Questions and answers.

Azalia has started to ask me questions which for me falls under the category soalan-soalan cepu emas.

Example:

1.Q: Where do humans come from?
- My A: told her about Adam and Hawa.

2.Q: Where do babies come from?
- My A: Allah. and how he create them inside mummy's womb.
- Asa's A: Abah peluk mak kuat2 pastu Allah kasi baby (sheesh)

3.Q: Who is Allah
- My A: God who made us. Like man make toys, houses etc. Allah made us and everything in this world.

4.Q: Why do some girls wear tudung and some don't
-My A: Allah says we should wear them. But sometimes it takes longer for other people to follow what Allah say. But that doesn't mean they don't love Allah. Just like you when I tell you to do something and you take some time to do it. You still love me and I still love you kan. But you know you should do what I tell you to because I'm your mother.

5. Q: Who is Syaitan?
- My A: Again told her about the story when Allah created Adam. And Syaitan's reaction to it and what they promise they would do.

6. Q: Why do we have to pray?
- My A: Its a way for us to show our thanks, to ask for something or to ask for forgiveness etc.

Kids are naturally curious so when Azalia started to ask me these questions I knew I had to answer them. Of course there were times I had to pause and really think how best to make her understand, in her own language and I knew that telling stories are the best way to make a toddler understand.

I find the book, "Just for kids Quran Stories" by Goodword books helpful in answering some of these questions. I love the books by Goodworks. The hardcover ones are a bit on the expensive side but I feel that it's worth it. They also have paperback options starting as low as RM9.90. You can get them from MPH or from ALIMKids.bookshop.com. Azalia loves the stories. It is written with kids in mind and to make Islam simple for them to understand.

It's never too early to start educating kids on Islam. In fact, it makes it easier to nurture good values in them. And sometimes they will surprise you with their questions. And also maybe stump you. But that's good because than you will also learn more because you will also go and read up on it yourself so that you can answer their questions. Plus I've also decided to relate anything on any subject that she's curious about to Islam.

For example, she loves playing with water. And she was asking why some things float and some things don't. I told her the scientific side of it (simplified version of course) and then I also added, "Allah wanted some of these things to float and some of them to not float because etc etc"

Answering her questions this way really needs a lot of thinking because it doesn't come naturally to me to explain things this way because I wasn't taught like this. In school each subject was taught separately. Ape lagi subject agama.

I have yet to start Azalia on the Muqaddam or the Iqra'. Azalia doesn't really listen to me when it comes to formal education. That is why I prefer to tell her stories, give her some songs/nasheed to listen to, or play games with her and just expose her with random things and wait for her questions.

Even the short surahs that she learnt was taught as a habit before sleep ever since she was a baby. And just like how easy it was for her (or any child for that matter) to memorise songs, it was easy for her to memorise the surahs. She might not know the meaning of the surahs yet (and I'm actually waiting for her to ask about it) but I'm sure that time will come anytime now.

All in all I find when you educate a child, you are also educating yourself not to mention trying to improve yourself because at the end of the day a child's first education is in his/her mother's lap.