Suhaib’s Friends Go to School

Ask our children:

1. Why do we go to school?
2. Which type of school should we go to?
3. What should we do if we are going to the wrong school?

Now tell them the story:

Suhaib, Salmaan and Saleem were three boys who were good friends with one another from the time they were small children. Even when they were in the maktab madrasah, they always sat together, learnt their work together and tested one another their sabaq.

Now that they were a little bigger, Salmaan and Saleem no longer came to madrasah. It was only Suhaib who still came, every afternoon, to learn deen from his Moulana.

The reason was that Suhaib was home-schooled, so he would finish his school work in the morning, and was still free to come to madrasah in the afternoon. As for Salmaan and Saleem, then they had both started attending different schools which kept them busy the whole morning and the whole afternoon. In fact, they were so busy, that Suhaib seldom saw them in the musjid for salaah anymore!

One day, Suhaib was at the supermarket with his father when he saw his old friend, Salmaan. He hadn’t met Salmaan in months, and now when he saw him, he got a shock! This was not the same Salmaan that he knew before! The Salmaan he used to know always wore a kurta and topi, but now Salmaan was wearing a short pants, above his knees, and he was not wearing a topi, but instead his hair was cut in a funny style, bald on the sides and long on top. Suhaib was so shocked that he almost forgot how to make salaam!

The next day, Suhaib saw another old friend – Saleem. Once again, he got a shock, as Saleem was being very friendly with some girls and chatting to them, whereas before, he would not even look at girls, let alone talk to them.

That evening, when Suhaib went for salaah, he looked around in the musjid and saw that once again, his friends had not come for salaah. Previously, the three of them would always be together in the saff, reading their fardh and sunnah salaah together.

Suhaib’s heart was heavy and he was sad and worried about his two friends. Not knowing what to do, Suhaib went to his Moulana after esha and explained what he had noticed, and told Moulana about his worry for his two friends. Moulana said to him, “May Allah Ta‘ala reward you for worrying about the deen of your friends! A good friend is the one who brings you closer to Allah Ta‘ala! Don’t worry – what you should do is tell Salmaan and Saleem that I am missing them and I want to see them. I am calling them to my home for tea on Saturday morning. You should also come, and tell them that we are making cupcakes and dessert specially for them – so they better come!”

Suhaib contacted his two friends, gave them Moulana’s message, and was happy when they responded saying that they would come.

When Saturday came, Suhaib performed two rakaats of salaah and made special dua for Allah Ta‘ala to keep him firm upon deen, and to guide his two friends as well. Thereafter, he proceeded to Moulana’s house.

Suhaib, Salmaan and Saleem arrived at Moulana’s door at the same time, and as they stood at the door, the smell of the hot, fresh cupcakes made their mouths water! Moulana opened the door, called them inside, and after enjoying the tea, biscuits and cupcakes, Moulana began to speak to them.

Moulana said to them, “Salmaan and Saleem! I don’t see you anymore! I am missing you, you know, but it seems like the two of you don’t miss me at all!” They immediately replied, “No Moulana! We do miss you, but we have just been very busy with school!”

Moulana asked them, “Which schools are you going to?” Salmaan replied that he was going to a Christian school, and Saleem mentioned that he was going to a Muslim school. Moulana was unhappy and asked Salmaan, “Why are you going to a Christian school? You are a Muslim!” Salmaan replied, “Moulana! My parents said that it is a very good school. If I go to this school, I will get a good education, and then I will have a good chance of getting into university. Then after I qualify, I will make a lot of money and will become rich!”

Moulana replied, “It is important to learn how to read and write and to get a good education, but earning money is not based on our education. Allah Ta‘ala is the Provider. I can show you many people who have degrees, but they are not rich and are struggling to earn money. I can also show you many people, in our community, who did not even finish school, but they are the wealthiest people in the town. Allah Ta‘ala alone provides wealth – not our degrees and education.”

Moulana then asked Salmaan, “Tell me, do they have Christian prayers and hymns and songs in your school?” Salmaan replied, “Jee Moulana! There is a bible studies period, but I don’t take part in that period. But, in the assembly, they sing hymns, say Christian prayers, and sometimes, the priest even comes and gives a sermon.” Moulana was horrified and said, “What do you do at that time, Salmaan?” Salmaan said, “Nothing Moulana. I just sit there.”

Moulana said to him, “Salmaan, it is haraam for you to sit there! You are a Muslim! How can you sit in the place where the Christians are saying prayers and committing kufr! You must leave this school, and if your parents don’t let you leave this school, then at the least, your father must speak to the principle and tell him that you must be allowed to go away at that time!”

