Imam al-Barbahārī, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “Intellect is inborn.”

Al-ʿAllāmah Aḥmad bin Yaḥyā an-Najmī, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

Meaning, it is brought forth together with the person, and it develops and increases as he grows. So, the intellect starts as something small, then becomes greater together with its possessor. There is no doubt that the intellects vary based on that which Allah bestowed upon every person. And indeed, in the Qur’an, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, praised the people of sound intellect. [Irshād as-Sārī fī Sharḥ as-Sunnah lil-Barbahārī, p. 155]

It is well known that an individual enters the world devoid of knowledge. However, they possess the inherent capacity to experience sensations such as pain. For instance, when subjected to a pinch, the individual perceives pain as a direct response. This sensation has been present from the moment the soul was instilled within them; nonetheless, it does not equate to knowledge. Additionally, there exists an innate disposition that enables the infant to grasp the mother’s breast and engage in suckling.

Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, said:

وَٱللَّهُ أَخۡرَجَكُم مِّنۢ بُطُونِ أُمَّهَـٰتِكُمۡ لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ شَيۡـًٔ۬ا

And Allah has brought you out from the wombs of your mothers while you know nothing. [An-Naḥl, 16:78]

Following birth, an individual begins to perceive physical objects through sensory experiences. This understanding progressively develops through the process of analogy, or by comparing one entity or circumstance to another. For example, it becomes customary for the mother to lift her child from the cradle when she intends to breastfeed. As this action is repeated, the child comes to understand, through analogy, that being lifted from the cradle signifies the opportunity for breastfeeding.

One may observe the child crying when hungry, remaining quiet when removed from the cradle, and then resuming crying if breastfeeding does not occur thereafter. This illustrates how general knowledge is cultivated through the perception of tangible things and the use of analogy, which is further reinforced by repetition. This process can be described as istiqrāʾ—examination, scrutiny and extrapolation.

Through the observation of tangible objects and the use of analogy, fundamental causes become imprinted in both the mind and the heart. This includes the understanding that existence and non-existence cannot coexist, that a whole is greater than its individual parts, and that an event requires a cause to come into being. What is meant is that a person perceives either through sensory experience or through analogical reasoning based upon sensory input. This understanding remains with an individual throughout their life. However, as one matures, acquires knowledge, engages in reasoning and reflects, their understanding deepens. This growth is facilitated by the multitude of tangible experiences accessible through the senses, which enhance their capacity for analogy and strengthen their intellectual faculties.

When another individual is present in your home, you can ascertain their presence by either observing them or hearing their voice. You may also recognise their presence through tactile sensations or by recognising their scent. Based on your prior experiences, you come to the conclusion that this entity is indeed a human being. The shape, voice or physical object with which you have interacted, along with its scent, all indicate a human being. Furthermore, through additional reasoning, you identify this individual as a specific person. You recognise that the shape, voice, tangible characteristics and scent correspond to that particular individual.

You may leave your room unoccupied and return shortly thereafter to discover that an incident has occurred within it. From your prior reasoning and intellectual assessment, you deduce that an event must have caused this situation. If you seek to understand the underlying reason, you engage in an investigation based upon your earlier deductions. It is possible that a piece of paper has shifted due to a gust of wind. A book may have been placed precariously, and upon observing its fall, you contemplate that its instability, caused by its considerable weight, led it gradually to lean until it ultimately toppled.

Furthermore, if an object was suspended by a frail string that eventually broke, you reflect on the fact that, due to the weight of the object, the string weakened until it eventually snapped completely. If a container holding food was positioned securely but subsequently fell, one might conclude that a mouse, a cat or a similar creature had forcefully jumped onto it, causing the fall.

In the case where a container of light food was removed from atop a table and relocated to another table at a distance, and a monkey was present in the house or nearby, it could be inferred that the monkey was the cause of the movement. Furthermore, if a heavy box was initially placed on the ground but later found in a different location, one would likely assume that a person had entered and moved it, recognising that this individual is alive and capable of such an action.

