These days, there are many Muslim homes that, although they are occupied with people, they are in fact, dead. This is because there is no remembrance of Allaah, as mentioned in the following hadeeth.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“The likeness of a house in which Allaah is remembered and the house in which Allaah is not remembered is that of the living and the dead, respectively.”
Rather than a place where Allah is remembered, the Muslim home has become a place where Continue Reading…
It may sound weird, but raising children begins with choosing a spouse. That is because raising children is a team effort between two people and who you choose, will have a big effect on how your children turn out.
A good example often given is that of seeds and land. If you want healthy trees and ripe fruits, you should search for fertile land. It would be a silly person to plant seeds in barren land or low quality soil and expect good results. The same applies for raising children. Continue Reading…
Keeping ties between relatives is something very important in Islam. There is an increasing number of ways to communicate in today’s technological age, yet the gap between the new tech savvy generation and the older generation is growing.
In the below verse of the Qur’an, we see the community focus in Islam and the emphasis on maintaining ties with relatives: Continue Reading…
Children like anyone, will experience anger at some point. We need to understand that anger is inherent in human nature and as parents, we should understand more about the concept of anger and how to manage it in our children.
The first thing we should note is that anger is not “all evil” and that how anger is channelled is important. Anger actually has some benefits when “used” for the right reasons. For example, anger can be a useful instrument when defending oneself, religion, honour as well as the keeping the Muslim lands safe from the plots of the aggressors. When anger is used in this way, it is a commendable thing; however we should note that anger is not the same as being irrational or unjust. The type anger referred to above is not the anger we are considering today.
In more than a few verses in the Qur’an, Allah commands us to repress anger and repel evil for that which is better. For example: Continue Reading…
The most effective way to teach anything to anybody is by example, that is, to be a good role model. This is why Allah sent human beings as Prophets to all peoples.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) was the best of examples, as Allah says:
Truly, in those there is an excellent example for everyone who puts their hopes in Allah and the Last Day.
Qur’an 60:6
We need to understand that our children, especially when they are young, will learn how to behave by watching what we do. Continue Reading…
A woman, renewing her driver’s license at the County Clerk ’s office was asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation.
She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself. “What I mean is,” explained the recorder, “do you have a job or are you just a…?”
“Of course I have a job,” snapped the woman.
“I’m a Mum.”
“We don’t list ‘Mum’ as an occupation, ‘housewife covers it,” said the recorder emphatically. Continue Reading…
I was reading something interesting today about the development of the foetus in the womb and the conclusions reached by science. Science has verified that after about 120 days, the foetus can think; express emotions, as well as a few other things.
Allah says,
“Verily the creation of everyone of you is brought together in the mother’s womb as a drop of semen for forty days, then it becomes a clot for the same period, then it becomes a blob of flesh for the same period. Then the angel will be sent unto it to blow into it a spirit (ruh), and the angel ordered (to carry out) with four instructions: to write down his livelihood, the span of his life, his deeds, and either he is wretched or fortunate…”
Another important development during this stage is the ability to distinguish and recognise sounds. Experiments have been carried out that Continue Reading…
Today we want to talk about how to manage your children’s time. The nature of children is that they enjoy playing and having adventures. As parents, we should keep this in mind and accommodate these requirements. In fact, the fact that children are energetic by nature can be used in their favour.
To do this, we should prepare places for them to play in and have fun and give them access to halal sporting clubs and swimming pools etc. If we do not do this, they may end up mixing with bad peers and will seek pleasure in Continue Reading…
Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-Asr, narrated that the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
“Command your children to make salah when they become seven years old…” Abu Dawud
This does not mean that parents can only start teaching their children how to perform it when they reach the age of seven. Rather, informal instruction should start when a child starts to show an interest in salah, which usually occurs around the age of two. It is only human nature that children love to imitate their parents. In fact, this is one method that Allah has provided us for teaching our youth.
Here are some quick tips: Continue Reading…
As Muslim parents, we should show our children that Islam is not only about haram - e.g. “don’t do this” or “you cant do that”… and so on. When we focus on this with children, they will not see the inherent beauty of Islam. We should be balanced, and try and make Islam appealing to them in whatever way we can.
Of course we should teach our children the boundaries of Islam but equally importantly, we should teach them to love Allah, Islam, and Muhammad (peace be upon him). Here are a few tips. Continue Reading…
It is important to talk and listen to your children. It teaches them maturity and develops your bond with them. You should not only talk to them when you are criticising them or when you want them to do something for you.
Good communication with children is about encouraging them to talk to you. And listening so they can tell you how they feel.
Insha Allah here is some benefits of talking as well as listening to your children from a young age Continue Reading…
Today - insha’Allah - we would like to speak about Television - and more specifically Television shows. It is not our intention to condemn TV but simply to give you something to think about the next time you watch your favourite show.
Referring to the Day Of Judgement, Allah Most High says:
“Verily! Hearing, Sight, and the heart, all will be questioned (by Allah).”
Quran 17:36
So rather than wait until the Day Of Judgement to be questioned about our sight - when it will be too late - today we want to question and analyse what we watch Continue Reading…
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) stated, “He is not of us who does not have compassion for his fellow beings”. It is interesting to note that when it comes to Hadith like this or Quranic quotes dealing with human behavior, we never stop to think that our children and family members are also our fellow human beings and that these golden rules must also be applied to them.
Compassion is only one component of the concept of mercy (rahmah) - the others being kindness, respect, and of course love. The are many examples of this in Continue Reading…
Which do you think is harder? Changing nappies and suffering from many sleep nights, or coping with rebellious and disrespectful teenagers? I know which one I’d chose.
For most parents, dealing with teenagers is the most challenging role in the Continue Reading…
Islam teaches us different ways to attain success. One best way is to seek Islamic knowledge based on the Qur’an and the Sunnah. We need to spend time, money, efforts, emotions and patience to learn authentic knowledge of Islam not only for our own success but also to be able to share it to others, especially to our children.
The most important and lasting gift or inheritance that we can give to our children is knowledge of Islam. It is a must that we should educate our Continue Reading…
An easy way to build up a child’s confidence is to compliment them when they do something good. You should try and provide this positive feedback as much possible and it should be specific. In most cases, we don’t forget to express our anger and disappointment when a child does Continue Reading…