Q. Salam,
is there a dua for a person who is academically struggling?
Is there such a thing as respect for education and teachers as a code in the form of Islamic etiquette

A. Chose a field of study that you enjoy. Pass the prerequisites with relative ease. Send lots of durood (salutations) upon the Messenger (Peace be upon him). Stay away from sin, for sins darken the heart and cloud the mind with impure thoughts. Read ?????? ??????? ???????? (rabbi zidni ilma) oh Allah increase me (in beneficial) knowledge before and after your studies. Ask Allah (Subhanahu Wata’Ala) to make matters easy for you.

Make an intention that your studies are purely to benefit all of humanity. Start your studies before fajr if possible. Start your morning with the recitation of Yaseen. The mind is most fresh at this hour and retains more information. Have a fixed time when you learn new material and a fixed time when you review old material. Always look at your next day’s work in advance, never sitting amazed in class with data you should have known. Sit with respect in the class. Dress with modesty. Never stare the teacher in the face. Always have respect for the teacher, their friends and children. Pray for them all. These suggestions have made students superior students.

Additionally, respect your teachers — be they Muslim or nonmuslim. Always pray for fellow students and remove hatred towards those that share their knowledge with you. Never correct a teacher to embarrass them. Allah has extreme dislike for the arrogant. Correct people in private by asking them for clarification as to what they have made an error in, do so with politeness. If they insist on a wrongful response, never gossip about them, pray for them instead and always wish them well.

My teachers shared the above to me, and I am merely passing it on.

Allah Certainly Knows Best.