Allah (swt) is al-Haadi (the Guide) as He is the only True provider of Guidance. Due to His (swt) Mercy and Grace, He gifts and entrusts humankind with guidance, and the greatest gift for guidance He (swt) has given us is in the person of the last messenger, Prophet Muhammad (p). The Prophet (p) was not only taught by Allah (swt) but was also the greatest educator. His successor Imam ‘Ali (a) and the rest of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) were the greatest students of the Prophet (p) and as well as the best educators of their own times for their own respective communities.
The greatest inspiration left behind by the Prophet (p) for the Muslim community was God-centricity. It is through God-centricity that all goodness emerges, as the Holy Prophet (p) has said:
“O People, there is only Allah and Satan, there is Truth and falsehood, there is guidance and misguidance, there is growth or decline, there is progression or regression, there are good deeds and bad deeds – so whatever falls under good is from Allah and whatever falls under bad is from Satan.”
God-centricity led the Muslim community to soon became one of the greatest civilizations, pushed forth with the collective desire to continue learning, growing, and educating. Excelling in literature, philosophy, astronomy, art, medicine, mathematics, spirituality, and numerous other disciplines, it pioneered and inspired transformational changes both locally and globally. As a community entrusted with this Divine guidance as conveyed by the Prophet (p) and his family (a), today we must uphold our duty to not be heedless of the inspiring God-centric model of education employed by the best of educators – peace be upon all of them.
Al Haadi School caters to six key dimensions in holistic training: Spiritual, Ethical, Intellectual, Communal, Physical, and Life Skills.
The philosophy underpinning the various approaches employed to nurture these six dimensions is grounded in several key overarching principles, derived through a thorough engagement with the Islamic textual and intellectual tradition. These principles revolve around one’s relationship with God, Knowledge, and the Self and are geared towards instilling the centrality of intellectuality and spirituality in our students, equipping them with clarity on their beliefs and how they relate to the world in which they live.
The six dimensions ensure that Knowledge is not encompassed in mere academics or intellectual capabilities, but rather extend to spirituality, developing moral courage, building healthy communal relationships, and learning important life skills. All of these are foundational to the development of beneficial citizens of the world, and in line with the Prophetic tradition: “The most beloved people to Allah are those who are most beneficial to people.”
We believe that a successful educational experience is one that develops and nurtures a student to build a strong religious identity. At Al Haadi School, rigorous work on the Islamic hadith tradition has been done to identify and extract key markers of Muslim identity and are an integral part of teacher training and lesson plans.
For more extensive details on our school philosophy, the six dimensions of holistic development we nurture at Al Haadi School, as well as discussions on Muslim identity, please head over to our Publications section.