Religious teacher ahead of his time

Helping hand: Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Dr Ashraf Wajdi Dusuki (right) sharing a light moment with pondok teachers in Kota Baru after handing out RM12mil to pondok schools registered in Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang. 

KOTA BARU: For a man born in 1868, he was way ahead of time, introducing English to fellow Kelantanese in an era where people viewed the language as haram(forbidden).

Tok Kenali or Muhammad Yusuf Ahmad (pic), a revered religious teacher who founded religious pondok schools, was the first person in then Malaya to open English schools at a time when religious scholars felt that English Language should not be learnt as it was the language of the colonialists.

This piece of history came up during a Conference of Pondok School Teachers here on Tuesday when Kelantan Mufti Datuk Mohamad Shukri Mohamad brought up the name of Tok Kenali, father of pondok schools, in his speech.

Mohamad Shukri said that Tok Kenali, who died in 1933, went against the anti-colonists tide to open English-medium schools to ensure that his students knew the language apart from Arabic and Malay.

“Tok Kenali was a fine example of a very down-to-earth religious scholar who practised moderation in his Islamic teachings,” he said.

“He had all the credentials from Middle East religious schools in Madinah and Egypt.

“He was a man with vision.

“Although there was an anti-colonial sentiment, he went on to set up such schools for the benefit of his students whose main subjects were Arabic studies and the Quran.”

Tok Kenali was born in Kampung Kenali, Kubang Kerian.

He obtained his early education at the Muhammadi Mosque here before he furthered his studies in Mecca in 1887.

Tok Kenali returned home 23 years later and set up pondok schools near the Muhammadi mosque and taught students from Indonesia, Thailand and the surrounding areas.

At one time, he was also the Islamic Affairs adviser to the 11th Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Mahmud Nik Ismail.

Mohamad Shukri said that in the context of religious schools today which taught Science, Maths and English studies, Tok Kenali propagated this thinking long before the advent of modern pondok schools that teach some subjects in English.

“Tok Kenali was far more advanced in his thinking by setting up English schools in Kelantan.

“He was a religious man through and through, but was wise enough to teach religion and at the same time kept abreast with the times despite protests from religious scholars,” he said.