Islamic Family Education in the Contemporary Era: Integrating Tarbiyah, Ta’lim, and Ta’dib in the Formation of Muslim Children’s Character

Abstract

This study examines Islamic family education as a foundational and holistic framework for shaping the character and identity of Muslim children in the contemporary era. Drawing on the core Islamic educational concepts of tarbiyah, ta‘lim, and ta’dib, the research highlights how these three paradigms operate synergistically to nurture children’s physical, intellectual, spiritual, emotional, and moral development. The family is positioned as the primary and most influential educational institution responsible for value transmission, character formation, and religious cultivation, as emphasized in Qur’anic injunctions and Prophetic traditions. Through an integrative analysis, this study demonstrates that effective Islamic family education requires the application of exemplary conduct, habituation, educational guidance, supervision, and dialogical interaction as key methods for internalizing Islamic values. Furthermore, the research identifies contemporary challenges arising from globalization, digital culture, and modern family dynamics, which significantly influence children’s behaviors, cognitive patterns, and moral orientation. While these developments present risks such as moral disruption, informational overload, and diminished interpersonal interaction they also offer substantial opportunities for enhancing religious learning through digital Islamic resources and technology-based pedagogical tools. The study argues that the relevance of Islamic family education today lies in the ability of parents to harmonize permanent Islamic values (tsawabit) with dynamic modern realities (mutaghayyirat) through adaptive, contextual, and technology-aware strategies. Ultimately, this study underscores the urgency of strengthening Islamic family education as a means to develop future generations who are spiritually grounded, morally upright, digitally literate, and resilient in navigating global cultural challenges.