Age of Teaching
Islamhasnoticedalloftheaspectsoriginatingtheprosperityofeduca-
tion andteaching.Oneof theseaspects wastheage of teachingthatis
definedaccordingtochildren’smentalmaturity.Itistheseventhyearof
age. Imam as-Sadiq, the pioneer of the Islamic mental and scientific
movement,isreportedtosay,“Achildshouldplayforsevenyears,and
learnatschoolsforothersevenyears,andacquirelegalandillegalques-
tionsforotherseven years.”Healsosaid,“Letyour sonplayforseven
yearsandbedisciplinedforothersevenyears.Hewillthenthrivelesthe
will be valueless.”.
Islamhaddeclaredthisfactbeforethemodernstudiesofpsychology
ofteachingthat decidedtheseventhyearastheageofacquiringteach-
ings.UNESCO alsoaffirmedthismatterwithinthe educationalregula-
tions.Children who join schoolbefore thisage may undergolethargy,
suffering, andcessation of the mentalmaturity.Unfortunately, numer-
ousfatherssendtheirsonstoschoolsbeforeattainingthisage.Aneduca-
tionistsays,“Oneofthepainfulstatesinthisageisthedrasticcompeti-
tionforacquiringknowledgetothedegreethatparentsoftenforgetthat
theirsons,whohavelimitedmentalandphysicalpotentialsandspecific
tendencies anddesires, shouldenjoy their childhood. They hurried in
takingtheirsonstoschoolsbeforeattainingthefiveorsix-year-old,and
deemexcessivesixyearsofprimaryschool.Theytrytoreducetheperi-
odbyfatiguingtheirsonsinspecialtutorialsthatexhausttheir powers
and incapacitate their mental maturity.”.
Al-Abdarisays,“Thevirtuousancestorsusedtosendtheirseven-year-
oldsonstothetutorialssincetheyareaskedtoteachtheirsonstheritual
prayersandgoodmannersandtraitsinthisage.Now,childrenarejoin-
ing schools in an early age. Teachers should beware of teaching such
childrentheprincipalsofreadinglesttheyareexhaustedphysicallyand
mentally.Asamatteroffact,fathersaresendingtheirsonstoschoolin
an early age for getting rid of their home troubles, not teaching them.”.
Laziness,sloth,andcessationofmentalmaturityarewithinthedisad-
vantages of sending the early children to schools.
Islamhasreferredtoanothernonesuchmatterthatisthenecessityof
feedingthechildrenwithreligiousspiritssothattheatheisticideologies
will not affect. Imam Ali said, “Teach your sons useful knowledge so
that the atheists will not overcome them.”.