Importance of Education in Islam

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Islam is the religion of peace, which has given us guidance in every aspect of life. Islam has given us education with knowledge which has no limits. The Holy Quran is the most sacred book of Allah revealed on Prophet Muhammad (SAW), for the upliftment guidance and enriched messages to the humanity.
Education is the knowledge of putting one's potentials to maximum use. Without education, no one can find the proper right path in this world.

This importance of education is basically for two reasons. Education makes man a right thinker. Without education, no one can think properly in an appropriate context. It tells man how to think and how to make decision. The second reason for the importance of education is that only through the attainment of education, man is enabled to receive information from the external world. It is well said that
"Without education, man is as though in a closed room and with education he finds himself in a room with all its windows open towards outside world." This is why Islam attaches such great importance to knowledge and education. When the Quran began to be revealed, the first word of its first verse was 'Iqra' that is, read..

Our Holy Prophet (SAW), said,
Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave.
And:
Seek knowledge even [if it is to be found in a place as distant as China. At the battle of Badr, in which our beloved Holy Prophet (SAW) gained victory over his foes, seventy people of the enemy rank were taken to prison. These prisoners were literate people. In order to benefit from their education the Prophet declared that if one prisoner teaches ten children how to read and write, this will serve as his ransom and he will be set free. This was the first school in the history of Islam established by the Prophet himself with all its teachers being non-Muslims. The Sunnah of the Prophet shows that education is to be received whatever the risk involved.

Today, we are acquiring good ideas, thoughts, knowledge, and skills, from all corners of the world. The world is moving very fast, and in this fast moving world, it is the duty of the teachers to give quality ethical integrated education to the students worldwide, because children are invaluable assets of future generations.

The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) encouraged all to acquire knowledge and share it. He said:
"Acquire knowledge, for he who acquires it in the way of Allah performs an act of piety; he who speaks of it, praises the Lord; he who seeks it, adores Allah; he who dispenses instruction in it, bestows alms; and he who imparts it to others, performs an act of devotion to Allah." (Bukhari, Muslim).

Islam always encourages education and one must acquire both the religious and the modern education because the religious education gives us the values and makes us a better human being and the modern education for day to day dwellings.