THE ROLE OF ISLAMIC STUDIES IN MORAL

UPBRINGING OF THE CHILD: A CASE STUDY OF

CHANCHAGA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF NIGER

STATE

BY

MUSA ALHAJI BABA

ALIYU MUHAMMAD EMISHESHI

MUHAMMAD IMRAN MUHAMMAD

USMAN MUHAMMAD

PROJECT SUBMITTED TO CENTRE FOR CONTINUE

EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF PROFESSIONAL DIPLOMA IN

EDUCATION, NIGER STATE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION,

MINNA, NIGERIA

DECEMBER, 2009.

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ABSTRACT

The study titled the Role of Islamic Studies in moral upbringing of the

child: A case study of Chanchaga Local Government Area of Niger State

aims among others to examine the improvement in morals of children as a

result of studying Islamic Studies at school and to determine the reasons

why students may not adopt morals they were taught in Islamic Studies

lessons. 90 parents and 30 Islamic Studies teachers were selected from the

population using proportionate random sampling technique. Each of the

respondents was issued with a questionnaire. Results obtained were analysed

using descriptive statistics. It was found out that the study of Islamic Studies

brings about a significant improvement in the morals of children and the best

way to teach Islamic morals and principles is by showing good example.

Also, lack of parental guidance was identified as the major reason why

students may not adopt morals they were taught. Finally, it was

recommended that parents should spend more time with their children in

order to personally see to their moral upbringing and the types of friends

children keep coupled with the kind of television programmes they watch

should be closely monitored so as not to negatively influence them.

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CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

By definition, Islamic Studies is an effort to know everything related

to the religion of Islam. In other words, Islamic Studies is a conscious and

systematic effort to understand Islam comprehensively and discuss lock,

stock and barrel about Islamic religion and whatever is related to it such as

its teaching, history, daily practices, doctrines etc (Yaser, 2007).

According to Swarthmore (2009), Islamic Studies is an

interdisciplinary programme that focuses on the diverse range of lived

experiences and textual traditions of Muslims as they are articulated in

various countries and regions throughout the world. It draws on a variety of

fields including religion, anthropology, history and Arabic language and

literature to shed light on the multiple expressions of Islam as a religious

tradition, the role of Islamic civilization as a force in global history and the

importance of Islamic discourses in the contemporary world.

Furthermore, Wikipedia (2009) Stated that in a Muslim context,

Islamic Studies can be an umbrella for virtually all academia, both originally

researched and as defined by the Islamization of knowledge. As such, it

includes all the traditional forms of religions thought, such as Islamic

theology and Islamic Jurisprudence. In addition it assimilates fields

generally considered to be secular in the West, such as Islamic science and

Islamic economics. While in a non-Muslim context, Islamic studies

generally refer to the historical study of Islamic religion, culture, history and

philosophy.

The purpose or importance of teaching Islamic studies as a subject in

schools is numerous. They include:

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1. To teach students the fundamentals of Islam which are Tauheed,

Iman, Ibadah (worship), Da’awah and Shari’ah (Islamic law).

2. To develop in students a deep-rooted belief in and a commitment to

the fundamentals of Islam.

3. To develop the students’ knowledge of the Prophet (PBUH) and

appreciate and practice the teachings of his Sunnah.

4. To help students define the Islamic way of worship and living.

5. To emphasize to students the responsibility of Muslims towards self,

family, the Muslim nation and humanity at large.

6. To teach students Islamic manners and etiquette in relation to

themselves and all others.

7. To develop students appreciation and respect for the Qur’an and

Sunnah (Lexington, 2007).

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Allah says in the Qur’an: “O you, who believe, protect yourselves and

your families from a fire whose fuel is men and stones … (Q 66:6). Hence,

the protection of yourselves and your families from Hell fire won’t be with

anything but good education, the practice of good morals and the guidance

to mobility. This is to say, apart from the basic necessities of life that parents

must provide for their children i.e. food, clothing and shelter, they must also

give their children good education and teach them good morals.

But unfortunately, parents today seem to be halted by economic

uncertainties occasioned by poverty, unemployment and insecurity which

forced many of them to abandon their responsibilities towards their children.

Usman (2009) reported that these days, parents are too busy to meet family

needs. They have no time to monitor the events around their children. Most

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parents have left the moral upbringing of their children in the hands of house

helps while some have left their responsibilities in the hands of teachers

without themselves getting involved. According to Daily Trust Newspaper

(2009), a typical Nigerian parent is too busy to have time not only to

monitor the moral upbringing of his children but also to follow up his

children’s academic progress in their schools for the simple fact that they are

busy chasing naira and kobo.

According to Qasmi (not dated), the immoral situation (of children) is

deteriorating further with the spread of such immoral influences as:

unhealthy movies, undesirable radio features, rubbish television programs,

obscene literature, purposeless school activities low company, etc.

Consequently, the chances of slips and stagnation, frustration and

delinquency are increasing fast for the contemporary child.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The specific objective of this study titled Role of Islamic Studies in

the moral upbringing of the child is as follows:

1. To examine the improvement in the morals of children as a result of

studying Islamic Studies at school.

2. To determine the best way to teach children Islamic morals and

principle

3. To examine whether Islamic Studies teachers recognize and fulfill

their roles as moral educators not just teaching the subject.

4. To determine the reasons why students may not adopt morals they

were taught in Islamic Studies lessons.

5. To proffer solutions to the identified problems.

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1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions are posed to guide the study:

1. Does improvement in the morals of the child occur as a result of

studying Islamic education?

2. What are the best ways to teach children good Islamic morals?

3. Do Islamic studies teachers recognize and fulfill their roles as moral

educators not just teaching the subject?

4. Why are the students not likely to adopt the morals taught them

through Islamic Studies lessons?

5. What measures could be established in solving the identified

problems?

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The extreme moral decadence in the society today especially among

Muslim children has made a study of this kind to be timely and important.

