We are in a time where technology has dominated our lives. From the way we communicate(mobile phones, social media etc.) to the food we eat (uber eats etc.) technology has taken full control. Certainly, there are bad effects of this but we can not deny the good that it brings to our lives. However, what good, if any, does it bring to our spiritual lives? Have we taken it too far by bringing Quran Online, especially for our Kids? Thats the topic of today - The pros and cons of Online Quran classes for kids.
In my time, say 15 years ago, the customary way to learning the Quran was to attend the Masjid for 2 hours after School. Typically, classes were from 5pm to 7pm. The normal uniform was white thobes for men and black abayas for women. Our classes were mainly taught together as a group. So people read after the teacher line by line. Most of the time went like this with some time taken out to learn duas individually.
In my opinion the best thing about attending the masjid for Islamic studies was the Muslim community coming together. It definitely united us in a society where majority of people around me were non-Muslims. I made some great friends who I still keep in touch today.
I would say that having to physically go to the Masjid for most of my childhood instilled a subconscious importance of Islam. We knew it was a serious matter as it was an obligation for nearly every child to have to attend every day.
Having said this, I felt the culture of the Masjids at the time may have been the reason I deterred from Islam for a while. This is not to say every Masjid was/is like this, but from my experiences, a lot of the Masjids were very strict in their methods. One would get a real beating for making minor mistakes. Due to this, going to the Masjid had a negative connotation to it- for me anyway.
Furthermore, I felt that given the time we spent in school (6 hours) having to spend a further 2 hours studying became burdensome to a degree. I felt that this had an effect in my academia.
15 years was a very long time ago. Since then, much has changed. Technology only advanced. The iphone was introduced. Then Facebook came in to play. We had Skype and now zoom. People were now able to conduct their businesses over a laptop.
With this quick progression in tech, lifestyles although supposedly becoming ''easier'' were met with an equalizer. As technological progression took place, the cost of living was also increasing. The pressure on parents grew stronger which lead to both Mum and Dad to work and meet the ever increasing bills.
The progression in tech and the economy forcing both parents to work opened the doors to taking the Masjid online.
This was a big step but was it worth it?
In my honest opinion, online Quran classes have been more beneficial than a detriment to our kids.
However other than this, I believe that the good outweighs the bad.
The After-School Masjid classes are by no means lesser. For those who are able to drop and pick their children and want their child to have a closer relationship with the Muslim community, then I would be the first to say that this is the best option. However, given that time has changed and is changing as we speak, online Quran classes for kids is creating solutions for problems that would otherwise be difficult to overcome had we not have had such technological advancements.
