Child Education in Islam

'~/ '1~uli •~ ·, ...'.W. ! j-7~'f\ .Jl:;:' ;¢'ojr\. C';i Irt. .

"Illvite ( mallkilld, 0 Muhammad $) 10 Ihe Way ofJ'oUT Lord (i. ~.

blam) "'ilh ... isdom (i. ~ . ... ilh lhe Oirille Re ~elarioll alld Ih"

QUT'llll) Illld fair prellchillg" (An.N, !"', 125)

VI. Endurance should also be OIle of the essential trai ts of a caller,

especially in the face of ignoT3nce, ridicule, and arrogance.

5, PraClicai Application

At th is stage, educators should try to entrust the children to

reliable callers who teach them the principles of the Mission. Then

comes the role of individual young callers to pT3ctice calling for

piety and reform on their own. Finally there comes the role of the

educator or guide to see what the young C;lllcrs have achieved .

Fifth: Sport

One of the most useful means laid down by Islam that

discipl ines individ uals physically and increases good health is to

make them spend their spare time in doing hard work and

practicing military and sporting activities whenever possible.

This is due to the fact that Islam with its tolerant princi ples and

lofty teachings, simultaneously gathers both seriousness and

innocent play, harmonizes between the requirements of the soul

and needs of the body. and pays due attention 10 educating the

body as well as to healing the soul. As soon as he is old enough to

comprehend things precisely, the child deserves attention to be

paid to his health and physical formation. Moreover, he deserves

all the attention that can be paid to whatever is healthy for his

body, and might and the vita lity and energy of his body. Ther a re

three reasons for this:

- He has a lot of leisure lime.

- To prote<:t him rrom disease .

• To get him accustomed, rrom his early years, to sporting practices

and acts of Jihtid.

Here, dear eduClIIor, we present to you some glimpses at the

honored texts showing Isliim's outstanding care for physical

education and military preparation:

- Allah tliI says,

,~j~; ,.if j~ <~ ~;,.;; .,P.Jl ~(;~ ~..; j;; ~ .~·t'".l ~ ~ ~~t "

'"And milk" r"ady again .• , rh"m IlII you ('an of powt', indJlding

.• , .... ds of wllr (tanks , planes, missiles, arrillery) 10 I"reillen The

enemy of AI/lih and ),our enemy ... " (AI·Anfat, 60)

- Imam Muslim narrated that Allah's Messenger tt Sllid, "A

strong believ{'r is beller and more {Dyed by Alliih llian a " ... ak

believer." AI-lJukhari also narrated thai the Prophet #: once

passed by a group of lianG Aslam who were competing in archery

in the market. He encouraged them, saying, "Shoo!. 0 sons of

I5nui[l; your falher ",as un archer. Shool (HId I am w;/Ii Balli' of so

and so. One of the two parties stopped shooting. The Prophet ~

asked them: Why don 'f you shool? They answered: How dare we

shoot while you are with them? The prophet e said, "ShoOl and I

am wilh you all (bOlh parlies),"

It is clear through such texIS that Islam legalized practicing

Jihad exercises and sporting games such as wrestling, running,

swimming, archery and horseback riding, fo r the Muslim

community to acquire the appropri"te means of dignity, victory

and sovereignty, and to get its followers, individuals as well as

groups, disciplined in strength and Jihad. This is 10 carry out the

words of AllIih lit thaI read:

.J. ) -'"", <\ ,,- ,.., 4 <'¥ ,," _ - , "r.'\ < '.11 '- \' •

"( ~:...) ~ JJ<. -!t ",-,~j .,4-11 -l!"Y1...:.>'..J r".;,i .... < I,; I'"+' 'J-4~ .,

"And makt! ~tiildy against thtim all you cun of power, including

Tho B"it Principles of E

$U~th of ,<'lIT (Wllk.<, plulles, mi$.lile1, unilfery) to thu llten the

enemy of Allli! ilnd your enemy ... " (Al-Anflll. 60)

No one can dispute the fact that when the enemies of the

Muslims know that the Muslim commumty has prepared itself

militarily, accomplished its faith and sound psychological stature

and is determined to strive in the cause of Allah, they (enemies of

Muslims) undoubtedly are defeated from within by their anxious,

fearful, and weak souls even before they taste defeat in the

battlefields of JiMd. This is what may be termed today as "Anne

Peace." Also, Lt may be what the Prophet .$ referred to in his

saying: "I was gil'en ~iclOry by fear alone mOlllh's march."

