A model educational method in Hadith thoughts of Hazrat Ayatollah Khamenei with emphasis on Nahj al-Balagheh

Education (tarbiyah), at its core, is about creating an environment that nurtures the unfolding of human God-given talents to draw closer to Allah. One highly impactful approach within this realm is the "model-based educational method," which holds a significant place in the hadithic-educational thoughts of Ayatollah Khamenei. This method involves offering practical and tangible examples for learners to emulate, with the educator demonstrating the desired behaviors and actions through their conduct and speech, allowing the learner to follow the model. Ayatollah Khamenei’s Quranic approach to education highlights three forms of modeling: positive modeling, creating models, and eliminating negative models, all of which are applied in both direct and indirect ways. He categorizes positive models into two types: infallible and non-infallible. Infallible models include the Prophet Mohammad and the Ahl al-Bayt, while non-infallible models feature figures like Imam Khomeini, Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, and Martyr Soleimani. Additionally, Ayatollah Khamenei points out negative models, such as global arrogance, the U.S., and the Pahlavi regime. This article, using a descriptive-analytical method and relying on both library and electronic sources, concludes that in Ayatollah Khamenei’s view, positive educational models are characterized by traits like faith, awareness, insight, consistency between words and actions, clarity in confronting the enemy, simplicity, and contentment. On the other hand, negative models are defined by qualities such as hypocrisy, disbelief, arrogance, deceit, innovation in religion, and betrayal.