5.2 Methods of Public Instruction

Prophet Muhammad was always eager to establish contacts with people. He felt that it provided him an opportunity to convey his message to them. In this process if some people accepted his message, he used to arrange for a few special sittings with them. If those people evinced more interest to stay and learn about the basic tenets of Islam, the Prophet used to arrange for their tuition besides their boarding and lodging.

Malik bin Huwairith, who was one such student, described his stay with the Prophet. He said that they were all young people of more or less same age group and they stayed with the Prophet for twenty days.

The Prophet also used to encourage his companions to participate in all the assemblies where knowledge was taught. Whenever they happened to be near the gardens of paradise, he urged them to graze as much as possible. When the companions asked him what he meant by the gardens of paradise, he explained that they were nothing but the places where knowledge was conveyed. (Tirmidhi, 2000, Hadith No 3432).

At the same time he insisted perfection in all their doing. He once declared, “When you do something, God likes you to do it perfectly” (Muttaqi al-Hindi, 1989, Vol.3, Hadith No. 9128, p.907)

The Prophet used to train his disciples to do things systematically and one after another. When he sent Muadh to Yemen as his representative he instructed him to follow his guidelines one by one. Since he was going to the “People of the Book” namely Jews and Christians he directed him to invite them to accept and declare that none had the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad was His Apostle. If it was accepted, he had to announce that God commanded them to observe five times prayer. Even if it was accepted, he had to announce that God had made poor due compulsory on them, which had to be collected from the rich and paid to the poor. (Bukhari, 1971, Vol.2, Hadith No: 573, p.333)

In addition the Friday congregation where a sermon precedes the ritual prayer provided an opportunity to the Prophet to meet the whole community and convey his messages, teachings, instructions etc.