Child Education in Islam

magnjficently and gave him this eternal characterization:

"And surely you flr~ indeed of a magnijict!nf character." (AlQalam.

4)

If Allah e endowed His Prophet 3: with these great manners,

and distinguished him by setting a good example, it naturally

follows that the hearts of man were attracted to him. People

followed his example and found in the character of the Prophet $the

perfe>:\ example and the highest ideal in all that is related to

religious, worldly and social aspects of life. Indeed, all those who

lived during the age of the Prophet 4: and met him were among

those who loved him most out of belief and love for him.

It was unbearable !f they did nOI see his face and they did not

feel conlent unlil they saw him, out of Iheir great love for him.

Imam AI-Baghawi quoted Thawban, Ihe servant of the Prophet ~

who loved him very much, and was very eager 10 see him. One day

Thawban came to the Prophet looking pale. The Prophet"" asked

him, "Why are you so pale?" Thawhan answered, "0 Messenger of

Allah, I am nOI sick or in pain, but [ did not see you, so I missed

you very much until I saw you. Then I remembered the Hereaft.cr

and fell afraid lesl I should not see you since you will be wi th the

Prophets, and if [ go 10 Paradise, [ will be in a rank lower than

yours, and if I do not enter Paradise, I will never see you." be<:aU5e

of thaI the following Qur"anic verse was revealed:

Ji;~)1; ~J..;II; S-:,II! :.; ~ i! ;::'1 ZtJ! E ~jt J;'Jt ~( ~ ,,; ,

~ ~- :)="i ·~ ~ , n te.~-;Ji "{ _oJ J >r-J 0 ~

"And ",OOso obeys Alliih and the Menenger (M .. hammad $)

then they ""ill he in the company of those on ... hom Alliih has

bestowed His Grace, of the Propheu, tlu! SidJiqin (those followers of

the Prophets who ... erefirst andforemosr to belje~e in/hem (like Ab ..

Bakr As-Siddiq .) the martyrs, flIId the righteolls, And how

excellent these compflllions are!" (An-Nisi, 69)

The result of this pure, sincere love was that they loved the

Prophet :t; more than themselves. An example of this is found in

the story of Zayd Ibn Ad-Duthnah as narrated by Al-Bayhaql

quoting 'Urwah, who said, "When the disbelievers took Zayd Ibn

Ad-Duthnah out of the Makkan sanctuary to kill him at AtTan'

jm, he met "f.~ubayb Ibn 'Adiyy Al -An~arl. They (~~ubayb

and Zayd) advised each other to observe patience and steadfastness

in facing any harm that may befall them, AbO Sufyan, who was

then a disbeliever, said to Zayd Ibn Ad-Duthnah, By Allah, Zayd,

do you like that Muhammad should be in your place now so thai

his head may be cut ofT and you go back to your family?" Zayd

said, "By Allah, T do nOI like that Mu~ammad suffers from the

pain oCa thorn inlhe place he is while I sit with my family," AbCi

Sufyan said, "I have never seen anyone love anyone else more

than Muhammad's Companions love him,"

From this inner feeling of love, loyalty, and devotion, the

Companions of the Prophet 4: followed the example of their

Prophet because they found in him the highest ideal in worship,

manners, and the ideal in gentleness and good trealment, Thus, a

good example affects the souls and leaves its positive trace in

formation, education and preparation,

Whoever wants to know something about how the Companions

of the Prophet '* followed his example, about his innuence on

their souls, and about the change he made to their lives, should

read history to discover much about their noble virtues, [I is

sufficient honor, pride, and eternity that the Noble Qur'an says

about them;

"/UIIIII~mmQd 4: is 'he Messl'ng~r of AIMh, And 'hose who art<

,.,ith him ure snere ugains/ disbelievers, and merciflll IlmOllK

Ihrmsel,'es," (AI.Falh, 29), and

.'i. c{'.,~,--t...~ t,;;.'iPr. ~ "..'.".. i~,"- , <,}.1! 1 ~" ~~ i.,' i' llr'.

