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- As someone who as worked as an imam of a masjid
for many years, and was taught at an Islamic school,
I've had the opportunity to see and to work
with hundreds of Muslim children.
One thing that's I've come to realize
is that the way we present and teach Islam
to our children is deeply flawed.
This is how the average child in the Muslim community
learns about Islam,
the parents bring their child to the masjid
to memorize some verses of the Qur'an,
memorize some chapters in Juz'Amma,
they want their kids to learn how to pray,
how to fast, how to do Wudu,
how to make Ghusl,
and at home they tell their kids,
you know, some stories about the Prophets.
Maybe the send them to weekend school.
Cover some of those basic topics.
That's it.
I call it functional Islamic education.
We want our children to function as Muslims.
They need to learn how to pray,
how to fast, how to make Wudu,
and that becomes the totality of the education
that we provide them.
That same child, that same one that would
run around masjid and memorize some Qur'an,
will grow up. They'll get to high school.
They'll go to university.
And at some point they'll start wondering
about some bigger questions.
Questions like, why do I pray anyways?
Why do I worship Allah?
How do I know that God exists?
How do I know the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
was truthful?
The more fundamental questions about faith,
about Islam, start to arise.
It might be, that even as kids,
they had these same questions,
even while they were little children in the masjid,
but they never felt comfortable asking them.
Or it might be that in university and college
they take a philosophy course
and these questions and others begin to arise.
And the kids struggle because their
Islamic education never addressed
these questions to begin with.
Instead their Islamic education
was all about functionality.
How do I stand?
Where do I put my hands?
What do I recite in prayer?
But never, why should you pray?
Why does Allah deserve our worship?
We teach our kids Islam,
we often fail to teach them iman;
Faith in spirituality.
This is a fundamental flaw in how we raise our children.
And one which really harmed the upbringing
of many Muslim children
and caused many of them to grow apart from their religion.
Reflect on this example,
the Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam
was walking with his cousin,
'Abdullah bin 'Abbas RA
who was only 12-years-old at the time.
The Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam tells him,
Ya Ghulam inni wa allimuka kalimaat
"Oh, young boy I will teach you some words of wisdom."
What do you think the Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam
will teach this young boy?
What do you think the Prophet will prioritize
for someone his age to learn and to understand?
The Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam tells him,
ih fudhillah yahfadhk, ih fadhillah tajidhu tujahak
he said, "Be mindful of Allah
and Allah will be mindful of you.
Be mindful of Allah, you will find Allah before you."
The Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam seeks
to connect Abdullah's heart to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la.
The Prophet prioritizes that he knows who Allah is.
That learns and turns to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la.
The he seeks to understand his creator.
To know that Allah will be there for him.
To help him and support him as long
as he turns to Allah Azzawajal.
This advice is central to building iman,
building faith in our hearts,
and the Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam also knows
that young people are typically focused
on receiving the admiration and the approval of others.
So he orients Abdullah bin 'Abbas
to realize Allah is the only one worthy
for our stride to approval.
Be mindful of Allah, don't be mindful of the people.
Don't care about what people think.
Be mindful of Allah, Allah will be there for you.
People sometimes abandon you at your time of need,
be mindful of Allah, you will find Allah before you.
He SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam continues,
"If you ask, ask Allah, if you rely,
rely upon Allah, don't ask the people.
Don't be reliant on the people.
Rather be reliant on Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la."
He SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam continues,
"Know if all the creation joined together
to benefit you, they can't benefit you
except that which Allah has already written for you.
And if they gather to harm you,
they can't harm you with that except
what Allah has already written for you.
People can't help you.
They can't hurt you.
So forget about seeking their approval, rather
prioritize the pleasure of Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la
the only one who can help or harm over the pleasure
of the creation."
This is such a deep, spiritual, intellectual meaning that
the Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam imparts to
Abdullah bin Abbas
the type of education that is often missing
from our education of our children.
In the Qur'an, Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la
captures the conversation of Luqman Alayhi Salaam
a wise man and his son.
What does he begin with?
What does he prioritize about teaching his son Islam?
Allah says "walaqad atayna luqmana alhikmata ani oshkur
lillahi waman yashkur fainnama yashkuru linafsihi waman
kafara fainna Allaha ghaniyyun hameed"
Allah says we need bless Luqman with wisdom,
be grateful to Allah for whoever is grateful
it's only for their own good and whoever
is ungrateful, then surely Allah is self sufficient
and praiseworthy.
Of the wisdom that was granted to Luqman,
be greatful to Allah and whoever is grateful
it's for their own good.
Allah is not benefited by our gratitude,
he is not benefited by our worship or devotion,
and whoever is ungrateful,
innAllaha ghaniyun
Allah is Ghani, without need.
Hameed worthy of praise.
Whether we praise Allah or not,
He is worthy of praise.
Whether we worship Allah or not,
he is not benefited or harmed by our worship.
Rather, whoever is grateful it's for themselves.
It helps and benefits themselves.
This very fundamental question,
that your children might be thinking,
why should I worship Allah?
Is answered by Luqman Alayhi Salaam.
Waith qala luqmanu liibnihi wahuwa yaAAithuhu ya bunayya la
tushrik biAllahi inna alshshirka lathulmun AAatheem
Allah says, remember when Luqman said to his son
while advising him,
"O my son, do not associate anything
in the worship with Allah.
Indeed associating others with Allah in worship
is a great injustice.
Our greatest obligation to this religion
is to worship Allah alone."
So Luqman tells his son that, shirk, associating
in worship in Allah is a great injustice.
A great zhulm.
Just as we understand injustice in this world,
stealing from others, hurting others,
harming others, shirk is a spiritual
zhulm a spiritual injustice.
Allah created us. Sustained us.
Gifted us.
If we direct our worship to other
then Allah it would be a grave injustice.
But the impact of that injustice would fall upon us.
We would be the ones to suffer from this injustice.
ya bunayya innaha in taku mithqala habbatin min khardalin
fatakun fee sakhratin aw fee alssamawati aw fee alardi yati
biha Allah
Luqman says to his son,
"O my dear son,
if a deed were the weight of a mustard seed
hidden in a rock,
down in the depth of the earth
or up high in the heavens,
Allah would bring it forth.
Indeed, Allah subtle and aware."
Luqman teaches his son about
the consequences of actions.
That Allah knows all that we do.
That there's no way we can hide our actions.
You evade the parent or the teacher,
even the police,
you cannot evade Allah.
Even if you hid your deeds inside of a rock
buried at the bottom of the earth,
Allah can bring it forth.
He's connecting his child to Allah.
To be conscious and aware of his creator.
Then it's only the next verse that he says,
ya bunayya aqimi alssalat
"O my son establish prayer."
Where as our Islamic education tends to begin
and with salat.
Luqman gives his son a holistic Islamic education.
He teaches him about Allah,
who is Allah,
about Tawheed, worshiping Allah alone,
he encourages him intellectually
and spiritually, connecting him to Allah.
And also teaches him about prayer,
and manners, and etiquette;
A holistic education which will help his child
be raised as a righteous believer.
And as parents it's important for us
to strive to give our children
as robust and holistic Islamic education as possible.
The Yaqeen Institute offers some
great resources that parents can take advantage of
and depend on.
Including Yaqeen conversations,
and conviction circles,
which has excellent content on topics like,
why does Allah deserve our worship?
And proofs of Prophethood.
These resources will strengthen your ability
to have these conversations with your children
and help answer these questions.
And may Allah grant us strength,
and allow us to raise our kids as good people,
and as strong believers.
Ameen