BIRR AL-WĀLIDAYN AS AN ISLAMIC FAMILY EDUCATION STRATEGY FOR CHILDREN’S CHARACTER FORMATION

Abstract

The family is the first and primary educational environment that plays a strategic role in shaping children’s personality and character. From an Islamic perspective, the family not only fulfills children’s physical needs but also serves as the primary medium for internalizing faith, noble character, and moral responsibility. In contemporary social realities, however, child education within Islamic families still faces challenges, particularly in habituating religious values and developing character based on Islamic teachings. This study aims to examine the concept of child education in Islamic families and analyze the role of parents in shaping children’s character based on Islamic values, particularly through the concept of birr al-wālidayn. This study employs a library research method with a qualitative-descriptive approach through thematic analysis of the Qur’an, Hadith, classical Islamic literature, books, journal articles, and previous studies. The findings indicate that birr al-wālidayn encompasses respect for parents, obedience in goodness, compassion, responsibility, polite communication, parental role modeling, and the habituation of Islamic values, which contribute to the development of children’s moral integrity, responsibility, respect, empathy, and consistent Islamic behavior. Islamic family education also includes strengthening ʿaqīdah, habituating worship from an early age, developing noble character, and creating a religious, harmonious, and compassionate family environment. Thus, parental role modeling, consistency, and effective communication are fundamental factors in developing children who are faithful, morally upright, responsible, and capable of contributing positively to society.