'And some of the females held my banner' (qasida 6:6)

This is the motto for this section, which is either for the women view points or for the things that matter the most for them.

You can find all special expressions in the Glossary. We need your comments to develop this site for you.

Teaching children at an early age

(continued from March 2010 edition)

Dear mothers and fathers,

We belong to a great religion that teaches us the importance of starting to guide our children at a young age, even from the time they are born. This is a continuation of what we started last March's issue:

It was narrated from Ali ibn Abi-Talib [AAH] that the Prophet [PPBUH] said: (Teach your children three qualities: the love of your Prophet, the love of His Family, and the reading of Qur'an. As the holders of  Qur'an will be covered with the shadow of Allah on the day where there is no other shadow, they will be with Allah's prophets and the beloved ones). narrated by al-Daylamy, al-Sayouty, and al-Shirazi

In the interpretation of this hadith from the book 'Fayd al-Kadir' [the gift flood of the Almighty]:

In the word (Teach); the speech is directed to all fathers and grandfathers, and is also extending to whoever cares for an orphan. (Teach your children) means train them to bring them up on and continue to have (three qualities). He chose these qualities because they are the most important qualities that could be taught to a child.  the (love of your Prophet) is the good love that comes out of belief. It is not optional but a duty, because this love gets you to comply with what He said. Al-Sam'any said that fathers should teach their children that the Prophet [PPBUH] was sent in 'Maccah' for all the worlds, He was buried in Medina, and He aught to be followed and loved. Ibn al-Qaiyem said that the first thing to be heard by the children should be the knowledge of Allah and the Tawhid [There is no God but Allah and Mohammad is His Messenger]. These children should know that Allah listens to their speech and He is always with them wherever they are. That was also how the sons of Israel [the Jews] do. That is why the best names are Abdullah and Abdul-Rahman, because as the child begins to reason and gets to be sane, he will realize that he is the slave and worshiper of Allah. Ibn al-Qaiyem continues that the children should also be introduced to the Prophet [PPBUH] and how they should get to love Him and (His family) which combines Ali, Fatima, their two sons, and their descendants. (His Family) could also mean all the believers from His trip 'sons of Hashim and Mottalib'. The reading of Qur'an, its recitation, study, and memorization for (the holders of Qur'an), i.e. the ones who memorize it, read it, and, most important, abide by its rules and morals, (will be covered with the shadow of Allah), i.e. in the shadow of His Majesty's Throne, (on the day where there is no other shadow), i.e. in the Judgment Day when the sun will be so close to the heads of the people that they will be extremely hot. It can also mean the shadow of Paradise which means being in it and enjoying its luxury as Allah said: [We get them to enter the umbrageous shadow] meaning Paradise (al-Nesa' 4:57). They also said that the shadow means the dignity, auspices, and securing from hardship during this very hard situation. (They will be with Allah's prophets and beloved ones) i.e. Allah's party that He chose from all His creatures and He consented to have them close to Him and by his side. The meaning of Allah being with them; is that He will accompany them, because they held His Qur'an and were committed to abide by it.

When you look at this hadith carefully, you will find that the Prophet [PPBUH] when giving us the three most important qualities to teach our children, He had them arranged according to their priorities. But, although he only explained the last one of them, they all have the same effect over the children. That is because all these qualities lead to following the good behaviors and manners of Qur'an. Because the Prophet [PPBUH] and His Family are the ones who were mostly responsible for holding the Qur'an and adopting its manners, and if the children love them they will quote from them how to acquire these qualities. Our target is to teach our children the qualities of Qur'an and the qualities of Islam. To do that, they need role models, that is why they should learn how to love the Prophet [PPBUH] and His Family.

The Prophet [PPBUH] said: (My Family is like the ship of Noah; whoever joins it will survive and whoever leaves it will perish). We ask to give us and our children the love of our Prophet sayydina Muhammad (PPBUH) for it is the most precious gift to ask for.

Written by Samia Sa^cid

Translated by Mohamed