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Hola Peeps, Salam alaikum...
Mainly during the gold 0-5 years, children live their lives with an amazing potential, which is a great curiosity. Over time, this potential continues to grow (hopefully this potential does not end when they grow up and instead turned into "don't want to know" persons a.k.a. ignorants, hehehe). Well, the most crucial moments that will confront the parents is when children ask about God. Be careful in giving answers to this most important question. A little mistake we do, could mean we are planting the seeds of shirk within our sweethearts. Nauzubillahi min zalik, ...
Here I put forward some common questions children ask their parents:
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Question 1: "Mom, what is God?"
Answer:
"Dear, God is the Creator of everything. The sky, earth, sea, rivers, rocks, cats, lizards, frogs, birds, all of them, including grandmother, grandfather, father, mother, and you too." {Say it with staring eyes, smiling sweetly}
Question 2: "Mom, the form of what God is like?"
Do not answer like this:
"This form of God is like such this or that ...." because such an answer must be wrong and misleading.
Answer like this:
"Dear, You know the shape of the river, stone, cats, goats, .. everything .. well, the form of God is not the same as anything you'll ever see. Call it whatever form, the form of God is not the same as what you would mention. " {Say it with staring eyes, smiling sweetly}
فَاطِرُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۚ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنۡ أَنفُسِكُمۡ أَزۡوَٲجً۬ا وَمِنَ ٱلۡأَنۡعَـٰمِ أَزۡوَٲجً۬اۖ يَذۡرَؤُكُمۡ فِيهِۚ لَيۡسَ كَمِثۡلِهِۦ شَىۡءٌ۬ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلۡبَصِيرُ
[He is] the Creator of heaven and earth. He has given you of your own pairs of species of animals and animal pairs [anyway], made him the way you breed it. There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearer, the Seer. (Q. S. ash-Shura: 11)
[See also Seeing God]
Question 3: "Mom, why we can not see God?"
{This section was added after discussion in the comments field below with Miss VogueChica, a sisters from the neighbor country, Malaysia.}
Do not answer like this:
Because God is invisible, meaning that goods or something that can not be seen with the naked eye.
The answer that God is supernatural (alone), clearly contradicts the following verse.
Al-Hadid (57): 3
هُوَ الْأَوَّلُ وَالْآخِرُ وَالظَّاهِرُ وَالْبَاطِنُ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
He is the First and the Last: The Outward and the Inward, and He is Knower of all things.
It is feared, the innocent child's imagination will equate God with magical ghosts, jinns, angels, and even fairies in fairy tales. Tawheed's claim that God is real, more real than the real, is indisputable.
Moreover, if we use the diction "goods" and "something" is directed at God. It's contradict with Sura ash-Shura above that God is laysa kamitslihi syai'un; God is not something; not the same with any-things, but God is the Creator of all-things.
Even though everything comes from The Substance (Zat) -The Nature (Shifat) -The Name (Asthma) - and The Deeds (Af'al) of Allah, but the Personal God have no substance, nature, name, and deed. Personal God that no one knows, even the Prophet Muhammad Saw. Only God knows His own Personal and will not be revealed until the end of time in the world and the hereafter.
إِذۡ يَغۡشَى ٱلسِّدۡرَةَ مَا يَغۡشَىٰ مَا زَاغَ ٱلۡبَصَرُ وَمَا طَغَىٰ
[Muhammad saw Gabriel] when Sidratul Muntaha overwhelmed by something that enveloped. His vision [Muhammad] saw not turn away from it and not [also] go beyond him. (Surat an-Najm: 16-17) {this interpretation of an arif billah, not from me personally.Allahua'lam}
Answer like this:
"Why do not we seen God?"
We can answer with a shot back at them (while practicing our kids to thinks rhetorically)
"Dear, can we stare at bright sun directly? No, we can't, rite?! Our eyes can be blind. Well, it seems we can not afford the sun. So, how we can see the Creator of the sun?!"
Or it could also give an answer:
Dear, see the vast sky. Very 'big' isn't it? What we see is just a fraction of the actual form of the sky. You can not see the end of the sky, right?! Well, we also can not see God because God is the Creator of that "big" sky. That is why we say the word 'Allahu Akbar' when we do shalat. God is Great.
