The importance of learning the Quran for kids
Importance of Learning Quran
The importance of learning the Quran and learning, in general, is obvious from the first divine revelation, that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had received from Allah. The first verses of the revelation say:
“Recite in the name of your Lord who created – Created man from a clinging clot.”
(Al-Alaq: 1-2)
Therefore, Islam from its beginning has been a corroborator of learning, and what a better education book other than the Quran can be? which is the word of Allah Almighty! Moreover, about learning of Quran, the following hadith of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) speaks for itself:
“The best among you is the one who has learned the Quran and taught it”. (Bukhari).
So the learning of the Quran and its teaching is one of the sacred acts a Muslim can perform.
Prime Goals of Learning Quran
– Learning the Quran is a sacred obligation henceforth its learning fulfils this religious duty.
– Muslims can understand the ultimate guiding rules and principles by learning the Quran.
– We move in direct contact with the word of Almighty Allah.
– To access the guiding teachings regarding the way of living life in the way Allah Almighty wants us to live
– The early learning of the holy Quran is extremely important in guiding the child and bringing him up in the right upbringing.
Why?
Memorizing the Holy Quran will be better if it begins from an early age, says Dr. Muhammad Ratib Al-Nabulsi – who has a doctorate in raising children in Islam -: “A pregnant woman who used to recite the Quran gives birth to a child related to the Quran, and the personal experiences of the mothers prove that the pregnant woman who listens a lot to the Quran verses or recited it with an audible voice, her child is more likely to hear, recite and learn the Quran later, but rather he distinguishes it from among the other voices, and be attracted to it whenever he hears while he is still a baby.
♦ At some point between the third and the fifth years: We should teach children the rules and manners for handling the Quran, so he does not cut his papers, he does not put it on the ground, not to put anything on the top of it, or insert it into the toilet, not to write in it, and to give ear to the Quran and pay heed when it is recited.
Among the features of this stage is the passion for listening to the stories, so we can choose for the child from the stories of the Quran what suits his understanding and perception, such as the story of the elephant’s owners, and the story of Abi Lahab and his wife.
♦ From the sixth year until the tenth: it can be attached to a Quranic circle in a mosque, home, or online and choose carefully.
♦ From the eleventh to the thirteenth: the child’s social circle widens and becomes keener to form social relations, as he becomes more related to his friends and colleagues, and this can be used to attach him – and his friends if possible – to a Quranic circle which teaching the Tajweed, while encouraging and rewarding him in all material and moral ways.
And during this, the process of memorizing the Quran with indoctrination continues, then by listening to it, then by reciting with the Sheikh, then by reciting from the Mushaf.
How should I start to teach my kids the Quran early?
How do you do that?
Recite it to them, yourself, or make them listen to it as much as possible.
Secondly, explore the Mushaf together. Go through the different pages, look at the contents list, look at the beautiful word and the beautiful colors. Let them explore the Mushaf.
And thirdly, teach them how to recite the Quran, but only teach them the recitation and reading when they’re ready.
We may hear that parents often enroll their children in Quran classes at the masjid or school, however, the children themselves do not want to go to the Quran class. Parents often force their children to go against their desire. Therefore, how can parents persuade their children to go to Quran class?
How do get them excited about it too?
Since children love to do what they see their parents do. So you should know that the duty is on you _if you are not doing that_ to attend a Quran class as a parent because if you do it, your children will want to do it as well.
Next, find out the reason that makes them not excited about it and why is their playtime being compromised? Identify the root cause.
Thirdly, you know your child, and you know how to get them excited and happy about things. So just as you get them excited about doing their homework, or finishing their meals, or putting on the suites they hate (like snowsuits or uniforms), the same way gets them excited about learning Quran also.
Start as early as possible, because the earlier you start, the easier it will be, but remember that it’s not just their ability to read that matters, or how much of the Quran they have memorized that matters, what matters most at this age is the love and connection that they can build with the Quran, because if they have it, then this is what will fuel their learning in the future.
So start by making them memorize parts of the Quran.