THE CONCEPT OF TA’DĪB AS A PROPHETIC METHOD OF CHILD EDUCATION: AN ANALYTICAL STUDY

The research seeks to find out what ta’dīb is by identifying some of its principles and methods in training and education, and that is through establishing the controls of the method of education in the Sunnah of the Prophet and analysing the controls of the method of education by giving examples and their applications in the prophetic educational curriculum. It employs inductive and analytical methodologies in which relevant data is collected from Sunnah books (Kutub Sittah) to guide the ta’dīb concept and its application in child education. The title explains the essence and significance of ta’dīb in children’s education. It investigates how educational principles and systems are supposed to guide the human soul while raising children. The article highlights the nature of ta’dīb in Sunnah, in contrast to its un-Islamic applications in many societies. Finally, the study provides information on the implications of using the ta’dīb method to raise children in Islam.


INTRODUCTION
In the biography of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), there are many situations, stories, and events that teach us how to deal with children, and not to ignore their needs and age-related characteristics. Early childhood is considered one of the most important stages of a child's life, as it is the basis on which the child's development depends on the upcoming stages. Therefore, the interest in upbringing children in the faith that preserves their religion helps them to face different scenarios and carry the banner of Islam when childhood is the cornerstone of building faith and receiving religious values and principles.
The Prophet's Sunnah has great importance in Islamic legislation, as it either legislates new matters that are not mentioned in the Holy Qur'ān or clarifies and details other provisions. Hence, the importance of including the Prophet's Sunnah in raising children in educational principles, so that those responsible for educational preparation and planning benefit from them in preparing programs that provide them with concepts and experiences that teach them the trends, tendencies, and habits, to enable them to prosper within a community's tendencies and to help them understand their surroundings by adhering to religious values and societal traditions in the face of cultural invasion and the fierce winds of globalisation while preserving their originality.
Parents are the first to interact with the child on an ongoing basis, as they provide the child with vivid examples of human life. Therefore, the parents' behaviour is one of the main factors affecting the life of a child. They play a crucial role in fostering the child's capacity to utilise language in describing their Vol 8. No. 1 (June 2023) journalofhadis.usim.edu.my Dsdsdd surroundings. If the family is the first to take in and care for the child, "psychologists and educators agree that a child's first years are some of the most important and dangerous for shaping his or her personality and figuring out his or her basic traits." The child's development is determined to the extent that no change can be made later, but what is meant is that the foundations of great importance in the child's life are laid during that period. It is indicated that "half of the mental development takes place during the first three years of life, the years before school, the elementary school years, which represent the stage in which the physical, mental, and social development rapidly takes place". 3 The family in Islamic society acquires special importance in terms of being more coherent than the family in Western societies, weakened by the chaotic freedom of its members and its integration into the large environment and its connection with the general community, while the individual's relationship with their family has receded in a narrow system of benefit and utilisation. 4 Family bonding is a feature that is unique to Muslim societies, as the fathers' authority is always respected, and fathers and mothers do not spare any effort in preserving their families, raising their children, educating them, and raising them. They honour their fathers and do not sever their ties of kinship. 5 The Role of the Family (Parents) in Raising a Child Considering Sunnah It came in the Prophet's guidance, which confirms the role of parents in influencing the creed of young children 6 . It is worth mentioning in this regard that parents are pushing with strength and enthusiasm to fulfil their duty towards raising children, from two standpoints, the first of which is the passion for parenting they have, and this was expressed by the Almighty saying -in the words of Zakaria: Lord grant me the one who gives you a good offspring, for you are the hearer of supplication. 7 As for the second premise, it is a sense of responsibility before Allah (SWT) and fear of the consequences of failure to raise children, as Allah (SWT) said: O those who believe shield yourselves. 8 By tracing the Hadīths of the noble Prophet, it was possible to identify the most important duties of a family in raising its children as follows: i) Providing the child with sound concepts and directions of faith towards the Creator, easily and clearly, following the guidance of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as he came in the noble hadīth: On the authority of Ibn Abbas (R.A.) who said: "One day I was behind the Prophet one day, and he said to me: Young man, I will teach you some words. Be mindful of God, and He will take care of you. If you protect God, you will find Him towards you. If you ask, ask of God. and if you seek help, then seek from God. Know that if the ummah meets with something that will benefit you only with something that God has written for you, and if they meet to harm you with something they will only harm you with something if God had written so. The pens have been lifted, and the pages dry". 9 ii) Raising children to love the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), love their family, and the recitation of the Holy Qur'ān. 10 iii) Teaching children to pray, accustom them, and urging them to perform it gradually, following the noble prophetic direction: It was narrated by As-Saburah: The Prophet (PBUH) said: Command a boy to pray when he reaches the age of seven years. When he becomes ten years old, then beat him for prayer. 11 In the words of Luq̈mān in the Holy Qur'ān: O my son! Perform the Salah, enjoin the good, and forbid the evil". 12 iv) Disciplining children and providing them with moral virtues, in compliance with what the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) mentioned in Sahih al Bukhari: Narrated 'Amir: I heard An-Numan bin Bashir on the pulpit saying, "My father gave me a gift but `Amra bint Rawaha (my mother) said that she would not agree to it unless he made Allah's Messenger (PBUH) as a witness to it. So, my father went to Allah's Messenger (PBUH) and said, 'I have given a gift to my son from `Amra bint Rawaha, but she ordered me to make you as a witness to it, O Allah's Messenger (PBUH)!' Allah's Messenger (PBUH) asked, 'Have you given (the like of it) to every one of your The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was keen to instil moral virtues gently among young children. It was narrated by Abdullah bin Amir: My mother called me one day when the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was sitting in our house. She said: Come here and I shall give you something. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) asked her: What did you intend to give him? She replied: I intended to give him some dates. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: If you were not to give him anything, a lie would be recorded against you. 14 v) Urging the children to adhere to food etiquette, based on the act of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) when he modified the behaviour of a boy while eating. On the authority of Umar bin Abi Salamah, he said:

