كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِتَالُ وَهُوَ كُرْهٌ لَّكُمْ وَعَسَى أَن تَكْرَهُواْ شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ وَعَسَى أَن تُحِبُّواْ شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَّكُمْ وَاللّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ
سورۃ البقرة, آيۃ 216Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not.
Surah 2, Verse 216
In a certain high school there is a gang of badly-behaved pupils who respect nobody and try to terrorize younger and weaker children. They hate studying and come to school only in order to pass the time. Recently they have begun to dye their hair, to wear torn jeans and to smoke. The teachers have tried to reason with them but without results. They refuse to acknowledge that their conduct is wrong and unacceptable and appear to be very satisfied with themselves.
After consultations in the Ministry of Education, it was decided to utilize the Quran in order to reform them. The members of the gange were told that if they wanted to remain in school they must attend several lessons in religion where they would read the Quran and discuss what they read. At the first lesson, the principal chose Verse 216 of Surah 2 in order to begin: “But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not”. After he read the verse, there was silence in the room. Then he turned to the pupils and asked them how they understood the verse. It was the first time that they had agreed to attend a lesson and even take part in it. The principal invited their parents and several religious notables to take part in the coming lessons. After six meetings, several teachers reported that the boys’ conduct had changed beyond recognition. Their elders, hoping that the change would not be short-lived, decided to continue the religious lessons in order to preserve the achievements.
one of the difficult tasks in education is to reform a group of adolescents who treat everyone with contempt and do as they choose. The moment such boys realize that they can rebel and nobody will stop them, they become uncontrollable. In such difficult situations, when adolescents are on the verge of delinquency and are liable to take up drugs and prostitution, there is only one anchor left and that is the Quran. When faced with the authority of the Quran and of God, young boys usually no longer dare to rebel. The Quran should be utilized wisely in order to bring them back into the fold. They should be treated with warmth and love and taught Quran. Reprimands and anger have been proved to be useless. These boys often lack parental warmth and love, and this lack accounts for their conduct. The Quran and religion can provide the warmth they yearn for and can be a vital therapeutic tool.