The second caliph in Islam after Abu Bakr was ʿUmar bin al-Khattab (582 – 644), who ruled from 634 until 644. Umar was a senior Companion and father-in-law of Prophet Muhammad.

One of his best qualities was that he used to learn something from everyone he met. In other words, learning was a continuous process for him. How does this happen? When a person meets someone with an open mind, they learn from each other. To fruitfully continue this learning process, a person must be free from pride and prejudiced thinking. They should refrain from displaying a mentality of just teaching others. His psyche should rather be: I will be ever ready to take whatever comes my way. Whenever someone points out my mistake, I will immediately admit it and correct myself.

Hazrat Umar gives us the lesson that the learner’s role is as important as that of the teacher in the learning process. The right temperament on the part of the learner is required to fully grasp the learning from others. The world abounds with knowledge and learning which helps in the realization of God. The only condition is that man must have the right mindset to internalize learning.