AhlulBayt News Agency: Senior Iranian cleric Grand Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli has elaborated on the lofty status of teachers, drawing on a narration from Imam Zayn al-Abidin (PBUH) which outlines the comprehensive rights owed to those who impart knowledge.
In remarks on the occasion of Teachers' Week in Iran, the revered Shia source of emulation said the position of a teacher carries a profound spiritual and moral weight, one that extends far beyond the mere transmission of information in a classroom.
Citing the treatise on rights by the fourth Shia Imam, Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him), Ayatollah Javadi Amoli detailed the duties of a student toward his or her teacher.
According to the narration, he said, the right of the teacher is that the student should hold the teacher in high esteem, honor the dignity of his gathering, listen attentively to him, and face him directly — meaning in the classroom, one should sit opposite the teacher.
The student should not raise his voice above that of the teacher. If someone asks the teacher a question, the student should not answer instead of him, but should allow the teacher himself to respond. One should not engage in conversation with others in the teacher's presence, nor should one speak ill of anyone in his company.
Furthermore, the student is duty-bound to defend the teacher against any harmful remarks, to conceal his shortcomings, and to make known his virtues. He should not associate with the teacher's enemies, nor should he harbor enmity toward the teacher's friends.
Ayatollah Javadi Amoli stressed that such conduct is not merely a matter of etiquette, but a reflection of a deeper spiritual reality. The reward for observing these rights, the narration states, is that the angels of God will bear witness that the student has sought out the teacher for the sake of God — not for the sake of people — and has learned his knowledge purely for divine purposes.
The senior cleric added that this framework places the teacher-student relationship on a sacred footing. It transforms education from a worldly transaction into an act of worship and a means of drawing closer to God.
He noted that when a student approaches a teacher with humility, sincerity, and a pure intention, both the act of learning and the knowledge itself become blessed. The angels' testimony, he said, is a powerful reminder that the pursuit of knowledge in Islam is at its core a spiritual endeavor, one that carries weight not only in this world but also in the hereafter.
The remarks come as Iran commemorates Teachers' Day, observed annually on the anniversary of the martyrdom of Ayatollah Morteza Motahhari — the renowned philosopher, theologian, and educator who was assassinated in 1979. The occasion serves to honor the teaching profession and to reflect on the foundational role of education in the moral and intellectual development of society.
Ayatollah Javadi Amoli's emphasis on the ethics of learning echoes a broader Islamic tradition that elevates the teacher to a position of profound respect — one in which the relationship between student and teacher mirrors the transmission of sacred knowledge across generations, from the Prophets and Imams down to the scholars of the present day.
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