intellect to rise and grasp wealth.
Countless individuals have suffered the consequences of ignorance,
For each individual, in their own way, suffers blind darkness.
So teach, teach with urgency, or there may be no recovery,
There’s no escaping the calamities and gloom.
Raise your children well, for we have entered an era,
That has swept the people like hawks and vultures.
If we crawl without resolve, how shall we progress?
In our midst are those who have been guided, and there’s no savior.
O spirit of the noblest who redeemed his homeland,
In his long struggle and patient endurance.
As if with you, I am amidst a gathering,
While voices depart as if they haven’t heard.
For in our ears, you spread a legacy of purity,
And in our hearts, there’s a longing ignited by your light.
You command us to uphold a legacy that lies dormant,
Under duress, while the clutches of time have not slept.
Hearing and obeying without weakness or weariness,
For a responding voice extends across the ages.
A bustling house stands magnificently like before,
And the people hold beautiful aspirations in their hearts.
They are the supporters of its cause, just as they always have been,
A shadow and light for those in need and those who lack.
Indeed, the poor have their rights within their communities,
And benevolence is a form of fulfilling these rights.
A commerce on the path of God that is profitable,
Where the generous buys it in exchange for freedom from wrath.
And seeks to increase grace from their provider,
And to be sustained in turbulent times.
As for Egypt, may its legacy endure through the ages,
And from each overflowing source and stream.
If it outshines all cities in virtue,
It rightsfully deserves a long life and enduring legacy.
Poem: Patience with the Harshness from the Teacher
Expressed by Imam Shafi’i:
Be patient with the bitterness from the teacher,
For slipping in knowledge comes from its absence.
And whoever has not tasted the bitterness of learning for one hour,
Will face the humiliation of ignorance throughout their life.
And whoever misses education in their youth,
Let them be mourned four-fold for their death.
For the worth of a young man is in knowledge and piety,
If they are absent, there is no value in their essence.
Poem: The Teacher of Drawing
Said by poet Faez Yaqub Al-Hamdani:
Every morning, our teacher paints on our faces with his bitter coffee,
Sowing in us the burdens of fifty years.
In the drawing lesson, he says: “My son, coffee is the color of mood,
Pour it on the paper to see a dream.”
While I display a box of colors, unaware of which color represents coffee,
And the teacher quietly lights a cigar,
As he leaves us behind in a cloud of white smoke.
Poem: The Bridge
From the poet Imara bin Saleh Abdul Malik:
Give the teacher multiples of what they deserve,
For the teacher in their poverty is alone.
The home is empty if they own it,
And their pocket holds nothing except secrecy.
The worry of a white-haired head, like chalk from anxiety,
And the body grows thin from nutrient deficiency.
Neither the wage feeds the children and their mother,
Nor does it fend off disease; yet he remains a devoted scholar.
A son calls out: “My shoe hurts me,”
While a struggling spouse keeps him awake, yet she is pregnant.
And at the month-end, death comes to him when,
The bills arrive as torrents, just like rain.
He will not reach the peaks teaching generations,
While worry and sorrow lay upon his shoulders.
This educator deserves to receive
Some form of respect and some fading dignity.
Poem: Without the Teacher, There Would Be No Doctors
Proclaimed by Wael Jaha:
If it were not for the teacher, there would be no doctors,
Nor would builders innovate in construction.
So, honor him and do not be harsh, for
Only those afflicted with ignorance would insult him.
The sickness of ignorance with humiliation will bury us,
And knowledge is a light that revives glory.
O my teacher, you will remain my guiding lamp, even if
You drift away from me, for the souls are lifted.
Poem: From My Teacher, Knowledge Is Achieved
As expressed by Yousef Al-Thalith:
From my teacher, knowledge is realized,
Truly, the honored ones recognize their value.
Those who preserve it have delicate ties,
Pleased with what faith and Islam uphold.
They find solace in the assembly of guidance,
And are firm against all forms of deviation.
As for me, I respond to their inquiries,
When they ask, “From where did you gain wisdom and blessings?”
O people, were it not for my Lord’s guidance, there would be none,
In my forgiveness, all would covet.
Especially those who wield the sword,
That leaves gashes in the heart while it’s only a word.
Someone who wanders through every valley, just as
The delusion played with the madman’s dreams.
Time brought back days long gone,
To balance opinions and judgments.
I used to excuse the foolish for their folly,
And marveled at what time brings.
As for you, you who raise the banner,
For knowledge is indeed the finest faction.
Your hearts turned to me with affection,
That fulfills the bonds of loyalty and covenant.
Your eyes gazed at me in vigilance,
Sending prayers even when their eyes are asleep.
I shall clarify what I intended to express,
And I state that my wisdom lies in firmness.
Patience through easy and hard times,
Is a decree long since written.
It’s required from me to yield to my Lord, when
Neither the enemy nor submission prevails.
My intention was directed towards God’s decree,
And either to uphold or annul it.
I supported those who stumbled, helping those who,
Through their desires, have lost their footing.
And upheld the obligation of generosity in actions,
So that existence may transform into peace and blessings.
In every truth that is revealed within
The arena of knowledge, the race is unreachable.
The mark of arrows is guided in their pursuit,
Yet they are distant, so they cease their quest.
As the soldiers and fervor entwine,
There’s no submission nor hesitation to stand behind.
I am Yousfi, holding firmly to my homeland,
That Baghdad recognizes its merit while Sham confirms.
Indeed, you are the scholars and the stars,
That shine and ally their brightness with completion.
My excuse speaks clearly regarding what transpired,
And I implore you to avoid blame.
No one continues to elevate the worth of each of you,
With honor, respect, and esteem.
Poem: The Teacher, A Symbol of Resilience
Written by Abdul Kareem Al-Falali:
Allow me to express without constraints,
For I am the teacher, a symbol of resilience.
Let me articulate what I feel
And shout: No! No! And you are witnesses!
They claim our education is dying,
A sickly structure despite our efforts.
We ask the reason behind this decline,
And we find folly without response.
And the teacher becomes a target of blame,
While the guilt lies in the confines of these constraints.
We have been made fields to cultivate,
The experiences of those beyond our borders.
And we remain as puppets on display,
Wearing garments that resemble our forefathers’ attire.
We continue to fight on the fronts,
Repelling intrusions like valiant soldiers.
If the principal arrives with a scowl,
He sees in decorum a breach of oaths.
And the inspector comes after the principal,
Searching for any mistake in efforts etched.
He becomes active once he sees his wish,
And turns my missteps to fuel his fire.
Every steed has a stumble,
And with the stumble, one must be generous.
The committees come forth, brought by factions,
And the judgment rises above it all.
They declared: “We discipline him to prevent a repetition,”
While the iciness receives them with disdain.
And I exchanged sharp thorns for roses,
As the students have gripped my heart.
And their love surpasses all bounds.
I urged them to respect all visitors,
Greeted them warmly as they rise to sit down.
If flaws appear clearly and evidently,
Let us surround the mystery of stagnation.
Curricula, programs, sources, regulations,
Restraints and chains, chains and chains.