Worry about the Islaah of Children – Part 2

Place the Azmat of Allah ﷻ in the child’s heart

A mushrik keeps shirk when he doesn’t recognize Allah ﷻ. “Wamaa qadrullaaha haqqa qadrihi”. “They made not a just estimate of Allah such as is due to Him”. A muslim when doing tarbiat of children, he first implants the azmat (greatness) of Allah, His ﷻ tarruf (recognition) in their heart that there is Allah ﷻ, Wahuwa Al- Mumin, He ﷻ is Al-Mu’min and He ﷻ is the one Who gives peace, wahuwa Al-Muhaimin, He is the Over-seeing protector,  Wahuwa Al-Maalik, He is the King, wahuwa Ar-Razzaq, He is the One Who gives provision and such tarruf (recognition) of Allah ﷻ is left in the hearts of children. The mothers used to do tarbiat of their children from young with the words, “Hasbi Rabbi Jallallaah maafi qalbi ghairullaah, noor-e-Muhammad sallallaah, laa ilaaha illallaah” The tarbiat so goes on by saying, “Allah is enough for us”. When a child brought up in such a manner, will he ever fear anyone other than Allah ﷻ, will he ever bow down before others other than Allah ﷻ and will he ever tolerate humiliation before others? Laa mabuda illaallaah. Laa mahmuda illallaah. There is none more worthy of worship other than Allah ﷻ. There is none more beloved other than Allah ﷻ. This was how the muslim mothers brought up the children. A mother’s lap used to be the child’s first educational institute. In fact well before the child falls on the lap, the muslim mothers used to worry a lot about the children’s islaah.

There was a ruler named Muhammad in Afghanistan. When the child grew up as a young man, his father sent him to war. Thereby the father got the news that his son ran away from the battle fearing the enemies and this worried his father a lot. When the father told the mother about the news, she denied it firmly. The father got the news again that his son didn’t run but he fought the enemies bravely and now when the father informed this news to the mother, she told that now this is the correct news. The father astonished asked her how is that she believes the second news strongly while not the first one. The mother replied that when she was assured of her pregnancy by Allah ﷻ, she was more keen that not a single grain of haram food entered her mouth and when the child was born, she never touched him and fed him unless she was in wudhu and so she had a firm belief that he will have the quality of eeman. Such was the brought up of muslim children. The muslim parents never made their children instruments of dunya but as sadaqah-e-jaariya for their akhirah. Such was the attitude of the parents. They never made them money earning machines. So here a father is advising his son, laa tushrik billaah for a mushrik is never forgiven. Teach the child first Allah. How fortunate are those children whose first word is Allah and the last word when they leave this dunya is Allah! And how fortunate are those parents! How foolish is to plant an acacia and then expect it to give mangoes? You will get only thorns and not sweet mangoes. When the tarbiat is like a disbeliever’s tabiat, how can one expect that the child will have love and azmat of parents?

Allot time for the Tarbiat of children lest they lose all the Islamic qualities

Only if the parents get the fikr (care and concern) of tarbiat of their children today! The parents don’t even have time for the children. Just like a tree gets dried if not taken care of, even the tree of eeman gets dry when not taken care of. Do people care what their young daughter and son is doing? Do they ever care if azmat of Allah ﷻ is in their heart, importance of salah and following sunnah are in their hearts? It is possible that the tree of eeman has completely been destroyed within their hearts. Just because a child has muslim parents, it is not necessary that the child would be a muslim. One should keep checking if there is freshness of eeman in the heart of a child, what sort of environment he stays in and what sort of life he is leading. The children are the greatest blessings. Even the Prophets (Peace be on them) used to ask for children but they asked for righteous children. “Ya bunayya innaha in taku mithqaala Habbatin min khardalin fatakun fee Sakhratin aw fis-samaawaati aw fil arDi yati bihaa Allaahu innallaaha lateefun khabeer”  “O my dear son! If it be (anything) equal to the weight of a grain of mustard seed, and though it be in a rock, or in the heavens or in the earth, Allah will bring it forth. Verily, Allah is Subtle (in bringing out that grain), Well-Aware (of its place).” The father said, “O My son. Lead a life of cautiousness. Even if a sin was committed by you to the size of a mustard seed or committed when alone or in solitude or in darkness or deep in the bottom of the sea or behind the mountain or a tree in a jungle, know that even these sins will become manifest before your eyes tomorrow.” This father is placing the azmat of Allah ﷻ in the heart of his child. He ﷻ is always with you. “maa yakoonu min najwaa thalaathatin illaa huwa raabiAAuhum walaa khamsatin illaa huwa saadisuhum walaa adna min dhaalika walaa akthara illaa huwa maAAahum ayna maa kaanoo” “There is no Najwa (secret counsel) of three but He is their fourth nor of five but He is their sixth nor of less than that or more but He is with them wheresoever they may be.”

The effect of Tarbiat in the Muslims of Past

Allah ﷻ has put sattaariat (screen) on our sins and evils. Our inner is so worst but He ﷻ has screened it with beautiful outer appearance. Glory to Allah! But never commit sins with over-confidence on this quality of Allah ﷻ and never be too deceived for if Allah ﷻ lifts this screen, you will become a scene for this whole world. All the screens of nobility will vanish in few minutes and the reality will become apparent. The tarbiat of muslims used to reflect and show its effect even in the shepherds in jungle. When a Sahabi  wanted to test a shepherd in a jungle, he asked the shepherd if he could give him a sheep. The shepherd told that he cannot give the sheep for it belongs to his master. The Sahabi  told him to get money from him and give him the sheep so he can slaughter and eat and the master is not here to watch him. The shepherd replied that his mater might not be here to watch him but the master of Dunya, Allah ﷻ is watching him. Place this azmat of Allah ﷻ in the heart of the children that Allah ﷻ is watching them all the time. As the muslims worried for their children’s tarbiat, they used to allot time for them and take them to good environment like good religious educational institutes. Even today people take their children to educational institutes but only to make them a money earning machine and instruments of dunya. They don’t even care if the child earns in a haram way or a halal way. They only want them to earn money even be it haram. Children are thrown in such institutes where they learn somehow to earn and to make money.