”Everything that is taught in Islamic online classes can be learned through Google or Youtube. So why must I still spend and enroll in one when I can have it for free?”
You, my dear, are partially right. True indeed, the internet, most especially Google and Youtube, is one wide virtual library and non-discriminating free class. Didn’t understand the lesson your teacher taught you? Go to Youtube. The manual for the device you just bought is in a foreign language? Go to Youtube. Got an assignment to make? Go to Google. Need to find something or even someone? Go to Google. Information is indeed at the tip of our fingers.
Learning Islam is also possible through these platforms. We got free e-books, tutorials, and the likes on the internet. But did you know that even when you can get knowledge from these, these are still not enough and even sometimes counter-beneficial?
To learn something (like actually make it a part of you), you need to be in a classroom setting where you have someone who can guide you. You need a teacher. Why? Because in all honesty, most of us won’t be consistent in learning when nobody expects us to. For example, you want to learn 10 new vocabulary every day. You can google them. You can download a dictionary on your phone. But will you? Like every day? There might be a few amongst us who have the self-discipline to do so. But how about most of us? Most of us would most probably cram a hundred words in a day when the exam is near. And that isn’t learning. That’s simply passing the exam. A little bit of pressure from the existence of your teacher sure does help.
Also, if you’re just going to learn by yourself online, how sure are you that you’re taking in authentic knowledge? There are lots of Islamic websites that are anti-Muslim in disguise. We have several sects too! How can you possibly know that you’re understanding the right interpretation of a surah from the Qur’an? How can you know that such and such legal rules are what really Islam promotes? You need a teacher to help you with that too! You need someone knowledgeable to guide you or else, instead of actually receiving tawfiq from Allah and ease in your path to Jannah, you might be running blindly at the opposite direction. Na’udhubillah.
Moreover, if for example you were blessedly directed to an authentic website, how equipped are you to understand what the information really means? Do you expect them to be crystal clear always, with no contradictions or whatsoever? Are you trained enough to straighten confusion instantly or would you end up saying “I don’t like studying hadith/fiqh/tawheed/tafsir/qawaid because it’s too complicated!” So, you would just give up then? How about you go into a long-term educational commitment with a knowledgeable and skilled teacher? You don’t just get to receive knowledge; you’ll be trained too! Eventually, you will realize that it wasn’t that complicated.
And lastly, let me ask you: why are you being so thrifty when it comes to your Islamic education? Do you also think twice when you spend 30% of your parents’ salary or your hard-earned income to pursue secular education? Do you also think twice when you check out that item from your cart even when you still have no money to pay for it? Like come on. Islamic education is obligatory upon all Muslims (i.e. there is a reward in doing it and there is a sin in not doing it). Seeking Islamic knowledge paves an easy way to Jannah. Beneficial Islamic knowledge has the effect of continuous charity even after we die. But why are we overly critical about spending for it?
Islamic knowledge is vast. Starting to learn any part of it is beneficial for all of us regardless of our age and background. Fiqh is not just for Shariah lawyers. Qur’an and Tafseer are not just for the Huffadh. Tawheed is not just for one particular sect. Arabic language is not just for those who want to work or travel in/to Saudi Arabia. These Islamic sciences are not restricted to the young or old either. Your 6-year-old child or sibling can start learning Arabic and it will be beneficial for him or her. Your teenage cousin can start learning Fiqh and it will be beneficial for him or her. You can start learning tafseer even when you barely memorized the 30th juz of the Qur’an and it will still be beneficial for you.
The entirety of Islamic knowledge is a gift, a benefit, a guidance for the chosen few slaves of Allah. Only a few see its worth and actually be consistent with it. Both your local and online madrasah know the statistics. So instead of feeling burdened with the money, time, and effort that you have to spend for Islamic education, feel blessed and grateful! Because Allah has been pleased with you so much.
Rasulullah SalAllahu Alayhi Wasallam said,
“When Allah wishes good for someone, He bestows upon him the understanding of the deen.”
(Bukhari & Muslim)
