From Prophetic Traditions to Fiqh al-Tarbiyah

A Comparative Analysis of Islamic Character Formation in Muslim Families

Authors

  • Sitti Muthmainnah 1. Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar; 2. Universitas Negeri Makassar, Indonesia
  • Ambo Asse Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar, Indonesia
  • Rusli Malli Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar, Indonesia
  • Amin Mujahid bin Hurbi Faculty of Shariah, Islamic University of Madinah, Saudi Arabia
  • Khaerunnisa Universitas Negeri Makassar, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24252/mazahibuna.vi.69620

Keywords:

Fiqh al-Tarbiyah, Prophetic Traditions, Islamic Character Formation, Muslim Families, Child Education

Abstract

The increasing exposure of children to digital media, consumer culture, and shifting patterns of family interaction has generated new challenges for the transmission of Islamic moral values within contemporary Muslim families. While Prophetic traditions provide normative guidance concerning child upbringing, studies examining their systematic reconstruction into a framework of fiqh al-tarbiyah remain limited. This study aims to reconstruct a hadith-based model of Islamic character formation for children aged 0–13 years by identifying its normative foundations, pedagogical methods, and mechanisms for sustaining moral development within contemporary Muslim families. Employing a qualitative library research design, this study utilizes a fiqh al-hadith approach integrated with Islamic educational perspectives. Primary data consist of Prophetic traditions related to child education, while secondary sources include classical hadith commentaries, works on Islamic education, and contemporary scholarly literature. Data were collected through documentary analysis and examined using descriptive-analytical techniques involving classification, contextualization, and interpretation of relevant narrations. The findings reveal that Islamic character formation in Prophetic traditions is structured according to children's developmental stages and encompasses the cultivation of faith, ethical conduct, honesty, trustworthiness, discipline, responsibility, compassion, social awareness, independence, and self-control. The pedagogical strategies identified include exemplary conduct (uswah), habituation (taʿwīd), advice (mauʿiẓah), dialogue (ḥiwār), storytelling (qiṣṣah), encouragement and warning (targhīb wa tarhīb), and gradual training in devotional practices. Furthermore, the study proposes a reconstructed framework of fiqh al-tarbiyah that integrates Prophetic pedagogical principles with developmental stages and contemporary family challenges. This framework contributes to expanding the discourse on Islamic child education by repositioning Prophetic traditions as a normative foundation for sustainable character formation within Muslim families in the digital age.

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Published

2026-10-16

How to Cite

Muthmainnah, S., Asse, A., Malli, R., bin Hurbi, A. M., & Khaerunnisa. (2026). From Prophetic Traditions to Fiqh al-Tarbiyah: A Comparative Analysis of Islamic Character Formation in Muslim Families. Mazahibuna: Jurnal Perbandingan Mazhab. https://doi.org/10.24252/mazahibuna.vi.69620

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