The The Relevance of Qaulan Kariman to the Ethics of Elementary School Children’s Digital Communication with Their Parents

Rizkira Azzahra Zen; Taj Nazwa Aisyah; Yuna Aulia Hanifah

doi:10.22373/quranicum.v3i1.10004

Authors

Rizkira Azzahra Zen Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof. Dr. HAMKA, Indonesia
Taj Nazwa Aisyah Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof. Dr. HAMKA, Indonesia
Yuna Aulia Hanifah Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof. Dr. HAMKA, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22373/quranicum.v3i1.10004

Keywords:

Qaulan kariman, Digital communication ethics, Elementary school children, Parent–child communication, Qur’anic communication

Abstract

Digital communication has expanded the ways elementary-school-age children interact with their parents, but the ethical meaning of particular messaging practices cannot be determined solely from their form. This article examines the meaning of qaulan kariman, or noble and honoring speech, in Q. al-Isrāʾ [17]:23 and considers its relevance to children’s digital communication with their parents. The study employed qualitative library research through interpretive document analysis and a focused critical literature review. The primary corpus comprised Q. al-Isrāʾ [17]:23 and selected interpretations by M. Quraish Shihab and Wahbah al-Zuhayli. The secondary corpus included scholarly literature on Qur’anic communication ethics, parent–child communication, parental mediation, and digitally mediated interaction. The analysis distinguished direct textual meaning, exegetical elaboration, and contextual digital application and found that qaulan kariman requires communication that preserves parental dignity through respect, restraint, and consideration. The principle does not prescribe specific forms of address, complete sentences, immediate replies, or the avoidance of emojis. Short messages, delayed responses, emojis, and voice messages are not inherently respectful or disrespectful; their ethical meaning depends on wording, purpose, urgency, relational expectations, and context. The article consequently formulates a context-sensitive framework comprising respect for parental dignity, avoidance of contemptuous expression, sufficient clarity, appropriate emotional tone, reasonable responsiveness, and communicative repair. The framework applies the ethical purpose of Q. al-Isrāʾ [17]:23 without presenting contemporary messaging conventions as explicit Qur’anic commands.

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