Muslim teens who could not answer about the pillars of Islam

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A couple of weeks ago, my husband shared with me a video which saddened me. The video was an interview of some of the Muslim teens.

They had to answer 2 simple questions; What are the pillars of Islam and Iman.
They fumbled and they stuttered, unsure whether their answers were right. And some did not even manage to give anything.
SubhanAllah, it is saddening but I wasn’t shocked.

What went wrong

I tried putting myself in their situation years ago when I was still in my teens. If I were to be asked the same questions, would I be able to answer confidently or would I stutter in doubt?

Truthfully, I think I would be the later. And just so you know, Alhamdulillah I was not wild or the type that hangs out in the streets. I was a normal teenager who did her basic obligations. But like many others, I was immersed with entertainment and things that have no benefit for my hereafter.

Learning and implementing the deen was just a sideline. And that was the problem.
I failed to prioritize the religion in my life.

Back then, I went to public school and had religious classes only on the weekends. Most of my time was dedicated to learning about this world and learning about the religion was reserved for my spare time.

Unfortunately, I am not the only one like this. When you live in a secular society, this is how it is.

Living in a secular society

The pressures of society can push us to places that we don’t need to be.

You see, everyone wants their children to be in the best schools. Enrichment centers are popping up everywhere even in shopping centers. Parents would sign their kids up for classes because they want them to be a well-rounded person.

Unknowingly, when living in this type of society, we too may get pushed by the currents and forget to prioritize what is needed.

Making the deen our priority

What we should do is just take a step back and get out of the rat race. I know it is scary to be at a place where everyone else is not at. But you don’t have to keep up with everyone else.

Ultimately, what we want our children to have before anything else is a firm understanding of the religion and for them to be able to implement them in their lives.

Teaching our kids ourselves

It’s not wrong to send our kids to the masjid or religious teachers. In fact, at a certain point, it is needed. But when it comes to teaching them the basics of Islam, we should be the one to teach them on our own because everything that we teach them will be a continuous charity for us on the day of judgment insya’Allah.

So here are some practical steps to begin this journey.

Learning the deen ourselves

Before teaching our kids, we should have a firm understanding of the basics of our religion too. Maybe you know the foundations of Islam well, maybe not. But that’s okay too. It’s never too late to learn it or relearn it.

This religion is easy and nothing should stop us from going back to learning about our foundations such as the 6 pillars of Iman and 5 pillars of Islam.

Do not be embarrassed to learn them again.

Teaching kids the fundamentals first

The pillars of Islam and Imaan should be prioritized. Teaching our kids this is not by just asking them to memorize them. Rather, we should explain to them the meanings and illustrate to them how they can implement each pillar in their lives.

How to teach children the basics of Islam

If you are like me, I have always wondered how to teach children about Islam in a simple yet comprehensive manner. I did my research by listening to the lectures of some students of knowledge, and I found my answer.

Teaching kids about the fundamentals of our religion can simply be done with the following 2 steps:

• Breaking down the information in words that are easy for them to understand
• Giving them examples from their daily interactions with life

In my upcoming posts, I will share with you what I have learned on how exactly you can implement the 2 steps above in teaching kids the pillars of Iman and Islam in accordance to the Quran and authentic hadith insya’Allah.

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