I'm late to my own party but anw here's my thread on the kind of Islamic education I want to see in the future for kids.

I think it's an understatement if I say that many of us became disillusioned with the faith at some pt bcs of how it's taught & practiced, in class/at home.

These less kind envmts, a result of longstanding mode of religion that puts emphasis on punitive consequences, driven by fear and wanting to avoid God's wrath at all cost. The result is an authoritarian tone twds religion, always abt what u must do but also "don't ask".

This doesn't just extend to daily obligations, but esp for girls/women, sometimes this also translates into being forced to wear the hijab.

It goes without saying that in these sort of envmts, it can create a lot of resentment twds the faith and God.

It's easy to say "just read more" but sometimes that in itself is a problem bcs where do you begin. Where do you find works that don't propogate similar stances you're deeply uncomfortable with.

Plus personal experiences can at times really affect your judgment even prior.

I think deep down I don't want to see our kids grow up in such envmts anymore. I want to see an Islamic education that is more humanistic, that puts more emphasis on God's compassion and mercy.

And I want kids to understand that being a good Muslim isn't just abt personal piety, but also abt social piety.

To that end, here are some things I'd like to see in the future:

1. Breaking away from the dosa-pahala, syurga-neraka matrix. I mean, yeah you kind of have to know, but at the end of the day, we have to make sure that kids understand that ibadah isn't based on some de/merit point system.

We can make the effort to explain to kids what ibadah is - acts of remembrance and honouring God, in a variety of ways: for oneself, for society, for nature.

So like you feed your cat and treat it nicely. That's ibadah, bcs by honouring God's creation you're honouring God.

Or donating to the needy. It's ibadah bcs we are sharing the wealth that God gave us, but it's also fulfilling our social responsibility as Muslims to take care of ppl ard us. In doing so, we are honoring these ppl as fellow humans who are also God's creation.

Solat is always a bit tricky but I think what will help is to take it slow and go thru part by part, why we recite certain things, why we rukuk, why we sujud. It's not enough to say solat is wajib. Help kids understand the meaning of solat, don't scare them with neraka.

It can really be as simple as, "solat is a way for us to say thanks to God, and we move from standing to rukuk to sujud bcs it's a way to remind ourselves that we are small compared to God"

Yknow, sth like that. Instead of if you don't solat you make Allah angry and go to hell

2. Encourage, don't force.

Esp if they are young and still grasping their way to understand what being a Muslim is about. Help them come round to things on their own. Forcing always results in begrudgingly doing things. Tak ikhlas abir what's the point.

A gd way to encourage is to teach them that there are many ways to remember God. Does being out in nature remind them of God? Then share with them some verses from the Quran that describes the lush greens and the seas. When I say share, I mean give them the translations as well.

The Quran is a sacred text, yes, but sometimes it's okay to treat it like a bedtime book. The point is to get them to read a bit and find things in it that appeal to them. When they are a bit older (ard 10+), then can touch on the more serious tafsir.

It'll probably mean they won't khatam at impressive speed but what it also means is that they take time to understand what they're reading. It beats finishing their Iqra 1-6 then jump to Quran and khatam but they don't actually know what they're reading.

It also goes without saying you don't force kids to wear hijab lol

Let them try if they want to, but don't ever force them. Periodt.

Plus there isn't a unanimous position amongst ulama as to what constitutes a hijab so please.

3. Sirah lessons as a way to discuss with kids abt social justice and injustice.

Not just to reminisce on how great Muslims were in the past. And no more using sirah to foment prejudices against other religions and communities. Please stop it. We don't stan toxic sirah takes.

4. Don't shut kids down when you don't know by telling them "don't question"

This is really basic. And it means a lot to kids bcs it shows that you respect them. It also means that the onus is on you to go learn and find out together with the kid.

Questioning is a basic part of learning. When you can't question, it's really just indoctrination. And besides, God Himself encourages us to question and think in order to find and understand Him.

All those great Muslim philosophers ppl like to boast abt qn things all the time.

K that's all from me. Good night, and may the last day of Ramadan continue to keep us in its blessings.