‫عل‬ ‫هللا‬ ‫صلى‬ ِّ َّ
By him in whose hand my soul is, you will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another: should I not guide you to something doing which you will love one another: spread out salutation among you. 17 Another ḥadīth on the authority of Anas (R.A.) he said: Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said to me: O my little son! When you enter upon your family then give the Salam, it will be a blessing for you and upon the inhabitants of your house. 18 I heard Anas ibn Malik say: The Prophet (PBUH) used to mix with us to the extent that he would say to a younger brother of mine, "O Abu `Umair! What did the Nughair (a kind of bird) do?". 20 ix) Directing children to righteous companionship, to protect them from deviation, because "peers have a great role in normalising forbidden actions, and then this group needed to be made in the eyes of adults and mentors". 21 In the Prophet's guidance, he reported having said: x) Raising children to respect adults, as it says in the noble hadith: "It is not among us who does not respect our eldest, does not have mercy on our young, and does not know their rights to our world". 23 Amr bin Shu'aib narrated that his father, from his grandfather, who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "He is not one of us who does not have mercy upon our young, nor knows the honour of our elders". 24 Al-Kahlani explains: "He is not one of us who does not have mercy on our young" which means the youngest of the Muslims. He bears the smallness of the children of Adam. For this reason, with this smallness, he deserves reverence and glorification. 25 xi) Encouraging children to acquire knowledge and attend his gatherings, as can be seen from the hadith of Ibn Omar (R.A.) who reported: Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said to his companions: Tell me about a tree, the same as that of the believer. I was thrown into myself or was taken into consideration that it was the date-palm tree, so I wanted to say it, but feared of the elderly people there. When they were silent (after they had expressed their views), the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: It is the date-palm tree. 26 In general, the educational role of the family from an Islamic perception is comprehensive and multifaceted, which makes its impact strong in building the child's personality. Whenever the social and cultural conditions of life become complicated and new challenges emerge, the family is required to do more duties by intensifying the educational efforts exerted on children.

TA'DĪB METHODS OF RAISING A CHILD IN LIGHT OF SUNNAH
Naturally, each age stage has its characteristics and special abilities, which is necessary to be familiar with so that the educator in any position can choose the most appropriate and useful methods. It is noticeable that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) used various educational methods that affect the child's psyche and direct their behaviour effectively. The general character of these methods suggests gentleness, softness, compassion, kindness, clarity, and smoothness.

i) Kindly advise:
An example of this is when Anas Ibn Malik (R.A.) directed the behaviour of peaceful chest by saying the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): Another hadīth narrated from Anas bin Malik (R.A.) that during his ten years of service, the Prophet (PBUH) never said a word of impatience him as he says: I served the Prophet (PBUH) at Medina for ten years. I was a boy. Every work that I did was not according to the desire of my master, but he never said to me: Fie, nor did he say to me: Why did you do this? or Why did you not do this? 28

ii) Offering gifts reinforcement:
A gift has a good effect on children's souls. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) used to give gifts to them, and it came in the Prophet's guidance, on the authority of Abu Hurairah (R.A.) said: