Educating children about Islam is the duty of every Muslim. This is a great responsibility that is carried out in partnership with the whole community. Teaching children about Islam is a Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW). There are various narrations that talk about the Prophet’s kindness to children in training and educating them about the faith. The Prophet (SAW) is reported to have said:
“Each of you is a shepherd, and each of you is responsible for his flock. The ruler is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock. A man is the shepherd of his household and is responsible for his flock. A woman is the shepherd of her husband’s house” [Bukhari 853]
It is important to give children the right knowledge at the right age to avoid false information reaching them from unreliable sources. The use of authentic sources is necessary to prevent the influence of any misguided ideology on young children. Currently, many madrassahs and mosques teach Islamic Studies to children of all ages. Parents can enrol young children in any available courses or purchase their books and teach kids at home.
Parents should start teaching children about prayer at a young age. One way of doing so is to make them stand or sit next to the parent during prayer. It is a common observation that children start to copy some actions of salah at the age of two or three just by seeing the adults pray five times every day. Apart from this, children should be formally educated about the wording and the parts of salah when they begin to approach the age of seven. This is in line with the hadith that guides parents in the age of prayer.
From the age of seven, children should be made to practice their knowledge of Salah by participating in prayers. It is a great way of teaching them the necessary actions and rulings to perform Salah in the right manner. This is also a time to check if they have learnt the Surahs and dua to observe prayer. There are many illustrated books and apps available to help young children pray. Children under the age of ten can benefit from the guidance of these apps during prayer. However, this should only be used as a prop in the very beginning, and they should start praying independently as soon as possible.
By the age of ten, kids would have understood how to pray if they started learning around the age of seven, as recommended. It is also important to remember that seven is the age of practice. The obligation of prayer does not start until they turn ten.
The key Islamic topics for children are listed below. The following facts about Islam need to be included in the early education of young children.
It is essential to learn the five pillars of Islam to develop an understanding of the faith. The five pillars include the basic duties of a Muslim. It is crucial to practice the underlying principles and acts of worship to be a Muslim. This concept could be taught by using illustrations of strong pillars sustaining a building and preventing its demolition. To reinforce the learning, online resources can be downloaded and handed out to kids. There are various resources, including drawings of five pillars and space for writing their names.
Belief is incorporated into five pillars. However, children need to learn the wording of Shahadah as well as the other Kalimahs and duas that involve the fundamental belief system of Islam.
An important topic to teach kids is divine revelation. They need to learn about the first verses that were revealed to Prophet Muhammad (SAW), along with the time, place and manner of revelation. It can accompany the Prophet’s (SAW) routine in cave Hira and how he felt when angel Jibril suddenly spoke to him one night in Ramadan.
Significant events from the life of the Prophet (SAW) can be chosen to teach children. One of these events would be the time of the first revelation, as mentioned above. Other important events include the boycott of Banu Hashim, the Prophet’s (SAW) night journey to the heavens, migration to Madinah and liberation of Makkah.
There are numerous activities that can be developed or downloaded from the internet for use with children. Colouring pages and drawing ideas make the learning process easy and fun for children. Books are a great way of engaging children and educating them in an interesting manner. Islamic games and quizzes could be used to make learning exciting and competitive.
Parents and teachers can also benefit from kid animations created in accordance with Islamic principles. For very young children, there is the option to use some electronic toys with dua and Surah recordings to help memorisation. Older children can be given the opportunity to write stories or poems with Islamic themes. Apart from this, children can accompany parents to perform charitable deeds and put the money in a charity box at the mosque on their parents’ behalf.
The above ideas help the teaching process. However, the best way to educate children is by providing good role models. This was the practice of the Prophet (SAW), who was the best teacher sent to educate humanity about divine messages. The believers are encouraged to use ideas from his Sunnah to make the task of preparing future Muslims easier and more enjoyable. One of the biggest marks of a role model is how much they donate to the less fortunate. Teach your children to share their wealth with those who need it most with Muslim Aid.
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