Teach Like Rasul : How A Teacher Should Speak -

For a teacher, speech is one of the main ways to communicate with students. Speaking is not simply arranging words into sentences. It incorporates the choice of words for a specific audience, the choice of tone, also gesture and facial expression. Even the timing of speech also matters. A slight variation can change the effect of a speech so greatly. No wonder, the art of speaking is one of the most difficult arts to master on earth, so there are so many courses offered regarding the art of speaking.

Regarding the art of speaking, who has the best way of speaking other than our Prophet Muhammad shalallahu alaihi wassalam (peace be upon him). By learning how he speaks, we hope we can give more positive impact to our students, may Allah permit.

In this post, I summarised several points regarding how Rasul speaks, as they are depicted from several hadith.

1. Speaking Clearly and Slowly

At Tirmidzi narrated in As-Syamail, from Aisyah radhiyallahu anha (may Allah be pleased with her) that Rasulullah shalallahu alaihi wassalam does not speak hurriedly. But he would speak clearly and slowly, part by part, so that someone sitting next to him would be able to memorise it.

2. Repeating the Speech Three Times

Also At Tirmidzi narrated from Anas radhiyallahu anhu (may Allah be pleased with him), Rasulullah shalallahu alaihi wassalam repeats the speech three times, so that it would be easier to be understood.

From this point, we understand that a teacher must be patiently speaking to their students. Speaking clearly and slowly, and giving repetition if necessary until their students understand what they say.

People might think that a person who speaks fast, indicates their high intelligence. We would sometimes find highly intellectual people speaking using terms the audience did not understand.

From Rasul however, we learned that the smartest people would be able to speak according to their audience. Whoever the person is speaking to, they would understand and even be able to memorise it. This kind of speech in learning will give a life-long memory, life changing impact to the students.

Reference:

Abdul Fattah Abu Ghuddah. 2019. Rasulullah Sang Guru: Meneladani Metode dan Karakteristik Nabi Dalam Mengajar. (p.42). Solo: Pustaka Arafah as translated from Ar-Rasul Al-Mu'allim wa Asalibuhu fi At-Ta'lim

Teach Like Rasul