In Ramadan, the best education would be the one that takes advantage of the rewards for this month. We always aim to increase our own and our children’s scale of good deeds so since Ramadan is a special month where the reward is increased for each good deed, we should take advantage of it.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever draws near to Allah during it (Ramadan) with a single characteristic from the characteristics of (voluntary) goodness, he is like whoever performs an obligatory act in other times. And whoever performs an obligatory act during it, he is like whoever performed seventy obligatory acts in other times.” (Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah).
Here is a program of education that will increase your children’s rewards. Remember that the reward for doing them is already a lot but when doing them in Ramadan, they get multiplied.
1. Learn and Read the Quran
Teach or have your children learn to read and memorise the Quran. There is so much reward in reading or reciting the Quran as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever recites a letter from Allah’s Book, then he receives the reward from it, and the reward of ten the like of it. I do not say that Alif Lam Mim is a letter, but Alif is a letter, Lam is a letter and Mim is a letter.” (Tirmidhi)
If your child is still learning then what a good time to keep reading because the reward is double! Aishah relates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Verily the one who recites the Qur’an beautifully, smoothly, and precisely, he will be in the company of the noble and obedient angels. And as for the one who recites with difficulty, stammering or stumbling through its verses, then he will have twice that reward.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
2. Learn a Hadeeth a Day about Good Deeds
Study and learn about the Prophet’s, peace be upon him, hadeeth that encourage good deeds. Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Allah the Exalted said: If my servant intends to do a good deed and he does not do it, then it is recorded for him as a good deed. If he does it, then it is recorded as ten good deeds and multiplied up to seven hundred times. If my servant intends to do an evil deed and he does not do it, then it is not recorded for him. If he does it, then it is recorded as a single bad deed.” (Sahih Bukhari 7062, Sahih Muslim 128)
After you’ve studied the hadeeth then go and put it into practice straight away. If the hadeeth is about smiling at people then go out and smile at everyone you see. If you learn the hadeeth about treating neighbours with kindness then go and visit your neighbour. Better still, make someone and carry it with you to give as a gift. There are so many hadeeth on doing good so select thirty to learn and then apply them to your children’s daily life.
3. Learn Some Dhikr
Dhikr is when you remember Allah and you recite certain words. There are different rewards for different dhikr. If your children learn some and say them every day then the rewards will keep piling up.
Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said: "Is anyone of you incapable of earning one thousand hasanah (rewards) a day?" Someone from the gathering asked, "How can anyone of us earn a thousand hasanah?" Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said: "Glorify Allah a hundred times by just saying “Subhanallah” and a thousand good deeds will be written for you, or a thousand sins will be wiped away.” (Muslim)
4. Learn Empathy
Spend a day helping the poor, needy or elderly. This in itself is an education and a great reward. When you give your time to spend helping others it is a charity. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “The best charity is that given in Ramadan.” (Tirmidhi) By helping others, your child will learn empathy as well as being kind and helpful.
Empathy is so important to being kind because it helps your children to feel and understand what it’s like to be poor or needy or elderly. It’s hard to be these things without understanding. The best way to learn empathy is to see it and experience it through others.
5. Read Islamic books
Children, and adults, should be reading every day. In Ramadan, increase your child’s knowledge of Ramadan by reading books about Ramadan. So buy or borrow as many books as you can on Ramadan and encourage your children to read them.
If there are not many non-fiction books about Ramadan or fiction books that have a Ramadan theme then any book about an Islamic topic will also be beneficial. By reading about Islam, your children will learn more, understand it more and therefore, can practice it more.
There are so many ways you and your children can earn rewards every day. But remember that in Ramadan, the rewards are multiplied. Don’t waste this time. Take advantage of it by learning and doing more good.
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