education and development of creative talents

the means to enable the parent/educator to achieve this aim:

* preparing the child to seek knowledge, this process starts from being just a little baby in the cradle when his parents prompt him/her the declaration of faith. when he is older he should be taught to answer these questions: who is your lord? what is your religion? who is your prophet? then, he should be taught short suras (quranic chapters), the five pillars of islam, sirrah (the biography of prophet muhammad peace be upon him), prophetic teachings, virtues, battles of islam etc. he should learn and see in his parents the love for knowledge, reading and listening to lectures by scholars, honoring books especially religious ones and respecting tools of knowledge such as papers, pens and books. he should be encouraged and introduced to school by visiting it with his older siblings ([1]). the older siblings should avoid criticizing school in front of the young child such as complaining about the many lessons, homework, influence of teachers and getting up early.

* school education system, which is obligatory in most countries, is the key to seek knowledge. this is why a good school should be chosen for the child, a school that cares about the scientific and religious education. we should be so careful not to enroll our children in monastic schools, but rather register them in a good school that promotes and teaches children about islam to be good righteous muslims ([2]).

matters that should be compensated by the parent/educator

the parent should compensate the shortage in modern schools nowadays through taking certain steps such as:

(1) enrolling the child in a ring for memorizing qur’an in the mosque or hiring a teacher for him to teach him tajweed (proper recitation of the qur’an).

(2) encouraging him to read books and listen to useful voice and video content and tapes. forming a small library at home of books that suit his age and mentality. it is better to place the library in the living room to be close to the child and all members of the household, it should be nicely furnished and decorated, with beautiful books ([3]) and diverse subjects ([4]).

(3) attending places or gatherings of knowledge such as seminars, lectures, speeches and sermons in mosques, culture centers and institutions. this is highly favorable and encouraged in islam. the prophet muhammad (pbuh) said: “never shall a people gather in one of the houses of almighty allah reciting the qur’an and reading it to one another but sakinah (peace) descends upon them, rahmah (mercy) enshrouds them, the angels throng around them and almighty allah remembers them in the assembly of angels.” (sunan ibn majah, bab fadil al-thikr)

(4) enrolling him in classes and rings of scholars and people of knowledge in mosques and homes, but the parent should choose the best and most trustworthy among them. he should choose the most knowledgeable and highest in ethics among these scholars and he should be sure of the appropriateness and value of these classes to his child ([5]).

in addition to what was mentioned above, the parent should protect his child against sins and guilt because they blind the prevision ([6]). also, he should try to prevent stress and psychological pressures from negatively affecting his child as much as he can because they hinder education ([7]). the parent should direct his child and instill in him the fact that acquiring knowledge is to work and produce not just to boast and brag about it. knowledge is not only for memorizing or getting a job ([8]). thus, the priority goes to religious sciences and branches then other sciences that the ummah (islamic nation) needs.

development of creative talents

raising and educating children aim to develop talents and abilities of the child, then preparing him to be a useful productive member in society. educating him should be based on his wish, hobbies and capabilities so that he becomes creative in his profession not just a performer of his job or duty. the talents and abilities of the child can be discovered through playing and other interactive activities. this early discovery helps in directing him to the educational programs that polish his skills and sharpens them. the parent/educator should give the child the tools and materials to encourage him to find out his innate skills ([9]). ibn qayyim al-jawziyya, may allah have mercy on him, called for witnessing the child’s potentiality; if he is a quick learner, smart and has an ability to memorize fast then he should be introduced and directed to science and pursuing knowledge, and if he is good with his hands and likes to learn a certain craft then we should enable him to learn and master this craft ([10]). so, insisting on pushing the child into learning an academic study while he has a tendency to master a craft is a great mistake. we have to give him the freedom, good advice, guidance after accurate discovery of his potentials and physical and mental capacities ([11]).

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([1]) dawr al-bayet fi tarbiyat al-tifel al muslim by khalid al-shatnout: page 102.

([2]) mas'ulayet al-abb al-muslim fi tarbiyat al-walad by adnan bahareth: page 334.

([3]) kaifa nurabi atfalana by mahmoud al-istanbouly: page 133.

([4]) mas'ulayet al-abb al-muslim fi tarbiyat al-walad by adnan bahareth: page 320.

([5]) mas'ulayet al-abb al-muslim fi tarbiyat al-walad by adnan bahareth: page 320.

([6]) jawaneb al-tarbiyah al-islamiyah by miqdad yaljin: page 93-94

([7]) mas'ulayet al-abb al-muslim fi tarbiyat al-walad by adnan bahareth: page 315.

([8]) usul al-tarbiyah al-islamiyah by abdel rahman al-nahlawy: page 168.

([9]) dawr al-fikr al-tarbawy fi ra'ayat al-mawhoubeen by lotfi barakat: page 39.

([10]) tuhfat al-mawdoud fi-ahkam al-mawloud by imam ibn al-qayyim: page 190.

([11]) mas'ulayet al-abb al-muslim fi tarbiyat al-walad by adnan bahareth: page 335.