their own and their children’s Hereafter better. If a child is intelligent, so parents desire to make him a doctor, engineer, professor or a computer programmer and if the child is dull, then they get him enrolled in a Dar-ul-‘Uloom or a Jami’ah in order to get rid of him. On the other hand, our pious predecessors رَحِمَهُمُ الـلّٰـهُ تَـعَالٰی used to give their children Islamic education since their childhood, even great kings also used to give their children Islamic education because they themselves used to value knowledge and Islamic scholars.

Caliph Haroon Rasheed was very pious and the one who knew the value and respect of knowledge. Once he humbly requested Imam Kisa`ee رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه for the education of his son [Mamoon Rasheed] so he رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه said: I will not come to teach here; the prince may come to my home. Haroon Rasheed humbly said: He will come to your home, but can he be taught first? He       رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه replied: It is not possible, but rather the one who will come first, will be taught first. In short, Mamoon Rasheed started studying. One day by chance Caliph Haroon Rasheed passed by. While passing by he saw that Imam Kisa`ee رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه was washing his feet and his son Mamoon Rasheed was pouring water. The king furiously dismounted from his horse, whipped Mamoon Rasheed and said: O disrespectful! Why did Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ bless you with two hands? Pour water with one hand and wash his feet with the other hand. (Malfuzaat A’la Hadrat, pp. 144)

Dear Islamic brothers! Caliph Haroon Rasheed not only had great reverence for Islamic scholars and blessed jurisprudents رَحِمَهُمُ الـلّٰـهُ تَـعَالٰی, but he would also prefer the opinions of Islamic scholars and jurisprudents in the affairs of his kingdom and in other religious and worldly matters. He would consider their advice final and would seek their advice for the betterment of the Hereafter. Sometimes in order to get advice he would himself go to the court of Islamic scholars and if they would come to his court, he would stand up for them out of respect not caring about his dignity and awe of the kingdom.

It is stated in Malfuzaat A’la Hadrat: When an Islamic scholar would come to the court of Haroon Rasheed, the king would stand up out of his reverence. Once the courtiers humbly asked: O Ameer-ul-Mu`mineen! The dignity of kingship is reduced. He replied: If the dignity of kingship is reduced due to revering Islamic scholars, so it is worthy to be reduced.

(Malfuzaat A’la Hadrat, pp. 145)