How is a regular student different from a Muslim student?

Religion for the regular students is merely a culture - the type of food you eat, the type of dress you wear, how you get married and how you get buried. That’s as far as Islam goes for the student who happens to be a Muslim. If one were to observe a regular student, who happens to be a Muslim, he will not find any difference between him and other students of cultural, religious background. They are virtually, the same.

 On the other hand, the Muslim, who happens to be a student is primarily a Muslim. He or she could have been, a Muslim doctor, taxi driver, a maid or anything. There would not be any significant difference between them, except in the location where they are functioning.

The difference between a Muslim, who happens to be doctor and a Muslim who happens to be a student is only the location. But the fundamental basis is the same, a Muslim is Muslim where ever she or he maybe or whatever walk of life he may end up. For a true Muslim, his or her primary goal the need to serve Allah and worship God in whatever capacity them find themselves in. The main aim of Muslim student is to turn whatever aspect of life that they are involved in, to turn it to worship of Allah, this is the goal.

As Allah said the motto of Muslims,

“Say (O Muhammad ﷺ): "Verily, my Salât (prayer), my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allâh, the Lord of the 'Alamîn (mankind, jinn and all that exists).”[1]

The student who is Muslim first and foremost realizes that seeking knowledge is means to worship Allah. The one who is Muslim first and happens to be student (seeking Islamic knowledge) is fulfilling which Prophet (ﷺ) has placed on us - he called it fareedah or obligation or fardh ayn. It is an individual obligation on each and every Muslim to seek knowledge, it is compulsory. He promised Paradise for one who makes the effort and sets out seeking knowledge,

Narrated Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Whoever takes a path upon which to obtain knowledge, Allah makes the path to Paradise easy for him.” [2]

If the consequence of seeking knowledge is paradise then surely it should be an act of worship because it is only worship which will get us to paradise. The aada or the business that we do, the positions we take, the things we buy, are not going to get us to Paradise. We do these to survive. If the Prophet (ﷺ) has promised us Paradise for seeking knowledge then it must be ibadah. So the student who is a Muslim first, he or she realizes this and they understand it and live it. The one who is guaranteed success is the Muslim who happened to be a student who’s Islam takes precedence over everything else.

References:

[1] Surah An’aam, 6:162

[2] Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2646, Book 41, Hadith 2, Graded Sahih