What is your opinion of a teacher who encourages his students to join Qur'an memorization circles or academic lessons and promises those who join an increase in their grade? Is there any injustice in this?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : He says: O esteemed Shaykh, what is your opinion of a teacher who encourages his students to join the circles in the mosques, whether Qur'an circles or academic lessons, and promises those who join these circles an increase in their grade or grades? Is there any injustice to those who did not join if they are not given the increase?
The Shaykh : If this action is an individual act by the teacher, then it is not permissible, because it is contrary to the regulations. However, if this is done by one who has the authority to do so, such that he says that whoever joins the Qur'an memorization groups will be given three grades or two grades or the like, then there is no harm. This is a means of encouraging good. There is no doubt that joining the Qur'an memorization groups has a great impact on the student's morals and a great impact on his academic achievement. For this reason, if we asked the teachers of these students, they would say that they are better than the other students who did not join these circles. This is a tested and observed reality, contrary to what some people think, that if they join these circles, it takes up a lot of their time and prevents them from their regular lessons. In fact, this is an illusion with no truth to it. Ask the teachers about these students who joined the Qur'an memorization groups, or those above them who joined the academic circles; did it diminish them? No, rather it increased them. It increased them in good and in the preservation of the Book of Allah, and they will praise the outcome in the future. Yes.
The Shaykh : If this action is an individual act by the teacher, then it is not permissible, because it is contrary to the regulations. However, if this is done by one who has the authority to do so, such that he says that whoever joins the Qur'an memorization groups will be given three grades or two grades or the like, then there is no harm. This is a means of encouraging good. There is no doubt that joining the Qur'an memorization groups has a great impact on the student's morals and a great impact on his academic achievement. For this reason, if we asked the teachers of these students, they would say that they are better than the other students who did not join these circles. This is a tested and observed reality, contrary to what some people think, that if they join these circles, it takes up a lot of their time and prevents them from their regular lessons. In fact, this is an illusion with no truth to it. Ask the teachers about these students who joined the Qur'an memorization groups, or those above them who joined the academic circles; did it diminish them? No, rather it increased them. It increased them in good and in the preservation of the Book of Allah, and they will praise the outcome in the future. Yes.