Allah the Exalted revealed in the Qur’an a verse which means:
[O you who believe, protect yourselves and your families from the blazing fire of Hell, the fuel of which will be people and stones].
Our Master ^Aliyy, may Allah accept his deeds, said in explaining this verse: “Acquire the beneficial knowledge and teach it to your families.” This refers to the Religious Knowledge.
Brothers in Islam, it is among the obligations upon us to learn the rules of our Religion and to teach our children what they need to know of Religious matters. Our honored Messenger, peace be upon him, highlighted the important role and responsibility that a family has in teaching its members, and the role expected from every teacher, caregiver, and guardian raising children. He also emphasised the big responsibility on everyone who is a caretaker of families or groups.
Brothers in faith, raising and nurturing children in a good manner is among the most important matters which our pure Religion emphasised and urged for; in order for our children to become pious leaders and successful contributors to society. The child is entrusted to his parents. Hence, let the parent raise the child on good manners and nurture in him the habit of always saying the truth. Let the parent refrain the child from lying and from tainting his tongue with gossip, tale-bearing, swearing, cursing and the like.
The child is influenced by his parents. Hence if the child sees the parents doing good deeds, he would adopt the same habits and like doing them. However, if the child sees his parents doing evil deeds, often he will imitate them and they will become a way of life for the child as he grows; making it harder to leave the bad habits as an adult.
Moreover, one of the first matters that must be taught to the child is the creed of Islam and what relates to knowing Allah and the Messenger ﷺ. Imam Ibn al-Jawziyy said: “The matter that a child must first and foremost be introduced to is the Islamic creed, this includes the proofs regarding knowing Allah, the Exalted, and other necessary and integral matters. He should then be taught the obligations, then memorising of the Qur’an, followed by listening to the Hadith”.
Also, amongst the most important matters that Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ the Prophet of guidance, guided us to, is to order our children to pray and to teach them the rules of prayer when they become seven lunar years of age. If the guardian is not able to fulfill this role of teaching, the guardian must appoint a trustworthy teacher who would teach the children the rules of the Religion and how to fulfill them.
On the other hand, regarding the worldly sciences such as mathematics, medicine, architecture, carpentry and metal work, Islam made acquiring them a communal obligation. However, because the knowledge of the Religion, and in particular the knowledge of the Islamic creed is the best and highest priority of all knowledge to be acquired, and because it is the knowledge that saves one from the punishment of Allah in the Hereafter; acquiring and practicing it was given most emphasis in the matter of raising children the Islamic way.
The scholars divided the obligation of acquiring knowledge into personal and communal. The personal obligation is the knowledge that is obligatory on every accountable individual to learn, such as the religious knowledge that is necessary for daily life. This includes learning the matters of belief, like clearing Allah of a place and of any resemblance to the creation and clearing the prophets from what is unbefitting to attribute to them, as well as learning the rules of prayer, fasting and dealings.
On the other hand, the communal obligation is fulfilled if only some members of the Muslim community acquire it. As a result, it no longer remains an obligation on the rest. Hence, it is not an obligation upon every individual to become an architect or a doctor.
In saying this, we are reminded of the famous Muslim masterminds of the past, like architects, doctors, mathematicians who were also scholars of Islamic knowledge. Their achievements prove that acquiring the knowledge of the religion enhances one’s level of understanding and intellect. It does not limit it, as some enemies of the religion claim.
Dear brothers, whether you are a father in your home or a teacher in your school, be sure to adopt the correct and safe pathway in raising children and students, and protect them from straying away from the correct path and the truth. Also, be steadfast in practicing the Religion so that they too will grow up steadfast in practicing it and will adhere to its teachings.
And Allah knows best
