What Are the Proper Intentions to Be Made When Teaching?
Answered by Shaykh Jamir Meah
Question: Assalamu alaykum
I am a school teacher and I absolutely love my job. What intentions should I have every time I go into school to maximise the amount of reward I can get while teaching?
Answer: Wa’alaykum assalam. Jazakum Allah for your question. May Allah reward you for striving to direct your intention at work to something meaningful.
Alhamdulillah, it is always a great blessing to work in a field that one enjoys, as this is not always possible for people. Despite this, every work can be rewarded if the right intentions are made, as the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Actions are according to intentions’ [al Bukhari, Muslim].
Teaching
Teaching is a particularly rewarding profession but also one that demands a lot of responsibility. As a teacher, it is not only the information that you deliver and pass onto students that matters, but also your persona and state. School teachers often spend more time with children in a weekday than the parents do, and this makes the responsibility and influence of the teacher very substantial. Among the noble sayings of the beloved Prophet ﷺ in regards teaching is,
‘Teach others, make things easy, and do not make things difficult. When one of you is angry, he should remain silent.’ [Musnad Ahmad]
Intention
In teaching, one could make the following intentions:
1. To seek Allah’s Pleasure and reward through teaching
2. To benefit oneself and others through beneficial knowledge
3. To nurture and develop future generations in a wholesome and proper manner
4. To fulfil a communal obligation for the sake of Allah Most High
5. To gain self-sufficiency and earn a halal income
6. To fulfil any duties to one’s dependents through a lawful income
7. To give charity to the poor through earnings
8. To show exemplary character in your behaviour and work so that students and colleagues are positively influenced and have a good opinion of the religion and Muslims in general
9. To use the intellect, skills, and physical ability that Allah has given you to help others for His sake
10. To uphold religious observances while being engaged and struggling with worldly duties
You may also find the following answer beneficial, as it includes other intentions which may be relevant as well as practical considerations:
How Do I Make My Nursing Career as Worship?
Warmest salams,
[Shaykh] Jamir Meah
Shaykh Jamir Meah grew up in Hampstead, London. In 2007, he traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he spent nine years studying the Islamic sciences on a one-to-one basis under the foremost scholars of the Ribaat, Tarim, with a main specialization and focus on Shafi’i fiqh. In early 2016, he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continues advanced studies in a range of Islamic sciences, as well as teaching. Jamir is a qualified homeopath.
