Bringing up a Muslim child
Someone asked: "How can children of the (age 4-7) be introduced to Islam through an innovative method of teaching which inspires their imagination to understand the Magnificence of the Creator?"
Answer: The best way I know to inspire the imagination to understand the Magnificence of Allah is to use His creation for it. Give the kids small projects, after introducing the concept to them. For example: Take them to a huge tree and let them see and feel it and then show them the seed and say, 'Do you know that this tree came out of this seed?' How do you think that happened? Then let them talk. The key is NOT to give them answer and NOT TO ‘CORRECT’ them. Let their imaginations flow. Give them charts and crayons and let them draw the tree inside the seed as they think of it. Ask them, ‘What do you think the tree is saying to Allah when it is inside the seed?’ Let them talk and talk and talk.
Then make them print out their finger prints and tell them, 'Each of you has a finger print that is not only different from others in this room but from all human beings anywhere in the world (expand this in narration) and also you know what? Before you came into this world, this finger print on your hand did not exist. And when you are gone, it will not come back. Now what do you think of the artist who can do all this?
Who is that artist?
If you do it well, it will blow their minds and will be a lifetime experience for them. After all it was Allah who taught us to introduce Himself like this when He said in the first Ayaat that He revealed:
اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ
Al Alaq 96:1. Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists).
~ Taken from the book 'Bringing up a Muslim child' by Mirza Yawar Baig ~ |