Tips for Educating Children's Moral Aqidah at an Early Age

Providing intensive and routine teaching of Islamic morals to children is the main thing because these two will be used as the foundation of their lives in this era of globalization. 

If you look at the lives of teenagers today, you will definitely feel sad because there are so many cases of behavior damage to teenagers, they often cheat at school and suck to pass exams, often skip school, school clothes are full of strange patches and stickers and others.

The damage to their behavior and morals outside of school is no less severe, for example smoking, drinking alcohol, watching corrupted concerts such as dangdut, consuming drugs, dating to free sex, abortion and others. The damage to their behavior and morals is really very disturbing.

The Islamic moral creed is the basic pillar for the improvement of youth problems in this country. The moral and behavior of teenagers who are damaged are many factors that cause it, for example schools are wrong in educating, lack of parental love, attacks on western hedonist culture and others. 

But we don't need to blame one party, but what we need to do as parents is to protect them from the damage of adolescent behavior that is getting worse.

Maybe you ask why it can happen to our teenagers? Many answers and analyzes you can find, but the most correct answer is the one that comes from the one who created your child, namely Allah SWT. 

How do we find the answer? So we can find the answer through the information provided by the Creator through the Qur'an and the Sunnah. As Allah says:

And We have not sent down to you this Book (Al Quran), except that you may explain to them what they dispute and be a guide and a mercy to the people who believe. (TQs An Nahl [16]: 64)

And His word:

"So should I seek a judge other than Allah, even though it is He who has revealed to you the book (the Qur'an) in detail? Those who We have brought to them the book, they know that the Qur'an was revealed from your Lord in truth. So don't be one of those who doubt." (TQs Al An'am [6]: 114)

In the above verse shows that Islam has provided a perfect and detailed law for humans, especially for believers. With the guidance of the Al-Quran and As-Sunnah from the Prophet Muhammad, all problems that befell humans can be resolved fairly and in accordance with human nature. Likewise, in the problem of aqidah moral education of children, we can find how Islam educates them.

The Obligation of Parents for Their Children's Education

For parents, providing moral education is an obligation. In their growth, our children experience physical development that we can see with the naked eye, from their babies to children and then teenagers. While the development of their faith can not be seen with the naked eye.

Likewise, their morals cannot be seen with the naked eye. Seeing it requires an assessment of certain benchmarks and standards, namely Islamic sharia. Looking at them with Islamic sharia is a must for us so that they can be safe in the life of this world and the hereafter. 

This is what Allah says in the Qur'an:

"O you who believe, protect yourselves and your families from a hellfire whose fuel is people and stones; guardians of the angels who are harsh, harsh, and do not disobey Allah for what He commands them and always do what is commanded." (TQs. At Tahrim [66]:6)

And the Messenger of Allah said:

Every child is actually born of nature (Islam), it is the two parents who will make him a Jew, a Magian and a Christian.

The importance of inculcating moral aqidah in children in the family is because the first thing children see and imitate is what their parents say and do. 

It is in the family that the child will get the first information about how to live the right way. Their minds and hearts are very easy to influence and change, like a stone that is easy to carve and an engraving made that lasts forever is not easily erased.

Giving early lessons about Islam to children will have a major influence on the pattern of their souls and attitudes during adolescence and adulthood. 

If at a young age children are taught something good, then their teenage years will be filled with good deeds, and vice versa if they are taught something bad then their teenage years will be filled with bad deeds.

For this reason, we as parents must really devote our thoughts to the education of our children's moral aqidah from the moment they are born. We are not bored and bored in giving teaching and advice to our children even though it has to be done many times a day, a month, a year and anytime until they understand and change for the better according to Islamic guidance.

Tips for Educating Children at an Early Age

You can find ways to educate children's moral aqidah at the age before puberty in detail from Islamic sources, namely the Al Quran, As Sunnah, Ijma and Qiyas. Here we provide tips on educating children to become pious and pious children, including:

Providing a strong foundation of aqidah in children at the earliest possible age. For pregnant women, they can familiarize the fetus in their womb with Islamic sounds such as the Quran. 

Listen to Murattal Al Quran to your fetus by reciting it yourself, husband or by tuning mp3. If children are 2 years old and under, make it a habit for them to listen to you recite the Quran, pray, attend the Quran and others. 

After the child is 3 years old and over, he can think in simple terms. The way that can mature their moral aqidah is by encouraging them to think about the creation of life, the universe and humans. You can invite them to travel to nature such as mountains, beaches and other beautiful places. 

Explain to them that the one who created this beauty is Allah. You can also tune Harun Yahya's CD about the creation of the universe, the miracles of the Quran, the wonders of the animal world (birds, bees, camels and others). 

This kind of teaching follows the method of the Qur'an as in the verse: "Verily in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day there are signs for people of understanding." (TQs Ali 'Imran [3]: 190)

Providing awareness about the attachment to sharia law is a way to educate the morals of early childhood. You can give an idea about the story of the previous people who did not want to carry out the teachings of Allah and finally Allah sent down punishment on them. 

You can find many stories of the previous people in the Qur'an, for example the king of Pharaoh, the Aad, the Thamud, the prophet Noah who turned away and others. Tell it in soft and easy-to-understand language so that the understanding of being bound by Islamic law can penetrate into your child's mind and heart. 

The story of the previous people can be an important lesson for your children, as He said: "And (We destroyed) the people of Noah when they denied the apostles. We drowned them and We made them a lesson for mankind. And We have prepared for the wrongdoers a painful chastisement." (TQs Al Furqaan [25]: 37)

If your child has reached the age of 7 years then you must be firm with the child if he makes a mistake by violating Islamic law, all things regarding food and drink that are halal and haram, obligatory acts, Sunnah, permissible, makrooh and haram. 

If a child makes a mistake, such as forgetting to pray fardhu and not fasting in Ramadan, don't hesitate to advise him, if the child persists and doesn't want to change with words, teach them a lesson by hitting them with a blow that doesn't leave scars. 

A deterrent blow will give a picture to children that the perpetrators of immorality will receive sanctions, this is very good for the child's moral aqidah, the Prophet SAW said: "Order your children to pray when they reach the age of 7 years, beat them (for leaving prayer) if have turned ten years old, and separate their beds." (HR Ahmad)

Those are 3 tips for educating children's morals to become the best generation. There are many more Islamic ways that you can apply to educate your children. You can learn how to teach children through reading books, articles, attending family recitations and more. Happy studying Islamic knowledge!

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