People Skills for Little People
Developing Social Emotional Skills in Pre-‐‑school
Akhlaq – An Important Component of Our Faith:
Akhlaq, an Arabic term refers to the practice of virtue, morality and manners. The English dictionaries translate the word as disposition, nature, temper, ethics, morals or character. Allah (SWT) speaks about the importance of good conduct, ethics, morals or character in the Holy Quran. We are continuously reminded, throughout the Holy Qur’an, to develop good character and treat people well:
“Worship Allah, and do not associate partners with him. And be good to your parents, and the relatives, and to the orphans, and to the poor people, and the neighbor that is close to you and the neighbor that is not close to you, and your companion on the journey. Verily Allah does not love any of those, who full of conceit, act
in a boastful manner,” -‐‑ Surah An-‐‑Nisa -‐‑ Verse 36 (4:36)
Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) was an embodiment of perfect manners and Akhlaq.
Allah (SWT) says in the Qur’an:
“You have in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the praise of Allah.”
-‐‑ Surah Al-‐‑Ahzab-‐‑Verse 21 (33:21)
We have several sayings of the Prophet that remind us about the importance of good morals:
“The dearest of you to me is he who is the best of you in Akhlaq.” (Al-‐‑Tirmidhi)
“None of you truly believe unless he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”
(Sahih Al-‐‑Bukhari & Muslim)
The Qur’an outlines the following morals as the essentials of all relationships – respect, honesty, kindness, tolerance, patience, forgiveness, compassion and self-‐‑restraint. All these virtues apply between parents and children, spouses, business partners, co-‐‑workers, neighbors and friends.
To be involved in the moral upbringing of a child is a great privilege, whether as a parent, a childcare provider or a teacher. Part of our responsibility as parents and teachers is to instill and nurture values and skills that will guide the child through the journey of life. Normally teaching values and social skills has been the responsibility of parents, but with both parents in the workforce, this “awesome” duty is now fulfilled by teachers.
Child development experts say that teaching values to a child along with meeting basic needs begins at birth and continues throughout a child’s life. The early years of one’s life are prime for learning values. (Bronwyn Fees, Assistant Professor of Family Studies and Human Services –
Kansas State University)
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