Five Simple Ways to Strengthen Your Child’s Connection with the Quran

In this life, every one of us is bound to stumble through roadblocks. What matters is how we deal with those situations. The way a person beats the odds and comes out successful defines their character, willpower, and faith in the Divine. On the other hand, there may be many amongst us who give up easily. There could be countless reasons behind people losing their hopes and diving into darkness. But as disciples of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), it’s our ultimate duty to pull them out of the shadows. This is where our religion, Islam, plays a great role. It guides us to the track we should take. Also known as Sirat-Al-Mustaqeem, this is a pathway that we must find and follow through our lives. In the meantime, we must convey the roadmap to those around us. Most importantly, this mission begins at home. For example, if you are a parent, it is your ultimate responsibility to show this path to your kids. Make it the purpose of your life. Your Lord has provided you with a great opportunity. Your efforts with your child today will create a ripple effect that’s going to pass on to generations. Keep in mind that your children are your biggest responsibility. They can turn out to be a source of endless reward if we focus on nurturing them under Islamic regulations. While there may be lots of literature out there to help you achieve that, nothing is better than the word of our beloved Prophet (ﷺ) He (ﷺ) states:

“Indeed, each of you is a shepherd, and each of you will be questioned regarding his flock. The commander who is in authority over people is responsible, and he will be questioned regarding his responsibility. The man is responsible over the inhabitants of his house, and he is the one who will be questioned about them. The wife is responsible in her husband’s house, and she will be questioned about it. The servant is responsible regarding his master’s property, and he will be questioned about it. Indeed each of you is a shepherd, and each of you will be questioned about his flock.” (Bukhari, Muslim)

Thus, it’s rightful to state that we are the guardians of this flock. We must discover the Islamic perspective and the ways adopted by Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) for the tarbiyyah of people around him. For starters, work on developing your child’s relationship with the Quran. Let the Book take charge and witness miracles as your child proceeds on a wonderful journey. Doing that is quite easy if you know the basics. Below, we list five simple ways to strengthen your child’s connection with the Quran:

1. Make Them Listen

This is the initial and most useful way of beginning a child’s relationship with the Quran. In fact, mothers should start listening to the recitation more and more when the embryo starts developing its hearing system. It happens during the fourth month of pregnancy. Once the child enters the world, they must build a habit of reciting the Quran around them. Mother can do that herself or play recitation. Besides this, have a “no music” rule in your house. Keep your child away from all kinds of music up until the age of ten. This includes video games, television, films, and cartoons. Although it’s easier said than done, but if you take a firm stand, you will definitely find some amazing results in the future. The only thing you should be careful about is not to use the Quran as a filler sound. Make sure your surroundings allow for it. There should be no noise and advise your kids to observe absolute silence while the recitation goes on.

2. Tell Stories

It’s plausible for a child to give vague responses when asked questions about the Quran. The fact that the Quran is in Arabic makes it essential for us to make the child understand its translation. You can start by telling them stories from the Quran. Psychology proves that children have a very strong sense of imagination. They practically transfer to another world when they listen to the tales of dinosaurs and princesses. How about telling them tales of the great Ibrahim (AS ), beautiful Yusuf (AS), and the gentlest of all, Hazrat Muhammad (ﷺ)? With this, they will not only have more knowledge of the Quran, but they will also start loving our religion, insha’Allah.  And this is going to be our biggest achievement as a Muslim parent. Our goal is to make them fall in love with religion, not be repelled away from it. This means adopting good manners ourselves to serve as a model for our children. Rasūlullāh (ﷺ) said,

“Nothing is weightier on the Scale of Deeds than one’s good manners.”

Some people strongly believe that punishments can be one of the ways to make a child serious about learning. However from the life of Prophet (ﷺ), we learn how he has been gentle and patient towards people of all ages. Narrated Anas bin Malik:

“A Bedouin came and passed urine in one corner of the mosque. The people shouted at him, but the Prophet stopped them till he finished urinating. The Prophet ordered them to spill a bucket of water over that place, and they did so.” (Bukhari 2002)

3. Take Baby Steps

Aggressive learning methods become useless when it comes to imparting Quranic knowledge. Let your child take in the essence of the Quran. Make them listen to different chunks of the Book at particular times. For example, you can sit beside them and recite when they are about to sleep. Have them sit in your lap while you are reciting. Try to use a beautiful voice, so they feel your love for this book. The Prophet (ﷺ) said:

“Beautify the Qur’ān with your voices.”(Abu Dawud)

If your child is working on his/her tajweed with their teacher, do not burden them with loads of lesson. Help them through recitation and take a break when you feel they cannot continue any longer. An important factor to take care of is to select a good teacher. Make sure that the instructor you select for your child recites with proper Tajweed. Plus, ask them to keep you in the loop at all times. Your constant communication with the teacher helps you track the progress of your child and identify their weaknesses. You can then work along with their teacher to deal with those elements.

4. Have Family Activities

Your child learns better when he/she sees the entire family following the same track. Make sure that you and your spouse have a strong bonding with the Quran. It inspires the children in the family. Not only that, but you should also get creative when encouraging your child to connect with the Quran. Try to come up with activities and games that the whole family plays together. You can create a quiz and reward the winner at the end. Or you can pick a portion of the Quran and discuss perspectives of the entire family on it. Throughout the session, make sure that you keep it to the level of each child and engage them where possible. Even though teaching Quran is extremely important, but it should not cause a gap in a parent and child’s relationship. Be there for your children at all times. The pressure may compel you to take the tough route. Learn how to tackle that. Be a teacher like the Prophet (ﷺ), who said:

“(O people!) Save yourselves from the Hell-Fire even if with one half of a date (given in charity), and if you find it not, then (save yourselves) by saying a good pleasant friendly word.” (Bukhari, 2002)

5. Make Du’a

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

“There are three supplications that will undoubtedly be answered: the supplication of one who has been wronged; the supplication of the traveler; and the supplication of a father for his child.” (Ibn Majah)

All your efforts may become fruitless if you do not ask for the support of Allah. We have seen how prophets never forgot to pray for their offspring. They beseeched their Lord to guide their children and future generations to come. We must follow the same pattern. Instead of using harsh words when your child acts cranky or throws a tantrum, make du’a for them. And during your daily prayers, bow down before your Rabb. Ask Him to guide your children. Plead with Him to make them walk according to Quranic instructions. Rely on Allah and watch the Divine wonders unfold in your favor! May Allah enable our children and us to live by the Quran and reunite us all in Jannah. Aameen!