Father Involvement In Early Childhood Education

A Qur’anic Perspective Through Qiwāmah And Qira’ah Mubādalah

Abstract

Father involvement in early childhood education is increasingly recognized as an important component of children's holistic development. Nevertheless, parenting practices in many contexts continue to associate mothers primarily with caregiving and education while positioning fathers mainly as economic providers. This article examines father involvement in early childhood education from an Islamic perspective by integrating the concepts of qiwāmah and Qira'ah Mubādalah. The study employs qualitative literature-based research through a structured review of scholarly literature concerning father involvement, early childhood education, Islamic parenting, qiwāmah, gender relations, and Qira'ah Mubādalah, combined with normative-philosophical analysis of relevant Qur'anic verses. The literature indicates that father involvement is multidimensional, encompassing spiritual, educational, emotional, caregiving, and social dimensions. Qur'anic narratives, particularly Q.S. Luqmān [31]: 13–19, provide a normative basis for understanding fatherhood as an educational responsibility involving faith formation, moral guidance, communication, and character development. The concept of qiwāmah is reconstructed in this study not merely as hierarchical authority but as responsible leadership oriented toward protection, accountability, and family welfare. Meanwhile, Qira'ah Mubādalah provides a principle of reciprocity through which fathers and mothers are positioned as mutually responsible subjects in children's education and care. Based on the synthesis, this study proposes an Amānah- and Reciprocity-Based Father Involvement Model comprising spiritual, educational, relational-emotional, and care-social dimensions. The model contributes conceptually by integrating contemporary father-involvement scholarship with Qur'anic family ethics and Islamic gender discourse.