Getting the child to be active In sport cannot be fruitful or even

satisfactory unless it is practiced in accordance WIth the method

prescribed by Islam. To all educators we introduce landmarks of

this method and its prescribed boundaries:

I. Making a 8~ hlllce

It is not acceptable that sports are practiced at the expense of

other duties that must be observed and accomplished by the child.

He may busy himself most of the time in playing footbaH,

mastering wrestling, swimming or practicing archery at the

e.-

his own self in terms of seeking knowledge, or the right of his

parents to be obeyed and righteously dealt with, or the right of his

religion (Islam) to be propagated and conveyed to all people.

Therefore, sport should be a subsidiary activity with the child and

should be mild and moderate, striking a balance between it and

other duties. This emanates from what the Prophet &: said to

'Abdullah Ibn 'Amr Ibn AI-'A; "Allah has a righl oyer you; your

body has a righl over you; your family h(JJ a right oYer you; so. give

e~cryone his due righl."

2, Obse ..... ing the Rounds of All i h

One who shoulders the resposibilily of educating lhe child

should observe the following:

A. The child's training suit should cover the part of his body from

the navel to beneath his knees. Imam Al-Bukhiiri in his History,

Imam Abmad, and Al-~iikim narrated that the Prophet 0'1;

passed by Ma'mar (one of the Companions) and saw his thighs

uncovered, so he said, "0 Mo'mar. cover your thighs, for the

thigh is [X'rt 0/ your private para."

B. Physical exercises should be practiced in public places due to

what has been narrated by 'A.ishah, Mother of the Believers,

who said, "HI! who belil!vcs in Alldh and the lAst Day, must not

be seell ;11 suspicious places."

C. Encouragement of sporting excellence should be with legal bets

only as narrated by compilers of the SUIIOIl and Imam Abmad

on the authority of the Prophet 4 who said, "No belling is there

in other than roc;ing hut camels, horses, Or archery."

We may conclude frOm this Prophctic huditll that legal

betting may incur two conditions: first, bets are made in training

on the means used in fighting and acts of Jihad such as racing

on the mount of camels, horses, shooting arrows, or modern

mCllOS of war. Second, the reward declared for winning should

be alTered either by someone other than the two competitors or

only one of them,

3_ Declaring a Good Intention (NiYJ'llh)

The instructor who undertakes lhe responsibility of disciplining

the child and his physical and psychological welfare should

remind the child that whatever he does as physical exercises and

military and martial activities is intended to strengthen him in all

respects and to implement within himself the saying of the

Th. 8 •• ie l'tiocipi .. or EdUClllion 325

Prophet t§;: that reads, " The suang believer IS beller and more

loved by Alliih Ihon Ihe weak believer."

Dear educator! You should realize that declaring a good

intention is not only for sporting exercises and train ing in Jihlid

rather, it encompasses all vi tal activities and permissible bodily

pleasures such as eating, drinking, sleeping, going out on picnics

and enjoying all good pleasures. If any Mushm performs all these

activities with the in tention of obeying the Ordinances of Allilh, his

activities due to that intention become acts of worship which make

a Muslim come closer to Allfih • .

