Islam’s policy regarding seeking knowledge and education has always been aimed at building the Islamic mentality and the Islamic disposition (tendencies or inclination), which together form the Islamic personality. Islam develops a comprehensive understanding about life. And through this understanding, it shapes our actions, it also shapes our likes and dislikes. Children would, therefore, not only perform their Islamic duties, but they would do so with pleasure. Islam has dealt with both of these matters and linked them directly to the ‘aqeedah (creed), so some of its texts deal with the thought (the mentality) and other texts deal with the tendencies (the emotions).

An example of the former is reflected in the saying of the Messenger of Allah (saw): “The reflection of one hour is better than the worship of seventy years.” And an example of the latter is reflected in Allah’s (swt) saying,

“Say if your fathers and your sons and your brethren and your wives and your tribe and the wealth you have acquired and merchandise for which you fear that there will be no sale, and dwellings you desire are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger and striving in His way, then wait till Allah brings His command to pass, and Allah guides not wrongdoing folk.” [TMQ 9:24].

And also reflected in the Messenger of Allah (saw) saying, “No one amongst you becomes a believer until I become dearer to him than himself.”

All this is to make the Muslim’s mind as well as his/her feelings based on the ‘aqeedah of Islam. Therefore, any knowledge which if acquired would help achieve the Islamic personality would be adopted and anything which leads to other than this would be rejected and would not be included in the Islamic State’s curriculum. A Muslim should not occupy his mind with philosophical opinions because they contradict the Islamic ‘aqeedah, and his desires should not lean towards a life of disintegration, opulence and mixing, for these are not Islamic tendencies. This is quite the opposite to the established Western education system, where children are made to feel uncomfortable with Islamic tendencies. It now remains to be seen how Islam practically enforces the Islamic personality, and protects from exposure to non-Islamic (kufr) culture.