The Quran and the Prophet’s Sunnah offer numerous situations guiding us towards event-based education. What is mentioned in the Quran regarding events, expeditions, and situations could form a comprehensive educational encyclopedia; similarly, the Prophetic hadiths and biography embody this important and effective approach.
We are currently experiencing a monumental event, namely the “Al-Aqsa Flood” battle. We have no doubt that this battle will be recorded in our history among the great battles that transformed history, such as Badr, the Conquest of Mecca, Hittin, Ain Jalut, the Tours, the Masts, Sagrajas, Al-Uqab, Amorium, the Conquest of Andalusia, Samarkand, the Conquest of Sicily, Al-Qadisiyyah, Nahavand, Alcácer Quibir, Yarmuk, and other battles that completely shifted the course of history.
This requires us to address it from many diverse perspectives, especially the educational aspect, particularly with our children, mostly since the event is still heated. How can this event serve to build comprehensive personalities in our children?
This monumental event, unprecedented in our Ummah for decades, can benefit us in educating our children and building their characters, as follows:
Firstly: Faith-based Upbringing:
The first investment made in the battle of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” is faith-based education, due to two reasons:
Firstly, it is the first thing a Muslim is raised upon and the first thing he calls others to embrace. As to the former, Abdullah ibn Abbas narrated that when he was accompanying the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the Prophet placed his hand behind his back and said, “O boy, shall I teach you some words: Be watchful of Allah (Commandments of Allah), He will preserve you. Safeguard His rights; He will be ever with you. If you need assistance, supplicate to Allah Alone for help, and if you beg, beg of Him Alone. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried. By Him in whose hand Muhammad’s soul is, if all the nation strive to do harm to you, they will not be able to afflict you with anything other than that which Allah had pre-destined against you. (1) Here, he practically teaches Ibn Abbas the fundamentals of faith.
As for the latter, it is because when the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) sent Mu'adh to Yemen and instructed him, saying, “Invite the people to testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, and I am Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him), and if they obey you to do so, then teach them that Allah has enjoined on them five prayers in every day and night (in twenty-four hours), and if they obey you to do so, then teach them that Allah has made it obligatory for them to pay the Zakat from their property, and it is to be taken from the wealthy among them and given to the poor.” (2) So, the first call here is the call to monotheism and faith, followed by the obligations of Islam.
Secondly, the most prominent aspect of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” is the aspect of faith. The meanings of creed and belief are manifested most profoundly in what we witness in the course of the battle. The enemy's standpoint is merely fundamentally religious. Thus, the driving force behind resistance is protecting sanctities, liberating the land, preserving honor, and the willingness to advance rather than retreat, in hope of Allah’s pleasure and as a sacrifice for His satisfaction. This is what motivates the heroic mujahideen to embrace martyrdom, while the aggressors fear death and seek only the pleasures of life.
This dimension is evident in the reactions of the martyrs' families when losing a loved one. It reflects steadfastness, certainty, determination, and perseverance, all rooted in faith. Therefore, investing in this event from a standpoint of faith and creed is the most important thing parents can instill in their children.
This faith-based upbringing is the foundation of all types of education. It serves as a profound and comprehensive protection against various diseases—doctrinal, intellectual, and psychological—and it enhances activity, determination, continuous effort, and ongoing contribution.
Secondly: Intellectual Upbringing:
Intellectual education is one of the most important types of education that can be derived from this battle. Reading history, delving into divine social laws, and reflecting on reality based on the lessons of history and the divine laws deepen intellectual dimensions and, consequently, education.
What happens in the battle of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” is a chapter in a series of episodes of occupation and liberation. The occupation begins ferociously, then gradually diminishes, and resistance intensifies until it ultimately prevails, leading to the liberation of the land. The outcome is always in favor of the righteous.
It is necessary for Muslims to study the history of the Palestinian cause, the periods and stages it went through, whether occupation or conquest. They should read about the actions and ethics of both the occupiers and the liberators, comparing the behavior of each, which strengthens their conviction in their faith. The stark contrast between the ethics of the occupiers and the liberators is evident throughout history. It’s enough to look at the document of Umar ibn al-Khattab when he conquered Jerusalem, known as “Umar's Assurance,” which outlines the conduct of the conquerors towards both Muslims and non-Muslims.