2. 1111.' Principle or Warning

If we read Alliih's Book , the Noble Qur'iin, and the Simnab of

the Prophet :1i, we find that the manner of warning against evil

and uncovering falsehood is clearly shown in many Qur':i nic vcrses

and Prophetic Hadilbs . Among these Qur'ank verses and

Prophetic Hadiills are the following:

In Surab AI-Isrii, Alliih 1li says:

~ 1..~,;; t;.:.: -(:;.; ;'I: ~!;'or e. j-'~ -1,

"Set nol up "'itb Alliih any otlrer ifah (god), (0 mall)! (Tlris

u rse is uddnssed to PropMt Muhammad ~ but its implicatiOlI is

gene,al/o, all munkim/) , or ,-ou "'ill sit down reprovedJorsuken (in

the lIefl-jire)." (AI- I'''., 22) And,

~ ~':i t): ,,' n ~ .. ~ J I-I(' ~ 1; :Ij'~ dl ~fo ;I~ j-~ 1; ?

"And let not your Irand be tied ( like a miu r) to J'our neck , nor

streich it/orth to it.< utmost uach (like a .

become bla~"'orlhy alld ill seFere poverly, " (At-rHa. 29) And,

~ 1.:" ;t:::"; ~ {~ i;f ;;l ii)! ~ 'i; ,

"Alld come II(Jf uear to linlaw/ lil uXlIal intercOlirst. Perily, it is

a Falrislralr (i.e. allytlrillg Ilrat transg reSstS its limits: a great siu ),

alld an e~il way (tlral leuds one to Hell unless Alltilr/orgi"es him)."

(Al·lmi, 32)

The Prophet $: said, "Beware 0/ te/ling lies, for telling lies is

contrary 10 belief." Narrated by A~lmad and Compilers of the

SWlan; and said. "Beware 0/ making many oatbs u< Ibi.< renders one

as hypocrite and then invalidall!5 (all his deeds}. " Narrated by

Muslim who said. "Beware of suspicion os suspicion is (umongst)

Ihe mOSI obscene lies."

Of course, there are many other Qur'anic vcrses and Prophetic

Hadflhs thai warn against perpetrating evil and mischief. 0

educator! rollowing are some of the most important warnings:

First: Warning AgairlSl Apostasy

By apostasy we mean: a Muslim renegades from the rchgion

that was approved and chosen for him by AlI iih and embraces

another religion or faith that contradicts the SlwrF'ah of Islam .

Apostasy has many aspe<;ts:

A. One of the aspects of apostasy is

a Muslim deviate from taking Allah as his only end and the only

One Who deserves to be worshiped or make him deviate from

holding Islam as his goal and aim. This sort of apostasy

encompasses many cases:

i. One may advocate the slogafl of Natioflalism making it

and efld to whic h he calls others. He stnves for it. This is part of

the Pre- Islamic practices that the Prophet $. warned in his

saying that reads: "lie who calls o/hers /Q grollp chauvinism does

nOI belong /0 iLl; Ire who fig/liS for Ihe sake of group chavinislII

does no/ belong /0 liS; curd he who dies IIpholdlng grollp chauvinism

does no/ belong /Q us." Reported by Abil Diiwild

ii. One who advoc"tes P"trioti,m "nd holds it as his "im afld end

for the sake of which he calls others. and strives.

iii. One who advocates the slogan of Humanitarianism without

takiflg heed of the fact that Allah has o rdered him to try to

guide all mankifld to the straight path and 10 become

acquainted with ,,11 peoples.

B. Among o ther aspects of apostasy is to oITer loyalty, submi s.~ i on>

and obedience to other than Allah. Alliih lit says,

"~{ ~~'. f" "(r" "[.I '~:;' ~ ~(JI:1 L . ~. ;1 C.-J-'Jl.r,.

