The ‘Holy Prophet’s Kindness to Children’ contains guidance for parents, teachers, guardians and those involved in the upbringing of children, with regard to their social behaviour, education and training. The book also helps to understand the rights and responsibilities of children. We hope that the book will be enjoyed by children and adults alike and will inspire in them the love and gratitude for the Holy Prophet of Islam for the beautiful teachings he has given.
If anyone would like a link to read this book, please ask and I will gladly send it to you. Please contact me on tutor@free-islamic-course.org
As parents, we have a responsibility to raise our children in the best way. As Muslims we are fortunate that Allah has guided us on how we can give good moral training to our children.
The Holy Qur’an, the Word of Allah, relates some lovely advice that the Prophet Luqman, may peace be with him, gave to his son:
Holy Qur’an, Chapter 31, verses 18-20 relates:
O my dear son, observe Prayer and enjoin good and forbid evil and endure patiently whatever may befall thee. Surely, this is of those matters which requires high resolve. And turn not thy cheek away from men in scorn, nor walk in the earth haughtily; surely, Allah, the One God, loves not any arrogant boaster. And walk thou at a moderate pace, and lower thy voice; verily, the most hateful of voices is the braying of the ass.
As parents, we should ensure that the love for Allah is developed in our family, through our example and guidance.
The Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, has said:
There is no better and superior present that a father can give to his children than cultivation of good morals
As a parent we have to ensure that we raise our children as best as we can. There are so many issues that our children face as they try to find an identity in this society. It is easy for us to judge, but first we should try to understand. It is easy to say ‘don’t do something’ but in this society the children are taught to question – they want to know ‘why shouldn’t they do it’
We all look at things differently, and naturally you will look at something differently than how your children will look at it, but we should be ready to listen to their problems and try to suggest ways to help overcome them, explain the Qur’anic teachings to them and encourage them to read the Holy Qur’an daily.
At the end of the day, we should bear in mind the advice of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:
Respect your children and give them good moral training
First, he has told us to ‘respect your children’, that means that we should listen to them. Then we should ‘give them good moral training’. The advice that we give should be based on the Islamic teachings, keeping Allah’s pleasure always in mind.
There may be a need of a compromise, but there also needs to be limits. For the sake of peace, we should not sell out our faith or water it down, instead look for an answer which is both pleasing and Islamic.
The Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, has said:
Make religion easy for others to follow; do not make it difficult. Similarly, present religion in a pleasing manner; Do not make it repulsive to others.
The role of the Muslim parents is to encourage all your family members to be very regular at the Mosque and meetings. Instil in your children the habit of coming to the Mosque for classes and meetings, if you do that then Insha’Allah – God Willing – they will continue that good practice throughout their lives.
This is the responsibility of all parents that we should try to raise our children in best way. From birth we have to instil in them a love for Allah and a love for prayer. It is very important to ensure that they take part in the congregational prayer at home or at mosque.
The Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, has said about the prayers:
He who says the evening prayers in congregation is as if he had spent half the night in voluntary prayer, and he who says the evening and dawn prayers in congregation is as if he had spent the whole night in voluntary prayer.
This shows the importance and blessings of these two prayers, but they apply to all the five daily prayers. We must instil this blessed habit of prayer into the family – by praying together. Children learn mostly from what they see, so we should ensure that what they pick up is very blessed.
Also bringing the family to the mosque – teaches them the importance of the mosque and being part of a community. The mosque is the heart of the community. We must always remember that your children are growing up in an unIslamic country. They are being surrounded by unIslamic influences. Some of those influences are very good, but some may be bad. At many schools these days, religion and being religious are mocked at. The TV and Internet they watch shows many unIslamic influences. From morning to evening, this is what surrounds them; therefore, we need to put them in an Islamic environment. To have Muslim companionship and to be encouraged to learn about Islam.
As parents this becomes our responsibility to ensure they have a good religious upbringing. That means that we have to instil in our children the importance of prayer. That through prayer they have the opportunity to talk to God, ask God to help them, seek His forgiveness and to guide them. It is very important that we develop Taqwa (Righteousness) in them. They should feel that Allah is constantly with them. No matter how hard you try, you can never be with them all the time, but if they feel that Allah is with them, watching them, then that will protect them against the evil influences that surrounds them.
They must understand that Allah is a living, loving, merciful God. That their religion is a means to develop their relationship with Allah, and to help them be good and help create a God-fearing society.
Likewise, you should develop in them the blessed habit of reading the Holy Qur’an. As Muslim parents, we often make great efforts to help them finish the Qaida (teaching book to read the Holy Qur’an) and then finish reading the Holy Qur’an. But once they have finished reading it, we then should continue to ensure that they keep reading it, reading the translation and ponder over the meaning.
The prayer should not be just going through the actions, but they should love the prayer and try to talk to Allah. Likewise, the Holy Qur’an should not just be recited, but understood and followed.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the 5th Khalifa (successor) of the Promised Messiah, may Allah always be his Helper, has said:
To instil the love of the Holy Qur’an in the hearts of our children is even more important in this age, when other interests, such as TV and Internet, are claiming much of their attention.
Once a lady came to Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad’s mother and told her that her son had finished the Holy Qur’an. His mother asked ‘Yes, but have you inspired his heart with the love of the Holy Book’?
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, may Allah always be his Helper, continued:
Love of the Holy Qur’an is essential for its regular recitation and the knowledge of its translation is necessary for comprehending its meaning and acting upon its injunctions. However, the Arabic Text of the Holy Qur’an has its own significance.
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi, may peace be upon him, has said:
The Arabic Text of the Holy Qur’an is a miracle, and he who does not recite the Holy Qur’an and only reads its translation is deprived of its miraculous blessings.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, may Allah always be his Helper, continued:
In order to inspire love for the Holy Qur’an it is important to understand its teachings. We should talk to our children about the Qur’an and its wonderful teachings, so that they may love and recite it with eagerness.
It is important to keep increasing your children’s Islamic knowledge
They should be regularly attending the classes. This has a twofold effect:
- increases their knowledge and understanding of the Islamic teachings
- Help them to develop friendship, friendship which should last throughout their lives
Children’s classes are very important. It is important that our children get taught and practice the 5 pillars of Islam – Belief in God, doing the five daily prayers, performing Hajj, paying the Zakaat and fasting during the month of Ramadhan. Likewise, it is important for them to mix with other children and hear about different beliefs. Providing that they have a strong understanding of their own belief, through their example they can affect other children. Through their understanding of the Islamic teachings, they can explain what they believe which can help others understand what they believe.
We should all be concerned with the society that we are living in. Violence and bad morality are slowly dominating this country, the youth are being influenced by TV and Music. The bad messages being transmitted by the media seems to be affecting the British youth. Even the Muslim youth are being affected by these messages. Therefore, it is important to counteract these messages with good messages.
Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, the 4th Khalifa, may Allah have mercy on him, once said:
I feel that the youth of today can guard against the so-called western temptations. It is so easy otherwise to fall into a trap of being an over-puritan – too strict in religious matters – and then not being able to cope, break down totally, and then of course nothing may be taboo in one’s mind. If a person does not cross extremes but takes a licence to mix with western culture, it should be to a limit without being influenced by western people, but to influence them through your actions and adherence to principles.
I found this method very successful and therefore I had a large circle of friends amongst fellow students and also professors.
This is very important advice, we need to:
‘Raise people to your level, do not go down to other people’s level’
‘Lead by example, but be leaders, do not follow others to try and please them’