Question
What is the right age for children to start learning the translation and tafseer of the Qur’an? We have some children here who have finished reciting the holy Qur’an with tajweed but they do not understand Arabic. They have started reading/memorizing word to word English translation of the Book. They are between the ages of 12 to 18. Kindly suggest if it is appropriate to put them on through this process at this age. How much of tafseer or explanation is beneficial for them?
Answer
Instead of learning the translation of the Qur’an by rote a better alternative is to make them read the translation of some selective portions of the Qur’an and later of the whole Qur’an. They have to be told that reading its translation should be developed into a lifelong daily habit. Secondly, they should be asked to learn the Arabic texts of the smaller surahs of the Qur’an together with their meanings so that they can be recited in the daily prayers.
Answered by: Dr. Shehzad Saleem
Date: 2015-02-24