The role of Islamic studies in the moral upbringing of the child has been

generally overlooked. Therefore the significance of this study includes:

1. Show the importance of religion as the only effective method of good

child upbringing that cannot be done using western ideals or capital

punishment.

2 Teaching Islamic studies requires a combination of knowledge and

character, therefore not everyone that read the course is qualified to teach it.

For example, a lady graduate that does not use Hijab will be showing a bad

example to students.

3. Emphasize the fact that Islamic Studies teachers are not like other

teachers that simply teach and go. They are also moral educators.

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4. Identify the role/importance of teaching Islamic Studies in public

secondary schools in Chanchaga local government area of Niger State.

5. Establish that teaching of morals is not the responsibility of parents

alone but also of teachers (especially religious teachers) that complements

whatever the parents have done.

1.6 SCOPE AND DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY

This study intends to determine the role of Islamic Studies as a subject

in the moral upbringing of the Muslim child. The scope is limited to

conventional public and private secondary schools within Chanchaga local

government area where Islamic Studies are taught. It is delimited in the

sense that it will not cover the specific/ core Islamic schools that combine

western and Islamic education because moral up bringing is one of their

basic tenets that is emphasized even by non-Islamic Studies teachers, in

which case the role or impact of only Islamic Studies cannot be conveniently

examined or studied. More so, primary schools and missionary schools will

not be considered.

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CHAPTER TWO

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter will review literature on morality. In order to get a clear

picture of what morality really means, different definitions by a number of

authors are presented. In addition, the methods of moral upbringing of

children in Islam will be considered. For the fact that Nigeria has three

major religions namely: Islam, Christianity and African traditional religion,

a detailed analysis of their views regarding morality is also discussed. The

chapter finally closes with the roles of parents and teachers in child moral

upbringing.

2.2. CONCEPT OF MORALITY

The word morality originates from the Latin word “mores” meaning

“manners” or “morals”. Morality is behavior in accordance with certain

standards, as well as ability to distinguish between good and evil. Morality

enables man to clear away from indecent and shameful acts and also assists

in doing unto others what one likes to be done to one. It assists in acquiring

piety, tolerance, forgiveness, self-respect and discipline (Agboola, 2001).

According to Hussain (2001), any system of morality or ethics teaches

us the distinction between those of our actions that are good, and those that

are bad, those that are right and those that are wrong, those that are

acceptable and those that are not acceptable, and those that are

commendable or praise worthy and those that are condemnable or not

commendable.

Dike (2003) defined morality as good character meaning knowing the

good, desiring the good, and doing the good - habits of the heart and habits

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of action. According to the author, moral education is not a new idea; it is as

old as education itself. Serious and wise societies since the time of Plato

have made moral education a deliberate aim of schooling. They educated for

good character as well as intellect, decency as well as literacy, virtue and

also knowledge. In addition, they tried to form citizens who would use their

intelligence to benefit others as well as themselves, so as to build a better

world.

2.3 ORIGIN OF MORALITY

Many theories have arisen over the years in connection with the origin

of morality. There are those who hold that morality has its origin in the

society. Some others believe that morality is a product of common sense.

Some other people hold that morality is the fruit of religion (Agboola, 2001).

In agreement with this assertion, Wikipedia (2009) stated that morals are

arbitrarily created and subjectively defined by society, philosophy, religion

and/or individual conscience.

Akanmidu (1990) expresses the view that religion is one of the

sources of morality but there are other sources distinct from religion. To

shed light on this, Idowu (1996) explained that God made man and it is He

who implants in him the sense of right and wrong. The sense of obligation to

do that, which is believed to be right, is in fact, the pressure of God upon

every human life. Every human being who is not clearly an imbecile has

knowledge of right and wrong.

In Islam, the origin or sources of morality are basically two:-

1. Attributes of Allah such as Ar-Rahman (The Beneficent), Ar-Rahim

(The Merciful), Al-Ghafur (The Forgiving), Al-Halim (The For bearing),

Al-Haqq (The Truth), Al-Latif (The Generous), etc. hence believers

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(Muslims) are expected to live their lives as much as possible in emulation

of the attributes of Allah.

2. Allah’s commandments and prohibitions, likes and dislikes

commendation and dispraise in the Qur’an. Thus for example, Allah

commands ‘adl or qist (Justice), ihsan (Kindness or goodness) and ita’

dhilqurba (Liberality or generosity to kith and kin) (Qur’an 16:90), so these

are virtues. On the other hand, Allah forbids fahsha’ (indecency or shameful

acts), Munkar (wickedness and injustice) and baghy (oppression or

rebellion) (Qur’an 16:90), so these are vices (Hussain, 2007).

2.4 ISLAM AND MORALITY

Islam is an all-embracing mode of life. Not only does it prescribe

beliefs but also the rules of social behavior. The range of morality in Islam

therefore is so inclusive and integrative that it combines at once faith in God,

religious rites, spiritual observances, social conduct, decision making

intellectual pursuits, habits of consumption, manners of speech and all other

aspects of human life (Abdalati, 1978).

Good manners and noble qualities of mind and character enjoy a place

of crucial importance in the structure of Islamic teachings. As the Holy

Qur’an says, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was evolved by Allah as the best

example in all patterns of sound morality. For this reason, Allah has praised

his morals in the Holy Qur’an in most eloquent term and says;

(O Prophet!) You have attained a high moral standard (Quran 68:4).

History reveals that a large number of polytheists embraced Islam on

account of their being impressed by the sublime morals and manners of the

Holy Prophet (SAW). In the same manner, it has been suggested that the

main reason for the largest conversion to Islam between 1906 and 1910

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among the Russians was the higher moral level of life in Muslim society

(Ezzati, 1979).

2.4.1 MORAL UPBRINGING OF CHILDREN IN ISLAM

According to Qasmi (not dated), Islam expounds a marvelous system

in every aspect of life. It emphasizes on the need for compatible care to

children in terms of spiritual, physical, educational and moral upbringing in

the best possible manner so that they facilitate the entry of their parent into

paradise.

