The Islamic University- Gaza Deanery of Higher Education Faculty of ...

The Quranic celebration of knowledge and holiness of learning has resulted in consideringteaching a holy mission; it is placed on the highest rank of nobility as close to the level ofprophets. Prophet Muhammed, (PBUH), proudly declared that teaching is a prominent part ofhis prophethood. He has been sent to be the ideal teacher of all mankind "We have sent thee(O Muhammad) but as a universal teacher to all mankind, to give glad tidings and warn(mankind) against sin, but most men understand not" (Saba, 34:28).The knowledge that Islam praises is of a constantly changing nature. The Holy Quranrepeatedly asks Muslims to think, learn, and reflect upon every action and creation. OurProphet Muhammed (PBUH) asks Allah for increase in nothing but, "Oh, Lord, increase myknowledge!" (Taha, 20:114). Thus, it is important for Muslims to update their knowledge andengage in continuous learning as Prophet Muhammed says in one of his Hadiths "seekknowledge from cradle to grave”.( Al-Bukhaari, p.58)Knowledge primacy and the sanctity of teaching profession, praised by Islam hundreds ofyears ago, are recognized today as key markers on nations‟ reform agendas. In the newmillennium, with globalization and rapid technological advancements, education is viewed asa human investment, a key determiner of nations‟ economic, social developments; hence,countries all over the world are currently engaged in serious educational reform initiativesand allocating tremendous budgets for such purposes. (Reimers, 2003, p.7)Despite the fact that plenty of policies, philosophies, agendas, and theories, have beenproposed by researchers and policy makers within educational reform initiatives, nearly all ofthese initiatives share a common focus which is, the urgent demand for creating high qualityteachers. Therefore, the recognition of teacher's crucial role in bringing out positive changesis, nowadays, a widely spread and a dominant phenomenon.3