" They 1I)'ed 10 sleep bUI lif/le by niKhl ( im'oking their i,ord (Alllih)

and pru),ing, wilh f eur und hope). And in Ihe hours hefou dawn, Ihey

k'cre (found) asking (Alliih) for forgiveness," (Adh.Dhariya!, 11. 18)

Here is what 'Abdullah lhn Mas'lid'" said about their nobility

and virtues and the necessity of following their virtuous deeds and

their noble morals: "Whoever >eeks an example to follow should

follow the Companions of the Messenger of Allah $ for they were

the most sincere of this nation, the most knowledgeable, the !emt

pretentious, the most guided, and the best in condition, Allah

chose them for the compaoionship of His Prophet $ and

upholding His religion; therefore, know their merit and fonow

their example because they are on the right path:'

Muslim generations at all times and in all places sti l] see the

good example of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah $: in

worship, manners, oourage, steadfas tness, strong will, sympathy,

preferring olhers over themselves, striving in the cause of Allah,

and the ardcot dcsire to achieve martyrdom. Muslim youth at

every age still derive from them virtue, a guiding light, and a model

of education and glory, because they were the most guided and Ihe

best exampl e,

How truthful the Messenger of Allah was when he said, as

quoted by AI-Bayhaqi and Ad·Daylami, "My Companions are like

$IOT1; if yDU follow Glly of Ihem you will be guided,"

From this good example which the Companions and

righteous fo llowers of the Messenger of Alhih /I: embodied,

Islam sprcad in many remote lands and far, vast lands in the

East and the West. History records with great pride and

admiration that Islam reached the south of India, Ceylon,

Lakdev and Maldev islands in the Indian Ocean, and Tibet and

the shores of Chma, and the Philippines, the islands of

Indonesia, the Malayan Peninsula, as well as central Africa in

Senegal, Nigeria, Somalia, Tanzania, Madagascar, Zanzabar and

other countries. Islam reached all these nations through Muslim

merchants and sincere callers to Allah, who gave a true image of

Islam in the ir conduct, honesty, truthfulness and loyalty. All of

this coupled with their kind words and good advice, which

resulted in many people emhracing Islam. It is appropriate that

the Muslim generation today with its men and women, and the

elderly and the youth, to comprehend this fact and to sct a good

example for others, virtuous manners, good reputation, kind

treatment, and noble Islamic attributes so that they are always

guiding lights, reformers, callers to goodness and righ t, and

propagators of the eternal message of Islam.

Here in is a good example for the successful up-bringing of

children and the propogation of ideas. There must be an ideal at

which eyes can look, and to whose beauty the souls of men arc

attracted. There must be virtuous morals from which the

community derives goodness, and which innuence the generation

in the best possible way.

Hence, the keenness of the Prophet .I: that the educator should

set a good example in everything to those whom he is educating, so

that they, from the ve ry beginning, should be raised on goodness

and noble attributes. Here are some examples of the guidance of

the Prophet .I: in callmg the attention of the educator to sct an

example:

AI-Bukhari and Muslim narrated that An-N u'man Ibn Bashir

.. said that his father went to the Prophet $ and said, " I gave my

son a slave of mine. The Prophet $ asked, "Have you given each of

your other SOIlS Ihe same?" He said. "No." So the Prophet 4: said,

" Then take il back." In another narration, the Prophet 3: said,

"'Hal'e you dOf1e Ihe same for all your children?" He said, "No." So

he said, "Fe"r Allah "nd befair with your children."' So my rather

went back on what he did. Does not this Prophetic guidance show

the keenness of the Prophet * that the educator should be fair to

those whom he is educating, so that he may sct an elUlmple to them?

In A:y-~a~i!!ayn, 'Aishah • is quoted as saying, "An Arab

came to the Prophet 01: and said, "You ki ss your boys but we do

not." Allah's Messenger 4: said, "Can [help il if Allah has laken

mercy oul of your hearl'.··

In both AI-Bu~~arl and Muslim, Anas • nanated that the

Prophet 3: said, "'I start Ihe prayer if1lending ta make il long. bllt

when 1 hear a child crying 1 make it short because ofwlull J know of

hu motker's grief Orer hu crying."' Docs not this Prophetic guidance

shoW the kt(!tlness of the Prophet &. that the educator should be

merciful to those whom he is educating, so thai he may set an

eJlample 10 them?

Muslim quoted Sahl Ihn Sa'd As-Sa'idi" as saying that Allah's

Messenger 3. brought a drink and drank from it. On his right

there was a boy, and on his len there were some elderly men. He

said to the boy, "Do you allow me to give some to these?" The boy

said, "By Allah, I would not give priority to anyone of them to

drink immediately aner you."