Islam sees that if parents fulfill their duties towards their children in

terms of providing them with necessary training, educational backing, moral,

ethical and religions education it will definitely lead to a more caring child, a

better family atmosphere and a better social environment and awareness.

Then they will be like the sun, radiating light and hope. On the other hand,

any negligence in those parental duties can lead to the loss of a child or ill

treatment of the parents at a later age. That is why it is significant and of

more than symbolic importance that the first call given in the ears of a new

born is Azaan to engrave the fear of Allah in his heart so he can girdle

himself from mischievous acts. Hence, his informal prayer begins at the time

of the birth with the call of the Azaan ringing in his ears (Qasmi, not dated).

The methods of Islamic moral upbringing of children as enumerated

in Al-Baiyyinah magazine (2009) include:-

1. Showing the values of good deeds and their effects on the individuals

and society, also showing the effects of bad deeds, all within the child’s

capability of understanding.

2. Parents should be a good example in their behavior because children

like to imitate their parents in their sayings and their deeds.

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3. Teaching the child the religious principles and tutoring him in

worship, taking into account the child’s capability of understanding. The

Prophet (SAW) is reported to have said: “Order your children to pray at the

age of seven”.

4. Parent should teach their children to choose good company and avoid

bad ones because children are always influenced by the company they keep.

More so, bad behavior can be easily transmitted through bad company. So

the Prophet (SAW) said, “Man is inclined to get influenced by his friend’s

manners, so one must be careful in choosing friends”. (Reported by Abu

Dawud and Tirmidhi).

5. Encouraging the child’s sense of belonging to the Muslim Ummah, by

teaching him of the brotherhood between Muslims, teaching him to care for

Muslims in any land, and that he is part of the Muslim body, to feel joy

when Muslim are joyous, to feed sad for Muslims’ sadness.

6. Imbuing in children the feeling of love of Allah, His Prophet,

Muslims, and all people. This love will lead to special behavior towards all

those loved.

2.4.2 ISLAMIC EDUCATION AND MORAL TEACHING

Islam plays a significant role in satisfying our physical as well as

spiritual needs. Islam teaches us, a code of behavior, and conservation of

social values and gives us a meaning for our existence. It helps in toleration

and developing adaptive capacities for stressful events of live. It gives us a

sense of self-respect and teachers us about the virtues of family life and a

cohesive society with a sense of brotherhood (Ahmed, not dated).

Douglas and Shaikh (2004) stated that in its most literal sense, Islamic

education can refer to efforts by the Muslim community to educate its own,

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to pass along the heritage of Islamic knowledge, first and foremost through

its primary sources, the Qur’an and the Sunnah. This education of Muslims

might take place in Mosques, schools or Universities, and other

organizations established by Muslims over the centuries. According to

Henzell-Thomas (2005), Islamic education ideally aim to provide a milieu

for the total and balanced development of every student in every sphere of

learning - spiritual, moral, imaginative, intellectual, cultural, aesthetic,

emotional and physical - directing all these aspects towards the attainment

of a conscious relationship with God, the ultimate purpose of man’s life on

earth.

Similarly, Seyyed Hossein Nasr explained that Islamic education is

concerned not only with the instruction and training of the mind and the

transmission of knowledge (ta’lim) but also with the education of the whole

being of men and women (tarbiyah). The teacher is therefore not only a

Mu’alim i.e a transmitter of knowledge but also a Murabbi, a trainer of souls

and personalities. The Islamic educational system never divorced the

training of the mind from that of the soul (Henzell-Thomas, 2005). The more

overarching concept of tarbiyah refers to moral education. Hence, acquiring

knowledge, ethics and a moral world view is a foundation for achieving

what the Qur’an requires of every human being - to enjoin what is good, and

prevent what is evil (Douglas and Shaikh, 2004).

Henzell-Thomas (2005) reported that Syed Muhammad Naguib Al-

Attas prefers to regard Islamic education as ta’dib, a word related to adab.

According to the author, Attas defines adab as discipline of body, mind and

soul which enable man to recognize and acknowledge his proper place in the

human order in relation to his self, his family and his community. Therefore,

Douglas and Shaikh (2004) confirmed that adab means a custom or norm of

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conduct passed down through the generations. As Muslim civilization

developed, the word took on the sense of high quality of soul, good

upbringing, urbanity and courtesy; the last two words referring to manners

used in elite company, and behavior befitting a civilized person. By Abbasid

times, adab was to be acquired as a valued educational outcome. The

concept merged into the educational system, where adab acquired an

intellectual meaning: the sum knowledge that makes a person courteous and

“urbane” in secular culture. To become Muaddab, one had to study the

sciences of rhetoric, grammar, lexicography, and metrics and be well versed

in poetry, literature and the sciences. The concept of adab supported the

aesthetic refinements of civilized life, and was integral to education in an

Islamic spirit.

2.5 CHRISTIANITY AND MORAL UPBRINGING

According to Alexander (2001), the absence of a religious upbringing

unfailingly manifests itself in a person’s character that is why Christian

upbringing lays a moral and spiritual foundation in a child, while scholastic

education aims at developing his mental abilities. These are two different

activities. There is no reason to think that scholastic education automatically

facilitates the moral development of a child. Some people may be very

educated but ill-bred and unspiritual. On the other hand, totally uneducated

peasants can be highly spiritual and moral people. Any upbringing, either

within the family or the school, can only pursue temporary aims related to

the needs of the family and society when divorced from religion. For

instance, the aim of education in totalitarian countries is to make a person an

obedient instrument of the government. In contemporary public schools in

the USA and many other countries, the object of education is not a person’s

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highest or his spiritual integrity, but the material needs of the government

and community. An orthodox religious upbringing, on the other hand, is

concerned with the moral development of the soul and is guided by eternal

spiritual principles.