Lastly, if multiple items within a room were rearranged from their original positions into a more organised and aesthetically pleasing arrangement, it would indicate that the individual responsible possesses a level of wisdom connected with the skills necessary to achieve such an arrangement.

If the room was secured from within, and you approached the door, fully aware that no one could have entered after your arrival, yet upon your return, you discovered that the luggage had been rearranged in a manner that was more imaginative and refined than its previous state, you would then consider one of two scenarios.

Either there exists an individual with capabilities that surpass the ordinary, who managed to enter the room through an unconventional means, or there is a being present, alive, knowledgeable and possessing wisdom that exceeds that of any human or other species you have encountered.

Thus, you came to recognise this being’s existence by drawing parallels with the existence of tangible entities that can be sensed, as well as by comprehending the qualities associated with it.

[An Excerpt from Āthār ash-Shaikh al-ʿAllāmah ʿAbdur-Raḥmān bin Yaḥyā al-Muʿallimī, 5/7–11]

The Relevance of This to Education

A child’s present difficulty should not automatically be treated as a complete measure of their ability. The teacher may need to provide the child with further opportunities, different approaches, additional explanation, greater encouragement or simply more time. This does not mean that we ignore weaknesses or pretend that every child is equally capable in every area. Rather, it means that we should be careful about making broad judgements from limited observations. A child may struggle in one area while possessing considerable strengths in another. A child may not yet have discovered an ability because they have not yet been given the opportunity to use it.

Just as the intellect develops through experience, observation, knowledge, reasoning and reflection, a child’s understanding of their own abilities can also develop through experience and opportunity. Our role, therefore, is not merely to judge what a child can do at a particular moment. It is also to help create the conditions in which the child can discover what they are capable of developing. We must teach, encourage, observe and nurture. We must allow children to progress at their own pace while continuing to encourage sincere effort and beneficial ambition.

Ambitions

We must remind pupils that having ambitions is perfectly acceptable, and that those ambitions can change. Children do not have to decide their entire future at a young age. Having one ambition today does not mean that you are failing if you change it tomorrow. We discover new interests as we grow because a person’s abilities may not be immediately obvious.

Also, academic performance at one stage does not determine a person’s entire future. We may struggle in one area while possessing considerable strengths in another. Success in what we do comes from Allah after we have made a sincere effort and sought His assistance. There are many respectable and meaningful forms of work. Careers are journeys rather than necessarily fixed destinations. We do not tell a child, “You must become this,” when speaking about worldly affairs. Rather, we observe and explore their talents as much as we can. Sometimes children hear so much about what they cannot do that they begin to construct an identity around failure.

“I’m bad at maths.”

“I’m not clever.”

“I’m slow.”

“Other children are better than me.”

Thus, those statements can become part of how they see themselves. However, when a teacher identifies a genuine strength and says, in effect, “I see something in you,” the child may begin to look at themselves differently. That is not empty praise. There is a powerful encouragement in saying: “I’ve noticed that you are particularly good at solving practical problems or I’ve noticed that you are good at analysing. Let’s see what happens if you develop that skill.”

This is something the teacher has genuinely observed. It encourages the child without making exaggerated claims about their abilities. Children may not always recognise their own strengths immediately. Sometimes they discover them through experience. Therefore, our responsibility as teachers is to nurture confidence as well as help children discover their strengths. We should all aspire to be teachers who inspire, rather than teachers who look at ability from a narrow angle. A teacher may begin judging a child’s ability based on what he or she believes would necessitate a lack of common sense, while failing to exhaust all reasonable avenues to enable the child’s progress at their own pace.

Above all, we should be careful not to define a child’s potential too narrowly based upon a single weakness, one academic subject or one stage of their development. Sometimes a child does not need someone to tell them what they cannot become. Sometimes they need a teacher who notices what they can do, helps them develop it and gives them the opportunity to discover where that ability may lead. And above all, Allah is the Bestower of success.