Praise be to Allah.
A child can be taught about Allah in a suitable manner, according to his level of understanding. He can be told that Allah is One and has no partner. He can be told that He is the Creator of all things, so He is the Creator of the earth, the heavens, people, animals, trees, rivers, etc. The educator can make the most of some situations by asking the child, whilst walking through a garden or in the countryside, about Who made the water, rivers and things in the natural scenery around him, to draw his attention to the greatness of the Creator. The father, mother or educators in general may be with a child or group of children in a car on a journey or a trip at the time of sunset, when the sun disappears from sight gradually. All that the educator has to do at that point is to draw the attention of those who are with him to the power of Allah displayed in that.
A child can also be taught to understand the bounty of Allah and the blessing of good health that He has bestowed upon him. For example, you could say to him, “Who gave you your hearing, sight and mind? Who gave you strength and the ability to move?” and so on. The child can also be encouraged to love Allah and to thank Him for this blessing and bounty. Making a child love Allah and the things that Allah loves is a good action which will bring educational benefits sooner or later, by Allah’s Leave.
A mother opened a window on the second floor of the house to let some air in, but her child came and quickly closed it. When his mother asked him why he had done that, he said, “I saw the dish on one of our neighbours’ roofs and I don’t want to look at anything that my Lord does not like.”
A child may ask about his Lord, whether He eats or sleeps. In that case we have to answer and tell him that there is nothing like Allah, and He is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing; neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. Allah is not like us, He does not need to sleep, eat or drink.
If these meanings are made simple for a child and explained to him in a way that is suited to his age, then the veneration of Allah in his heart is one of the things that will help him to be aware that Allah is watching him in secret and in public.
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