As homeschoolers, we have many opportunities to practice the sunnah when we teach our children. Montessori, Charlotte Mason or Waldorf may be some methods we are more familiar with, but have you ever consciously used the methods the Prophet (pbuh) practiced in teaching the deen as your homeschool pedagogy?
Before we go into the methods, a homeschooler should clarify her intentions for educating her children at home. This is the basis of every action in life and how it shall be accounted for.
"Actions are (judged) by intentions (niyyah), so each man will receive what he has intended for.” [Bukhari & Muslim]
We homeschool for various reasons: our beliefs about education, ease of travel, protecting our children's childhood etc. They are all valid reasons. However, we should state from the start and reaffirm every now and then that, like everything in life, we are doing it to seek Allah's pleasure. Thus, even when we are doing our ABCs or math, it will be a form of worship.
This intention helps to direct us in our goal to guide our children:
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ ٱلْجِنَّ وَٱلْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ
Ad Dhariyat: ٥٦
I did not create jinn and humans except to worship Me.
The choices we make thereafter, like what our children should study and with whom, should follow suit in the same basis as what we have intended. When we seek the pleasure of Allah, we will, for example, avoid teaching our children practices that are forms of bid'ah.
أَخْبَرَنَا عُتْبَةُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ أَنْبَأَنَا ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ، عَنْ سُفْيَانَ، عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ فِي خُطْبَتِهِ يَحْمَدُ اللَّهَ وَيُثْنِي عَلَيْهِ بِمَا هُوَ أَهْلُهُ ثُمَّ يَقُولُ " مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلاَ مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْهُ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ إِنَّ أَصْدَقَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ وَأَحْسَنَ الْهَدْىِ هَدْىُ مُحَمَّدٍ وَشَرَّ الأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا وَكُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلاَلَةٌ وَكُلَّ ضَلاَلَةٍ فِي النَّارِ " . ثُمَّ يَقُولُ " بُعِثْتُ أَنَا وَالسَّاعَةُ كَهَاتَيْنِ " . وَكَانَ إِذَا ذَكَرَ السَّاعَةَ احْمَرَّتْ وَجْنَتَاهُ وَعَلاَ صَوْتُهُ وَاشْتَدَّ غَضَبُهُ كَأَنَّهُ نَذِيرُ جَيْشٍ يَقُولُ " صَبَّحَكُمْ مَسَّاكُمْ " . ثُمَّ قَالَ " مَنْ تَرَكَ مَالاً فَلأَهْلِهِ وَمَنْ تَرَكَ دَيْنًا أَوْ ضِيَاعًا فَإِلَىَّ أَوْ عَلَىَّ وَأَنَا أَوْلَى بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ " .
It was narrated that Jabir bin 'Abdullah said: "In his Khutbah the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to praise Allah as He deserves to be praised, then he would say: 'Whomsoever Allah (SWT) guides, none can lead him astray, and whomsoever Allah sends astray, none can guide. The truest of word is the Book of Allah and best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad. The worst of things are those that are newly invented; every newly-invented thing is an innovation and every innovation is going astray, and every going astray is in the Fire.' Then he said: 'The Hour and I have been sent like these two.' Whenever he mentioned the Hour, his cheeks would turn red, and he would raise his voice and become angry, as if he were warning of an approaching army and saying: 'An army is coming to attack you in the morning, or in the evening!' (Then he said): 'Whoever leaves behind wealth, it is for his family, and whoever leaves behind a debt or dependents, then these are my responsibility, and I am the most entitled to take care of the believers.'"
Sunan an-Nasa'i 1578 (https://sunnah.com/nasai:1578)
It is a cause for concern when we see children being taught to love the Prophet (s.a.w) and at the same time to believe in teachings and practice acts that was not taught by the Prophet (s.a.w) in their innocence because we as parents did not ourselves seek knowledge to have proper understanding of the deen and avoid bid'ah, but instead practice it and impart it to our children who look up to us as their main educator and parents. نعوذ بالله من ذلك
With Allah's guidance, we seek to ensure how we homeschool is done in a way that pleases Allah and thus we seek to do it by the Sunnah as much as possible.
As a start, we teach our children how the Prophet (s.a.w) himself would act in doing everyday things like saying the basmalah before studying and so we begin our lessons with basmalah. We know that there are duas that can be recited when studying and we recite them too.
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا شَبَابَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ مُوسَى بْنِ أَبِي عَائِشَةَ، عَنْ مَوْلًى، لأُمِّ سَلَمَةَ عَنْ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ كَانَ يَقُولُ إِذَا صَلَّى الصُّبْحَ حِينَ يُسَلِّمُ " اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ عِلْمًا نَافِعًا، وَرِزْقًا طَيِّبًا، وَعَمَلاً مُتَقَبَّلاً " .
It was narrated from Umm Salamah that when the Prophet (ﷺ) performed the Subh (morning prayer), while he said the Salam, he would say: ‘Allahumma inni as’aluka ‘ilman nafi’an, wa rizqan tayyiban, wa ‘amalan mutaqabbalan (O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, goodly provision and acceptable deeds).’”
Sunan Ibn Majah 925
https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah:925
These have been good reminders for me as we approach the end of the year and probably homeschool fatigue for some of us, and for my case the many years have also made me too relaxed with certain practices. أسْتَغْفِرُ الله
May you have a good week ahead and insyaAllah I hope to write more on how we can practice how the Prophet taught.
