After mentioning that one must confess His Oneness, worship Him with sincerity, and remain upright in obeying Him, Allah follows that by giving instructions regarding the parents. These appear together in many places of the Qur’an, such as Allah’s saying,
(Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be dutiful to your parents.) (17:23)
Allah says,
(Be grateful to Me and to your parents. Unto Me is the final destination.) (31:14)
There are many other Ayat like this as well. Here Allah says,
(And We have enjoined on man to be dutiful and kind to his parents.) (46:15) meaning, `We have commanded him to treat them well and show compassion towards them. Abu Dawud At-Tayalisi recorded from Sa`d bin Abi Waqqas, may Allah be pleased with him, that his mother said to him: “Hasn’t Allah commanded that you obey your parents Then I will not eat any food or drink any drink until you disbelieve in Allah.” Thus she stubbornly abstained from eating and drinking, until Continue Reading…
This is an insightful and personal account of why a Western teenage girl would reject the ‘wonders’ of fashion, and want to cover herself in the hijab (veil).
I probably do not fit into the preconceived notion of a “rebel”. I have no visible tattoos and minimal piercing. I do not possess a leather jacket. In fact, when most people look at me, their first thought usually is something along the lines of “oppressed female”. The brave individuals who have mustered the courage to ask me about the way I dress usually have questions like: “Do your parents make you wear that?” or “Don’t you find that really unfair?”
A while back, a couple of girls in Montreal were kicked out of school for dressing like I do. It seems strange that a little piece of cloth would make for such a controversy. Perhaps the fear is that I am harboring an Uzi machine gun underneath it! Of course, the issue at hand is more than a mere piece of cloth. I am a Muslim woman who, like millions of other Muslim women across the globe, chooses to wear a hijab. And the concept of the hijab, contrary to popular opinion, is actually one of the most Continue Reading…
The many aspects of Ramadan–fasting, prayers, moral values, charity, Quran, family, Eid– provide a valuable opportunity to train kids. Whether they are your own kids or kids you teach, education or training isn’t an automatic or easy process. Children don’t bring empty minds and fill them with what we say. Training requires effort, energy and a few techniques to take off.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
“No father has given a greater gift to his children than good moral training.” (Tirmidhi).
Here are some training tips and techniques to transform your children’s minds and memories this Ramadan:
Let them get their Hands Dirty
“The great aim of education is not knowledge, but action.”
Herbert Spencer
Children learn by “doing”. On average, students retain 75 percent of a lesson when they learn through hands-on activities compared to five percent through a lecture or 10 percent through reading (Brunmer, Jerome, “The Process of Learning”).
If, for example, you want to teach your kids the concept of Continue Reading…
The encouragement to seek children covers both sons and daughters, and along with this general encouragement Islam has given special merits to seeking and bringing up girls - contrary to the thinking of the people of ignorance (age of ‘Jaahiliyyah’) of the past and present, since the people of ignorance - wherever and whenever found - hated (some of them ’still do’) to have daughters and were grieved and angered by their births!
“And when the news of (the birth of) a female (child) is brought to any of them, his face becomes dark, and he is filled with inward grief! He hides himself from the people because of the evil of that whereof he has been informed. Shall he keep her with dishonour or bury her in the earth? Certainly, evil is their decision.” (An-Nahl 16:58-59)
But the Messenger of Islam, Muhammad (peace be upon him), came elevating the status of this gift given by Almighty Allah, welcoming the daughters, and raising high the importance of their upbringing with words to delight the hearts of the believing fathers and bring joy to their souls:
“Whoever takes care of two girls until they reach adulthood - he and I will come (together) on the Day of Resurrection - and he interlaced his fingers (meaning in Paradise).” (Reported by Muslim)
So can there be any greater honour given to daughter and for those who wish to have them and bring them up properly? And he said in another Hadith: Continue Reading…
During the month of Ramadan, as parents we should think about how we will enlighten our children and teach them about this sacred month. A lot of useful articles have been written on this topic Alhamdulilah. Below are links to some of these articles, which contain information on childrens activities, preparing for Ramadan, how to make Ramadan special etc.
Ramadan Craft by UmmLayla (The Egyptian’s Wife) – As you can see sister UmmLayla is very creative and talented. She has created a beautiful Felt Ramadan Surprise Calendar and has given step by step detailed instructions on doing it yourself. And who can also forget her beautiful Date Chain she did last year and also gave the detailed instructions for. I look forward to her Ramadan craft every year!
As adults, we look forward to Ramadhaan as a time of increased spirituality and a more concerted effort at increasing our ‘ebaadah. In preparation, we read books and articles, listen to lectures, plan goals and menus for the month.
