How can parents set guidelines for respectful adab when using devices for Quran or hadith? 

Parenting Perspective 

Teach That Sacred Words Remain Sacred 

Children might assume that because the Quran is on a phone, it can be treated as casually as any other app. Parents should explain the distinction clearly: ‘Even though it is on a screen, the words are from Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, so our respect for them must be the same.’ This helps children to mentally separate the ordinary tool from the sacred content it displays. 

Model Practical Adab 

Parents can demonstrate this respect through their own actions. This includes performing wudu before reciting from a Quran app, not placing the device on the floor, and pausing all other activities to listen attentively. These simple, practical habits show children how to honour sacred knowledge in the digital age and prove that convenience should not lead to carelessness. 

Create Shared Family Guidelines 

To make this clear for everyone, a family can establish a set of shared guidelines for using Islamic apps. For example: 

• Always begin with ‘Bismillah’ before opening the app. 

• Only use the apps in clean and appropriate spaces. 

• Avoid playing recitation in the background while doing other distracting activities. 

• End each session with a short du’a of gratitude. 

By practising these simple rules together, children learn that adab is an expression of love and reverence. 

Spiritual Insight 

Honouring the Symbols of Allah 

The Quran teaches that honouring the symbols of Allah, which include His sacred words, is a direct reflection of the piety within one’s heart. This applies whether those words are in a printed book or on a digital screen. 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al Hajj (22), Verse 32: 

‘These (are the commandments), and whoever pays tribute to the Symbols of Allah (Almighty) (i.e. all those places and people who are connected with Allah Almighty), then indeed, (such actions are the best depiction of the) piety of the hearts.’ 

Holding Fast to Sacred Knowledge 

The prophetic tradition instructs believers to hold fast to the Quran and Sunnah with the utmost seriousness and care. This includes treating sacred knowledge with reverence and avoiding any casualness that would diminish its status. 

It is recorded in Jami Tirmidhi, 2676, that the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

‘Hold fast to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided Caliphs after me. Bite onto it with your molar teeth, and beware of newly invented matters.’ 

Adab is Timeless 

By teaching reverence, modelling respectful habits, and creating shared guidelines, parents help their children to understand that adab is timeless. Technology will always change, but the honour due to the words of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ remains constant, guiding us to treat them with dignity and love in every era.