Ustaad is a common word.

It includes one who teaches the lesson, one who answers to a query regarding any masalah, one who instructs good and forbids you from evil and who guides towards the reformation of one self. All these above people are referred to as a teacher. The Barakat in ones knowledge will increase in proportion to the degree of love one cherished for ones Ustaad. It is divine wont of ALLAH Taala that one will never attain Ilm without the satisfaction of his Ustaad. Experience bears testimony to the fact that Barakat in ones knowledge will develop according to how one attempt to keep ones Ustaad happy. Hadrat Anas radhiyallahu anh narrates that Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa sallam once asked: Do you know who is the most generous person? ALLAH and His Rasul know better, he replied. Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa sallam said: The most generous is ALLAH Taala. Thereafter, from the whole of mankind, I am most generous, followed by a person who imparts religious education and spreads it. Such a person will come alone like an Ameer (rich person or leader) on the Day of Judgment. According to this Hadeeth, the most generous person after ALLAH and His Rasul salallahu alayhi wa sallam is an Aalim who spreads knowledge in whichever way either by teaching or delivering lectures or by way of writing. This Hadeeth includes all those who are distributing Deen and Ilm in whichever way possible. This hadeeth shows us the value of a teacher is very high in the eye of Allah. Everybody knows that a person who upsets Allahs love ones then Allah will be upset with him as well. This proofs to us that we should respect and we should treat them with upmost kindness. An ustaad is very beneficent so compensating her is necessary. Ibn Umar radhiyallahu anhuma reports, If someone has been kind to you and you are in a position to recompensate him, then do so and if you are unable to recompensate him, make dua for him until you feel you have recompensated him. (Ahmad/Abu Dawud)

Can anyone claim that the imparting of Deeni knowledge is not an act of kindness? Obviously it is. Once this fact is established, we deduce that compensating an Ustaad is necessary. In view of the generality of this Hadeeth, the Ustaad is most definitely included because He is the medium of the greatest blessing and that is religious knowledge. Failure to fulfil his rights is tantamount to in the explicit words of the Hadeeth ingratitude towards ALLAH Taala. And ingratitude towards ALLAH Taala has also been explicitly mentioned as a cause for punishment. As ALLAH Taala declares in the Holy Quran: If you express gratitude, we will bestow you with more and if you are ungrateful, then remember My punishment is very severe. Students dont have a tendency to respect his Ustaad. Some students hold esteem for their Ustaads because of their worldly esteem and commanding personality. This is incorrect. Even if the teacher is a non-muslim, then too one should respect and homour him. A teacher is after all a superior being. The Importance Of Respecting The Ustaads & Ulama The Ustaads are all Ulama and great personalities. Apart from this, another factor that renders them worthy of respect is that they are the heirs of Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa sallam. And in regards to Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa sallam, ALLAH Ta'ala commands: "Oh You who believe! Do not go ahead before ALLAH and His Rasul" "And do not speak aloud to Him in speech, as you speak aloud to one another lest your deeds become void and you are not even aware." "Don't call unto the Rasul as you call out to one another" "And when they are with Him (Rasul) on a matter requiring collective actions, they do not depart until they had requested for His leave." The rights awarded to Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa sallam in these verses will be invariably awarded to those that succeed Him because confining these rights to Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa sallam alone is not established. In fact, the Ahadeeth dealing with the reverence of the Ulama are generalised and

encompass all those who fall into this category. This is why our pious predecessors revered the Ulama in exactly the same way as mentioned in favour of Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa sallam. The Ulama have unambiguously declared that those who occupy seats of religious honour, the same respect should be shown to them as shown to Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa sallam. Nonetheless, causing them undue difficulty is no doubt prohibited. Honouring the Ulama is of utmost importance. It has been narrated in a Hadeeth: "He who does not show mercy to our young nor does he respect our seniors nor does he hold our Aalims in high esteem, is not of us." What a grave warning this is. But alas! Our students fail to practice on this. Respecting an Ustaad also falls under Taqwa Paying due respect to teachers is also included in Taqwa. He who is deficient in this regard can never be a Muttaqi. The main cause for the lack of veneration is that students are not very particular about the attributes of Taqwa. Taqwa is a means of increasing ones knowledge. Abstention from all sins is a pre-requisite towards attaining this attribute. And this is only possible if one (together with abstaining from sins) also fulfils the various commandments. Today students fail to attain knowledge and they lack blessing in this. How can a disrespectful person ever attain true knowledge? They will complete their book formally but they wont get a hint of Ilm in the true sense of the word. Remember! You will not attain Ilm by disobeying the teacher. Nowadays, there is no respect shown to the Ustaads whatsoever. Let alone the Ustaad, the times are such that respect is shown to the father. Even if there is some respect, it is confined to formal and customary respect. There is no sign of true and sincere respect. Also remember that respect is not only confined to holding one in high esteem, but it also includes comforting him.