a. Pre-birth developmental stages
Pre-natal development is mentioned in the al-quran surah al-Mukminun verses
12-14 as follows:
“Verily We created man from a dust, then We made the dust a stain in a secure
place. Then We made it a bite of flesh, and we made it a bite, then we made the
bite a bone, and then we filled it with flesh (lahm). Then We made a different
form from the former. Blessed be God, the best of creators”.
In addition, the pre-birth developmental stages also mentioned in surah al-
Hajj verse 5 as follows:
“Verily We have made you of soil, then of a drop of semen, then from a clump of
blood, and then of the perfect clump and the imperfect clump, that We may make
it clear to you; and We have set it in the womb, as We will, until a fixed time”.
According to the Qur'anic verses above, the stages of prenatal development
can be sequentially described as sulalatin mintin, nutfatan, alaqatan, mudghutan,
idhoman, lahman, and khalqan akhar.
Hurlock (1980) grouped the prenatal period into three parts;
According to the Islamic view, a baby in the womb already has life in which
fate has already been assigned to him, which according to hadith narrated by
Bukhari “Each one of you is constituted in the womb of the mother for forty days,
and then he becomes a clot of thick blood for a similar period, and then a piece
of flesh for a similar period. Then God sends an angel who is ordered to write
four things. He is ordered to write down his deeds, his livelihood, the date of his
death, and whether he will be blessed or wretched. Then the soul is breathed into
him (Sahih al-Bukhari: 3036)”.
Similarly, according to Papalia et al., (2016), the fetus already has sensory
ability such as hearing.
This means that both Islamic and Western theories agreed that baby has life
before birth. Furthermore, both Islamic and western theories agreed that pregnant
women's physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health has long been linked to
significant effects on the baby's development (Husairi, 2019).
b. The developmental phase of infancy
The infant period lasts from the age of 0 – 2 years, counting from the neonatal
period. It starts from 2 weeks up to 2 years. In Surah al Baqarah verse 233 mentions
that mothers should breastfeed their children for two full years, for those who wish
, to breastfeed fully, and the father must provide for them and properly clothe them.
Similarly, western theory also emphasizes the importance of breastfeeding instead
of bottle feeding. Breastfeeding and bottle-feeding have distinct effects on
maternal attachment, breastfeeding mothers display higher maternal attachment
compared to bottle-feeding mothers. Moreover, breastfeeding is associated with
maternal attachment, poor maternal attachment could result in insecure infant
attachment (Muhammad & Johnson, 2021; Linde et al.,2019).
Furthermore, the neonatal and infant period contains three developmental
aspects.
First is physical development, which is during the first six months, growth
continues as fast as the prenatal period. The general pattern of growth and
development is the same for all babies, but there are still differences in height,
weight, sensory performance, and other physical areas. Second, the development of
intelligence is that cognitive abilities which enable the formation of understanding.
Babies start their lives without understanding everything around them. Babies gain
understanding through the process of maturation and learning. Third, the
development of emotions at birth, emotions appear in simple and almost
indistinguishable forms. With age, emotions change more and more and can be
distinguished into pleasant and unpleasant emotions (Hanafi, 2018). According to
Santrock (2011), babies are already introduced to emotion and can express basic
emotions such as crying and smiling which facilitate the interaction between babies
and caregivers.
c. Early childhood development stage 2-7 years (early thufullah phase)
This phase is called shobiy phase, the breastfeeding phase from 0-2 years of
age and the early thufullah phase (Surawan & Mazrur, 2020).
This phase is taken from the age range mentioned by the Prophet Muhammad
saw., "So teach your child to pray at the age of 7 years."
Also, the Quran put limits on breastfeeding time to 2 years, so based on the
Prophet's hadith and the Quranic verse can be concluded that the pre-tamyiz period
is from the age of 2 to 7 years. In this phase, children start to have an obligation to
study without compulsion and still have a chance to spend their time by playing.
According to Western theorists, this period is named the early childhood
phase from 2-5 years of age. While 7 years old is categorised as childhood. Around
the age of 4-5 years, children can master their mother tongue and have an ego. At
the age of 5 years, their social feelings begin to rise and at the age of 7 years,
children begin to grow by learning (Fitriani et al., 2023). In educating children at
this age, the Prophet SAW recommend using the learning while playing method
because it is in line with the level of children's development at this age. Therefore,
this phase is called the pre-school year, where children begin to learn to be
independent and look after themselves, as well as develop school readiness skills,
such as following orders and learning letters.
