The Rights of the Teacher Upon the Student
Al-Ghazali (Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din, Book I) lists twelve rights of the teacher:
- Greet the teacher first when entering his presence
- Do not speak excessively in his presence
- Do not speak when he has not asked for your opinion
- Do not ask him when another student is asking (wait your turn)
- Do not pull his garment when he is distracted
- Do not ask about what he has not yet reached in the lesson — patience is part of adab
- Do not argue with him in front of others — private clarification when needed
- Do not speak ill of him before others
- Honor his children and those he loves
- Seek to understand his intent before objecting
- Receive his guidance even when given harshly — a parent who disciplines is more beneficial than one who flatters
- Stand when he stands — honor is expressed through body language
The Posture of the Student
Ibn Jama’a (Tadhkirat al-Sami’ wa-l-Mutakallim, 13th century) on physical adab:
- Sit facing the teacher, body inclined slightly forward
- Maintain wudu before entering the knowledge circle (some scholars required this for the majlis al-‘ilm)
- Do not raise one’s voice above the teacher’s voice
- Do not place oneself higher than the teacher
- Do not eat in the teacher’s presence without being offered food
The physical posture is not mere manners but an expression of the internal posture: the student who is internally humble naturally produces externally humble body language. Al-Ghazali: “The student who looks at his teacher with the eye of contempt has lost his benefit even if his teacher is inferior to the scholars — for contempt closes the heart.”
The Bohra Halqa
In the Dawoodi Bohra tradition, the darsu (lesson circle) inherits this adab tradition. The ‘amil (local leader/scholar) conducts lessons in Arabic and Lisan al-Dawat. Attendance is an act of walayah — being present in the presence of transmitted knowledge is itself a form of connection to the chain of da’is through whom the Imam’s knowledge flows.
The most honored of all learning circles is the halqa conducted by the Da’i al-Mutlaq himself during Ashara Mubaraka — the ten days of Muharram during which the Bohras gather for the most intensive period of transmitted theological knowledge in the calendar.
See also: Fadl Al Ilm, Sulook, Bohra History, Dai Al Mutlaq Institution, Muharram Bohra, Ijaza, Isnad