The Gospel teaches that the principal thing in a man’s life is the

proper state of his heart. One should understand “heart” as the center of

one’s spiritual life, wherein all the feelings and desires are concentrated.

Here is the location of the origin of a person’s behavior and moral attitude.

If, according to the savior’s words, “out of the heart proceed evil thoughts,

murders, adulteries…” (Matt. 15:19), then it should become evident that the

main task of rearing a child is to give a proper direction to his heart. Because

temptations are unavoidable, it is important to educate a child to distinguish

unambiguously between right and wrong, to choose virtue and to despise

immorality (Alexander, 2001). Commenting on the time child upbringing

should start; the author stated that the proper time for the enlightenment of

the soul is early childhood. In fact, the ethical foundation of a person is laid

during this period. The soul of a child, until six to seven years of age,

resembles clay from which one can mold his personality. After that age, the

main characteristics have been established and it is almost impossible to

change them.

Furthermore, Alexander (2001) stated that there are two approaches to

child upbringing. They are physical punishment and religious influence.

According to him, punishment is sometimes indispensable, but if it is

applied too frequently, may bring negative results because the child gets

used to performing his duties “by the rod” and does not learn to follow his

good intentions. Besides, frequent punishment tends to make the child irate,

secretive and distrustful, and leaves a painful imprint on his character. On

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the other hand, religious upbringing gives more successful results. There is

almost no need to resort to corporal punishment when parents impress upon

the child not their own rules, but those demanded by the Lord. Hence, a

child should always know what is permissible and what is not. Sensible

prohibition and light punishment are absolutely necessary. On understanding

that the violation of imposed rules results in unpleasant consequences, the

child will avoid the forbidden. Thus a healthy foundation will be laid in him,

and his will, which is just beginning to form, will be prepared to submit to

God-established moral laws.

2.6 AFRICAN RELIGION AND MORALITY

Ethics and morals are of supreme importance in African life and

thought. The ethics and morals of African religion otherwise called “Afrel”

are embedded in the customs, traditional laws, taboos and traditions of each

African people. God is regarded as the ultimate sanctioner and upholder of

morality. Human relationship through kinship and neighborliness is

extremely important, and traditional ethics and morality are built largely

around human relationships. Therefore character is the essence of African

ethics and upon it depend the life of a person. Bad character can destroy

one’s destiny while good character, is sufficient armour against evil and

misfortune (Agboola, 2001).

Mbiti (1974) noted that stealing, the beating of people, showing

disrespect to elders, telling lies, practicing witchcraft and bad magic,

sleeping with someone else’s wife, murder, deliberate injury to persons and

other people’s property, and so on are considered great offenses severely

punishable by society through ostracism, compensation, payment of fines,

shame, beating, stoning and even death. On the other hand, kindness,

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politeness, generosity, hospitality, respect, industriousness, thriftiness, and

hard work are good morals that children are taught in many African

communities.

2.7 IMPORTANCE OF MORAL EDUCATION

Education is aimed at the physical, mental and moral preparation of

the child so that he/she can become a good individual to the society. Douglas

and Shaikh (2004) reported that through ethical and moral teaching, an

educated person would act in a socially responsible manner, acquire the

social graces of civilized life, and would partake of and contribute to the

sum of skill and knowledge according to their time.

Commenting on the importance of moral education to the survival of

democratic societies, Dike (2003) asserted that Nigerian youths like those in

other democracies, need some dose of moral education to enable them

differentiate between right and wrong and become responsible adults,

because democracies have a special need for moral education. The absence

of moral education in our schools is probably the main cause of the

leadership problem facing the nation today. Even academic reform depends

on putting character first.

Thus for democracy to survive in Nigeria the people must learn to

care about the rights of others and must be willing to assume the

responsibilities required of democratic citizenship. Most of these virtues

could be acquired through good character education tailored towards the

cultivation of democratic values. Without value education, Nigeria may not

win the war against corruption, crime, prostitution and drugs. More

importantly, for businesses to grow and prosper, the labour force must have

the character traits of honestly, dependability pride in work and the capacity

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to cooperate with others for the common good. Finally, a person who is

morally literate will be immeasurably better equipped than a morally

illiterate person to reach a reasoned and ethically defensible position on

tough (ethical) issues (Dike, 2003).

2.8 FAMILY AND CHILD MORAL UPBRINGING

Islam regards family as the most important institution in maintaining

the healthy state of an individual’s moral and spiritual life. The family is the

first tier in the process of social upbringing. It is the family that instills in the

child the standards by which he judges everything that he later receives from

all social institutions. When he goes to school, his attitude towards his

teacher is formed on the basis of the education he was received at home. His

selection of friends at school is also based on the way he was raised by his

family. He evaluates everything he hears and sees and every situation he

finds himself in or he witnesses through what his family has instilled in him.

According to Sachedina (not dated), the family not only nutured with

love and commitment those values that brought out the noble in a person

enabling him/her to establish healthy interpersonal relations; they also

provided with means of standing firm to uphold these values of socialization

in terms of fear and anxieties. That is why Bowlby (1952) confirms from his

longitudinal studies, that the permanent loss of a parent during childhood

may result in increase vulnerability to certain forms of psychopathology e.g.

depression. Similarly permanent loss of father was found in the history of

delinquent children. Longitudinal observations have further revealed that

children reared in an atmosphere of love, care, consistency and firm

limitations develop healthy personalities with trust and self confidence.

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Those reared in a hostile environment with rejection and humiliation may

develop apathy, anxiety or aggressive behavior.

2.8.1 ROLE OF PARENTS IN CHILD MORAL UPBRINGING

Parents play a vital role in the education of their children. Early

childhood education programme emphasizes the role of parents. It declares

that learning beings in the first days of life and continues for long. Every

Muslim parent is advised to raise his or her children well and properly

(Syed, 2001). Parents are expected to do more than just provide the means

to sustain the family and educate their youth. They have been made

responsible for character development of their children by setting good

examples. Those examples include not only performing the religious rituals

together but also entail involving children in helping develop a moral sense

by helping the poor and hungry, in respecting the rights of others , and so on

(Sachedina, not dated).

