The teacher is the foundation of socio-political sustainability in human societies. A society is sustainable when social justice in the distribution of services—especially education—is established, and a capable educational system exists to transmit awareness about social sustainability from one generation to the next. The agent of this transmission within the complex educational system is the teacher, who is, in this system, a complex entity in and of themselves. Thus, complexity theory, by embracing the principle of self-organization, emphasizes the self-awareness of teachers. From the perspective of all philosophical schools and heavenly religions—particularly Islam—education and upbringing, for which the teacher is the primary agent, are regarded as sacred endeavors. Based on this, the present research aims to: 1.Explain the characteristics of an effective teacher from the perspective of complexity theory; 2.Elucidate some characteristics of the muʿallim khayr (benevolent teacher) and their status from the standpoint of Islam; 3.Clarify the role of the effective teacher and the muʿallim khayr in political education and social transformations; 4.Define the nature of political education. This study is comparative in nature and is categorized within qualitative research. The findings indicate that the characteristics of an effective teacher from the perspective of complexity include: co-constructing meaning, teaching through iterative processes, the “do–critique–redo” cycle, and the necessity of familiarity with contemporary educational theories, among others. The characteristics of the muʿallim khayr in Islam include: maintaining balance and moderation in learning, being wise, religious, refined and kind, committed to dialogic and participatory teaching, continuous consultation, and more. The commonalities between the two perspectives regarding the teacher's characteristics include: interest in the teaching profession, oversight of the observance of academic etiquette, problem-solving-based teaching in complexity theory, passion for teaching, guidance and supervision of learning, and problem-centered thinking and practice from the Islamic viewpoint. The differences between the two views in terms of the teacher's characteristics in Islam include: acting with divine intent (niyyah), humility, and having complete centrality in instruction. The distinctions from the complexity theory perspective include: assuming a central role in education without authoritarianism or superiority, understanding the complexity of students' personalities, and attention to diverse learning styles.