From One Teacher to Another: 10 Reflections for New Madrasah Teachers

When I first started teaching, it’s been some years now, Alhamdulillah, I wish I had people I could go to for advice. These are just some reflections from my own journey that I hope may benefit new madrasah teachers. If it inspires even one of you, perhaps Allah will reward me, inshā’Allāh.

1. Recognise Your Worth

Over time, the value of a madrasah teacher has slowly diminished in people’s eyes. Tell someone you’re a doctor, and they’ll admire you, “you save lives!” But tell them you’re a madrasah teacher, and few will understand that you’re saving souls from Jahannam.

That’s exactly what you’re doing. You are the means through which the name of Allah will continue to be taken by the next generation.

Your worth isn’t measured by qualifications, income, or recognition from people. Your pay is with Allah. Your value is with Rasulullah ﷺ.

You are doing the very work that every Prophet was sent to do, teaching, guiding, nurturing ma'rifah. Don’t let people’s opinions make you forget your status.

How fortunate you are, to work for Rasulullah ﷺ, serving his Ummah, continuing his mission of spreading Allah’s noor.

2. Teaching Is an Art

Being learned is one thing; being able to teach is another. Not every ‘Ālim or ‘Ālimah is automatically a teacher, just like not every 18-year-old is automatically a driver. It takes training, patience, humility, and a lot of practice.

This doesn’t mean you’re not capable, many new ‘ulamā and ‘Ālimāt have incredible teaching instincts thanks to years of takrār sessions and anjuman practices in madrasah. But teaching is still an art that must be refined.

Read about teaching. Watch others. Observe classes. Attend training sessions whenever possible. Every good teacher was once a student of teaching.

Before you start teaching, visit another madrasah, watch how lessons are delivered, how behaviour is managed, how children are engaged. You’ll learn more in one observation than in a dozen books.

3. Understand Who You’re Teaching

When we were students, we were told: “You are the guest of Allah and the guest of Rasulullah ﷺ.”

That same advice applies to the children you now teach. Every single one of them is a guest of Allah and Rasulullah ﷺ. Treat them accordingly.

Children are not little adults. Teaching them requires gentleness, understanding, and connection.

Sometimes it’s hard to relate, especially if you’re not yet a parent. But remember, every child sitting before you is someone’s most precious treasure. They’ve been entrusted to you.

The one advice my sheikh gave to me when I started teaching was: “See every child as the child of Ādam عليه السلام, and treat them how you would treat the child of Ādam.”

Teach and discipline as though Rasulullah ﷺ himself were sitting in your class. How would you speak? How would you correct? That’s the essence of taqwā in teaching.

4. Fill Your Teaching with Rahmah

The first ḥadīth most of us study, “The merciful are shown mercy by The Most Merciful”, sets the tone for our entire mission as teachers.

Be firm, yes. But never forget compassion. Too much firmness can harden hearts, yours and theirs. Rasulullah ﷺ always sought to understand people and looked for the good in them before making any judgement.

Every child’s background, home, and emotional world is different. Some struggle silently. Some are fighting battles we’ll never see.

Be gentle. Be patient.

Many young teachers start off very strict. Over time, often after becoming parents, they soften. They finally understand what it means to handle a child with mercy. But by then, ten years have passed.

Start with rahmah from day one. You’ll never regret it.

5. You Are the Bridge Between Them and Allah

You’re not just teaching Arabic or Du‘ās or ḥadīth, you’re shaping hearts. You’re the bridge that connects your students to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.

If your teaching focuses only on content, that’s all they’ll take from you. But if your goal is to ignite their love for Allah, the Qur’an, and Rasulullah ﷺ, you’ll plant seeds that will grow for a lifetime.

Many children won’t go on to Darul Uloom or sit at the feet of scholars. You might be their only chance to fall in love with their Deen.

Never underestimate that responsibility. The madrasah years can either connect a child to Allah or distance them from Him. You are that bridge.

Your words, your tone, your smile, they matter far more than you realise.

6. It’s Not the End of the World If Targets Aren’t Met

Please don’t take this the wrong way, but if a child doesn’t meet all the madrasah targets, it’s really not the end of the world.

Yes, learning du‘ās, surahs, and Islamic studies is important. We should set high standards. But if the classroom becomes all about tests, pressure, and ticking boxes, we may lose the heart of madrasah itself.

Some places revolve around exams. And while testing has its place, it should never define the whole experience.

What truly is the end of the world?

It’s when a child learns all their salah du‘ās, but grows up never performing salah.

When a child memorises Surahs upon Surahs, but feels no connection to it.

When a child studies ḥadīth, but never connects to Rasulullah ﷺ.

When a child learns about Allah and the Ākhirah, but feels no awe and no conviction.

That is the real loss.

Our goal should be to nurture Īmān, not just memorisation. To awaken love, not just pass exams.

7. Teach with Fikr (Deep Concern)

Rasulullah ﷺ said, “I have been sent as a teacher.” The sahābah described him as one who was always filled with fikr, in deep concern and contemplation.

