Training is the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one’s capability, capacity and performance. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides a backbone.
Islam has played a very vital and critical role in shaping the civilization of the world. Let it be in the field of modern civilization, astronomy, chemistry, medical science, social science, art and culture, etc. The Qur’ān not only talks about history, science, economics, society and politics but also gives us a lot of tips on training. We get to learn a lot not only from the Qur’ān but also from the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him). The Qur’ān acts as a theoretical guide and the life of Prophet Muhammad acts as a practical guide. Thus Islam delivers both theoretical and practical training to mankind.
The Qur’ān also teaches us that if something has to be implemented, it should be done gradually, stage by stage. If it is imposed at one shot, then there are great chances that the concept may be revolted by the people. One of the best examples is the prohibition of alcohol at the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him). Ayat 219 of Surah Al-Baqarah was the first injunction concerning intoxicating drinks and gambling and here the matter is merely an expression of disapproval. This was a preliminary step designed to prepare the minds of people for the acceptance of their prohibition. The injunction prohibiting the performance of Prayer while in a state of intoxication came later in Ayat 43 of Surah An-Nisa and ultimately alcohol, gambling and the like were categorically prohibited in Ayat 90 of Surah Al-Maidah.
We also learn from the Qur’ān that one of the best means of learning and communicating the message is through stories. The stories mentioned in the Qur’ān contain a lot of wisdom in it, which we should try to understand and implement. The stories of Prophets do teach us a lot of things, such as from the life of Prophet Ibrahim we learn to trust upon Allah, from the life of Prophet Ayub we learn patience, from the life of Prophet Luqman we learn wisdom, from the life of Prophet Nooh we learn propagation, from the life of Ismail we learn obedience and from the life of Prophet Yusuf we learn about a good character and so on.
We need to learn to keep the message short, especially in the initial stage of teaching a concept. When we analyse the part of the Qur’ān revealed in the Makkan period, most of the ayaats were very short and simple, so that people could easily understand and memorise them. One of the best examples is the revelation of Surah Ikhlas which explains the concept of oneness of God in a very simple manner. It was a Surah which was revealed during the early stage of the mission, because during this period the basic teachings of the religion was presented in short sentences and their explanation was given in later Surahs.
The Qur’ān, for the better understanding of the readers also gives the examples of different kinds. It uses the example of a spider’s web to explain those who take allies other than Allah (Qur’ān 29:41); it uses the example of a crow to teach us to respect the fellow being (Qur’ān 5:31); it uses the example of an ant to teach us to be grateful to Allah even when in power (Qur’ān, 27:18-19); it uses the example of a dog to explain the materialistic people (Qur’ān 17:176); it uses the example of a donkey to teach us how to behave in the society (moderate in your pace and lower your voice) and for the people having the divine guidance and not acting as per it (Qur’ān 31:19) and it also uses the example of a horse to explain man to be faithful and grateful to God (Qur’ān 100: 1-8).
The best way of training a person is through good company. In the companionship of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him), many people grew to great heights from nothing. Bilal grew from a slave to chief secretary, Zubair grew from a street fighter to a brave soldier, Musab bin Umair grew from a soft spoken person to a chief negotiator, Hamza grew from a hunter to a battalion commander, Umar grew from an angry man to a great statesman and Ayesha grew from a housewife to a narrator, medical practitioner, and statistician, etc.
As a trainer, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) placed emphasis on training by example and spreading useful knowledge. He was particularly interested in nourishing up young minds and preparing them to take their place as future leaders. Most of his companions were young men and women eager to learn and apply what they learned. He encouraged questions and spoke in short, clear sentences, easy to understand and remember. He encouraged people to seek knowledge and to teach others, starting with their families.
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) also uses examples to explain various concepts. For example, he gives the example of a dog licking its own vomit for a person who reclaims anything he has made over to another by way of donation or gift. In another Hadith, the Blessed Prophet said, “Verily, Allah is more delighted with the repentance of His slave than a person who lost his camel in a desert land and then finds it (unexpectedly).” (Bukhari and Muslim). Human brain has a number of limitations to understand a lot of things, thus things need to be made very simple for people to understand. In this Hadith, he uses an example of the happiness of finding a camel which is lost in order to show how much Allah will be delighted if we seek his repentance. From this we learn that in order to explain things more effectively we need to give examples.