The Holy Prophet of Islam (SAW) stressed the importance of the role

and responsibility of parents in a Hadith where he was reported to have said,

“All of you are guardians and all of you are responsible for things under

your guardianship, the ruler is a guardian (managing his states’ affairs) and

he is responsible for things under his care, the man is a guardian over his

family and responsible for them, the woman is a guardian of her husband’s

house and she is responsible for it. All of you are guardians and responsible

for things under your control.” (Reported by Bukhari and Muslim).

Sachedina (not dated) suggested that parents have to assume an active

role in the moral development of their children, basically in two ways. First,

by becoming fully involved at every stage in the child’s mental growth until

he/she attains maturity. This involvement includes learning to communicate

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with the younger generation through their books and reading materials, i.e.

the sources of their mental and moral education. Secondly, by providing

constructive entertainment through personal involvement in the selection of

the types of entertainment (whether at home or outside). According to the

author, the bad behavior exhibited by children can be attributed to lack of

communication between them and their parents. This is because a study

conducted in the US revealed that on the average American parents spend

less than fifteen minutes a week in serious discussion with their children.

American fathers spend an average of seventeen second per day of intimate

contact with their children. As a result, children and adolescents are

increasingly ignorant about the ways of communicating with their parents,

and appear to be disrespectful and disobedient to adults.

To this end, Syed (2001) advised that giving more religions teachings

to children at home is not enough. It is extremely important for parents to

spend time with their children. Parents have to find time to be with their

children at home, school, and games, on the playground, field trips, picnics

and tours. The most essential element is to establish an open channel of

communication with the children. An effort should be made to create an

environment wherein children should not hesitate to say to their parents their

thinking and feelings.

It is important that parent should constantly and continuously keep

their children on the path of Islamic values. This is because audio-visual

media such as TV, video, video games, movies, peer pressure could play an

effective role in erasing the Islamic personality the parents are building and

deeply influence the behavior of the children for years. Alexander (2001)

noted that it is so important for parents to make every effort to lay a spiritual

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foundation in their children. When they are adults, they will appreciate their

parents’ efforts.

2.9 ROLE OF TEACHERS IN CHILD MORAL UPBRINGING

The teacher’s role is particularly important and has been compared

with that of the prophets. Every prophet is essentially a teacher. Indeed it is

an ideal teacher that brings about a positive change in the overall behavior of

his students by leading them to a lofty character and to exemplary morals.

Qarashi (2009) noted that Islam has paid considerable attention to teachers

for their being the first brick in the structure of social development and

perfection and the cause of guiding and developing behaviors and

mentalities of individuals and communities.

According to Ajmad (1995), in the Islamic view, education cannot be

divorced from moral and ethical training. It is the contribution of modern

age that character building has been totally dissociated from education. That

is why the system is producing an educated but characterless generation. The

author further explained that no other personality can have an influence

more profound than that of a teacher. This is because students are deeply

affected by the teacher’s love and affection, his character, his competence

and his moral commitment. A popular teacher becomes a model for his

students who in turn try to follow their teacher in his manners, costumes,

etiquette, style of conversation, and so on. He is their ideal. He can lead

them anywhere. During their early education, students tend to determine

their aims in life and their future plans, in consultation with their teachers.

The basic talents, qualifications and characteristics needed to develop

a successful and effective teacher are:

(i) Knowledge of the subject matter.

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(ii) Wealth in internalized values and beliefs.

(iii) Ability of transferring knowledge.

(iv) Generating students’ cooperation and confidence.

Al-Attas (1979) stated that the purpose of Islamic education is not to

cram the pupil’s head with facts but to prepare them for a life of purity and

sincerity. The total commitment of character building based on the ideals of

Islamic ethics is the highest goal of Islamic education. Hence, Al-Afendi and

Baloch (1980) described an Islamic teacher as one who educates a child

according to his level of maturity. Such a teacher nurtures the child to have

faith in the One God, leading to the development of a spirit of inquiry in

order to procure an understanding of the universe and its operations. The

pupil is then to use his knowledge, skills and understanding to improve

himself and the society.

2.10 SUMMARY

Simply put, morality is behavior in accordance with certain standards.

In Islam, morality originates from the attributes of Allah as well as His

commandments and punishments as stated in the Quran. It has been

explained that Islamic education and moral teaching cannot be separated

since the Mu’alim is also a Murabbi who teaches tarbiyya.

Furthermore, other religions like Christianity and Africa traditional

religion uphold moral values and inculcates them into their adherents or

followers. The moral upbringing of children starts from the parents who

according to a Hadith “are guardians and responsible for things under their

guardianship.” At school, teachers continue to instill moral values into the

child as their role is compared to that of the prophets since essentially, every

prophet is a teacher.

22

CHAPTER THREE

3.0 METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY

3.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter deals with methodology of the study. It is presented

under the following subheadings: study area, research design, population of

the study, sample and sampling technique, instrument for data collection and

method of data analysis.

3.2 STUDY AREA

Chanchaga is one of the 25 local government areas of Niger State. It

lies on latitude 9o 37’N and longitude 6o 33’E with a population of 201, 429

according to the 2006 population census (National Population Commission,

2007). Politically, it is divided into ten districts or wards. Majority of those

in the working class are civil servants while others are engaged in trading,

tailoring, blacksmithing, weaving and so on. The ethnic groups found in

Chanchaga are Gwari, Nupe, Hausa, Yoruba, Ibo and other minorities. Most

of the inhabitants are Muslims. Educationally, Chanchaga local government

has a number of schools ranging from pre-nursery, nursery, primary and

secondary schools that are either public or private owned.

3.3 RESEARCH DESIGN

Nwana (1981) stated that research design is a term used to describe a

number of decisions which need to be taken regarding the collection of data

before the data are collected. The survey research method was used for this

study. This was considered appropriate because it is flexible such that a wide

range of information can be collected and it is an efficient way of collecting

information from a large number of respondents.

