Introduction
Verily all praises are due to Allah. We praise and glorify Him, we seek help from Him, we ask of His forgiveness and we turn to Him. We seek refuge in Him from the evil within us and from our evil deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides there is no one to mislead him and whomsoever Allah misguides; there is no one to guide him. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, Who is One, and He has no partner. I bear witness that Muhammad sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam is His servant and His Messenger. May Allah bestow Durood (His choicest blessings) upon him and his noble family and companions and those who followed them with excellence.
Every Muslim acknowledges that Islam is the complete way of life, Quran is the ultimate book of guidance for mankind, and The Only Way accepted by Allah is Al-Islam
The Religion before Allah is Islam (submission to His will):
People of the world attracted towards Islam and Islam spread far and wide just by looking at the morals and characters of Muslims. History has seen the best of the Muslim generations who were brave, pious, kind, humble, God conscious, truthful, etc., its always wonderful to read about the life and achievements of such wonderful people, but Iam asking a question what made these people so great?? In what special way did their parents brought them up which made them to be such great personality? Did they graduate in world famous universities, which made them so special?
Well, the answer is they understood Islam from Quran and Sunnah and applied it in their life, which made the drastic change in the lives of those early generations, who were just barbaric once turned into angels!!!!
I’ve been told that the psychologist admit that if any book or message which could convince the Bedouins of Arabia i.e. the pagans, a people like them than that message can convince any kind of people in the world!!!
Today, we have the same Qur an, Authentic Sunnah, Same Allah.. But we don t have such desired community? Today, We find parents complaining about their teenagers and vice versa. Today we find teenagers who are
Abandoning Parents (Disobeying, mistreating etc.,)
Non-interested in family activities
Neglectful
Smoking, drinking
Non-involving in social activities
Saying: wish I could have born in any other family or to any other parents
Less interested in religious activities
Suicidal thoughts etc
Slackened
Having inferiority complex about Islam
Feeling ashamed to be identified as Muslim in public
Identity crisis
This is a true incident that happened in Mumbai.
Fatima (name changed) was a beloved child of her mom, for her she is everything, she brought up Fatima with all love and care, she gave her best education, best clothes, best shelter she can offer. One day Fatima s mom received a phone call, it was from the Police Inspector, he stated that he received complaint against her and she has to come down to the police station for the inquiry. Fatimas mom got puzzled and she asked the inspector that who complaint against her and what was her crime? The answer of the Inspector gave her shock of her life! The complainant none but her beloved daughter Fatima!!! She couldn’t t believe what she heard and she is not ready to accept what she heard, she replied that there is some kind of mistake of identity and she claimed that her daughter will never do such a thing because she was her darling but police Inspector confirmed that it is her daughter. Fatima had married her non-Muslim boy friend without her parents concern and to avoid conflicts, as a precautionary step she pressed charges against her own mother stating that she has been torturing her, mistreating her!!! Fatimas mother never believe that her beloved daughter would do such a thing, when she brought her up with such love and care!
This is not an alienated incident in the Muslim community unfortunately we can hear such incidents now and then, Parents are bound to ponder over what went wrong here?
Parents love and admire their children very much. The betterment of the child s life is the mission for many parents. They toil for them so that the child can get best of care, best of education, best of career, best of life this is all because they love their children very much and they don t want their children to undergo any kind of hardship in their lives. This is the result of love of parents, but still we find today Muslim children abandoning their parents when its time for them to take care of them!!! And parents feel and hurt by the attitudes of their beloved offspring why this is happening? Was there any shortage in their love? Do parents love deficient?
When child is ingratitude, irreligious, who is to blame?
There is an Authentic hadeeth recorded in Sahih Al- Bukhari vol.2 hadith No.1385
Every child is born on Al-Fitrah (with a true faith of Islamic Monotheism) and his parents convert him to Judaism or Christianity or Magianism .
Every child is born as a Muslim, and it is their parents who convert them into other way of life like Christianity, Judaism, Magianism, materialism, communism, atheism, culturalism (which violates shariah) etc., this hadith refers to parents in general not only the non-muslim parents, that s why today we find our muslim youth deluded away from Islaam and falling into all sorts of fitnah, some even denouncing Islam and accepting kufr.
The responsibility of Muslim parents is not to make their children Muslims because as per the hadith mentioned above every child is born as Muslims; the responsibility of the parents is to keep them as Muslims. That will be the true love of the parents towards their children. Because children are Amanah (trust, responsibility) for parents.
The Basic knowledge every Muslim must posses:
Every Muslim should posses the knowledge of the following
1. about Allah
2. about His Deen
3. About the last and final Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him)
After a Muslim dies the question asked in his grave are: Who is Your Rabb?, What is your Deen?, and Who is Muhammad (peace be upon him)?.
When a child learns who Allah is than he realizes why he should obey Him, when a child learns about his Deen (i.e. Islam) than he realizes why he should follow only Islam, when a child learns about Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) than he realizes how he should lead his life (methodology). But today we find that Muslim parents give much importance for worldly education, worldly comforts compared to Islamic knowledge they teach them, moreover there are parents who literally force their children to abandon Islamic practices.
The moment one says that parents give much importance to worldly education immediately they take a defensive position claiming that Islam doesn t stop Muslims from acquainting worldly knowledge, it is true there is no second thoughts about it but compare the amount of effort we take for both? A person takes minimum 20-25 yrs in his life for pursuing worldly education (which Islam doesn t prohibit) but what is the amount of time and effort taken for learning Islamic knowledge? Many parents think that just by teaching their children Arabic to recite Qur an, is Islamic Knowledge!
