And then when it is born, the mother and father finally lovingly hold their baby that they will watch over and protect until the ends of their lives. Allah described this process as follows in a verse:
Mankind! If you are in any doubt about the Rising, know that We created you from dust then from a drop of sperm then from a clot of blood then from a lump of flesh, formed yet unformed, so We may make things clear to you. We make whatever We want stay in the womb until a specified time and then We bring you out as children so that you can reach your full maturity... (Surat al-Hajj, 5)
The first thing the mother and father must do when they hold their baby is to dedicate it to Allah and bring it up with faith, and with love and fear of Allah. This is because that child will only remain on this earth for 60 or 70 years, and then when it dies it will open its eyes to the eternal life. It is therefore very important for that child to be brought up with faith in Allah, with the Qur’an and with the moral values of the Qur’an and Sunnah, and thus to know our Lord and to have a heart overflowing with love and that beats with the love of Allah. Every family must raise their children by telling them of the signs leading to faith, by showing them the care with which Allah created the universe and by teaching them that all His servants have a responsibility toward Allah. In that way, the child will come to know our Lord, his/her Creator, and will become acquainted with its true friend, who will always be by his/her side.
Parents must always adopt the Qur’an as their guide as they bring up their children. The Qur’an must constantly be read in the home, and thus its verses can be learned and implemented. When the Qur’an is constantly read in his proximity, the child’s soul will be soothed and calm and healthy. The moral values of the Qur’an will gradually become part of his character; at this point, parents must teach their children about destiny, submission to Allah, forgiveness, fortitude, renouncing one’s own rights, humility, putting one’s trust in Allah, compassion, affection, sharing, and altruism. In this way, the soul can be instructed from a very early age and will be stronger in the face of the various tests it will encounter during its life. Thanks to its purity, sincerity and faith, the child will know that our Lord is always with him and testing him.
The education of a child is a process that involves all of life, and the parents must work hard to raise their child with virtue and faith and must never falter in their efforts. The family must be a model for the child in all areas, and must always be on the side of Allah and the Qur’an in all tests, troubles and difficulties, in sickness and in plenty. A family that welcomes all things that befalls it in the life of this world, and that sees the goodness in them, will be a fine role model for their child.
Imagine that a child has been raised with a profound love of Allah from a very early age. Imagine that it is never alone and knows that it has the most powerful of friends. Imagine that it is aware of destiny, the test and the transitory nature of this world. Imagine that child acting out of love and fear of Allah and constantly behaving in line with the moral values of the Qur’an. Is it not obvious that this child will have a powerful mind and character and a very deep faith? What better gift can a mother and father bestow than that?
A child must be raised with such a powerful sincerity and virtue that he will turn to his true Friend and Creator and perform all his religious obligations with enthusiasm. The child must be told that these obligations are not a chore, but a sign of deep love and gratitude to our Lord. In addition to religious obligations, he must be taught to do all that he does for Allah, to avoid ascribing equals to Him, to avoid being spendthrift and to give constant thanks. That child’s heart must be so full of the Qur’an that he will see our Lord wherever he looks, give thanks to Him for every blessing, perceive the evidence of our Lord on Earth and in the sky, and give constant thanks.
Of course, as they raise their child, his father and mother will send him to the best schools and ensure he receives the finest education and has a good profession. But in doing this, their real aim must be for their child to attain the hereafter, not this world. The child must know that he has come to this world to serve Allah, not simply to go to a good university, speak various foreign languages and have a good career. All these things, career, money, possessions and position, are only things of this world. But if that child has no faith, if he does not live for Allah, if he is not prepared for the eternal life after death, then these things will be of no value in the Hereafter. His family must therefore teach the child to look toward the life of the Hereafter. The fact that we will all go to the eternal life, our true abode, must be inculcated in him. What matters to the child must be earning the approval of our Lord and Paradise, not the life of this world.
Anything you have been given is only the enjoyment of the life of this world and its finery. What is with Allah is better and longer lasting. So will you not use your intellect? (Surat al-Qasas, 60)
When a child is raised with sincerity and fear and love of Allah, he will strive all his life to be a servant of Allah. He will improve and train his soul with the moral values of the Qur’an and achieve a humble lower self. He will forgive for Allah’s sake, have fortitude for Allah’s sake and spend on the path of Allah. He will easily overcome all with his deep faith, and no difficulties in this world will affect him since he desires the Hereafter. He will know that he is living out his destiny at every moment of his life and will feel the comfort of knowing that. Most important of all, he will fervently hope to enter Paradise by being a servant with whom Allah is well pleased because of his good deeds. A person raised in such a way will be eternally grateful to his parents when he finally enters Paradise, because they gave him the greatest of all gifts by acquainting him with faith and the love of Allah. Being all together in Paradise, constantly giving thanks to Allah, sitting next to one another in a state of great joy and being welcomed into the gardens of Paradise will be the greatest reward, both for that child and his parents.
Adnan Oktar's piece on Aalia Magazine:
http://aaila.org/issue/september-october-2014/article/instilling-faith-in-our-children
http://www.diplomacypakistan.com/articles/faith-in-children/
