Teaching Knowledge of the Deen to Kids

There are great lessons to be learnt from the life of Imam Bukhari, even when he was a boy. Imam Bukhari was born in Shawwal 194 AH. He began studying hadith in 205 AH when he was only eleven years old. 

Hashid Ibn Ismail was a classmate of Imam Bukhari. He said : Imam Bukhari was still a young boy when he came to our class to learn hadith with us. However, we would notice him sitting quietly, listening to the teacher without writing anything down. For some days we observed this with silence, but when he continued to behave in this manner, we started to chide him for wasting time in class and not writing anything down. Imam Bukhari Ignored these objections and did not rebut them. One day, people lectured him too much and he became angry. He said, “What are you trying to say? Go bring your notes, sit here around me and I will say from memory everything you have written.“ Hashid finally admitted, “He [Imam Bukhari] recited over fifteen thousand hadith from memory.”

While most may never reach the same level as shown by Imam Bukhari as a young boy, still every child has their own unique potential and distinctive aptitude and attitude for learning so we shouldn’t underestimate a child’s ability to learn. 

However learning in religion shouldn’t be an excessive hardship, nor should it be so over bearing that it puts a child off. Rather, exposure to simple Islamic knowledge or ideas to begin with, if presented in a fun, appealing way, could spark their interest and desire for learning.

If a child were to pick up even one hadith or ayat and remember it, connect with it, apply it in their life and spread it to others- it’s a path to worshipping Allah (swt); it’s an achievement.

Abdullah ibn Amr reported:

The Prophet ﷺ said, “Convey from me, even if it is one verse.” [Sahih Bukhari] 🌙

𝑴𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 of 𝗦.𝗡.𝗝𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗹𝗶 ✍🏼 (𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓 of 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗯𝗻 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, Islamic chapter books for kids📚)