23

3.4 POPULATION OF STUDY

Population of study is the particular trait or event, people or subjects

that is being studied (Chike Okoli, 2004). Hence the population of this study

is all Islamic Studies teachers in secondary schools situated within

Chanchaga local government and parents whose child/children has/have

taken Islamic Studies as a subject while in school.

3.5 SAMPLE AND SAMPLING TECHNIQUE

Sampling is concerned with the selection of individual observations

intended to yield some knowledge about a population of concern, especially

for the purposes of statistical inference (Wikipedia, 2007). In other words,

sampling means selecting units from a population of interest so that by

studying the sample we may fairly generalize our results back to the

population from which they were chosen.

Proportionate random sampling was the sampling technique used in

this study. This means that the population was divided into two, namely:

Islamic Studies teachers and parents. It was assumed that the number of

parents is three times the number of Islamic Studies teachers, hence 30

teachers and 90 parents were randomly selected making a total of 120

respondents.

3.6 INSTRUMENT FOR DATA COLLECTION

The primary data for the research project was collected using

structured questionnaires. According to Goode and Hatt (1972),

questionnaire is a collection of questions which are put together by the

researcher to measure or test the hypothesis he has formulated. But for the

fact that some sampled parents were uneducated, they were interviewed and

24

their responses documented as appropriate. Since the teachers are all literate,

they expectedly had no problem filling their questionnaires.

3.7 VALIDATION OF THE INSTRUMENT

The questionnaire is regarded as the most appropriate instrument to

use in a survey research. This is because Wikipedia (2009) confirmed that in

surveys, data are usually collected through the use of questionnaires,

although sometimes researchers directly interview subjects. Survey can use

qualitative (ask open-ended questions) or quantitative (use forced-choice

questions). For the purpose of this research, the quantitative approach was

used and that is the reason why the questionnaires are said to be structured.

3.8 ADMINISTRATION OF THE INSTRUMENT

A total of 120 questionnaires were given out to 90 parents and 30

teachers. To ensure that there was no duplication of responses especially in

the case of parents, only the father or mother was given the questionnaire but

not both. In addition, teachers that also qualified as parents were entitled to

fill the questionnaire meant for parents or teachers only but not both. This is

to make sure that there is no bias in the results.

3.9 METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS

Analysis of data refers to those techniques whereby the investigator

extracts from the data information that was not apparently there before and

which would enable a summary description of the subject studied to be made

(Nwana, 1981). Therefore, the data collected was analyzed using descriptive

statistics which includes finding the frequency, percentage and mean

(average) of the respondents’ responses to the various questions.

25

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter contains detailed presentation of results, findings and

discussion for this study. All the data collected were analyzed but only those

ones that directly satisfy the objectives of this study and thus answer the

research questions are presented and discussed here.

4.2 IMPROVEMENT IN MORALS OF CHILDREN AS A RESULT

OF STUDYING ISLAMIC STUDIES AT SCHOOL

The questionnaires were given to both parents and teachers but only

parents were asked this question because teachers who are all Islamic studies

teachers may be biased in answering it since a person cannot evaluate his

own performance.

Table 4.1: Distribution of parents’ opinion or perception concerning the

improvement of children’s morals due to studying Islamic studies at school.

Moral improvement due to studying Islamic studies

Frequency Percentage

Not at all 18 20

Average 34 38

Significant 38 42

Total 90 100

Source: Field survey, 2009

Table 4.1 above shows that 20% of respondents (parents) reported that

they did not notice any improvement in the morals of their children that

studied Islamic studies at school while 38% and 42% of them asserted that

26

there have been average and significant improvements respectively. That is

to say, majority of parents agree that Islamic Studies helps to improve the

morals of students that study the subject. This is not surprising since the

subject consist of topics that deal purely with morals like sincerity, honesty,

backbiting, etc. The permissibility or prohibition of the acts is thoroughly

discussed based on the Quran and Hadith.

4.2.1 Improvement in morals of children as a result of attending

Islamiyya School

Islamiyya schools are informal types of schools that are set up to

basically teach the recitation and memorization of the Quran. Other fields of

learning taught include Hadith, Fiqh, Tajweed and so on. They normally

hold in the evenings when children must have come back from the formal

institutionalized schools. All the parents claimed that their children attend

Islamiyya Schools. As a result, they were asked to evaluate the improvement

in the morals of their children as a result of attending these Islamiyya

schools. Their responses are presented below.

Table 4.2: Distribution of parents based on their perception concerning their

children’s moral improvement as a result of attending Islamiyya schools.

Moral improvement due to attending

Islamiyya schools

Frequency Percentage

Not at all 6 7

Average 31 34

Significant 53 59

Total 90 100

Source: Field survey, 2009

27

Table 4.2 above indicates that 7% of parents reported that attending

Islamiyya schools did not improve the morals of their children while the

majority of parents (59%) agree that there have been a tremendous

improvement in their children’s morals. As earlier discussed in chapter two,

Islamic education is synonymous with tarbiyya i.e. moral education. That is

why more than half of the parents indicated that Islamiyya schools have

made a positive impact in the moral upbringing of their children.

4.3 THE BEST WAY TO TEACH ISLAMIC MORALS AND

PRINCIPLES

Macmillan English dictionary (2007) defined morals as “principles of

right and wrong behavior that are generally accepted by a society”, while

principle is a “basic rule or belief about what is right and morally good, that

influences the way that you behave and the way that you treat other people.”

It is therefore observed that morals can be taught in so many ways. For this

reason respondents (both parents and teachers) were asked to identify the

appropriate ways to teach Islamic morals. Their responses are presented

below.

28

Best way to teach morals PARENTS TEACHERS

Frequency Percentage Frequency Percentage Showing good example 64 56 24 52

Beating and punishment 10 9 0 0

Sending them to Islamiyya 26 23 18 39

Others 14 12 4 9

TOTAL 114 100 46 100

Table 4.3: Distribution of respondents’ opinion according to the best way

to teach morals.

