Lecture 1 - Importance & Introduction of Topic

IMPORTANCE & INTRODUCTION OF THE TOPIC By: Muhammad Mugheerah Luqman Riphah International University, LHR Ethics in Practice - 1 Importance of the Topic In the context of World War -II, 6 million Jews were exterminated and tortured. Those w...

IMPORTANCE & INTRODUCTION OF THE TOPIC By: Muhammad Mugheerah Luqman Riphah International University, LHR Ethics in Practice - 1 Importance of the Topic In the context of World War -II, 6 million Jews were exterminated and tortured. Those who facilitated these atrocities were doctors and physicians. It was shocking for the world because physicians are taught throughout their profession how to save lives, but these physicians experienced how to take that life and bring down apocalypse upon humanity. Therefore, One of the Holocaust survivors, Dr. Haim Ginott stated on the education system: “I am a survivor of a concentration camp. My eyes saw what no person should witness: gas chambers built by learned engineers. Children poisoned by educated physicians. Infants killed by trained nurses. Women and babies shot by high school and college graduates. So, I am suspicious of education. My request is this: Help your children become human. Your efforts must never produce learned monsters, skilled psychopaths or educated Eichmanns. Reading, writing, and arithmetic are important only if they serve to make our children more human. There were those who criticized but they did not have any alternative. The same education system is prevailing today where engineers and physicians are in the process of developing numerous weapons of mass destruction. It is said that there is no power greater than knowledge. Therefore, it is extremely important that the seeker of knowledge is trained and provided with a specific type of intelligence that which we can call the ethical or the moral intelligence. If they are not nurtured with ethical or moral intelligence which will direct and guide them in terms of their usage of knowledge, they might end up in causing destruction rather than benefit. Therefore, Islam is extremely particular about teaching its students ethics before knowledge because a misleading scholar can cause more problem than the physicians and others. According to one of the weak narrations, the Prophet SAW said: )‫ مرسل‬:‫" (خترجي مشاكة إملصابيح‬.‫خيار إلعلام ِّء‬ ُ ‫إخلري‬ َ ‫ وإ َّن‬،‫إلّش رش ُإر إلعلام ِّء‬ ِّ ‫خري‬ ِّ ‫رش َّ ر‬ َّ ‫"أال إ َّن‬ The worst of the evil is the evil of scholars and the best of the good is the good of scholars.” Outcome of the Islamic Education System The Islamic education system strongly emphasizes on the importance of nurturing students with the ethics and morals before they are provided with the knowledge. One such example is of a second century polymath, Abd Allah b. Mubarak (may Allah have mercy on him) who said: )446/1 :‫" (غاية إلهناية‬.‫ و اكنوإ (إلسلف) يطلبون إلدب قبل إلعمل‬.‫ وطلبت إلعمل عّشين س نة‬،‫"طلبت إلدب ثالثني س نة‬ “I have acquired ethics for thirty years of my life and acquired knowledge for twenty years. And they (our predecessors) used to acquire ethics before knowledge.” One great characteristic of this scholar is that he is revered by all schools of thought. Therefore, Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) stated: Page 1 of 2  "...‫ إالمام إجملع عىل إمامته وجاللته يف لك ش ئي‬،‫ إبو عبد إلرمحن‬،‫"عبد ہللا إبن مبارک‬ “Abd Allah b. Mubarak, Abu Abd al-Rahman, an Imam whose honor and leadership in everything is accepted by all.” One of the great scholars, Ismail b. Ayyaash (may Allah have mercy on him) stated about him: ‫ وال أعمل أن ہللا خلق خصةل من خصال إخلري إال وقد جعلها ہللا يف عبد ہللا‬،‫"ما عىل وجه إلرض مثل عبد ہللا بن إملبارك‬ ".‫بن إملبارك‬ “I have not seen anyone on the face of the earth like Abd Allah b. Mubarak and I do not know any good quality except that I have seen in Abdl Allah b. Mubarak.” Similarly, another great scholar, Imam Sufyan b. Uyainah (may Allah have mercy on him) stated: ".‫ مفا رأيت هلم عليه فضال إال بصحبهتم إلنيب صىل ہللا عليه وسمل وغزومه معه‬،‫"نظرت يف أمر إلصحابة وأمر إبن مبارك‬ “I have seen the matter of Sahabah and the matter of Abd Allah b. Mubarah, and I have not seen any difference other than their companionship with the Prophet and their presence in wars with him.” It is important to look at Abd Allah b. Mubarak’s dealing with the Jewish community and compare it with the atrocities carried out against them by Nazi Germany. Abdullah Ibn Mubarak’s (Rahimahullah) neighbor was a Jew. He would feed him and take care of him. Someone said to the Jew: “Sell us your house.” He answered: “My house is for two thousand Dīnārs.” The potential buyer was shocked and exclaimed that usually such houses are worth a thousand Dīnārs only. The Jew replied: “One thousand is for the price of the house and one thousand is for having Ibn Mubarak as a neighbour!” Ibn Mubārak (Rahimahullah) heard of this and exclaimed: “O’ Allāh, guide him to Islām.” Allāh Ta’ālā accepted the Duā of Ibn Mubārak (Rahimahullah) and eventually the Jew entered the fold of Islām. Page 2 of 2