Why Did I Start Homeschooling?
A question I get asked so often, Subhan Allah. I don’t even know where to begin with all the reasons I started, but I will try my best, In’shaa’Allah.
A Sister's Inspiration
I met a sister who was homeschooling, Allahuma Barik, and she explained to me how it all works. I saw her children were normal—lol—and I know how that sounds, but when you think of homeschooling, if you know little about it like I did, all sorts of different things run through your mind. Do the children learn? Can they read and write? Do they know how to speak? Do they have any friends? Does the government even allow this? Will we get in trouble with the police? Lol, I know it all sounds so crazy writing this now.
Realizations and Concerns
But I met this sister at what could have been the best time. I was in a stage of life where all of the things I was learning were starting to come into action, like salah, hijab, and learning how to seek knowledge, etc. I was already thinking about my children, how school is, how it affects our Muslim children, and what they are exposed to—LGBTQ, for example—the list of concerns gets longer and longer. I was aware of books being introduced into nurseries about this movement and how our younger Muslim children will be taught it. This is happening in primary school, and secondary school is a whole new ballgame.
The Educational Environment
Disobeying Allah in Schools You have to take off your abaya just to enter the schools here in the United Kingdom, Allahul Mustaan. So right from the start, you have to disobey Allah (The Obligatory Conditions for an Islamic Ḥijāb article included at the end of this post). Then there’s the free mixing of boys and girls, another instance where we have to disobey Allah.
The Risks of Traditional Schooling
Could I really justify sending my children to school knowing they would have to disobey Allah? I’ve been there and done it all before, and I didn’t want to repeat those mistakes. A child going to school will also have to disobey Allah when it comes time for salah. Even though many schools offer a prayer room, as a teacher, I’ve found out that many children don’t use them. Most of them don’t offer the salah, and our young ones still need reminding by parents or elders. If they aren’t around good companions, there’s a very big chance those prayer rooms won’t be entered.
The Impact on Muslim Children
Here in the UK, our Muslim children also befriend non-Muslims, meeting them in these mixed environments, which has a massive impact on them. May Allah protect them from evil companions. It’s also common here to see girls befriending boys and vice versa, which is another thing we should protect them from.
My Decision to Homeschool
So, to sum all of this up—and there are many other things I haven’t written here—my absolute main reason for homeschooling was to ensure my child doesn’t have to disobey Allah in these areas. None of us are safe from committing sins, I know this, but as a parent, we must do our best to save our children from the fire.
یَـٰۤأَیُّهَا ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ قُوۤا۟ أَنفُسَكُمۡ وَأَهۡلِیكُمۡ نَارࣰا وَقُودُهَا ٱلنَّاسُ وَٱلۡحِجَارَةُ عَلَیۡهَا مَلَـٰۤىِٕكَةٌ غِلَاظࣱ شِدَادࣱ لَّا یَعۡصُونَ ٱللَّهَ مَاۤ أَمَرَهُمۡ وَیَفۡعَلُونَ مَا یُؤۡمَرُونَ﴿ ٦ ﴾
• Muhsin Khan and Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali:
O you who believe! Ward off from yourselves and your families a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who disobey not, (from executing) the Commands they receive from Allah, but do that which they are commanded.
At-Taḥrīm, Ayah 6
A Personal Commitment
Sending children to schools in the United Kingdom—mixed schools with boys and girls, schools that require uniforms like trousers and blazers for girls—feels like throwing them into the fire to me. Throwing them into an environment with non-Muslims and all the things I’ve mentioned, expecting them to survive without being harmed by it all, is not a risk I could take. May Allah aid and protect us.
Encouragement from a Fellow Muslim
This was enough for me to start homeschooling. After meeting that Muslim sister whose children had never been to school, May Allah reward her and grant her and her family righteousness and closeness to Him, that was enough of a reminder that if she could do it, so could I. I was willing to sacrifice and work hard to do it, Alhamdulilah. I plan on writing a blog post about how to homeschool alongside this one, so stay tuned, In’shaa’Allah.
The Importance of Homeschooling
I highly recommend homeschooling to all Muslims. Isn’t it frightening enough to hear Allah say we are accountable for our children? Isn’t it terrifying enough to know we are taking care of something that belongs to Him?
The Necessity in Non-Muslim Lands
I don’t think we have a choice but to homeschool in these non-Muslim lands, and I feel so confident that every Muslim woman can homeschool, In’shaa’Allah, with the tools I’m going to send out in my next post. Allah created us to raise our children, sisters, so why would we give them to non-Muslims to raise for all those hours each day? Is there any time for Islamic studies after that?
Learning Together as a Family
Another reason I wanted to homeschool is so we could learn about Allah together. Alhamdulilah for that gift from Allah. How many families are able to do that while their children are in school all day?
Please do share this information with all those parents you think it will benefit In’shaa’Allah.
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Beneficial article on responsibility of raising Muslim children:
Beneficial article on Free mixing:
A beneficial article about the correct Hijab:
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