Teach children the five pillars
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TEACHER DAN (religion) to our youngsters is a great obligation for all parents. Generally, Muslim children start imitating the movements of salat (daily prayers) long before they will speak a word, including understand its significance or recite surats ( verses of Qur'an ), masha'Allah . In fact, as soon as they're able to crawl (9 or 10 months old ), children of practicing Muslims will typically try and make sujoud ( prostration ) when they hear , " Allahu Akhbar ( meaning Allah is that the Greatest , the opening phrase of the daily salat), ” or see the prayer mat put down .
As they start to master speech ( around 2) we can begin to focus on teaching surats and the words of worship that should accompany their prayer movements . during this way , they learn the steps needed to satisfy this important pillar of Islam . performing their five daily salat , long before it's incumbent upon them , inshallah.
Actually, memorizing the five pillars of Islam is a crucial part of learning the religion for all Muslims , regardless if they're raised in the deen or revert to it at a later age . But we must do quite just teach the rote memorization of the list .
- Shahada ( the testimony within the belief in just one God )
- Salat ( the five daily prayers )
- Zakat ( obligatory charity )
- Sawm ( fasting during Ramadan )
- Hajj ( a minimum of once in a lifetime pilgrimage to Mecca for religious worship
Shahada is definitely memorized but probably the most difficult to model . Since it's a belief rather than a physical act , parents must ask children that it is to Allah whom we turn to for help and that it is HE alone that we worship . it'll take time for children to truly be cognizant of this concept ( school age or preteen ), but the dialogue can begin from an early age , inshallah.
As we are within the blessed month of Ramadan , young children are observing adults fasting and that they begin to feel the anticipation of breaking fast as Maghrib prayer time draws near . Many children begin to seem forward to their first Ramadan fast and often practice fasting before it becomes incumbent upon them . Some will start by fasting half days or maybe start full fasting at an early age , masha'Allah . By modeling Ramadan fasting with joy , love, and fear of Allah , we are instilling yet one more important pillar of Islam . sawm ( fasting ) during Ramadan. Whether or not parents observe , the fast including how they convey their feelings and reasons for it will make a difference in the child's perception of this purifying act of worship .
Just as children begin to explore the easy to observe physical aspects of salat and sawm at an early age , they even have the capacity to learn about another pillar . zakat ( charity ). this is often less applicable to children since it refers to an obligatory payment of charity based on wealth retained over a specific time period . However, a related act of worship which will be shared by children is sadaqah ( voluntary charity ).
Narrated Abdullah ibn Mu'awiyah al-Ghadiri . Abu Dawud said : I read during a document possessed by Abdullah ibn Salim at Hims . He who performs three things will have the taste of the religion . ( they're ) One who worships Allah alone and one believes that there is no god but Allah ; and one who pays the zakat on his property agreeably every year . One shouldn't give an aged animal , nor one affected by itch or ailing , and one most condemned ,but one should give animals of medium quality , because Allah didn't demand from you the best of your animals , nor did He command you to offer the animals of worst quality .
Children are often encouraged to donate outgrown clothing , unused toys , and other belongings as soon as they're old enough to understand the concept of giving ( around 4). they ought to be involved in choosing which items to give and should be taught to part with items of their own personal property that are still in good condition , instead of using charity as a way to dump broken or unwanted items . they will also give a portion of any cash they may have , whether it's money they have earned or were given as a gift .
Making pilgrimage during the month of Hajj is an act of worship that ought to be performed when the child is old enough to fully understand each step and its significance (sexual maturity). However, younger children can start to observe the event on television and if feasible , can even make the trip before they're old enough for it to "count."
Obviously , the five pillars of Islam are just the tip of the iceberg . Muslim parents have many obligations towards their children with reference to teaching deen . But the foremost important thing to remember is that our children are mirrors of our actions . Whatever we model for them is usually what we will see reflected back , especially within the formative years .