THE SACRIFICES OF MADRASA SCHOLARS
After declaring India as Dar al-Ta’leem (a land of education), the widespread establishment of religious madrasas across the country over the past 150 years did not happen on its own. It was the result of the silent sacrifices of thousands of scholars (ulama).
One and a half centuries ago, a single scholar could only propose an educational plan or establish a small initial madrasa. However, no single scholar, within the limits of their lifetime, could spread a network of madrasas across an entire region or educate an entire community generation after generation. For such a monumental task, it was necessary for successive scholars to rise and carry forward this mission, dedicating their lives to giving it practical form.
Over the past 150 years, thousands of scholars in the country have accomplished this great feat of selflessness and sacrifice. Among them are individuals we know today, while many others have passed away, returning to their Lord, and remain unknown to us. Yet the sacrifices of each of them are equally great. Whether someone is well-known or not is merely an incidental matter and not a reflection of their true contributions.
For these scholars, participating in this educational mission was not a simple task. It was akin to erasing oneself to give life to the Muslim community. It was a mission that required living a modest life and ultimately passing away in the process. It meant being content with low income for a lifetime or, in some cases, serving an institution for an entire life without any salary or compensation.
This effort demanded dedicating one’s life to a cause with the prior knowledge that it would not bring any worldly recognition or honour. Moreover, it was a perilous endeavour that required entrusting one’s family affairs to God while devoting oneself to the task of building the future of the community.
Above all, this mission relied on public donations for its operation. Regarding donations, Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar (d. 1931) rightly remarked, “Asking for donations is akin to making oneself a servant in the eyes of others.” Running a madrasa through donations was perhaps the greatest sacrifice these scholars had to make.
Yet, they endured all these hardships for the sake of God and continued this immensely challenging educational campaign. The truth is, if thousands of scholars had not stood up one after the other for this mission, and if they had not persisted despite every sacrifice, this initiative would have remained merely a theoretical idea and would have not become a reality.
These scholars sat on humble mats of contentment, teaching the children of the community about religion, while society looked down upon them with disdain rather than offering respect. This sentiment is captured in the words of a renowned Muslim poet in these two lines:
“If the work of children ends with the madrasa and the mullah,
The cry of ‘La ilaha illallah’ will be choked forever.”
This illustrates the heart-wrenching circumstances in which Islamic scholars carried out their educational mission.
It is worth noting that, in the Indian subcontinent, the educational mission was, for various reasons, run on the principle of free education. This principle made the work of the madrasa even more challenging.
Running such a vast and nationwide network of madrasas on the principle of free education was an incredibly difficult undertaking. Moreover, the scholars had decided that this system would operate independently, without any governmental support.
The Islamic scholars made this seemingly impossible task possible by taking the entire burden upon themselves. Through reliance on God (tawakkul), contentment (qana’ah), and frugality, they managed to turn the impossible into reality. These servants of God devoted themselves to the arduous task of education and teaching, entirely detached from worldly gains or losses.
In truth, successfully running such an extensive free education program in the modern era is a unique experiment, unparalleled on such a large scale in any other human society.
The circumstances of the madrasa community have now significantly changed. The current generation of scholars is reaping the rewards of past sacrifices, as their services are now widely recognized. Alongside this, modern conveniences have replaced the challenges of the past. However, history had to wait 150 years for this transformation to take place.
