Your child and Madrasah/ Maktab??
The first formal institute of madrasa/Maktab education was at the home of Sayyadina Zaid bin Arkam (ra) near a hill called Safa, where our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam) was the teacher and the students were the beloved sahaba (ra). After migration the madrasa of “Suffa” was established in Madina on the east side of the Masjid an-Nabawi. Sayyadina Ubada bin Saumit (ra) was appointed by the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam) as a teacher. In the madrassa curriculum there were the teachings of the Qur’an, the ahadith, fara’idh, tajweed, genealogy, treatises of first aid, etc. There were also training in horse riding; the art of war; handwriting and calligraphy; athletics and martial arts.
Till today Al-hamdulillah, Allah Ta’ala has blessed the Muslims with such a great bounty where children from as young as four continue to benefit from that rich legacy that was handed down by the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam). They learn the Qur’an, Islamic Taarikh (history), Adab & Akhlaaq (Manners and Etiquettes), Hadith (Traditions of Nabi Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), Fiqh (Basic Islamic Rulings) and much more. This is also where children can complete Hifdh (the memorisation of 30 chapters, 114 Surah’s and 6236 verses of the Holy Qur’an!).
This in itself is a miracle of Allah Ta’ala that the preservation of Islam is still vibrant. The Madrasah system is a bounty which through the efforts of our pious predecessors, for hundreds of years, has educated us and has saved many of us from becoming completely neglectful of the Deen.
Our children tend to react to what they have been taught in their homes, colleges and schools and what they read, hear and see in the mass media. If you are doing only school and not counteracting the negative environment around the children, then they are potentially at a great loss. There aren’t generally educators in the secular system, who constantly reminds them about who they are, and how they should conduct themselves as Muslims. In fact, many of us wasn’t fortunate at an early stage to learn sound Islamic knowledge so how will be able to emphasise on the core Islamic morals and values for our children.
Society is tough enough as it is and because we are generally are only in the company of those who are in an un-Islamic environment, Shaytaan is perpetually whispering in our ears all the time!
However, If they are taught and nurtured regularly with good Islamic etiquettes especially via a strong Maktab foundation, they will feel, think and react according to what is expected. Good Islamic education promotes respectability and piety, which leads to success in this world and aakhirah.
Unfortunately, nowadays we don’t value the madrasah as much as our predecessors did. Islamic education is being disregarded. Instead of sending our children to the Madrasah to gain the necessary Islamic knowledge and practice, we would rather send them to an after-school homework club or to football practice. We have this attitude and tend to think that when our son or daughter has started the recitation of the Holy Qur’an, then their Islamic education is complete. We don’t filly realise the spiritual benefit of the madrasah and the need to continually uplift the knowledge and spirituality of the child.
We need realise with the light of Islamic knowledge we will also have the ability to identify and avoid the dangerous paths of Kufr, Shirk and immorality, which may cross us at some stage or the other.
Don’t you think it’s about time that our children get that deserving enrichment that is in a good solid Islamic upbringing? Remember just like we see the need of our children to progress on a secular level, we should understand its importance on an Islamic level. For those who are already enrolled then we still have to support the children to learn and like what they do in Maktab.
Finally, I ask for you continuous support in this venture to establish an ideal Islamic environment for our children to grow up in. The Maktab teachers put in a lot of effort to benefit the students as best as they can, given the limited resources. The Madrassa/ Maktab is an always improving and growing entity, which we request your input as much as possible. We, the committee and the Maktab teachers are always trying to improve our services to the community and the world at large, hence, we are open to suggestions, support and help from your good selves. See you next term in sha Allah.
By (Mufti) Abraar Alli
Chairman of the education committee NureIslam Masjid
