Islam is known as a comprehensive way of life, so it pays attention to the future of mankind and is deeply concerned with reforming the new generations. In this context, education is the best way for reformation. This fact is clear in the supplication of Abraham when he prayed to God: “Our Lord! Send to them a Messenger of their own to recite to them Your Verses and teach them the Book and the wisdom, and purify them. Surely! You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise” (Quran, 2: 129). It was Abraham’s dream that Allah raises a prophet to recite, teach, and educate humankind about the book and the wisdom. Education is in principle the first duty of all prophets; they are all teachers of human beings.

Actually, Islamic care for children begins very early while they are still fetus and babies. The Sharia permits a pregnant woman or a breastfeeding woman to break her fasting in Ramadan lest she may harm the fetus or the nursed baby. Once the baby comes to life, the Sharia commands the father to declare the nicely inspiring words of Azan into the baby’s ear to train him/her to listen to the soft divine call for better future understanding and discipline. The Sharia is even attentive to the premarital procedures while choosing one’s partner. It recommends marriages outside families and discourages from consanguine marriages to avoid giving rise to any kind of disability, which the babies usually suffer in cases of consanguine marriage.
Similarly, Prophet Muhammad was very keen to guide and motivate children, praying for their good understanding and education. ʻAbdullah Ibn ʻAbbas was a little boy, less than ten years old, when the Prophet embraced him and said, “O Allah, teach him wisdom and the interpretation of the Book” (Ibn Majah). This motivating statement came in response to the good behaviour that Ibn ʻAbbas showed. He said, “Once the Prophet entered the bathroom after I had placed water for his ablution. He asked, “Who placed it?” They told him about me, so he said, “O Allah, grant him a good perception of the religion.” This indicates the importance of motivating children and thanking them for doing the right behaviours.

The Prophet paid due attention to the process of practical education as shown in several examples. He used practical ways of teaching and education. Ibn ʻAbbas once spent a night in the house of his aunt Maymuna, the wife of the Prophet. He laid down across the mattress whereas the Prophet and his wife laid along it. The Prophet slept until it was almost midnight when he got up and began to rub his face with hands to cast off the effects of sleep. He then recited the last ten verses of Surah Al-ʻImran (Quran, 3) and stood up near a hanging water-skin. He performed ablution and started praying. Ibn ʻAbbas then stood up and did the same following the Prophet and stood by his side. The Prophet placed his right hand upon his head and took hold of his right ear gently as a sign of admiration. He then observed a number of two-rakʻah prayer, one after the other and concluded with Witr Prayer before laying down for a while until the Muezzin came to him. He then observed two short rakʻahs before going to the mosque for Dawn Prayer. Here, the Prophet had Ibn ʻAbbas behind him prayers in a practical lesson to teach him devotion, submission, patience, and prayers. In these examples and several like them, the Prophet was keen to build a somewhat kind relationship with the new generations of Muslims while still children to convey the wisdom of fathers and prophecy to the leaders of future.