Next Moulana asked him, “Tell me, I haven’t seen you for the jumu’ah salaah. Where are you reading jumu’ah?” Salmaan replied, “Moulana! School only finishes at half-past-two. I go home and read zuhr salaah.” Moulana was most disappointed and said, “How can you miss the jumu’ah? If a Muslim continues to miss the jumu’ah, without a valid excuse, Allah Ta‘ala will punish him by sealing his heart! School is not a valid excuse! If your parents won’t listen and take you out from this school, then they must make arrangements for you to come out early on a Friday so that you can come for the jumu’ah salaah.”

Moulana thereafter said, “Salmaan, these are just some of the problems in your school. I’m sure that there is no purdah in your school, and women are teaching the boys as well, and there is music, photography and videoing, and many other wrongs and sins, such as the boys’ satar being exposed when they change in the locker rooms for PE, and when they swim or play sport. You need to leave this school, but if your parents don’t let you, then try your best to stay away from the sins and make istighfaar every day for being in that evil place. I am only telling you this because I have love for you in my heart. I would not like to see your deen suffering, and I would not like to see you going to Jahannum. Already, I can see that this school is affecting you. You no longer wear a kurta and topi, and your haircut is a kaafir style haircut. Whatever you do – do not become friends with the non-Muslims. Keep only Muslim friends, make sure that you come to the Musjid, and continue coming to madrasah when you can so that you do not forget your duas, surahs and everything else you learnt.”

Salmaan said, “Moulana, jazaakallah! You have opened my eyes! I appreciate what you told me! I will speak to my parents insha Allah!”

Just then, Saleem spoke and said, “Moulana! I am going to a Muslim school, but some of the problems you mentioned to Salmaan are also found in my school. We have boys and girls in my school and sometimes they meet up and get together. We also have male and female teachers and the female teachers don’t wear any purdah. We also have videoing and photography in my school!”

Moulana replied, “Unfortunately, many schools are like that. The sad part is that most people who go to these schools don’t even realize the sins that they are involved in, so then they don’t make any taubah or istighfaar. That is why the best thing is to be home-schooled so that you will be saved from all the sin and haraam.”

Then, Moulana said, “When a student is home-schooled, then he can make sure that he only learns that which is correct in Islam. He will not learn evil and haraam things. In schools today, the students are taught things that are evil and haraam, and some of these things even cause a person to lose his imaan and stop being a Muslim.”

Salmaan and Saleem were wide-eyed and asked, “Really! Like what, Moulana?” Moulana said, “They teach Darwin’s theory of human evolution. This theory says that humans were first monkeys, and then slowly they became more and more clever and evolved until they became humans. This is completely wrong and haraam and goes against the Qur’aan and Hadith. In the Qur’aan and Hadith, Allah Ta‘ala and Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) tell us that Allah Ta‘ala created Nabi Aadam (‘alaihis salaam) from sand and placed the soul in him, and all of mankind are his children. We are not descended from apes, monkeys and baboons. If anyone believes this wrong, foolish theory that is taught in the schools, he will lose his imaan and become a kaafir.

“They also teach the Big Bang theory – that this entire universe came into existence on its own through a huge explosion. This is wrong, as the Qur’aan and Hadith teach us that Allah Ta‘ala alone created the entire creation and universe. Again, if anyone believes this wrong, foolish theory that is taught in the schools, he will lose his imaan and become a kaafir.”

Salmaan and Saleem now realised that there were many problems, evils and sins in the school, and if it was not for their friend, Suhaib, being worried about them, they would not have come to Moulana who opened their eyes, warned them of the dangers, and showed them the right from the wrong.

They both decided that they would speak to their parents, and if their parents would not listen, then they would do their best to stay away from the evil and haraam. Also, they would come and sit with Moulana as often as possible, so that he could warn them of the dangers, correct their mistakes and show them how to keep their deen safe.

Lessons:

1. A person goes to school to learn how to read and write, and to learn other basic, important skills. Going to school and receiving an education does not mean that a person will one day become rich and wealthy, as it is Allah Ta‘ala alone who provides sustenance and wealth.
2. We should go to a school where the laws of Islam are not broken and where wrong things are not taught. The school should not have kufr prayers, music, satar being exposed, males and females mixing without purdah, videoing and photography, and kufr beliefs such as Darwin’s theory and the Big Bang theory must not be taught. It is best for us to be home-schooled so that we can be saved from the evils and wrongs.
3. If we are going to a school in which sins and evils are found, we must speak to our parents and tell them to take us out from such a school. If they do not want to take us out, then we must do our best to stay away from all the sins and evils, and must continue to make taubah and istighfaar every day. We must keep on visiting our Moulana so that he can guide us, and so that we do not forget the madrasah work that we learnt.