Pre-natal development is mentioned in the al-quran surah al-Mukminun verses
12-14 as follows:
“Verily We created man from a dust, then We made the dust a stain in a secure
place. Then We made it a bite of flesh, and we made it a bite, then we made the
bite a bone, and then we filled it with flesh (lahm). Then We made a different
form from the former. Blessed be God, the best of creators”.
In addition, the pre-birth developmental stages also mentioned in surah al-
Hajj verse 5 as follows:
“Verily We have made you of soil, then of a drop of semen, then from a clump of
blood, and then of the perfect clump and the imperfect clump, that We may make
it clear to you; and We have set it in the womb, as We will, until a fixed time”.
According to the Qur'anic verses above, the stages of prenatal development
can be sequentially described as sulalatin mintin, nutfatan, alaqatan, mudghutan,
idhoman, lahman, and khalqan akhar.
Hurlock (1980) grouped the prenatal period into three parts;
According to the Islamic view, a baby in the womb already has life in which
fate has already been assigned to him, which according to hadith narrated by
Bukhari “Each one of you is constituted in the womb of the mother for forty days,
and then he becomes a clot of thick blood for a similar period, and then a piece
of flesh for a similar period. Then God sends an angel who is ordered to write
four things. He is ordered to write down his deeds, his livelihood, the date of his
death, and whether he will be blessed or wretched. Then the soul is breathed into
him (Sahih al-Bukhari: 3036)”.
Similarly, according to Papalia et al., (2016), the fetus already has sensory
ability such as hearing.
This means that both Islamic and Western theories agreed that baby has life
before birth. Furthermore, both Islamic and western theories agreed that pregnant
women's physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health has long been linked to
significant effects on the baby's development (Husairi, 2019).
b. The developmental phase of infancy
The infant period lasts from the age of 0 – 2 years, counting from the neonatal
period. It starts from 2 weeks up to 2 years. In Surah al Baqarah verse 233 mentions
that mothers should breastfeed their children for two full years, for those who wish
, to breastfeed fully, and the father must provide for them and properly clothe them.
Similarly, western theory also emphasizes the importance of breastfeeding instead
of bottle feeding. Breastfeeding and bottle-feeding have distinct effects on
maternal attachment, breastfeeding mothers display higher maternal attachment
compared to bottle-feeding mothers. Moreover, breastfeeding is associated with
maternal attachment, poor maternal attachment could result in insecure infant
attachment (Muhammad & Johnson, 2021; Linde et al.,2019).
Furthermore, the neonatal and infant period contains three developmental
aspects.
First is physical development, which is during the first six months, growth
continues as fast as the prenatal period. The general pattern of growth and
development is the same for all babies, but there are still differences in height,
weight, sensory performance, and other physical areas. Second, the development of
intelligence is that cognitive abilities which enable the formation of understanding.
Babies start their lives without understanding everything around them. Babies gain
understanding through the process of maturation and learning. Third, the
development of emotions at birth, emotions appear in simple and almost
indistinguishable forms. With age, emotions change more and more and can be
distinguished into pleasant and unpleasant emotions (Hanafi, 2018). According to
Santrock (2011), babies are already introduced to emotion and can express basic
emotions such as crying and smiling which facilitate the interaction between babies
and caregivers.
c. Early childhood development stage 2-7 years (early thufullah phase)
This phase is called shobiy phase, the breastfeeding phase from 0-2 years of
age and the early thufullah phase (Surawan & Mazrur, 2020).
This phase is taken from the age range mentioned by the Prophet Muhammad
saw., "So teach your child to pray at the age of 7 years."
Also, the Quran put limits on breastfeeding time to 2 years, so based on the
Prophet's hadith and the Quranic verse can be concluded that the pre-tamyiz period
is from the age of 2 to 7 years. In this phase, children start to have an obligation to
study without compulsion and still have a chance to spend their time by playing.
According to Western theorists, this period is named the early childhood
phase from 2-5 years of age. While 7 years old is categorised as childhood. Around
the age of 4-5 years, children can master their mother tongue and have an ego. At
the age of 5 years, their social feelings begin to rise and at the age of 7 years,
children begin to grow by learning (Fitriani et al., 2023). In educating children at
this age, the Prophet SAW recommend using the learning while playing method
because it is in line with the level of children's development at this age. Therefore,
this phase is called the pre-school year, where children begin to learn to be
independent and look after themselves, as well as develop school readiness skills,
such as following orders and learning letters.
