The Foundations and Principles of Adolescent Faith Education in Islam

Faith education is the most important aspect of religious upbringing, serving as the foundation for other dimensions of human education. Adolescence is the most challenging and crucial stage of faith education, as it is during this stage that individuals reach levels of intellectual maturity where they consciously and independently choose their beliefs. Therefore, it is essential to consider the specific foundations and principles of adolescent faith education in order to derive an appropriate model for it. This research aims to elucidate the foundations and principles of adolescent faith education from the perspective of Islam. The method employed in this study is qualitative content analysis based on library sources. According to the research conducted, the power of reasoning and thought in adolescents, differences and cognitive changes in adolescents, the innate nature of adolescent theology, adolescent autonomy in belief selection, and the influence of circumstances on adolescents are the most important specific foundations of adolescent faith education. Based on these foundations, the principles of utilizing adolescent reasoning, respecting adolescent differences and varying degrees of faith, the principle of admonition over proof, the principle of refraining from imposing beliefs, and the principle of managing circumstances are the most important principles of adolescent faith education.