The Child's Education in Islam

Chapter Four : the Third Stage : Early Childhood Stage

Early childhood stage commences from weaning age to the end of the sixth or seventh years of his age. This is the most important training stage for the child's linguistic, mental and social development. It is a stage of self building which stands as psychological and moral support.

This stage needs special assistance of the parents for the training of the children and preparing them to be efficient in the midst of the society. The feature of this stage are pinpointed with in the following training methods.

Firstly : Teaching Child The Cognition Of Allah The Most High

Child was naturally created base on faith with Allah the most High, where he begins asking questions about the origination of the universe, his existence, that of his parents and the existence of all that is surrounding him. His limited thinking is ready to accept the view about the maker and creator; it is upon the parents to utilize his inquiry by acquainting him of Allah the Creator and the most High to the extent his limited thought can accept.

Faith in Allah the most High as it was emphasize by the religious teachers and the psychologists is (among the valuable things to be planted in child .....It is among those things that will enable him hope in life and reliance on the creator and possesses religious restraints that will protect him from committing sins)[^1].

Training and teaching in this stage is preferably to be step by step with in the chain of method that is mentally suitable to the age of the child and level of his linguistic development. Imam Mohammad Al-Baqir (peace be upon him) has specified the chain method by saying: "When a child reaches three years of age you say to him: Lailaha illa Allah seven times, you then leaves him till he reaches three years seven months and twenty days you then say to him: Mohammadu Rrasulillah seven times, you then leaves him till he completed four years of age, you then say to him: sala llahu ala Mohammad wa'aalih seven times, you then leaves him till he completed his fifth years of age, you then said to him where is your right side and where is your left side?

if he has known all that, you turn his face towards Qiblah and said to him to "prostrate" you then leaves him till he completed seven years of age, when he has completed his seven years of age, tell him to wash his face and hands, if he has washes them, then tell him to pray, you then leaves him till he completed nine years of age, you teach him ablution, prayer and beat him if not observing it, when he has learned ablution and prayer Almighty Allah will forgive him and his parents by His Wish"[^2].

The present days psychology has established the authenticity of this method (2-3 years, because of too much of things and the relationship, the child begin to acquire utterances that correlates with what he can express base on his understandings ...... at the end of his third years the child will be able to make speeches base on the grammatical laws he observed and it will enable him to construct primary and sound sentences[^3].

It is incumbent to deepen the faith in Allah while teaching the child.

The child of this stage does imitate the parents in all aspect including faith in Allah. DR. Sapok says: (Verily the basis of the child's faith and love for the great creator are the same basis that parents love Allah). He says : (Between the age of three to six he will try to imitate the parents in all aspect, if they converse with him regards Allah, he will preserve the image he derived from their words literally about Allah)[^4].

Child of this stage always inclines towards love, cordiality,

gentleness and lenient relations or (it is preferably to laid emphasis on special attributes like mercy, love and forgiveness to the last extent possible and to reduce about punishment and revenge attributes)[^5].

Then the image the child is bearing in his senses about Allah will be that of beautiful ones and pleased with him. It also increases his concern about Allah and beholds Him to be the donor of the blessing and love for him.

When we wants the child to creates the image of the day of Judgment, the best is to centralize on the enjoyment in the paradise that is suitable to his desire, regards food, drinks, games and other things. We have to stress it to him that he will obtain them if he is of good moral and abide by the Islamic cultures and if he did not abide by it, he will be deprived of it and should delay emphasis about the punishment of Hell fire till the next stage of his life.

**Secondly : Emphasis on The Love For The Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) and The Ahlulbayt (peace be upon them). ** The prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) said: "Teach your children three habits: love of your Prophet, love for the Ahlulbait and reading of the holy Qur'an"[^6].

In this stage the child's feelings, tenderness and consciousness, developed regards love, hatred, attraction, disinclination, zealousness and withdrawal. It is then incumbent to utilize the tenderness in the child and to developed his feelings and tenderness and try to focus him towards the highest exemplary human being and commence concentrations on the love for the prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) and the Ahlulbait (peace be upon them) in his personal sentiment.

The best way to focus this love is showing their stances and their conduct in the society especially regards their mercy, sympathy, generosity, sufferings, deprivations and aggressions they encountered. All this make the child to be sympathetic with and loving them. Then they will hate all those that cause havoc to them among the polytheists and the perverted ones.

Concentration on the reading of the holy Qur'an in the childhood makes him to be vocal in the Book of Allah. He will be acquainted with what came in the Qur'an especially the chapters and the verses the child understand their meanings.

The reality has established that the child possess the ability to repeat and memorize what he hears. The child will grow up having attraction and interest for the Qur'an and what is in Qur'anic understandings reflect on his senses and conduct.