Educational Implications of the Theory of Fitrah on the Elements of the Early Childhood Curriculum: Based on the Anthropological Perspective of Imam Khomeini

Articles in Press

Document Type : پژوهشی

Author

Fatemeh Sadr

Assistant Professor, Institute for Educational Studies and Research Ministry of Education of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Tehran. Iran.

10.22067/fedu.2026.98199.1505

Abstract

The concept of Fitrah(innate human nature) stands(spots) as one of the most significant and conteroversial concepts in the philosophy, philosophy of education, particularly within Islamic theories of education. This concept serves as a foundational principle in Islamic anthropology, emphasizing a divine trust and a shared God-given nature inherent in all human beings, characterized by inherent inclinations and knowledges concerning power, love, self-sufficiency, and knowledge. It encompasses the pursuit of all divine names and attributes. This study aims to derive the educational implications of the concept of Fitrah, based on the anthropological foundations of Imam Khomeini—derived from Ayatollah Shahabadi’s theory of Fitrah—for the elements of the early childhood curriculum. Employing a fundamental approach and utilizing an analytical-inferential method grounded in library-based data, this research investigates the implications of the theory of fitrah. The findings showes that the child, possessing an inherent perfectionism stemming from monotheistic Fitrah, is inclined toward the development and transcendence of their existential capacities through all divine names and attributes, encapsulated in four goods: ability, possession, knowledge, and beauty. This pursuit of perfection manifests during early childhood through characteristics such as self-love and self-awareness, the seeking of dignity and honor, rationality and the pursuit of truth, and choosing and the willing. Grounding the elements of the curriculum—namely content; teaching-learning processes; environment, tools, and equipment; parents and educators; and evaluation—in the theory of fitrah yields implications that manifest in the child’s inclinations, insights, and actions as a desire for more and better attainment of all goods. Consequently, the responsibility of those entrusted with the child’s upbringing is to educate the child toward being inclined toward transcendent goods, attaining knowledge and understanding of them, and acting in accordance with them.

Keywords

Fitrah

Inclination toward the Good

Perfectionism

Early Childhood

Chossing. Pursuit of Truth

Imam Khomeini

Subjects

• Foundations of Education

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