Teaching the Concept of Purpose to Young Children

Allah has decreed that our purpose in life is to worship Him. It is for this reason that He created us. We take for granted that everyone knows what this means, but for a young child, the abstract concept of purpose may be baffling. Knowing this, parents and caregivers must determine when and how to teach children the concept of purpose.

Purpose (like truth, justice, hope, humility, and love) is an abstract idea, and human beings are not born with the ability to understand abstractions. It develops over time, gradually, and in stages. In Islam, scholars have named and described these stages of thinking. These stages are similar to the development levels described by educational psychologists. Five of them are described in the chart below.

Post-Birth Cognitive Development¹

Parents should view the stages of cognitive development as generalizations. The age ranges and behaviors listed may not apply to each child because our children progress through these stages according to their unique physiology and socialization. The important takeaway is that as the child’s understanding of their purpose increases, so do their responsibilities. 

Evidence is abundant for teaching abstractions in a gradual, developmentally appropriate way. The rationale behind this approach is found in the verse: 

“Allah does not burden any soul with more than it can bear.”

(Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:286)

During early childhood, a child experiences the world and constructs the meaning of those experiences via the senses. Thinking is very concrete. A baby or toddler is unable to understand the reasons for praying. They are not required to pray. As the child gets older, he is encouraged to imitate the parent, but there is no consequence for not praying because he still doesn’t understand the purpose of the prayer. For Muslims, prayer and other acts of worship are predicated on intention, which is an abstract idea. As the child matures cognitively, he can gradually perform parts of the salah until, at the age of reasoning, the child fully engages in performing the prayer the child is held responsible for the prayer. This gradual approach allows the child to internalize the inward and outward aspects of prayer.

The accountability for acts of worship must also be developmentally appropriate. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: 

“Teach a child to recite the salat when they are seven years old and beat him for it [i.e. if he intentionally does not pray] when he is ten.” 

(Tirmidhi)

He also said:

“The Pen is lifted from three (i.e., their deeds are not recorded): a child until he reaches puberty; an insane man until he comes to his senses; one who is asleep until he wakes up”

(Recorded in Abu Dawud #4403, and Ibn Majah #2041).

Accountability increases with cognitive development because the child cannot be held responsible for that which he or she is incapable of understanding. 

Tips from Educators 

We teach abstract concepts by pointing out similarities between something familiar and concrete and something unfamiliar and abstract. We go from the known to the unknown. When teaching the idea of purpose, parents should use the strategies educators use when teaching abstract concepts like these:

1. Determine the child’s level of readiness. When teaching abstract concepts, the child should be in the Later Childhood Stage (from 7-10 years old) or older.  
2. Introduce the word and ask if the child is familiar with it. 
3. Use the word in at least three sentences highlighting the meaning of the word, that is, sentences where the meaning can be inferred using context clues.
4. Use age-appropriate language and reference familiar experiences.
5. Ask the child to explain what they think the word means.
6. Present exemplars of people who realized their purpose. Discuss the biographies of the early Muslims, particularly those who made heroic contributions to Islam. How did the person grow or change? Why?
7. Use examples and non-examples. Discuss how people behave when they have a clear, divinely assigned purpose. Contrast that with how they behave when they do not.
8. Read verses of the Quran that describe the behaviors of the believing Muslims.
9. Use analogies. List several household tools and ask the child to discuss why the tool was invented or for what reason it is used. Then explain that people also were created with a purpose.
10. Encourage imaginative play. Role-play scenes where the child tells their peers why they should become Muslim and what being Muslim means.
11. Let the child meet and interview Muslim converts. 
12. Have them write original stories about a character finding his/ her purpose.

Try different strategies. If the child does not appear to understand, try again another time. Be patient and pray that they will find and remain firm on their purpose. 

Endnotes

¹ Shehu, S. (2015) A study of the Islamic perspective of cognitive development and its implications in education in the Muslim world. Revelation and Science. Vol. 05, no. 01.

Candice “Sister Islaah” Abd’al-Rahim reverted to Islam in 1976 and considers herself a student of knowledge. She has deep education credentials which include a M.A. in Teaching, Certificate of Advanced Studies (Post-Masters) in Administration and Supervision, B.S. in English, and experiences as a principal (in fact the first hijab public school principal in Maryland!), curriculum and staff developer, mentor, and classroom teacher of grades pre-K through 12. She is a former adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University’s Graduate School of Education and is a doctoral candidate in Islamic Sciences at the International Online University. Islaah’s contributions to the field have earned her honors in the Who’s Who of Distinguished JHU Alumni. She is wife, daughter, mother, and grandmother and is an active member of several Muslim communities in the Baltimore area.