Respect and obedience to the teacher are emphasized in the religion of Islam. The teacher is the person who teaches us with various kinds of knowledge and educates us so that they become understanding and mature people. Despite the high rank or position of a person, he is a former student who remains indebted to his teacher who had educated in the past.
Teachers are people who know knowledge ('alim / ulama), teachers (' alim / ulama) are people who fear Allah. Word of God swt. in the Qur'an which means:
"And so (also) among humans, moving creatures with life and livestock there are various colors (and types). Among the servants of God who fear Him, only the scholars. Truly, God is Almighty, Oft-Forgiving. "(Q.S. Fathir / 35: 28)
The teacher is the heir of the prophets. Because through a teacher, the revelation or science of the prophets is passed on to mankind. Imam Al-Gazali specializes in a teacher with the qualities of chastity, honor and placement of the teacher immediately after the position of the prophets.
He also emphasized that: "A person who is knowledgeable and then works with his knowledge, then he is the one who is named under the heavens, he is like the sun that shines on others and illuminates himself, like musk oil that smells enjoyed by others and he himself too fragrant. Who works in the field of education, then in fact he has chosen a respectable and very important job, so he should maintain adab and polite in this task. "
The poet Syauki also acknowledged the value of a teacher with the following words: "Stand up and respect the teacher and give an award, a teacher is almost an apostle."
The teacher is a spiritual father of a student, it is the teacher who provides soul food with knowledge, moral education, and guides his students. So, respecting teachers means respect for our children, with that teacher, they live and develop.
In accordance with the degree and dignity of a teacher, it is not surprising that the ulama are very respectful of their teachers. The way they show respect for their teacher is as follows.
They are always humble towards their teacher, even though the knowledge is more than the teacher. They obey every direction and guidance of the teacher, such as a patient who knows nothing about his illness and only follows the direction of an expert expert doctor.
They also always pray to their teachers by expecting a reward and mercy in the sight of Allah.
They look at the teacher with a sense of respect and ta'zim (glorify) and believe in the perfection of his knowledge.
This will further help the learner to benefit from what their teacher has to say.