Parents concentrate more on worldly education keeping the financial status of their child in mind. They want their child to have best education, best job (high salary) and high status in the community, this is very natural and this is because they love their children but in pursue of this materialistic struggle they tend to forget the condition their child will be in the hereafter? Which is the eternal life, this life is just temporary, when death can over take us anytime?
>When Yacoub (as) approached his death, he called out his sons for final Nasiha . It is mentioned in sura Baqarah chapter 2 verse 133
Were ye witnesses when death appeared before Jacob? Behold he said to his sons: "What will ye worship after me?" They said: "We shall worship thy Allah and the Allah of thy fathers of Abraham Isma il and Isaac the one (true) Allah to Him we bow (in Islam)." [The Holy Qur an 2:133]
Prophet Yacoub was not worried about the social condition of his children, nor did he ask about the assets he was leaving behind, he posed a very important question, whom they will worship after him, i.e. he wanted to make sure his children were in right path till his last breath, to confirm that his children were not confined to hell, this is what termed as the true love which every parents should have for their beloved children.
The knowledge of Aakhirah(Life Hereafter) vital Ayesha (radhiallahu unha) said, If Allah had revealed in the first wahy prohibiting alcohol, fornication etc., the people would have said that we cannot cease drinking alcohol, we cannot cease illegal sexual activities, that s why Allah spoke about hereafter in His primal message thus creating a bond between Creator and the creations, she was referring to the surah AL-MUDDATHTHIR chapter 74 of the Glorious Qur an, where Allah speakes about life hereafter and that every soul has to account for his/her deeds as a preparation, a foundation to bring an upright community. (the Athar referred by Anwar Awlaki in his audio lecture on the topic Hereafter )
That s why Islam encourages laying down precise guidelines for children to regulate their life and define their personalities and inculcate in them sound belief. They are the seedbed and buttress of the Islamic community and most precious treasure, which must be closely guarded and preserved from every blemish, misleading thought or unsteadiness. If young become lost in the ocean of lifethe whole community is lost in them and other nations will fall on them as wolves fall on their prey.
It is most appropriate for us that we start at the beginning and ponder over our youth and their thoughts and actions, so that we may increase those which are good and correct those who are incorrect because the youth of today are the men (and women) of tomorrow and they are the foundation on which a future nation will be built. It is for this reason that the text of the Shareeah (Islaamic Law) has encouraged giving the youth due consideration and directing them to which is good and correct. They are the basis of the Ummah of which its future will be built and if their reformation is grounded upon the strong pillars of the Deen (Religion) and character, there will be a brilliant future for this Ummah, if Allaah wills.
Countries do prosper except with the help of its citizens and religion does not gain strength except with its followers. When the followers of Islaam will stand up for it, Allaah will help them no matter how many enemies they have.
Allaah Taala says: "O believers, if you help Allaahs cause, he will help you and make your feet firm (against your enemies) and those who disbelieved, woe unto them and their actions are in vain." [47:7,8]
Parents must be a role model for their children
If Deen (religion) cannot be strong except with its followers, then it is necessary for the parents, the followers of Islam and its flag-bearers, that they firstly strengthen themselves so that they may become worthy of leadership and guidance. It is imperative that they learn from the book of Allah (The Quraan) and the authentic Sunnah of His Rasool (Messenger) (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) which will equip parents for speech, action, guiding and inviting. This will enable them to carry the weapons of the guidance of Islam to all those who seek the truth and also to wield it against all those who seek falsehood. Then it is necessary for them to put into practice what they have learnt from the Quraan and authentic Sunnah, on the basis of Eemaan (faith), conviction and sincerity, the character should not be one of speech only because if speech is not backed up by action, its effect will not extend beyond the speaker and this speech will have an opposite effect: "O believers, why do you say that which you do not do. It is most hateful in the sight of Allaah that you say that which you do not practice." [61:2-3]
Islam commands its believers to love respect and revere the parents and parents to posses’ very high esteem in the house of Islam. It’s mentioned in Glorious Qur an in surah Isra chapter 17 verse 23
Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life say not to them a word of contempt nor repel them but address them in terms of honor. And out of kindness lower to them the wing of humility and say: "My Lord! bestow on them Thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood." [The Holy Qur an 17:23] Similar message is mentioned in sura Ahqaf chapter 46 verse 15
We have enjoined on man Kindness to his parents: in pain did his mother bear him and in pain did she give him birth. The carrying of the (child) to his weaning is (a period of) thirty months. At length when he reaches the age of full strength and attains forty years he says "O my Lord! grant me that I may be grateful for Thy favor which Thou hast bestowed upon me and upon both my parents and that I may work righteousness such as Thou mayest approve; and be gracious to me in my issue. Truly have I turned to Thee and truly do I bow (to Thee) in Islam." [The Holy Qur an 46:15]
Allah also says in sura Luqman chapter 31 verse 14 And We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents: in travail upon travail did his mother bear him and in years twain was his weaning: (hear the command) "Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents: to Me is (thy final) Goal. [The Holy Qur an 31:4]
Instead of blaming the Teenagers for what they have done its better they themselves be role models for them, brining Islam in our daily lives at home, giving the children an Islamic environment, not to preach them religion but sharing with them the Way of truth i.e. Islam! This will be achieved only by putting Islaam into practice in our daily lives. Once the parents do their part inshaAllah the children will do their part. You reap what you sow!
IMTIAZ BASHEER AHMED
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Last update : 08-06-2005 22:33
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