"And "'hosoever does not judge by ",hut Altiih hlU revealed. such

are the Kajirun {i.e. d;sbdiererJ - of a lesser degree IU tMy do not

act accOI'ding fQ A fliih's lAws)." (AI·M ii·idah. 44) And,

f,~" ~,.f-:. k "i ""'" , :- , u • ••• :rd .,'~ :;',.\

~ ~J"l ri.ii oS! I: -i .if

"0 you ,.'110 Mlie"e! Tuff! nO/1M il!WS and the Christiuns as

AufiYIl' (friends, prO/u FO's, he/pt .s), tlrey are hut Auliya' of One

uno/her. And if uny amongst you tukes Illem (as Au/iyu') , tlren

surely he is one of them. Yerily, Alliih guides nor thou peap/e

who are lite ZufimUII (po/ythdsfJ and " " OIIg-

(AI·Ma'idah, 51)

C. Among the aspects of apostasy is to d'slike some ritual or any

practice assigned by islam, as in the case of one who may say " I

dislike fasting for it retards the Community' s economy." Another

may say, '" di slike the monetary system of Islam for it prohibits

usury" or the lik e. Concerning these people, Allah says in His

Noble Qur'an,

~ ~ .t;:.t ~l ,t.\ t ~f ~~ .!Jt~ q) 'jV';! .t.t ;1 C.J 1$ ~~t ~

"But those "'ho disb~/if!.e (in the Onenes, 01 Afliih - Isfumie

Monot~ism),lor tlrem is dtstruetion, und (AI/lilt) "'ill make their

duds Nin, Thut is Mcuu .• e t~y Irale ,lral ,,·hiell Alltih has sent down

(this Qur'an and Islamic la",s, ele.); so Ill' lias mude ,IIe;r du ds

Iruituss." {Mu!'immad, 8_9}

D, Among the clements of apostasy is the aet of mockmg

something or a given ritllal of Islam. Allah Uti says,

.;lk .A:-» . .?I:.; ;'\I.} '~1i.J ..;.;, Illo- dl :-!' j;.;\ .'.-:;t;: ~.J ,

~ "§ :/~ s.:.; 1:7 ~ "\ {,{:, ~ Q .:uo,iti

"II you ask IMm (about ,his). they declare: " We ,,'f!re only

talkillg idly and joking." Say: "Was i, at Alliill (glorified and

exalted M He), and His A)'al (proofs, evidenus, ~erses, lessons,

siJ;lIJ, u~d(j(ions, elt:.) und His MesungtT $. tha, }'OU weu

mocking'" Make no ucu.

(A t-Tawbah, 65-66)

329

E. Among the clements of apostasy is to declare what Al1:ih has

made prohibited as lawful, and what AIW.h has made lawfu l as

prohibited . Allah iii says.

~$Jl ;'1 J ~ r~ Ih; j;i;. ~ ':'$]1 ;4',; )\ ,';. /- lJ, I)';'; 1J ,

.i. ,," ' ,.;--:, « " ' ,'- ,~- < 'I: ,,~ ... ....,.....,1 ,. Joo ..... J.'.: ~I "l

"And say not conct'rn;ng IIral "'hielt ),our tongun put forth

fulsely: " This is la .. {"1 und Ih;s is forbidden," sa lis 10 in~cnf liu

against Alliih. Verily, 'hose who ;"unl lies against Alliih will neVer

proJ~r." (A" -N .~I. 116)

F. Among the elements of apostasy is to beheve in part of the

religion of Islam while disbelieving in another. So one may believe

that Islam is mere acts of worship, and disbelieves that it is a

complete system and legis1:llion for the whole life; or may believe

that Islam advocates spiritual, moral, and cducation31 aspects

only, and di sbelieves in the other aspects such as the social,

e<:onomic, or political systems. AlHih !Ii! says,

" .} ' . .... ~-:; j~;~ .' :1'" Co ' . " ell'<'. ·~~i( ." c~ ;~ '. \ l.

"":I" . v- J:' ~ ~J ~ ~ ",-..:,:..> T

... ·!til ~, ", 5 ~" .;(;j( ,-, t':'l1 iJ;'!( J .:. "'t: '>' • ll, J'I. . ". PJ' . . . u~

" Thm do you be/ie~e in a part of the Scriplure and r~jeel Ihe resl!

