Question:

When should children be taught about death and the Day of Judgement ? My son had the punishment of The Fire explained to him (by his madrassah teacher) and is convinced he has accrued sins and is destined for Jahannam. He was 6 years old at the time and although he is now 8, his imagination is quite vivid and this really scares him. I have tried to allay his fears and explained that he cannot really 'sin' at this age, however, his teacher continues to teach these topics to a class of varying ages (6-18) with apparently no regard to the differing levels of maturity.

Please detail to what extent these concepts should be explained and the type of language that should be used for a child of his age. Surely, at this age there should be greater emphasis on al-Jannah without graphic details of Jahannam.

Answer:

Exposure to these issues should be at as early as a child can understand. Having said this, teachers should be careful not to leave a child with scary images in their mind by making mention of Allah's taala infinite mercy and forgiveness. It may also be advisable not to be too explicit in terms of the detail for very young children.

Mufti Mohammed Sajjad

Wallahu Aalam bis-sawab

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The answer to this question is the opinion of the scholar and does not reflect the opinion of other scholars of As-Suffa Institute and As-Suffa Institute as an organisation.