The Meaning of Tarbiyah
Imam al-Bayḍāwi, one of the foremost scholars of Quranic Commentary, defines tarbiyah as a gradual growth into the ideal form. It also means to translate one’s acquired knowledge of something into practice. Knowledge is nothing but ink on paper until it is translated into real-world application, and tarbiyah is the process that enables that application.
Turning knowledge into practice was one of the highest priorities for God’s Messengers.
Prophet Abraham called out to God:
'Our Lord! Raise from among them a messenger who will recite to them Your revelations, teach them the Book and wisdom, and purify them. Indeed, You alone are the Almighty, All-Wise.' [2:129]
Notice how Abraham put knowledge before self-purification, even though we are in need of both of them. Later come the verses that mention the goals of the Messengers, wherein God says,
Since We have sent you a messenger from among yourselves—reciting to you Our revelations, purifying you, teaching you the Book and wisdom, and teaching you what you never knew [2:151]
Notice now that when Allah spoke, He put self-purification before knowledge to emphasize its precedence.
For most people, the application of knowledge requires consistency, accountability and follow-up. How many times have we sat in lectures and heard reminders, and then afterwards changed nothing major about ourselves? It’s because many of us don’t have tools and mentors to take us gently by the hand and firmly push us to apply what we learn. A conviction in the mind is not enough to change our spiritual failures and bad habits, and behaving well once or twice is not enough to make good behavior a part of your nature. Conviction must be followed by long-term practice and implementation of that behavior until it becomes our second nature. Good actions will then become second nature for us, without having to think about them beforehand. But this does not happen overnight; it requires patience, persistence, commitment, and accountability. Jawdat Said writes,
What is important is not just to have the idea. It comes down to turning the thoughts into faith that permeates your entire behavior. When people possess an idea, it does not necessarily mean that it has any impact on their faith or behavior. How often do people speak about justice and equality, but when it comes to applying it, their cultural values prove to be more deeply rooted.'
Muhammad Qutb writes along the same lines in his Manhaj al-Tarbiyah al-Islāmiyyah. He points out that developing good character requires a long period of conditioning until it becomes a habit. Cleansing our souls takes consistent effort, and the stains will not come out with just one attempt, as they are intertwined with our spiritual fabric. The goal is to repair the human soul and heart, which are not mechanical devices with buttons and gears that you can leave running while you tend to your other affairs. They are dynamic, multi-faceted, immaterial substances with various demands, each requiring special attention and supervision. This is what Muhammad Qutb says makes tarbiyah difficult but at the same time absolutely necessary. He concludes, 'It is either persistent effort, or loss.'
(Excerpt from: Faith First - A MAS Publication)
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2 Comments
This cant be repeated enough subhanAllah