Teaching and Learning Online During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Malaysia: Challenges, Motivation, and Lessons from the Hadith "Man Salaka ?ar?qan"

Online teaching and learning (T&L) were introduced when COVID-19 began to spread in Malaysia. This can be seen in its application across educational institutions, both formal and informal. Many platforms were introduced to achieve educational goals. However, every matter inevitably comes with its challenges, particularly online T&L. Numerous issues arose, such as weak internet connections, insufficient devices for school children, stress-induced deaths, and a lack of respect from students towards teachers, among others. Therefore, this qualitative study, utilizing data analysis methods, aims to analyze the challenges of online T&L during the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia and the motivation to face these challenges through the lessons derived from the popular hadith, "Man Salaka ?ar?qan." This study found that the challenges of T&L can be resolved with support from all parties, including the government, schools, and students, such as alleviating the burden on students who cannot afford to purchase gadgets for T&L. Additionally, the government, through the Ministry of Education Malaysia, should seek ways to make learning more engaging and less burdensome. Ultimately, through reflections on the lessons from the aforementioned hadith, society will be more motivated and less likely to give up in their pursuit of knowledge, even through online means. This is important to ensure that the culture of knowledge continues to thrive in society in line with the changing times.