It could also be a simple simulation like I've said in the post "Seeing God".
Please faced Your palms toward the face. You can see Your hand lines, right? Well, now hold your hands in close to the eye. Can still You see it clearly after that?
Conclusion, we can not see God because God is Almighty and very close to us. Nevertheless, admit that God do Exist. "We and God: close, but not allied; far, but without range."
Question 4: "Mom, where is God?"
Do not answer like this:
"Dear, there's God above .. in the sky .. or in heaven or on the Throne."
Answers like this is misleading because the logically there is no direction of the wind up-down-left-right-front-rear in space. Then if God is in heaven, God does not exist on earth? If it is said in heaven, means heaven is greater than God ... then "Allahu Akbar" principle is a lie? [See also Size of Allahu Akbar]
ثُمَّ ٱسۡتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلۡعَرۡشِۚ
He dwells on the 'Throne. <- This verse is a mutashabihat verse, means verses that must be deflected at it's commentary. In Indonesian language grammar, we know the denotative and connotative meaning, well .. mutashabihat verse is classified as a connotative meaning.
Also, do not answer like this:
"Dear, God is everywhere."
It is feared that the child will automatically think that God are many and divided, like the Freemasons or polytheistic Ancient Greece thinks.
Answer like this:
"Dear, God is near to us. God is always there in the heart of every righteous person, including in Your, Darling. So, God is always with you wherever you are."
"Qalbun mu'meen baitullah," ' heart of a believer is the palace of God." (Hadith)
وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُواْ لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُواْ بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ
And when My servants ask thee concerning Me, then (answer), I am indeed close. (al-Baqarah (2): 186)
وَهُوَ مَعَكُمۡ أَيۡنَ مَا كُنتُمۡۚ
He is with you wherever you are. (Surat al-Hadiid: 4)
وَلِلّهِ الْمَشْرِقُ وَالْمَغْرِبُ فَأَيْنَمَا تُوَلُّواْ فَثَمَّ وَجْهُ اللّهِ
And to Allah belong the east and west, then wherever ye turn there is the Face of God.(Q. S. Al-Baqarah (2): 115)
"God often spoke with us .. you know for example, if you remember to help Mom and Dad, to not fight your brother-sister or friends, to not lazy on learning, etc. That's the whisper of God for you, Darling." {Say it with staring eyes, smiling sweetly}
وَٱللَّهُ يَهۡدِى مَن يَشَآءُ إِلَىٰ صِرَٲطٍ۬ مُّسۡتَقِيمٍ
And God always gives clue to who He wills to a Straight Path. (Q. S. Al-Baqarah: 213)
Question 5: "Mom, why should we worship God?"
Do not answer like this:
"Because if you do not worship God, you will be put into hell. If you worship God, you will be entered into heaven."
Answers such as these will form a disinterested paradigm in serving God, it's even a subtle shirk seed. This is also why many people become atheists because according to their reason, "LOL! at God is just like trading! God needs to be worshiped?!!! Then God is like a kid. If we obey Him: heaven; if not: hell-doomed!"
"People who worship the heaven, they hope for its pleasure, not expecting of its Creator. People worship the hell, they afraid of its tortures, not afraid of its Creator." (Sheikh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani)
Answer like this:
"Dear, we worship the Lord as an expression of gratitude because God has given a lot of goodness and convenience for us. For example, you can now breathe free air,.... if you must pay, your Dad and Mom could not ever pay it. On the river many fish we can hook to eat, or to be used as ornamental fish in the aquarium. All for our pleasure.
If you do not worship God, It is your loss, not God's. For example, if you do not obey your teachers in school, you the one who loss, your mark in lessons will be bad. Teachers will remains teachers, even though you and your friends are not obeying them. {Say it with staring eyes, smiling sweetly}
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَنِىٌّ عَنِ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ
Verily Allah is Oft-Rich [does not require something] of the Worlds. (Q. S. Al-Ankabut: 6)
[See also Why did God create everything?]
Say these also:
"Dear, from now on, you must learn to love God, more than your love to Dad and Mom. {Say it with staring eyes, smiling sweetly}
"Why, Mom?"