Then "'hat is Ihe recompt nse o/ Ihose "'110 do so among you, excepl

disgrace in Ihe life o/Ihis ... odd, and On Ihe Day of Resurrection Ihey

shall be consigned to the mas/ grie vous lorment. And AII

ulla)<'are of ,,'hal )·ou do ." (AI· JlaqaTI!h. 8S)

G. Among the clements of apostasy is to believe only in the

Noble Qur'an and to rejoct the Prophetic S"nnah such as the

Qadyani sect which were instituted by the Engli sh in Indli' to

demolish the Islamic Shartah and raise sus picions around the

prophethood of the Prophet 3. The Noble Qur'an invalidates

the faith of the one who does not submit \0 the adjudication of

the Prophet $ during his life and to his S,mnuh aftcr his dcath.

Alh,h Iti says,

· ~.;1 . i U 1 H .~~ ~ ,/~ ,-- , .!i~~'~ ,~' /. ~ " '1 '"'# ~ l.

I t . 'I -' ." r-" ~ r":'- '"""'e ~ ~ .:.:.>. ........ !!. ,JJ T

."iI.; ~_ 1~"-'-" '~.:~ ;; ~. _"F.

"R,., no, by)'our Lord, they c"" I .. IV~ no Failh, unlil 'he)' make

)'011 (0 Muhammad fS) juJge in all disputes het"'u II rhem, {lndfind

in ,"emu/ves no re.

with full submission ..... (An. N;", 65)

Also, Abu Diiwild reported Ih3i Prophet Muhammad 4: said,

'"I have bee" gi"ell Ihe Book {l he Noble QUf 'dn} m,d il,f like ",ilh il."

H. Among of the elcmcms of apostasy is to ridicule some 3Ct of lhe

Prophet 3: such as polygamy during his time. Allah 1ft says in

Sura" AI-I-! ujunil:

.;r J;i\ ;.l ~ 1; ~i .;oj:. ,j] [h:;.:.t ~) 'i ~,: ZtJi t;';\i; ,

•

.' .. " -''<~ '• l'"'"I' ;,l''l' i''\ p'" . ".'-- ' ":~ . -v- -" " ~ i _,

"0 J'OIl K'/W helil!l'e! Raise IIOf y our w;us Qbor~ Ihe roice 0/ the

Prophet a:,:. nor speak uloud to him in lulk as y ou speak aloud to

one anolher. lesl your dud,' should be rendered fruitless ... hill! you

JH!rceive nol. ~ (AI·t.lujur.il. 2)

Stcond: Warning Against Alhtism

Alheism means disbelief in Ihe Divine Being, denial of the

Divine laws which were sent with the Messengers S and disdain

or all the virtues and values pertaimng to Divine revelation.

Alheism is a kind or apostasy. yet ;1 may be more dangerous

Ihan apostasy itselr, as will be shown talcr. Unfortunately, 31heism

has become an independent ideal. which is adopted by poweful

stales, that impose it on Ihose who arc under their power through

suppression, and with the power of obligalion and coercion. These

stales have agents and headquarters every-where, openly call ing

for atheism and denial of religion and prophets shamelessy.

Moreover. we lind that these alheist countries, which adopt the

principles of Mau and Lenm, concentrate their call on Muslim

countries. This is d ue to the fact that they Know how the principles

of Ishim have cul tu ral, political, and scient ific invigorating power,

and that these principles contain ingredients of comprehensiveness,

and characterist ics of renewal and continuity,

If we trace these countries' call for atheism, we see how they

fabricate plots and plans in order to propagate thcir atheistic

principles, and they find a good market for their blasphemy,

Sometimes they dress Marxism with the garment of Islam and

say: M u~ammad was the first to call for socialism, the first to

declare the rich and the poor as equals, and the first to cancel

coll ect ive ownership. So, he i~ the messenger of Marxism and the

Prophet of Communism. They sometimes S

someth ing, and political and economic principles are another. It

is not logical to confuse or mix religion with politics, economic

systems, or scientific theories." They frequently say, "There is no

god. Life is a mere matcriali,tic matter; " Religion is the opium of

the peoples"; and " Prophets are lial1l and Ihieves,"

To cin:ulate their atheism they use scientific theo ries and try to

convince those who went astray that they are established facts. For

example, Ihey circulate Darwin's theory that deals with the origin

of human life and how it developed from lower species to higher

ones un til it reached its final destination represented by man,

although science has proven this theory to be inval id.

