In the process of education, it is necessary to recognize the "educational stages" to determine and separate the stages because, with regard to the educators and
educational goals, the education programs and methods at different stages are different. Due to the necessity of the education process being effective and achieving the goals and the possibility of evaluating the efforts, recognizing the educational stages becomes very important. This study has examined the stages of education of children by focusing on the hadiths of "seven ages" in terms of gender. Some researchers have argued to determine the educational stages based on these hadiths, but none of their efforts have focused on the gender of male and female and the education of girls and boys, and some of them have not even considered the educational stages obtained from these hadiths for girls. While families with girls, as well as girls’ kindergartens and the current education system in girls’ schools from elementary to high school, have a serious need to be aware of these stages and the programs based on them. This article has first proven that in the stages of
education obtained from these hadiths, the stage of ―discipline‖ is the second stage and should be accompanied by the child, not an independent stage as
some researchers have said. In this study, in order to explain the perspectives and evaluate the gender implications of these hadiths, relying on the citation and inference method of jurisprudence (ijtihad), the following four perspectives have been criticized and examined: into three categories. The first type was passive resistance, characterized by withdrawal from confrontation. The main strategies of this group included migration and seclusion.
1. The restriction perspective
This perspective considers the subject of the decree on the educational stages in the hadiths of ―seven ages‖ to be limited to boys.
2. The application perspective
This perspective considers the subject of the decree on the educational stages in the hadiths of ―seven ages‖ to be all boys and girls, and for this group of hadiths, due to the lack of gender connotation, it believes that there is no gender distinction.
3. The Differentiation Perspective
In addition to acknowledging that the hadiths refer to both boys and girls, this perspective advocates for gender segregation during the educational stages outlined
in the hadiths of "Seven-Year". It explains that to derive the conceptual meaning and the intended applicative purpose from the implicit connotations and contextual
constraints, one must examine and analyze the absolute evidence to determine the scope of the textual implication. This Perspective holds that at these stages, there are contextual indicators inherent in the discourse, including the prevailing understandings of wise and religiously-committed individuals, which reflect a
specific view regarding the content of education for boys and girls.
4. The Elaboration Perspective
This perspective considers the subjects of the educational stages in the hadiths of ―Seven ages‖ to be boys and girls in a general senseand, due to the absence of
gender-specific indications in these hadiths, does not advocate for gender segregation. However, it maintains that in the application and practical examples of
these stages, based on evidence from other sources and the inherent characteristics of girls—as derived from hadiths—the Lawgiver considers gender-specific
education for boys and girls to be distinct.
After thorough analysis, the "Elaboration Perspective" was accepted. In the final step, the examination of these hadiths revealed that although they do not inherently
indicate gender in their general meaning, through evidence from other sources and the inherent characteristics of girls derived from hadiths, the Lawgiver regards
gender-specific education for boys and girls as different. Consequently, boys and girls differ in the type of education, its applications, and examples—such as in play
(archery suited for boys and weaving suited for girls), the selection of Quranic chapters for learning (Surah Yusuf for boys, Surah An-Nur for girls), and the teaching of divine laws (specifically decrees of hijab for girls, decrees of special look for boys).