But what about kids? What do they know about Ramadhaan, what do they think about it, and how special is it to them?
Some parents, masha’Allah, teach their kids all about Ramadhaan and have managed to impart create that “Ramadhaan atmosphere” so that their children can really feel how important it is. For others, though, it can be a bit more difficult - so insha’Allah this post will be focused on teaching kids about Ramadhaan, and making it an important and special part of their lives. Continue Reading…
It is one of the beauties of Islam that, with respect to the treatment of parents, it forbids the Muslim to be disrespectful to them even if they should be non-Muslims who are fanatical to the point of arguing with him and putting pressure on him to renounce Islam. Allah Ta’ala says:
…Be grateful to Me and to thy parents; to Me is (the final) goal. But if they strive to compel thee to associate with Me that of which thou hast no knowledge, do not obey them; but keep company with them in this life in a kind manner and follow the way of those who turn to Me. Then to Me will be your return and I will inform you ((of the meaning of) all that you did. (31:14-15)
In these two verses the Muslim is commanded not to obey his parents in what they try to tell him to do in this regard, since there cannot be obedience to a creature in sin against the Creator-and what sin could be greater than Continue Reading…
If the family is the basis of the society, and the basis of the family is the division of labour between husband and wife, and the upbringing of children is the most important function of the family, then such a society is indeed civilised. In the Islamic system of life, this kind of a family provides the environment under which human values and morals develop and grow in the new generation; these values and morals cannot exist apart from the family unit.
If, on the other hand, free sexual relationship and illegitimate children become the basis of a society, and if the relationship between man and woman is based on lust, passion and impulse, and the division of work is not based on family responsibility and natural gifts; if the role of women is merely to be attractive, sexy and flirtatious, and if women are freed from their basic responsibility of bringing up children; and if, on her own or under social demand, she prefers to become a hostess or a stewardess in a hotel or ship or air company, thus using her ability for material productivity rather than the training of human beings, because material production is considered to be more important, more valuable and more honourable than the development of human character, then such a civilisation is ‘backward’ from the human point of view, or ‘jahili’ in Islamic terminology. Continue Reading…
What is the age at which children are obliged to fast? How can we encourage them to fast and pray in the mosque, especially Taraweeh prayer? Are there any simple religious ideas which can be used to fill children’s spare time in Ramadaan?
—
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Fasting is not obligatory for young children, until they reach the age of adolescence, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“The pens have been lifted from three: from one who has lost his mind until he comes back to his senses, from one who is sleeping until he wakes up, and from a child until he reaches the age of adolescence.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 4399; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
Nevertheless, children should be told to fast so that they can get used to it, and because the good deeds that they do will be recorded for them.
The age at which parents should start to teach their children to fast is the age at which they are able to fast, which will vary according to each child’s Continue Reading…
Word Search #007 is available by clicking the link below. Insha Allah this word search will familiarise your children with some concepts in Ramadan. Continue Reading…
It goes without saying that most parents love their children dearly. It is a natural instinct placed by the Almighty into the heart of all parents. This love for children is a sign of the wisdom of Allah, for without it no parent would have borne all the pains and troubles of raising a child. However, many parents think that children know, without being told, that parents love them. They do not realise that children need to be reassured constantly.
Ayesha (May Allah be pleased with her) narrated that once a villager came to the Prophet and asked him, “Do you kiss young children? We do not kiss them.” The Prophet said,
“What can i do about it? Allah has removed the essence of mercy from your heart.” (Bukhari)
The effects of love must be evident in the speech and behaviour of the parents. Children do not have the wisdom and insight of adults to realise that even punishments and reproaches are signs of love. They often perceive the actions of the parents as a proof of Continue Reading…
Salah was the first act of worship that was made obligatory by Allah. Therefore, due to its extreme importance to the Believer, salah should be one of the first acts of worship that parents should teach their children.
