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We believe Islam is the last and perfect Abrahamic religion that Allah has legislated. Islam has all the laws needed for us to prosper in both worlds. Teaching Islam to our kids is one of the most important tasks. If you want to know how to teach Islam to your kids, keep reading this article.
At What Age Do We Begin Teaching Islam to Kids
When kids turn two or three years old and can speak, we can tell them a little about Allah and how He has created everything. We can teach them to say short Islamic phrases such as Allahu Akbar, Subhanallah, and La ilaha illa Allah. We shouldn’t try to explain everything about Islam at this age. Just so that they learn the short Islamic phrases and know a bit about Allah is enough. They still don’t have the capacity to understand other deeper things about Islam. Therefore, you must wait until they grow older.
Teaching Good and Bad
When kids reach the age of five or six, it is time to talk to them and explain the difference between good and bad and right and wrong. We should tell them that Allah doesn’t like it if we do bad deeds, and He gets happy when we do good deeds. One problem is that kids don’t think the mischief they make is bad. Every time they do something bad without knowing it, we should explain to them that such an act is bad and makes Allah unhappy, and then tell them not to repeat it. We should also encourage them when they do something good and tell them what they are doing is very good and that they should keep doing it from time to time. For example, every time you pray, your child stands next to you and prays with you. He imitates everything you do. This is an excellent habit and can be reinforced by your encouragement.
Memorizing Short Surahs of the Quran
Kids at this age can easily pick up short surahs of the Quran through repetition. Either you yourself can teach them the short surahs, or you can entrust them to a reliable Quran teacher. You should recite each surah verse by verse and ask your child to repeat after you. Eventually, your child will memorize the surah. This is because kids have an excellent memory. You can teach them surahs, such as Fatiha, Ikhlas, Kawthar, Qadr, and Fil. Tell them Quran stories and state some fun Quranic facts about the surahs they have learned. In this way, they will be eager to learn more and more about Islam and the Quran.Islam4u presents you with the ultimate Quran course for kids called “Quran Kids.” This course teaches your children nine short surahs of the Quran through an entertaining puppet show featuring the two puppets, Hadi (boy) and Huda (girl). Download the app now and see if it piques your interest.
Basic Islamic Beliefs
The first thing that children must learn is basic Islamic beliefs. You should teach the main beliefs of Islam to your kids when they are at least seven years old. Explain to them that there is only one God in the universe who created everything, and we must only worship Him. Talk to them about the Day of Judgment. Say that on that day, Allah will judge us based on our good and bad deeds and take the righteous to heaven and the evildoers to hell. We must be careful not to sin in this world and instead do good deeds to please Allah. Furthermore, speak to them about the Noble Prophet (s) and how Allah gave him the mission to introduce Islam to us. Tell them how Allah revealed the Quran to him and how we would never know about Islam without him. Also, say that belief in Prophet Muhammad is one of the pillars of Islam. Finally, you could say that Allah is just, never wrongs anyone, and always judges people fairly. These were some, but not all of the basic beliefs with which you must acquaint your children.The Age of Islamic Maturity
Girls reach the age of Islamic maturity sooner than boys. Therefore, you must first try to explain the laws and practices of Islam to girls. Two to three years before girls and boys reach this age, they must become familiar with Islamic laws and practices.
The Obligatory Acts
It is the duty of parents to teach their kids about the obligatory acts. In Islam, certain acts, especially acts of worship, must be performed. For example, prayer and fasting are two fundamental obligatory acts. Unlike beliefs that are in one’s heart, obligatory acts are specific actions that must be taken based on those beliefs. For example, if we believe in Allah, we must show it through prayer. Some obligatory acts are:
prayer
zakat
fasting
hajj
jihad
enjoining the good
forbidding evil
Islamic taxes
tawalla (loving Allah and His friends)
tabarra (bearing animosity toward Allah’s enemies)
The Five Types of Acts
Every action can be one of five types. It can either be:
wajib (obligatory)
haram (forbidden)
mustahabb (recommended)
makruh (disliked)
mubah (neutral)
When your children reach the age where they can completely tell the difference between good and bad, you can teach them the five types of acts. A wajib act means any action that one must perform. Not performing the wajib acts is a sin. A haram act is one that performing it is a sin. For example, backbiting is one of the biggest haram acts. Mustahabb means an action that performing it is recommended and brings great rewards. For instance, constantly saying dhikr is a recommended act. Makruh means an act that is disliked and better avoided—urinating while standing is makruh. Finally, mubah means a neutral act in that it is neither wajib, haram, mustahabb, or makruh. For example, eating food, drinking water, and sleeping are mubah. By explaining these types of acts to kids, they will have a basic idea of how things work in Islam.
Islamic Morality
Another aspect of the religion of Islam is morality. Morality is closely connected to the wajib acts and haram acts. In other words, if one performs all the wajib acts and avoids all the haram acts, one has practiced Islamic morality. However, explaining how and why we should perform the wajib acts and avoid the haram acts is what Islamic morality is all about. Some moral acts that we must teach our children are:
respecting our parents
speaking politely
having discipline in doing things
being tidy and hygienic
treating others well
not looking lustfully at men and women who are not mahram
Conclusion
These were only some of the ways of teaching Islam to kids. We should teach our kids about Allah, the Day of Judgement, the Quran, Prophet Muhammad, the wajib, haram, mustahabb, makruh, mubah acts, and Islamic morality. This way, when kids reach the age of puberty, they won’t be confused about what they should do and what Islam asks them to do.