“In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. This is the assurance of safety that the servant of Allah, Umar, the Commander of the Faithful, has given to the people of Aelia. He has given them an assurance of safety for themselves, for their property, for their churches, for their crosses, for the sick and healthy of the city, and for all the rituals that belong to their religion. Their churches will not be inhabited by Muslims and will not be destroyed. Neither they, nor the land on which they stand, nor their cross, nor their property will be damaged. They will not be forcibly converted. And Jews will not live in Aelia with them. The people of Jerusalem must pay the taxes like the people of other cities and must expel the Byzantines and the robbers. Those of the people of Jerusalem who want to leave with the Byzantines, take their property, and abandon their churches and crosses will be safe until they reach their place of refuge. The villagers [who had taken refuge in the city at the time of the conquest] may remain in the city if they wish but must pay taxes like the citizens. Those who wish may go with the Byzantines, and those who wish may return to their families. Nothing is to be taken from them before their harvest is reaped.
If they pay their taxes according to their obligations, then the conditions laid out in this letter are under the covenant of Allah and the responsibility of His Prophet, of the caliphs, and of the faithful.
Witnessed by: Khālid b. Walīd; ʿAmr b. al-ʿĀs; ʿAbd al-Rahmān b. al-ʿAwf; Muʿāwiya b. Abī Sufyān, and it was written and witnessed in the year 15 AH.” (3)
This is a covenant and agreement that needs no commentary when compared, for example, to what the Crusaders did when they entered Jerusalem!
Hence, event-based intellectual upbringing is very crucial, enabling the Muslim to address the cause, discuss it, and work towards it to firmly refute falsehoods and respond to misconceptions. Therefore, including it is a religious obligation and a practical necessity.
Thirdly: Ethical Upbringing:
It is known that ethics are the core of the message of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, as he said: “Indeed, I was only sent to perfect good character.” (4) The Quranic ayahs and Prophetic hadiths that indicate the importance, status, and rewards of ethics in this world and the Hereafter do not need further explanation, as they represent a code of conduct in Islam.
Ethical education, manifested in the “Al-Aqsa Flood” battle, can be evident in people's behavior towards each other, where Islamic ethics are embodied in rescue, chivalry, relief, solidarity, and cohesion.
Moreover, it is evident in the treatment of prisoners, which led many people to embrace Islam and was another victory for this battle. The testimonies of the “Israeli” captives embarrassed the occupation’s government and society as a whole, due to the good treatment they received from the resistance brigades, despite the enemy's atrocities of killing women, elders, children, the wounded, and the sick, and destroying the fabric of society!
All of this should be explained by parents to their children as a utilization of the event that’s still heated, so that the child becomes imbued with the greatness of Islam, increasing their pride and confidence in it, and comparing it to the brutality of the aggressive occupier enemy.
Fourthly: Jihad Upbringing:
Jihad is the peak of Islamic principles. Mu'adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “The root of this matter (foundation) is Islam, its pillar (mainstay is) As-Salat (the prayer) and its highest point is Jihad (fighting in the Cause of Allah).” (5) It is the honor of the Ummah, and abandoning it leads to humiliation and disgrace. Abdullah ibn Umar reported that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “If you sell anything on credit to anyone, on the condition that you will buy it back for a lower price (al-'Einah), take hold of the tails of cattle, become pleased with agriculture and give up Jihad - Allah will make disgrace prevail over you and will not remove it from you till you return to your religion.” (6)
The battle of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” is pure jihad, clear as day: occupying enemy, resistance brigades, blood flowing and souls lost, Allah choosing martyrs, and an atmosphere filled with the spirit of jihad. This is what children must be raised upon: love for jihad and longing for it. Today, more than ever, there is a great need to spread the concept of jihad.
Spreading the concept of “jihad,” its meanings, highlighting its true nature, and seeking its requirements, in truth, serves as one of the greatest objectives of Islam, especially in this era. This can be achieved by spreading its comprehensive Sharia methods, such as financial jihad, media jihad, jihad through words (articles, fatwas, videos), jihad against corrupted scholars, hypocrites, and disbelievers, and also jihad against negative emotions within oneself. Additionally, there is military jihad within its proper context and under Sharia regulations. All these forms of jihad require the active participation of the entire Muslim Ummah, with all its differences, in fulfilling the Sharia's objectives to adhere to its meanings and to fully support our brethren and the just causes of the Ummah.
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(1) The Selected Hadiths by Al-Maqdisi, (10/22).
(2) Sahih al-Bukhari (1395), narrated by Muslim (19) with slight variation.
(3) “International instruments on human rights,” by, Mahmoud Cherif Bassiouni, Vol. 2, Dar al-Shorouk, Cairo, 2003.
(4) Narrated by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad (8952), with a sound chain of narration.
(5) Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (2616), Ibn Majah (3973), Ahmad (22069), with a sound chain of narration.
(6) Narrated by Abu Dawood (3462), Al-Bazzar (5887), and Al-Tabarani in “Musnad al-Shamiyyin” (2417), Ibn Taymiyyah stated in Al-Fatawa Al-Kubra (6/45): Its chain of narration is authentic.
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