In Singapore, parents start sending their children  at young age to pre-schools and then to secular Primary school and so on, for the sake of their children’s future – to gain as much knowledge as they can. What about Islamic Education that is missing from secular schools? Islamic education is equally as important to a Muslim child, or even more important, as to the secular education.

1. Islamic education instills in a child the foundations of Islam.

Islam is a way of life for us Muslims, not simply a belief. In order for a Muslim to grow up living his life in the Islamic way, he must learn and practice Islam from a young age. When a child is young, he is the most impressionable and absorbs knowledge just as how it is taught. A quote from Al-Ghazali that a child “is a trust (placed by Allah) in the hands of his parents, and his innocent heart is a precious element capable of taking impressions”. When a child is born, he starts learning about life and everything around him. Information is absorbed like a sponge.

In Madrasahs around Singapore, children will be able to learn about the basic foundations of Islam formally such as Fiqh, Qur’an, Hadith, Tauhid, Arabic language, History of Islam and our Prophet (S). The formal Islamic education will keep the values and basics of Islam ingrained into the life of a child.

2. Islamic education educates the child with the right knowledge of Islam.

Providing Islamic education allows the right knowledge of Islam to be taught to children. Parents or grandparents may not have 100% knowledge or correct information as they may not have gone to classes formally for all aspects of Islam.

Rather than a child living his life believing or practicing something wrong, formal Islamic education enables a child to learn about Islam from properly trained teachers and from reliable resources provided for them. At weekend Madrasahs such as SimplyIslam, teachers are certified to teach Islam and textbooks or materials are provided with strict accordance from MUIS and Iqra International Education Foundation.

3. Islamic education keeps Islam in the life of the child.

For children attending secular primary, or teens attending secular secondary school, they hardly have any contact with Islam in any part of their lives in school or after school. To keep Islam close to the hearts of our children, sending them for Islamic education at weekend Madrasahs for a few hours a week puts Islam into their minds. Throughout their school week, they will be able to keep in mind the teachings from their Madrasah over the weekend.

Moreover, there are many options close to home for such weekend Madrasahs. Mosques in all parts of Singapore provide a.L.I.V.E. programmes for children as they grow from age 5 to 20. This can help to facilitate the learning process progressively, and he never stops learning and keeping in contact with Islam daily or weekly.

4. Attending weekend Islamic schools gifts them good companions.

In the secular schools, religion is rarely or ever mentioned or seen. If Islam is not being practised at home, our kids might never see the importance of Islam in their lives at all. When your children attend Islamic school, even if for an hour each week, he/she is exposed to other Muslim peers in their age group who are also learning.

If religion and piety is seen as ‘uncool’ in secular schools, weekend madrasahs such as SimplyIslam or at the mosques allow students to practise it with ease and to even compete in goodness and piety!

Giving a child formal Islamic education is as or more important as providing any other form of education. For the best for our children and for them to grow to be good Muslims, we must provide them the easily available Islamic education for them to start living their lives with Islam from young.

Azzahra Durra
Azzahra Durra is a Chinese Muslim, and has been a Muslim since she’s 21. She’s a married, crazy cat-lady who blogs whenever she can in her blog at http://herharem.wordpress.com.