They also circulated Freud"s thCQry that re lates everything 10

sex and lust, interpreting evcry aspect of man's conduct in tenns of

sexual mSlinct.

Although atheism is a parI of the concept of apostasy, it is more

dangerous and has a worse effL'(:t on the i n dividu~ 1 and society

than any given apostasy, such as embracing Judaism, Christianity

332 ~======================================~ ~n1nnx

and so on. This is because atheism kills the feeling of reslXlIIsi bility

in the heart of the atheist, destroys in him belief in the Unseen and

eternal values and ethical principles. It pushes him to live like

beasts with no religion to direct him, or conscience 10 guide him.

Aniih iii says in this regard:

, r1 /? ~6t ;:;'\;1 S~ c.r i.Jt Z;~--:: l7 ~G ,

" ",hile ,hoJ/! ,,·110 djsbdi~ .e er,jo y themuf.cs "nd eut as caft/" "ut,urld

the Fire Iriff In! their abode." (Mu!"mmad, 12)

Islam is clear about apostates. It has prescribed the punishment

of death by the sword for their insistence on di sbelief, and for

leaving the clear-cut truth. Imams Al-Bukhiiri and A~mad report

the Messenger of AlIiih $ as saying, "Kill whosoe\'ef changes his

religion. " 'slam has prescribed this severe punishment for apostates

for three rcasons:

I. Not to allow int rigues to aUract the irrcsolutc and push them

towards apostasy as a response 10 seduction.

2. Not to let a hypocrite attempt to embrace Islam and then leavc it

in order to encourage the movement of apostasy or atheism and

plant instability and dis.cord within the Muslim community.

3. Not to let the power of disbelief grow stronger and be the

greatest danger facing the Muslim community and then prepare

for war which WIll be to annihilate Muslims when suitable

ci rcumstances arise.

To expose the plonings of atheists and their factionalism, and

conspiracies I am going to present for educators the following

historical precedents to reveal what atheists want to do with

Muslim when they find suitable opportunities and circumstances:

Communist China and Russia annihilated sixteen million

Muslims: one million a year. Such annihilations are still

continuing. Similarly, Communist Yugoslavians did Ihe same to

Muslims as they annihilated one million Muslims since Yugoslavia

became Communist after World War II untill now. Gtlnocide and

savage torture against Muslims urI' still continuing. For example,

they throw Muslims, males and females, into meat grinders that

turn them into a soggy mixture of flesh, bone, and blood.

What is practiced nowadays in Yugoslavia can be witnessed in

all other communist countries. Whe have heard many times about

the massacres committed by communists in Iraq, and their

culpability and assassinat ions at the city of Mawsil (Musil) dunng

the era of Abdul-Karim Qasim, and how they imprisoned,

murdered, and mutilated the believing callers to Islam, and the

Muslim community living there. Allah !Ii says about them:

~ ~'" ;'11 r:. /'!.;Ij~; U~ 1~ ~t .:rJ.! -l ~;li ~ ~

"They respecr neirher consanguiniTY nor treary loward .• · a believer;

and thou are the ones who are Iransgressors." (Al -T.wbah, ]0)

Third: Warning Against Prohibited Entert ainment

With its noble legislation and wise principles, Islam forbids

Mus lims to practice certain types of entertainment and amuscment

due to th ethical harm to individuals, the economy of the society,

entity of the state, the dignity of the nation, and the integrity of the

family. At this point I am going to present for educators these

types of prohibited entertaiment as a warning. This is after

presenting exemplary models in avoiding and relinquishing. May