International Teacher Education Conference 2014 1

International Teacher Education Conference 2014
revealed to us as documented in Al-Quran and As-Sunnah which comprises knowledge on aqidah, syariah and
akhlak.
The Teacher as a Muaddib
It is from an arabic word addaba which means to instill noble values. Adab means noble values. (IKRAM-
MUSLEH, 2013a).
Adab relates not only to fellow human beings, but also adab of human beings towards the seen and unseen
creations of Allah swt such as flora, fauna and Angels; and more importantly, adab to Allah s.w.t.
A muaddib is like a mentor and coach. He develops the students holistically – affective, cognitive and
psychomotor. To do that, he provides endless guidance, encouragement, motivation and inspiration; and he is
always there to lend a shoulder when tragedy strikes.
A muaddib focusses on character building of his students and instill in them aspects on ethics, positive
attitudes and soft skills. He identifies the aspects in them which are lacking and comes out with strategies on
how to inculcate those missing aspects and subsequently implements the strategies.
He instill in students respect and love for others. He drills discipline, perseverance and resilience; and become
a team player. With these adab embedded, the student would have the ability to fend himself from dishonourable
acts and unbecoming behaviours viewed by society.
The Teacher as a Mursyid
It is from an arabic word irsyada which means to guide. The word al-rusyd means mind, truth, awareness,
advice, opinion, consideration and guidance. (IKRAM-MUSLEH, 2013a).
A mursyid does all that is done by the mudarris, muallim, muaddib and murabbi. But he does more that that.
A mursyid is a master guide particularly on the affective aspect of the student, providing spiritual guidance to the
student, leading him to the truth, closer to Allah s.w.t. and subsequently attaining iman and taqwa (strong faith).
He continuously seeks the pleasure of Allah s.w.t. and guides his students to do the same. Cleansing his soul
of sins (tazkiyatun nafs) and sincerity in actions and deeds is his strength. (Mustafa Masyhur. 2000). His
methodology and technique is in line with Al-Quran and Sunnah Rasulullah s.a.w.
A mursyid is a person who shows and guides. They focus on tazkiyatun nafs (purification of the soul).
According to the Sufis, they are being tasked to lead and give spiritual guidance to muslims strengthening their
faith to Allah s.w.t. based on the Sufi methodology. They were given the authority by those before them right up
to Rasulullah s.a.w. Therefore, they are normally the descendents of ulama’ (muslim scholars).
A mursyid is a perfect role model and is such a central figure in society, his views is always consulted.
In short, we envision that the teachers in IKRAM-MUSLEH schools possess the characteristics of a murabbi.
IKRAM-MUSLEH attempts to inculcate the characteristics of a murabbi which includes having true faith as
envisaged by the Quran and Al-Hadith; who continuously conduct appropriate religious actions; habitualises
noble character; are financially independent; knowledgeable on basic aqli and naqli knowledge; physically fit;
ever willing to sacrifice for the sake of Islam; systematic in his daily affairs or activities; excellent time
management and beneficial to others. (IKRAM-MUSLEH, 2013a).
To be knowledgeable, for example, a murabbi needs to have a good understanding on selected academic
disciplines; which includes Dirasat Islamiah (islamic studies), Tarbiah (character building programmes),
Psychology, Human behavior, Organisational Management and Management skills. (IKRAM-MUSLEH,
2013a).
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