There is no alternative to education. Education is more important than any other thing, including natural resources. We must remember that once Muslims were great scientists and scholars. But time changed and a time came when the Arabs were not even aware of their own natural resource oil because of their lack of knowledge. It was the educated Americans who told them about oil, entered the Arab world and have been exploiting it for their advantages.
Indian Muslim community which is more backward than schedule castes needs education and our country needs educated communities for development, progress and prosperity. Education and education alone can bring good results for our dignified existence in the world. Why is it that we have forgotten the holy Qur’ānic assertion that an educated and an ignorant person cannot be the same and its exhortations for gaining knowledge? We should note that even a country like Spain is more developed than the oil rich Arab countries because more educated people are engaged in so many developmental activities there. It is only education which brings reputation and laurels to a community.
Some Muslims are giving lame excuses for their backwardness in education. They say that they are not getting jobs here. It is not correct. There are many companies which require talented people. Meritorious students are able to get placements in our country easily whatever may be their caste or religion. Our students should work hard and prove their mettle. We can earn more in our own country. There are also opportunities for them in some other countries, including the Arab countries, if they are interested and not able to get the jobs of their choice here. But one should not think that all the jobs available abroad are always good. Quite a large number of Indian people employed abroad are suffering due to some reason or the other. We must prefer jobs in our country.
There are also some Muslims who say that ours is a mercantile community and hence our educational backwardness. This is also a wrong notion. Education is not only for earning money. It is for overall development. We can be in business after getting good education for its better performance.
Education is equally necessary for women too. We cannot keep them who constitute 50% of our community ignorant. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) said if one has three daughters and educate and marry them well, he will go to Jannah. Education is also necessary for the present day woman to give good training and education to her children. Parents should sacrifice their luxury, entertainment and wasteful expenditure for the sake of education of their children. The Jamaats of the Mohalla mosques should create cordial atmosphere for education, help poor students and prevent drop-outs which are as high as 20% among Muslims in some areas in Chennai according to the survey conducted by the SIO.
Education also helps one in family managements. Parents should take troubles in educating their children, and students should work hard to get better education and come out with flying colours without wasting their time in seeing useless TV programmes or films. Students should work hard to achieve their goals.
From a speech given by Dr KVS Habeeb Muhammad in a public meeting organised by SIO in Chennai. Full report of the event by V M Khaleelur Rahman is available in Radiance and in his blog. More here and here
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