Islam places reading as a very important tool to train people. In the world before Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him), reading was generally used to be the prerogative of the royal family, of the families of the nobles and aristocrats, and of the clerical and priestly classes. Others were often discouraged or even prevented from learning to read and write; in some instances, they were punished. When Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) was born, people were living in the period of ignorance, because since the demise of Prophet Jesus, no messenger had come to warn the people, thus they had drifted into a state of ignorance. Only a habit of reading will help the individual to remove him from the state of Ignorance and take him to the stage of Caution. Elizabeth Hardwick has rightly said, “The greatest gift is a passion for reading.”
But the situation changed completely after Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) was granted prophethood. The first commandment given by Allah was not to pray, not to do Dawah, not to give Charity, not to Fast, but the very first word revealed from Allah commanded everyone everywhere, male as well as female, to read. “Read”, said the Qur’ān to the world in the middle of the 7th century, and the world never looked back therefrom. The gift of universal male and female literacy, across races and classes, is one of the most profound ways in which Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) trained the people, which in turn changed the world. Will Rogers has rightly said, “A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people.”
Regular reading has a lot of benefits to offer. It increases one’s knowledge and improves both memory and understanding and it also helps the individual to build his spirituality and intellectualism. In simple words, reading is the process of training an individual in all aspects. Margaret Fuller has rightly said, “Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.”
When we observe a Hadith, we find that the Prophet has kept it short and sweet, for people to easily understand, remember and follow. For example, he said, “Cleanliness is half the Faith” (Musnad Ahmed), “Ablution is the key for Salah” (Dailimy), “Supplication is the essence of worship” (Tirmidhi), “Look before you drink water” (Muslim), “Being modest is the essence of Iman” (Tirmidhi), “Politeness if half Iman” (Dailimy), “Indecency is an injustice” (Musnad Ahmed), “Control your anger” (Ibn Abidduniya Al-Qarshi), “Skipping supper will weaken you” (Dailimy) and many more like this. From this we also learn that he spoke directly, to the point.
We also get to learn few tips of teaching from the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him). He said: “Teach! Make things easy! And do not make things complicated! He repeated this three times and then he added: And if you get angry, keep quiet!” (Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani, Al-Matalib Al-Aliyah and Ahmad Ibn Hanbal)
As per Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him), Allah has made every Prophet a Shepherd. The Prophet said, “Allah did not send any prophet but shepherd sheep.” His companions asked him, “Did you do the same?” The Prophet replied, “Yes, I used to shepherd the sheep of the people of Makkah for some Qirats.” (Bukhari). Being a Shepherd was a form of training given to the Prophets. Being a Shepherd one learns to be generous, truthful, trustworthy, learns the art of leadership, develops tolerance, learns organising and controlling, makes a person socially responsible, learns the art of caring and loving, helps a person to learn the art of Parent Ego and makes a person physically strong.
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) laid emphasis on training the people at a very young age, as that is the age where they easily adopt and learn things and implement it in their lives in the future. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) said, “Order your children to pray at the age of seven. And beat them (lightly) if they do not do so by the age of ten.” (Abu Dawood).
From the Hadith we learn that we need to make things easy for students. A teacher should not try to complicate matters. In order to teach effectively, the teacher must know his material very well. For this adequate preparation is necessary. In order to communicate effectively, it is essential to keep the intellectual level of the audience in mind. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) would teach people according to their level of understanding. We also learn that the important thing needs to be repeated three times. We need to learn to keep our cool, if the trainer gets frustrated; he should remain quiet and under no circumstances should vent ire on the students.
Some days Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) would not teach the companions. They asked him the reason. He answered that he did not want to bore them or make it too much for them. He did not believe in contentious training but in giving breaks so that their minds could be refreshed.
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) came with the most important training. He was sent by none other than the Creator. Therefore, it stands to reason that Allah has chosen Prophet Muhammad because he would be the best trainer for this all important message.
The best tip on training is given by Prophet Muhammad himself where he says, “The best among you is he who learns and teaches the Qur’ān” (Bukhari) and the Qur’ān in turn says, “There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for everyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and (who) remembers Allah alone.” (Qur’ān 33:21). Thus the Qur’ān and the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) are the best source of training for every man and woman.