The Goal is to Please Allah
This post is in: General Upbringing
At about the age of about 5 or 6 of a child’s life, more of the concepts of Islam can begin to be taught in greater detail. Young children may know the name of Allah and his attributes and be happy to say them, but they cannot really comprehend the idea of an Omnipotent, All-Encompassing God that takes care of them and loves them.
As they mature, children will begin to understand this and realize the importance of their relationship with their Unseen Creator. It is necessary as parents to teach them about the significance of pleasing Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, in all that they do. This is, in fact, the goal of Islam, which is submission to Allah’s plan and guidance. It should also be emphasized that doing this is to their benefit as well because it is through this obedience that they receive Allah’s grace and blessings. Connected with this are the rewards that are obtained from Allah for good behavior and the final, ultimate reward in the Hereafter.
“He that does good shall have ten times as much to his credit; he that doeth evil shall only be recompensed according to his evil. No wrong shall be done unto them.” [6:160].
It is critical to teach these principles to our children because they should be a guide and a light throughout a person’s lifetime. When a child misbehaves, he or she can be reminded about these ideas and simply asked whether Allah would be pleased with that type of behavior. Mindfulness and thikr of Allah and the Hereafter can and should be inculcated in children beginning at a very young age.