Author: Mehmet Ali Kaya

Our children and young people must first be taught īmān (pronounced ee-MAHN; faith in Allah and in the fundamental truths of Islamic belief). The fundamental knowledge we need to impart to children as they enter their developmental years is knowledge concerning īmān. This knowledge should explain that Allah exists and is One; that He has not created beings, and especially human beings, without purpose; that everything serves a purpose; and that human beings, too, are expected to serve a cause greater than themselves, namely, the religion of Allah.

It is among the primary duties of every mother and father to explain the truths of faith, summarised in the Āmantu (the declaration of the articles of Islamic faith), in language their children can understand and at a level appropriate to their age. Teaching religion means explaining īmān to them and answering, in a way they can comprehend, the questions they will inevitably ask about it. It is difficult to imagine someone who has truly internalised īmān acting contrary to their beliefs. People generally live according to what they believe and take pride in fulfilling the requirements of their faith. The real difficulty arises when the belief itself is incorrect.

Since faith education is the foundation and starting point of religious education, our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) would first impart knowledge concerning īmān to the young people who came to him, and then encourage them to observe the acts of worship. Indeed, the Companion Jundub ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) relates:

“We came into the presence of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) as a group of young people approaching puberty. We asked him to teach us the Qur’an. Before teaching us the Noble Qur’an, however, he taught us īmān. He instructed us in matters of faith, teaching us about Allah’s existence, power, knowledge and will, as well as the purpose of human creation. Only after that did he teach us the Qur’an. Thereafter, whenever we recited the Qur’an, our faith grew stronger and developed further.” (Ibn Mājah, 1:93, Hadith No. 61.)

For this reason, teaching īmān first and then providing knowledge about Islam in connection with faith is the soundest approach from the perspective of education, instruction, and the methods of teaching and upbringing.

In the Islamic understanding, religion is rooted in īmān. Worship and moral conduct, which are its requirements and manifestations, distance a person from Hell and bring them closer to Allah. If īmān is not firmly established, laxity in worship and moral corruption emerge. Even a slight weakness in īmān can lead to serious difficulties in worship and morality. This is why Bediuzzaman Said Nursi stated, “I have concentrated all my efforts on faith.”

A person of faith should love īmān and detest disbelief. Almighty Allah says:

“Allah has endeared faith to you and made it pleasing in your hearts, and He has made disbelief, wickedness and disobedience hateful to you. Those are the ones who are rightly guided.” (Surah al-Hujurāt, 49:7.)

The requirements of īmān include loving Allah and making the bliss of the Hereafter one’s aim. The purpose of religion is also eternal happiness in the Hereafter. Those who place the Hereafter and the pleasure of Allah at the centre of their lives do not incline towards evil.

This is why Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, who followed the path of our Prophet (peace be upon him), concentrated his efforts on īmān. Religious knowledge alone is not sufficient to establish īmān. If it were, those belonging to other religions who write books about Islam and study the life of our Prophet would also become Muslims. Yet such religious knowledge does not suffice to lead them to embrace Islam. This is because, in the Islamic understanding, religion is rooted in īmān. A person who studies religious matters without accepting the truths of faith merely acquires knowledge about religion. This alone is not enough to believe.

From this perspective, it becomes clear that the absence of faith education alongside religious education in our schools means that the “religious culture” taught there is insufficient to explain and teach religion adequately and does not serve the aim of “raising a devout generation”.

Photo: Erhan Akkaya / Yeni Asya

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