A teacher without fikr cannot truly impact hearts. Fikr makes you think:

• How can this lesson reach their hearts?

• How can I help my students live what they learn?

• How can I make this teaching relevant to their lives?

This kind of fikr takes time, time that isn’t paid for. But madrasah isn’t just a job within class hours; it’s a trust (amānah).

We must always stay alert, to what’s happening in our students’ lives, what trends or challenges they’re facing, and how we can protect and prepare them through our lessons.

And if you feel you don’t have this fikr yet, spend time with people who do. Sit with the elders, the teachers who cry in their du‘ās for their students. Their company will ignite fikr within you.

8. Your A’māl Is the Most Powerful Tool You Have

Your ‘amal, your action, will always speak louder than your ‘ilm.

Yes, ‘ilm is sacred and essential. But ‘amal is what gives ‘ilm its light. A teacher who acts upon what they teach will always have a stronger influence than one who only teaches with words. A ‘ālim may produce more ‘ulamā’, but an ‘āmil produces people of ‘amal.

I’ll share something personal. It was the 10th of Muḥarram. I reminded our teachers to encourage the older students to fast. That day, when I walked into the classes and asked, “Who’s fasting today?”, many students weren’t. In some classes, not a single one. And the teacher wasn’t either.

But there was one class where, when I asked the same question, every single student had fasted. The teacher of that class? He too was fasting.

That’s ‘amal.

Children naturally mirror their teachers. They copy what we do far more than what we say.

I once heard about a madrasah in which every student in one of the classes had a deep love for the Qur’an. They would recite it in their free time, not out of obligation, but love and passion. Later, one day I saw their teacher, and to my surprise, he was walking with a mus’haf in his hand, reciting Qur’an while he walked.

It all made sense.

Your ‘amal leaves an invisible but powerful mark on the hearts of your students. It shapes their priorities, their akhlaq, their connection to Allah, without a single word being spoken.

And remember, just as good deeds have barakah, sins carry nahūsah (ill effects). If we are involved in sins, knowingly or secretly, they may seep into our environment and even affect the hearts of our students.

So be mindful. The most effective teachers are those whose ‘amal preaches before their tongue does.

9. Du‘ā, Du‘ā, Du‘ā

Never underestimate the power of your du‘ā.

I still remember, one of my teachers once visited my home. As he was leaving, I asked him to make du‘ā for me. He smiled and said, “I always make special du‘ās for you.”

That sentence stayed with me. It honestly meant more than anything.

We are all serving the Deen today, as a result of the du‘ās of someone. Our parents. Our teachers. Our elders. Their du‘ās paved the way for our honour.

So make du‘ā for your students, by name, from the heart. Make du‘ā that Allāh opens their chests for His dīn, makes them people of the Qur’an and Sunnah, protects them from the fitan of this age, and allows them to carry the light of Islām far beyond what you could.

Even when a student frustrates you, still make du‘ā for them. Sometimes the ones who test your patience the most are the ones who need your du‘ā the most. Who knows, they may even become the means of your entry into Jannah, as it is often those who mess about the most who ultimately serve the Deen the most.

Don’t be stingy with your du‘ās. You never know which one will be accepted.

10. Add Value to Your Madrasah — Beyond the Classroom

Every madrasah’s strength lies in its team, its teachers, its leadership, its shared vision.

You are not “just” a teacher. You are part of the backbone of your madrasah. If you realised how much impact one sincere teacher can have, you’d never underestimate yourself again.

Our madāris often lack resources, manpower, and time. Many responsibilities fall on a few shoulders, and the reality is, there’s only so much they can do.

That’s why, when teachers step up to help, especially beyond their classroom hours, it makes an enormous difference. Whether it’s helping with a programme, assisting with administration, or simply sharing new ideas, these efforts breathe life into the madrasah.

Yes, you might not get paid for it. Yes, it might not even be acknowledged. But do it for Allāh. Do it for the children. Do it for the madrasah that shaped you, and for the Ummah that will benefit from your efforts.

Because the reward that awaits you is far beyond any payslip.

“Whatever good you put forth for yourselves, you will find it with Allāh.” (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:110)

So that’s it for now.

I need to go catch my taxi to Madinah airport InshaAllah.

Alhamdulillah, I was blessed to write these reflections while travelling on the train from Makkah to Madinah, and to complete them while sitting close to the Rawdah of our beloved Rasulullah ﷺ.

I pray that Allah accepts these humble efforts, accepts all our madrasah teachers, and accepts every madrasah around the country and across the world.

May Allah allow us to instill in our students His love, the love of Rasulullah ﷺ, the love of the Qur’an, and the love of this beautiful Deen.

May Allah grant us the ability to nurture and raise students who will become the Ālūsī, the ‘Asqalānī, the Ghazālī, the Rūmī, and the Salahuddīn of their time.

Ameen Ya Rabbal Alamīn.