If a child is taught both Arabic and English and masters them while adhering to the religion, and also attends those who enter kindergartens
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The questioner : There are more than one question about learning English. One says: “O honorable Shaykh, what is the defect if a child is taught both Arabic and memorizes the Qur’an and English, and the child has the ability to deal in both languages while adhering to Islamic character?” The other says: “O honorable Shaykh, I put the boys in kindergartens where they teach the foreign language, but in return they come out of those kindergartens, specifically the government ones, more qualified for primary school studies than those who did not attend kindergartens. My question is: is your advice a fatwa or is it an ijtihad from you? May Allah reward you.”
The Shaykh : First, I do not know the difference between a fatwa or advice. The advisor is a mufti and more, because the mufti clarifies the ruling and may not give encouragement or warning, but the advisor gives the ruling and encourages or warns. And what I testify to Allah is that the person who teaches his small children at this level, I see that he is not advising them. The matter of them learning Arabic, English, the Qur’an, and the like is a fard ‘ayn (individual obligation). Now, if the boys learn English, you find them speaking it, conversing in it. Now, one of them says, his father teaches him “baba baba” or “what is the greeting, what is it?”
The questioner : Bye bye.
The Shaykh : Bye bye. They learn this, meaning they are enamored with the English language because it is foreign to their tongues. As for them being qualified, yes, what I know is that government kindergartens do not follow this methodology. There may be qualification, but I prefer that my son, as long as he is small, be with me in my house. I am kind to him, and he gets used to me and I get used to him. Then, when he reaches the age that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) specified for a child to be capable, I put him in. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan ad-Daraqutni 3:5 This is the upbringing. As for burdening him with learning from the day he is small, this may not be good upbringing. Yes, that is right.
The questioner : Mixing?
The Shaykh : As for mixing, it appears that as long as they are small, meaning just as they mix in the markets, I do not think this will cause anything, except according to a defective opinion that I do not want to mention in this place. Yes.
The Shaykh : First, I do not know the difference between a fatwa or advice. The advisor is a mufti and more, because the mufti clarifies the ruling and may not give encouragement or warning, but the advisor gives the ruling and encourages or warns. And what I testify to Allah is that the person who teaches his small children at this level, I see that he is not advising them. The matter of them learning Arabic, English, the Qur’an, and the like is a fard ‘ayn (individual obligation). Now, if the boys learn English, you find them speaking it, conversing in it. Now, one of them says, his father teaches him “baba baba” or “what is the greeting, what is it?”
The questioner : Bye bye.
The Shaykh : Bye bye. They learn this, meaning they are enamored with the English language because it is foreign to their tongues. As for them being qualified, yes, what I know is that government kindergartens do not follow this methodology. There may be qualification, but I prefer that my son, as long as he is small, be with me in my house. I am kind to him, and he gets used to me and I get used to him. Then, when he reaches the age that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) specified for a child to be capable, I put him in. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Command your children to pray at seven, and beat them for it at ten.
مروا أبناءكم بالصلاة لسبع واضربوهم عليها لعشرThe questioner : Mixing?
The Shaykh : As for mixing, it appears that as long as they are small, meaning just as they mix in the markets, I do not think this will cause anything, except according to a defective opinion that I do not want to mention in this place. Yes.