"Because one day Mom and Dad could die, while God never dies. Now, if one day Mom and Dad dies, you should not feel lonely because God is always there for you. Later, God will also bring in good people who love you. For example, Uncle, Auntie, or the kind neighbor, or your friends. "
And from now on be diligent to study The Quran. Reciting it means we speak to God. {Say it with staring eyes, smiling sweetly}
{The following is added after discussions with Neng Ita, owner of the stall diduniakata and Keep Learning, also via a comment below. I thank the Miss VogueChica and Neng Ita, of course also to all who helped Sarang Buddies share their thoughts via the comments each; not at play here as well give up, hehehe ..}
A few stories of children who see God
This one is based on experience of Miss VogueChica's nephew:
My lovely nephew who is very cute said this (it was when he is 5 years old), "God is good, rite? His hands is just white...." Maybe he tried to describe that Allah is kind. But, I focused to his state about Allah..I think this must be regenerated.
After a moment thinking, I said to him, "But we can say like that. We can not see Allah. But, we know that God is exist."
Or maybe we can answer like this?
That's not the hand of God, that ye may see hand of the angel sent by God to show His goodness to you. ^_^
It was not until two days later, I was reminded of story of my own niece (named Donny, now he is in college). At that time, Donny was a toddler when her sister (Noviana Permata Furry) who passed away just a month after she registered into junior high school. Shortly after, Donny told me that he dreamed that his beloved older sisteer came to him accompanied by an angel. His sister was giving some advices and then brought by the angel went into the light. To God. (Ugh, Opoy, I am so missing you ..)
Later, approximately when Donny was in junior or senior high school, he told me again about that event, that he was not sure whether he was dreaming or actually did happen. Allahua'lam. Of course that meant going into the light. To God. Does not mean God is in the form of light, rite.. :)
{Miss Ita also reputedly had a childhood experience}
Ok, i'll tell the story..
Hard to be explained, but I can feel it.
This story is my childhood experience. When I was a little girl. I could only read Iqra, the only series hijaiyah. Just a few letters, while friends at my age can already recite the Quran with a series of length verses. They got a reward for what they read, I did not T_______T
I really can not afford to spell verses. I do not know how, in a long time I suddenly had a bright brain works and think, "maybe like this ... like this .... read it." I was never trained or guided reading to read the verse, hmmmm .. . and consequently on the understanding suddenly appeared, I ventured to read before the chaplain and chaplain quietly listening without much correction. huh ......*shock
Actually if we think once again, there are many stories about how Allah guide us to know the science. But only most people do not want to think * my language, LOL!
Subhanallah ... Ita , this sentence can be a guidelines on how to see God:
"Hard to be explained, but I can feel it."
The importance of early education in the womb
Prior to Western scientists discover and advise pregnant women to play classical music to increase IQ unborn fetus, the Muslim tradition has to do the same. Muslim parents who are waiting for a baby born are encouraged to be more diligent in the Quran recitation or play recordings.
An arif billah said to me, actually there is a law in the Quran recitation, except for purposes of accuracy of pronunciation (Tartil), is also the tone of the Qadeem strains. Listen carefully while meditation without thinking anything else and without heart whispering anything. Listen the deepesr heart (syir), he said. Feeding the mind and heart so that darkness of shirk within oir heart removed away. Allahua'lam.
* Mistake on what nowadays muslim parents do is when they more busy finding private lesson in English, math, or piano. They are proud of their children already know English or have good mark on math. They are not concerned or upset if their children are not familiar with the letters hijaiyyah .. letters delivered the children are also parents at the pleasure and mercy of God in the world and the hereafter.
Hmm .. these all is only my point of view about it. Hopefully all my good friends here willing to give input for this post which is intended as a discussion, not a fatwa .. ahahaha! Perhaps the syntax in this paper is too "heavy" for perceived by the child? Or there is a question that has not been listed here. Let us discuss it together for the formation of tauhidi generation of intelligent in mind and faith. Allahua'lam.
These stem from the hadith, "Awwaluddin makrifatullah ',' the beginning of the religion to know God '. Not to know shalat. [Read also Awwaluddin Syariatullah in Between Us]
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Adam Troy Effendy
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Published: 2011-07-03T22:21:00+07:00
When Kids Asking about God
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Published: 2011-07-03T22:21:00+07:00
When Kids Asking about God
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