Does not this Prophetic guidance show that the Prophet ~ was

an example of being kind to youngsters, and of abiding by Islamic

rules for drinking so that Muslim generations would follow his

guidance?

From the aforementioned we come to the conclusion that being

an example from the point of view of Islam is one of the most wellestablished

and effective means of education. When a child finds a

good e~ample in his parents and educators. he will absorb the

principles of goodness. and the manners of Islam .

[I is not sufficient for parenlS to SCI a good example in front of

the child, thinking that they have discharged their duty, but they

should link the child to the best example: the Prophet :;. This goal

can be achieved through teaching the child about the Prophet's

Conquests. his wonderful biography, and his noble manners, in

obedience to his saying Jii. as narrated by A!"Tab1.rani. "Raise

your children on three things. one of which is to love your Prophet

and his family." Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas'" said, "We taught our

children the Conquests of AlIah's Messenger ~ in Ihe same way

we taught them a SlIral! of the Qur'an." This is intended to make

the ehild enjoy the qualities of good manners and perfection, and

to be raised on courage and bravery, so that when he comes of age

he has no leader example. or ideal except M u~ammad $.

Parents should also link the;r children to the ellample or the

Companions of Allah's Messenger ~ , the following generation

after them, and those who followed their steps. accordlllg to the

words of Allah!'.iii:

"They lire those whom IWih had guided. So /ollow rheir

guidance ... " (AI_An·;\m. 90)

l bis is also in compliance with Ihe saying of the Prophet 3:

as narrated by Al-Sayhaqi and Ad-Daylami: " My Companions

arc like stars, whomever you follow in their ellamples, you will

be guided."

Parents should also secure for their child a good school, good

company, and a good communi ty so that he may acquire belief and

manners, 3 S well as a physical, psychological, and inlell<..'(: tual

education. It is not reasonably expected that a child surrounded by

such a virtuous atmosphere should divert in faith, become loose in

morals, surrer psychologically, beo::ome weak phys ically, or become

retarded scien tifically or culturally. On the contrary, he is expected

to reach the 7-cnilh of perfection in firm belief, sublime morals,

strong nerves and body, and a mature mind and knowledge.

!'arcnts should not forget that concen trating on Ihe good

upbringing of their eldest child is one of the most effective means

of the good upbringing of the rest of their children, be<::ause the

younger child usul1y imitates Ihe older one, and acquires many of

his mOTal attributes and social habits. It would be a calamIty if the

child found hi s elder brother with loose morals or in vice and

corruption, since the younger children will be innueneed by him,

and win imita te him. Therefore, parents should concentrate their

efTorts on the eldest child, then those who follow him, so that they

may sel an e~ample to those who are born after and an ideal for the

rest of the child ren, with guidance from Allah.

Finally, we cIte the warning of the Noble Qur'an of those whose

deeds are not compatible with their wo rds, including parents,

educators. and those who are responsible for raising children.

1 c P " J .ii h G: "'...... _ _ .'"~.L...- ........ &); i· '1 c '~""- .' ..i.- ~""'' ~'I_ I¥ ~ -(. ~-_j i ''r~.1£. TIt.

~~p

"0 you ,.,lro hdi~~~! Wlty do you say ,ha' ,.,hich you do no' do?

AIm' "a'''lul i, is ,.,i,1r Afliih that you say rhar .,.,hieh you do "0' do."

(A.s·:;aff, B) and:

~ 5~ ~, ,~.~~ i( 5~ ~t ;.t-~.;j 5;::';; A~ ';:L!li s.vL1 ,

"Do you command mankind to b~nig"ancy and larger

you,u/us and you ru iu tM Book! Do }'ou rh~n not eonsid",'"

(At ·B.qarab, 44)

AI-Il u~~iiri and Muslim quoted US[lInah Ibn Zaid" as saying

that he heard the Messenger of AIl~h say, "A mall is brough/ on

Daonl.lday allli is Ihro"'" ill the fire so Ihal /Ii .. inlestim!s come Ollt,

and he revolve .• around Ihem as a donkey rel'oll'es oround a millslOne,

The people of the Fire gllther arollnd him and say, "So 0/111 so! Whill

is Ihe mailer ",ilh yorl? Did YOII no/ command good deeds, and/orbid

bad OIles?" He says, "/ commallded YOIl /0 do good deeds bill did no/

do so myself, andforbade YOllfrom evil bill did evil/hings_" Uwmah

added that he heard the Prophet ti: say, "AI the Night Journey I

passed by people ",hnse lip" ",ere gno"'ed with gnawers made offire. I

said, "Who are those, Gabriel?" He ,mid, "The oralOrs of yow

IIaiion ",ho say lhal which /hey do 11m do_"

II. F..ducation by Establishing Ikneficial Ha bits

II is well-known in Islamic Siran"ah thai from birth a child is

naturally inclined to pure monotheism. upright religion, and belief

in Allah, in accordance with Allah's saying,

Jb1 ~j ')i( ~~i /,~; ~i ';;:1,3:;; -j~:k ;6( :C ~i ;'i';~,.

"The originalnalur~ of Allah upon which lie originated mankind.

There is no alleration of lire creation of Allah. That is ' he mOSI

upright religian, bul mosl of mankind do nOI know," (Ar_Rum. 30)

This is also compatible with the saying of the Prophet $ as

narrated by AI - Bu~~iiri, ., E)'ery child born is bom On nalure" i.e. on

monotheism and belief in Allah."

lienee, we realize the role of good habits, instruction, and

upbringing In raising a child on pure monotheism, good manners,

vi rtue, and Ihe rulings of Islamic Sharto!.. Undoubtedly if a child

has two factors available to him, namcly vi rtuous Islamic

educalion and a rightcous environment, he would be raised on

true belief, and he would enjoy Islamic manners, and would reach

the zenith of virtue and personal noble traits. The factor of

virtuous Islamic education was emphasized by the Messenger G in

more than one l!adith. For example, the Prophet &: said, " Thalli

man raises up his child on good mll/Iflers is bellcr for him Ihon gi"ing

a meruure of grain in charilY." Narrated by At-Tirmidhi. And, "A

fatlrer has ne,·u gi"cn llis child anYlhing beller Ihan bri"ging him up

on good manners." Narrated by At-Tirmidhi.

Concerning the facto r of a righteous environment, the

Messenger it drew attention 10 it on several occasions;

"Every born child is hor" on the original nOlllre, then hi.1 pareniS

make him a Jew. a Chri,lian, Or a Magion. " Narraled by AI -B u~lllri.

II is understood from this Jladilh that if a child has two Tlghteous

Muslim parents, who teach him the prmciples of Ix:lief and Islam,

the child will be raised on the creed of belief ,,"d 1 ~lam; this is the

meaning of. the domestic environment.

The Prophet ~ said, ",4 per$Dn is like hi.f close f ' iend: so he

$hou/d be careful who 10 befriend" Narrated by At-Tirmidhi

It is understood from this /fadilh that a person is like his friend.

If his friend is pious, he acquires goodness and piety from him.

This is what is meant by social environment, whether the school or

neighbourhood.

A good environment has a great efTeet on raising Muslims to be

pious and this is found in what Ibn Sina mentioned; "well-bred

boys with satisfactory manners should accompany the boy in hiS

stud y, because he acquires good manners from them and they keep

him company." It is a grave mistake to think as some people do

that people are born either good or bad in the same way a sheep is

born meek and a tiger is born fierce. Such people think that it is not

possible to change the innate evil in man, exactly as it is impossible

to change the innate goodness in him.

This fa lse claim is refuted by Shari'ah , by mind, and by

experience. That it is refuted by Sha,fah, is evidenced by Allah's

words;

,. i't~'i ~~j t

"And .\·hown him Ihe 1 ... 0 ... ays (goad Imd t ~il)r' (At ·Ba tad, 10)

Allah also says.

,. ri" ~ .; YC.ij; ¢I ~ ;. & .::.:. c» 4-:;; ~;;l 01 Cl>~;:' 'j ...;; t

"By Naf~ (Adam or a person or a soul), and Him Who pufecled

him in proportion; Then Ife sho ... ed him ... ·hat is ... ·rong for him and

... hal is rig'" for him. Indeed he succeeds ... ho purifi~s his owu uif

(i. e. obeys and performs all thaI Alliih ordered, by following the Irue

faith of Islamic Monotheism and by doing righteous good du ds) .

2" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I~"Th~

And indud he fail)' who w rruplS h;$ QW" self (i.e. Jist/beys '"'har

Alliih has ordered by reject;',!: file true Foirl! of Islam;c MOflo/heism

or by jollow;ng polylhei5m ()' hy doing e~e,y kind of evil "'irked

deed,~). (A.h.-Sham" 6· 10)

Allah 1J/i also says,

, ~ ~~ 1'c:: ~! J.('i ;,::z. Gl ,

"Yeri/y, We .,b" .. 'ed /rim tire WO)'. ,,'''filher he be grateful Or

UlIgrtueful." (Al. ]n".n, 3)

This is also compatible with the aforementioned Ifadilli: " EI'uy

born child is born all the original nalure of man, Ihen his parellls

make him II Jew 0 Chris/ion, Or II Magian." ThaI it is refuted by

TCason is shown by the following: "Why has All ah Iii sent

Messengers?" Was not it for the sake of reforming man and

making him happy in this world and the Hereafter? Then why do

governments lay down rules and laws? And why do they supervise

the establishment of schoo l ~, in stitutes, and universities? And why

do they appoint tcaehers and specialists in education, ethics, and

sociology? Is it not for the sake of education, morals, manners,

eliminating corruption, establishing goodness, and reformation?

Why then were books reve:,\ed and messengers sent? And why were

laws laid down? Would that not have been toil III vain? And would

not studying morals itself be of no avail? Such a notion is refuted

by experience as mentioned in the following:

1. ]( is known that a person can live for a long lime in a misguided

and corrupt environment, and become a criminal and in a wretched

condition, and even innic! harm on hi s society, then should he have

a good companion or an efficient educator, or a sincere caller to

the way of Allah, he will be changed from misery to happiness, and

from crime to virtue, After all that long period of mise ry and

crime, he can become 3 highly virtuous and happy person.

2. Also, in the animal kingdom we notice that man was successful

througout the agcs to change the nature of animals from being

fierce to tame, rebellious to obedient. and from unsteady

movement to steadilless. Mall call train horses to dance, birds to

play, and can even teach ,mimals of prey. If this is the easc with

animal instmct, then how about human instincts which comparative

psychology has proven to be more nexlble because of their

diver;;ity, and their being prone to amendment and reform?

It suffices here to mention some words from AI-Ghaziili who

spoke in his book " Ihyii Ulum Ed-Drn" about making a child

accustomed to the qualities of goodness or evil in view of his

innate nature. AI-G~ az5li ~ says, "A child is entrusted to his

parents; his pure heart is a precious gem. If he is made accustomed

10 goodness and is taught it, he will become good and happy in this

world and the next; if he is made accustomed to evil, and is

neglected like a beast, he will be wretched and destroyed.

Preserving him means that his parents should raise him on good

manner;; and decency, and leach him the best morals."

An educator should difTrentiate in reforming an individual and

setting him right between two age groups; grown-ups have their

own way and youngster;; have another. The Islamic method in

reforming adults is based on three principals:

I. linking oneself to the creed.

2. exposing evil.

3. changing the envIronment.

Linking oneself to the creed is among the most significant bases

of a believer's constant worship of the Allah !Jij, appreciating His

greatness, and fearing Him under all circumstances. This enhances

the psychological strength and the will of a believer so that he

does not be;:ome a slave of his lust, or greed and whims, but on

the contrary rushes completely to tht way of Allah as He revealed

it to His Messenger e without any hesitation. His motto is

Allah's saying,

"And who is beller injurigmellt Ih{ln Allrih for a jH!ople 01'110 June

firm F{lilll." (AI·Ma'idah, 50) and

~ ~t Z ~ ~; :.;. t'. j~\ ~~ t; ~

And wlullsoe ~er lire MeJsenger (Mulr{lmm{ld ~) gj~es you, ' {lkl

it; IUId wlrllf$oever Ire forbids you, {lbsrain (from it) .. ," (AI'I:Ja,ht, 7)

There is no doubt that all forms of worship, mentioning and

invoking Allah, re.:.:iting the Nobl.:.: Qur'an and .:.:onlinually

contemplating it, appre.:.:iating Allah's greatness under all circ:umsiances,

belief in dealh and the afterlife, belief in the torture of the

grave and the queslioning of the two angels, belief in the Hereafter

and the terror of the Doomsday, all thest: generate in a believer the

continuity of obeying and worshipping Allah fa. Su.:.:h beliefs and

make him a straight, well-balanced hum3n being, who bases his

equilibrium in life on siriking a balance betwecn the requirements of

Ihe soul and those of the flesh, and between working for this world

and working for the next. Thus he may give every person his due

without any negligence Of shortcoming. His motto in this is the