Source: Field survey, 2009. NB: Multiple choices

Table 4.3 above reveals that teachers do not encourage beating and

punishment as a way of teaching Islamic morals though about 9% of parents

do. Also, more than half of the respondents, both parents and teachers (56%

and 52% respectively) agree that showing good example is the best way to

teach and imbibe Islamic morals and principles.

The holy Prophet (SAW) was reported to have said: “Pray as you see

me pray.” This is a typical example of teaching morals by example so that

the student, child or person been taught will simply imitate or copy. This is a

very effective method of teaching and learning.

4.4 ISLAMIC STUDIES TEACHERS’ RECOGNITION AND

FULFILMENT OF THEIR ROLES AS MORAL EDUCATORS

Islamic education is not just about imparting knowledge but it also

involves tarbiyya (moral education). As a result, the third objective of this

study was to find out whether Islamic Studies teachers in Chanchaga local

government area realize the fact that it is part of their responsibility to

29

morally educate their students in addition to teaching the subject. The

teachers’ responses are presented below:

Table 4.4: Distribution of teachers’ belief that teaching Islamic studies is

synonymous with teaching morals.

Expectation of Islamic studies to teach morals

Frequency Percentage

YES 30 100

NO 0 0

Total 30 100

Source: Field survey, 2009.

The result obtained clearly showed that all Islamic Studies teachers in

the study area know for certain that they are expected to teach their students

moral values as part of their statutory responsibilities. That is to say, a

teacher of Islamic studies should go extra mile to tell his students about

sincerity, respect for others, truthfulness, and so on at any point in time and

whenever the situation warrants, not necessarily when he/she gets to the

topic in the syllabus or scheme of work.

4.4.1 FREQUENCY OF MORAL TEACHING

It was natural to ask the teachers how often they teach moral values

since all of them have confirmed that moral education is part and parcel of

Islamic education. Their responses are presented below.

Table 4.5: Distribution of teachers according to frequency of moral teaching

Frequency of Moral teaching

Frequency Percentage

Always 28 93Occasionally 2 7

Once in a while 0 0Total 30 100

30

Source: Field survey, 2009.

Table 4.5 above indicates that 7% of Islamic studies teachers in

Chanchaga Local Government Area agree that they teach their students

moral values on occasional basis while 93% reported that they are always

engaged in the moral education of their students. It can therefore be

concluded that the moral upbringing of Muslim children is given paramount

importance by Islamic studies teachers because almost all of them educate

their students concerning moral values.

4.5 REASONS STUDENTS MAY NOT ADOPT MORALS THEY

WERE TAUGHT IN ISLAMIC STUDIES LESSONS.

It is one thing to teach morals and it is another thing for students to

adopt and practice what they were taught. Both parents and teachers were

asked to express their opinions on the likely reasons why students may not

adopt the morals they learnt. Presented below is a breakdown of their

various responses.

Table 4.6: Distribution of respondents based on reasons students may not

adopt morals they were taught.

Reasons PARENTS TEACHERS

Frequency Percentage Frequency Percentage

Lack of parental guidance 83 37 18 45

Television and bad movies 50 22 4 10

Bad friends/peer pressure 69 30 10 25

Others 25 11 8 20

TOTAL 227 100 40 100

Source: Field survey, 2009. NB: Multiple choices

31

Table 4.6 above shows that about 30% of parents and 25% of teachers

consider bad friends/ peer pressure as the reason why students may not adopt

morals they were taught, while 37% and 45% of parents and teachers

respectively reported that lack of parental guidance is the main factor why

students refuse to practice the moral lessons they learn.

It was interesting to note that almost half of the teachers blamed the

parents for not giving proper moral guidance to their children, hence the non

adoption of moral values. But parents do not seen to agree with that, which

was why they shifted the problem to television/bad movies and bad

friends/peer pressure. That was why the percentage of parents that

considered television and bad friends to be the reasons (22% and 30%

respectively) were relatively higher than that of the teachers’ i.e. 10% and

25% respectively.

4.5.1 Most significant in moral upbringing

Naturally, moral upbringing starts at home. As children grow older,

they start attending Islamiyya schools and subsequently the so-called

western education where Islamic Studies is learnt. Some children start with

Islamiyya before proceeding to the western system of education while for

others, the opposite is the case. The most important thing is that Islamic

morals are taught and learnt through these avenues.

Respondents were asked to identify which of these three, namely:

home, Islamic studies and Islamiyya Schools is the most significant in the

moral upbringing of the Muslim child. The various responses are presented

below.

32

Table 4.7: Distribution of respondents regarding the most significant

in moral upbringing

Most significant PARENTS TEACHERS

Frequency Percentage Frequency Percentage

Home 46 51 16 53

Islamic studies 12 13 0 0

Islamiyya school 32 36 14 47

TOTAL 90 100 30 100

Source: Field survey, 2009. NB: Multiple choices

Table 4.7 above indicates that 51% of parents and 53% of teachers

consider the home to be the most significant in moral upbringing of the

child. But 36% of parents and 47% of teachers disagree stating that

Islamiyya Schools are the most significant in moral upbringing. Incidentally,

none of the teachers, even though they all teach Islamic studies see it as the

most significant, but 13% of parents noted that Islamic Studies is the most

significant in moral upbringing of a Muslim child.

The view of majority of the respondents that consider the home to be

the most significant in moral upbringing is supported by Najmuddin (1978)

who indicated that the centres of learning and upbringing are broadly four in

number namely; the home, the Masjid, the madarasa and the life of a

Muslim in the whole gambit of society and its activity. But among these

centres, the home is of primary concern. It is there that life begins and where

the personality is first shaped. This has been going on for ages. Islam holds

family life at a very high level of importance. In fact it considers family as a

miracle. Allah in regard to this says in the Qur’an:

“And among His signs is this; that He created for you mates from

among yourselves that you may dwell in tranquility with them and He has

33

put love and mercy between your hearts. Verily in that are signs for those

who reflect.” (Qur’an 30:21).