In a hadeeth narrated by Abdullah ibn Qart the Messenger of Allah (saws) said,
“The first act that the servant of Allah will be accountable for on the Day of Judgment will be salah. If it is good, then the rest of his acts will be good. And if it is evil, then the rest of his acts will be evil.” (Tabarani)
When discussing teaching children how to make salah parents typically ask when is it necessary to begin teaching their children. Let us be realistic; learning how to make salah is not easy for children or in some cases adults. It can take a lot of work to Continue Reading…
On Eid-ul-Adha, Muslims commemorate the Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his first-born son at the command of Allah, and how Allah spared his son and made him a Prophet. When Ibrahim told his son that he had had a vision that Allah wanted him as a sacrifice, Ismail agreed to it without hesitation, as the Qur’an narrates:
Then, when the son reached the age of serious work with him, He said: “O my son! I see in vision that I offer thee in sacrifice: Now see what is thy view!” The son said: “O my father! Do as thou art commanded: Thou will find me, if Allah so wills one practising Patience and Constancy!” So when they had both submitted their wills to Allah, and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead for sacrifice, We called out to him, “O Abraham! Thou hast already fulfilled the vision!” - thus indeed do We reward those who do right. For this was obviously a trial - And We ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice. (37:102-107)
What is most remarkable about this story is how Ismail had complete trust in the wisdom of his father’s vision. How many of our children would react this way if we said to them, “God told me to sacrifice you”? Probably they would say, “Are you crazy?” They might accept the idea of martyrdom for the sake of Allah but they would not have the complete trust in his father’s relationship with Allah as Ismail had, which enabled him to believe in his father’s vision, and in his father’s interpretation of that vision. Continue Reading…
The issue of raising children is very important, the interest of both parents and children depends on it; the interest of the Ummah (Muslim society) as well as the community’s future is directly impacted by our ability to succeed in this. Islam takes great interest in it, and so do the educators, the first of whom is the Messenger Muhammad [Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam (SAWS) / peace be upon him] whom Allah sent as a teacher and guide to parents and children to ensure their happiness in both worlds.
The Qur’an contains many examples of good character such as the story of Luqman, the wise, who gave his son valuable advice.
Luqman’s advice
1. Luqman had advised his son, and Allah the Exalted disclosed his words:
“O my son, do not associate partners with Allah. Verily, Shirk (polytheism) is a grievous sin.” (31:13)
Therefore, beware of committing Shirk in worshipping Allah such as supplicating to dead or absent people. Continue Reading…
Below is a short video outlining the steps of the prayer. The prayer being demonstrated is a 4 rek3aa (cycle) prayer such as Dhuhr, Asr or Maghrib. For parents teaching their children to pray, inshaAllah it will be useful.
You can download this video from here. Once you have downloaded the file you will need to rename the file to end with .avi or .flv (e.g. “get_video.avi” or “get_video.flv”) in order to watch it. It’s about 4mb in size.
A child can be taught about Allaah in a suitable manner, according to his level of understanding. He can be told that Allaah is One and has no partner. He can be told that He is the Creator of all things, so He is the Creator of the earth, the heavens, people, animals, trees, rivers, etc.
The educator can make the most of some situations by asking the child, whilst walking through a garden or in the countryside, about Who made the water, rivers and things in the natural scenery around him, to draw his attention to the greatness of the Creator. Continue Reading…
Question: Is it permissible for me to give something to one of my children and not to his brothers? What if that is done for a reason, such as his good attitude or his obeying his parents?
Praise be to Allaah.
The scholars are agreed that it is prescribed in Islam to treat children fairly when it comes to gift-giving; they should not single out one or some of them and not give to others.
Ibn Qudaamah said in al-Mughni (5/666): “There is no dispute among the scholars that it is mustahabb to treat children equally and that it is makrooh to differentiate between them.”
But there are differences of opinion concerning the ruling on differentiating between them. The strongest views in terms of evidence are two opinions - and Allaah knows best. These two opinions are: Continue Reading…
Life is miserable for those children who have to deal with parents who are constantly negative. Such parents do not forget mistakes, harp on small issues, and are always predicting the worst.
“You are not studying hard, you are bound to fail”
“Your room is such a mess, I wonder how sloppy your house will be when you grow up”
“Stop troubling your younger sister, you have no love for her at all”
The Above are examples of negative and perhaps destructive comments. A parent may sometimes say such things in anger, but it is the constant repetition of negative comments that affect a child greatly.
A happy home is one in which children know that they will be disciplined when necessary, but do not have to Continue Reading…
Some parents believe that to love children means to do their work. They take excessive pity on the child and feel that as a parent it is their duty to do things for him. So at six years old a child is still be dressed by the parents. He is considered too young to tie his own shoes, or comb his hair. Such constant fussing over the child does not instill confidence and independence in the child. Rather it is selfish and irresponsible for a parent to allow their child to excessively depend on them.
A ten year old who never cleans his room, and lets mum or dad do it, will learn to always depend on others. This may also foster laziness, sloppiness and a lack of Continue Reading…
Life is miserable for those children who have to deal with parents who are constantly negative. Such parents do not forget mistakes, harp on small issues, and are always predicting the worst.
Some parents believe that to love children means to do their work. They take excessive pity on the child and feel that as a parent it is their duty to do things for him. So at six years old a child is still be dressed by the parents. He is considered too young to tie his own shoes, or comb his hair. Such constant fussing over the child does not instill confidence and independence in the child. Rather it is selfish and irresponsible for a parent to allow their child to excessively depend on them.