4.6 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

Findings of this study could be summarized as follows:

1. The study of Islamic Studies has the potential of improving the morals

of a child.

2. Showing good example is the best way to teach children Islamic

moral principles.

3. Teachers were expected to teach moral values as part or in addition to

teaching Islamic studies.

4. Several factors were identified to be possible reasons why students

may not adopt morals they were taught but lack of parental guidance

was believed to be the most significant by most of the respondents.

4.7 DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

Majority of the respondents did not support the idea of beating and

punishment as a means of teaching moral values. This is in agreement with

Alexander (2001) who stated that punishment is sometimes indispensable,

but if applied too frequently may bring negative results because the child

gets used to performing his duties “by the rod” and does not learn to follow

his good intentions.

The study further discovered that television and peer pressure are

important factors that may make students not to adopt morals learnt due to

their increased influence on the lives of children as they grow up. This

finding coincides with the view of Athar (2005) who stated that parents have

only 25% influence in a 6-16 year old child. 50% is by peers at school or in

the community. 25% is from the teachers and other sources of education

outside home i.e. media mainly TV (and magazines for older youths). The

34

influence of parents is high during early age (0-8 years up to 80%), but as

the child discovers new friends and ideas, he/she grows independent from

the influence of parents.

A significant improvement in morals of children that studied Islamic

Studies at school was discovered by the study. This is in line with thought of

Tauhidi (2005) who reported that effective Islamic teaching and learning

must be value based. By focusing on values and by considering the ethical

dimensions of topics, Islamic education becomes a powerful vehicle for

character and moral development, thus achieving its real purpose. Educators

must realize that every aspect of the teaching and learning experience

conveys values to students and provides opportunities for them to learn

about values.

35

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0 SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter summarizes the whole research project and draws

conclusions based on the results obtained from the field. More so, necessary

recommendations and suggestions for further studies will be made.

5.2 SUMMARY

Islamic Studies is a systematic effort to understand Islam ranging

from its teachings, history, daily practices, and doctrines. The importance of

the subject among others is to teach students the fundamentals of Islam,

Islamic manners and etiquette and also develop their appreciation and

respect for the Qur’an and Sunnah. Though parents have the responsibility

of providing their children with the basic necessities of life (food, clothing

and shelter) including good education and moral upbringing, most of them

are too busy trying to make ends meet. For this reason, the upbringing of

children nowadays more or less is left in the hands of teachers. This situation

necessitated a study of this nature that examined the role of Islamic Studies

teachers in the moral upbringing of the child specifically in Chanchaga

Local Government Area of Niger State.

Chapter two diagnosed the concept of morality and upbringing from

the perspectives of Islam, Christianity and African traditional religion. It was

stressed that Islamic education is concerned not only with transmission of

knowledge but also involves moral training (Tarbiyyah). More so, the heart

is considered as the center of one’s spiritual life by both Islam and

Christianity, hence the two religions view the proper direction of the child’s

heart to be central to his/her upbringing. Also in many African communities

telling lies, stealing, murder, disrespect for elders etc (are great offences and

36

are punishable while generosity, hard work, kindness and so on are good

morals that children are taught.

Chapter three comprised of methodology of the study. The survey

method was the research design used. The population of the study comprised

of all Islamic Studies teachers in secondary schools within the study area

and parents whose child/children has/have taken Islamic Studies as a subject

while in school.

Structured questionnaire was the instrument used to collect data from

the field. Proportionate random sampling was used to select the respondents.

It was assumed that the number of parents is three times the number of

Islamic studies teachers. Thus, 90 parents and 30 teachers were issued with

the questionnaires. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the data

collected.

Analysis and discussion of the results was done in chapter four.

Studying Islamic studies at school was found to significantly improve the

morals of students. Beating and punishment was found out not to be the best

way to teaching Islamic morals and principles. Some respondents preferred

sending children to Islamiyya schools while majority reported that showing

good example is the best way to teach morals. All the Islamic studies

teachers in the study area agreed that they recognized the fact that they are

moral educators in addition to been subject teachers.

Finally, lack of parental guidance was considered the major reason

why students may not adopt morals they were taught though some

respondents indicated that television/bad movies and the influence of bad

friends may be the likely factors.

37

5.3 CONCLUSION

Based on the result of this study, the following conclusions can be

drawn.

i. Moral values are better taught in Islamiyyah schools than in

Islamic studies lessons.

ii. Showing good example is the best way to teach Islamic morals and

principles.

iii. Lack of parental guidance is the major reason why students may

not adopt morals they were taught at school.

iv. The home is the most significant in the moral upbringing of a

Muslim child.

5.4 RECOMMENDATIONS

The findings and conclusions of this research have led to the

following recommendations:

i. Parents should spend more time with their children so as to

personally see to their moral upbringing. This duty should not be

left in the hands of house-helps.

ii. Parents and teachers alike should monitor the type of friends their

children or students keep so that the friends do not badly influence

them to the extent that they will not adopt morals values learnt at

home or school.

iii. The types of television programmes and movies children watch

should be closely monitored by parents so that they do not copy

undesirable attitudes.

iv. Moral upbringing should be considered a significant aspect of

teaching by all teachers especially those teaching Islamic Studies.

38

This they can easily do by treating their students as their own

children.

v. Islamic Studies teachers should not restrict moral teaching to their

lesson periods only. This should continue everyday and every time,

within or outside the school premises. That is the way the impact

of Islamic Studies on moral upbringing of children can be felt.

5.5 SUGGESTIONS OF FURTHER STUDIES

The researchers wish to recommend the following topics for

investigation in the future.

i. Impact of Islamiyya schools in the moral upbringing of children

ii. Merger of Almajiri and western education: implication on moral

upbringing.

39

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