Educating Children about the Fundamentals of Islam, Moral Values, and the Dangers of Terrorism and Violence
By
Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam
1 March
2023
Instilling
In Children an Aversion to Terrorism and Love for Peace and Harmony
Main
Points:
1. Every Muslim
parent has a duty to instil in their kids the true teachings of Islam, as well
as moral and ethical principles, teachings of peace, moderation, and harmony.
2. Raising our
children while instilling in them an aversion to terrorism and terrorists by
exposing them to their plans and behaviours is one of the most critical things
we must do.
3. Parents
should be gentle with their children and teach them to be gentle in order to
instil in them respect for humans, animals, and other species.
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The more we are progressing, the more we are
losing sight of our values, manners, respect, and other necessities. Children
used to respect their parents and refrain from disrespecting them in front of
them, but this has all but disappeared in today's generation. If we don't teach
them respect for elders today, the future generation won't respect us.
It's
commonly said that children today don't respect their elders. Our parents used
to say this, and we also share it with our children. I must stress that
although change has surely arrived, it is not the children's fault. In reality,
seniors now act differently. Particularly today, people have extremely limited
time. Our parents used to spend a lot of time with us, unlike now when children
and parents don't interact as much as they previously did. When genuine
training is needed but not possible, children begin learning from their
environment.
There is
some behaviour that should not be performed in front of children, yet when
adults unintentionally engage in them, the kids begin to imitate them. We must
understand that children learn more from elders' actions than from their words.
Technology
has had an impact on life. Youth of today search the internet independently
rather than waiting for someone to inform them. We are all well aware of the
fact that there are both good and bad things on the internet right now. On the
one hand, it is full of religious, academic, and excellent moral traditions,
but it is also replete with immorality, ugliness, and things that are not
lawful.
It is
probable that future generations may suffer greatly if children are not taught
the distinction between the two categories of online information. Recently, a
piece on New Age Islam on the same subject was written by Mr Ghulam Ghaus
Siddiqi. This essay is worth reading, which outlines the precautions to take
against the negative impacts of smartphones on the new generation.
As a result,
parents should allocate more time to teaching their children moral values like
respect, moderation, peace, harmony, kindness, and forgiveness. Islam has also
urged parents to teach their children moral values.
Hazrat
Abdullah Ibn Umar reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon
him, said, “Every one of you is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock.
The leader of the people is a guardian and is responsible for his subjects. A
man is the guardian of his family and he is responsible for them. A woman is
the guardian of her husband’s home and his children and she is responsible for
them. The servant of a man is a guardian of the property of his master and he
is responsible for it. No doubt, every one of you is a shepherd and is responsible
for his flock.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 7138, Sahih Muslim 1829)
In light of
this Hadith, we must comprehend that parents are responsible for educating
their children on the accurate interpretation of Islam as well as moral
principles and how to respect and uphold them. They must caution children about
immoral evils and give them guidance on how to avoid them.
One of the
requirements for someone to become a believer is that they believe in Allah,
His Messengers, Prophets, Angels, the Day of Resurrection, etc. Also, they must
explain the pertinent texts from the Quran and Hadiths and teach their children
about the middle path of Islam, which emphasises tolerance, justice, and
moderation. Additionally, they need to make it abundantly obvious to their kids
that Islam is gravely violated by intolerance, extremism, terrorism, and
corruption.
Raising our
children while instilling in them an aversion to terrorism and terrorists by
exposing them to their plans and behaviours is one of the most critical things
we must do. They need to understand that terrorists are misguided people who
have been deceived by devils. Satan employs these people to spread the seeds of
depravity and evil. Our children should be taught that terrorist actions are
nothing more than an attempt to deceive and betray people. Terrorists attempt
to legitimise their attacks with the Quran and the Sunnah.
Children
should be educated that the deterrent effect of even one terrorist being
apprehended or prevented is a win for Islam and Muslims, as well as a source of
peace and solace for them.
Our
youngsters must understand that these terrorists kill men, women, children, and
the elderly while they are innocently sleeping or concentrating on their tasks.
The terrorists are so ruthless that they continue to attack Muslims when they
are praying or reading the Quran at mosques, other places of worship or
visiting shrines. Our students need to learn that these terrorists are
treasonous since they kill peaceful and foreign non-Muslims. We must inform
them that the terrorists' murderous and destructive deeds are being done in the
name of Jihad.
Every
Muslim parent has a duty to instil in their kids the true teachings of Islam,
as well as moral and ethical principles, teachings of peace, moderation, and
harmony. Parents have a responsibility to defend themselves and the people in
their care from anything that could inspire terrorism, extremism, or
intolerance.
Allah says:
“Oh believers, save yourselves and your
families from a fire whose fuel is people and stones, over which are
(appointed) angels, harsh and severe. They don’t disobey Allāh in what He
commands them, but do (everything) they are instructed.” (66:6)
It is
unquestionably a very good quality to live up to one's trust and faith. Like
all other qualities, this trait develops in children as a result of the
attitude and confidence of their parents. As a result, it is the responsibility
of the parents to set a practical example for their children to follow as deeds
speak louder than words. In this aspect, they should encourage the child to be
trustworthy by praising all of their actions and helping them to feel that
their parents trust them.
People with
compassion are capable of kindness, compassion, and forgiveness, which is
useful to them both personally and practically. The Almighty, Allah's servant,
who is merciful and behaves in a merciful manner, is also given a favour by
Allah. "Show mercy; if you demonstrate mercy, you will receive
mercy," and "Forgive; if you forgive, you will receive
forgiveness," were the beloved Prophet's (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) wise words.
Remember!
Almighty Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) like compassion. Parents
should be gentle with their children and teach them to be gentle in order to
instil in them respect for humans, animals, and other species. Instead,
whenever you are teaching them something, set an example for them. As an
example, there are many chances for compassion in our everyday employment, like
caring for a domestic servant when something is neglected, etc. When compassion
is shown to the child in these situations, it will eventually rub off on them.
The Qur'an
and the Sunnah are the sources of all the characteristics that are part of
moral standards. If we want to witness a real-world example, we have the
biography of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in
front of us. In order to instil in children a sense of justice and justice,
parents should first take on the characteristics of the Prophet. Parents should
not discriminate between boys and girls and should act justly. If they
discriminate, it will instil a habit of discrimination in their kids, which
will manifest once they are adults and have a negative impact on society and
the nation.
Together
with the above-listed moral standards, children also need to learn a wide range
of other moral values. The main message of this little essay is that we should
do everything in our power to teach our children the foundations of Islam,
moral principles, and the perils of terrorism and violence.
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Kaniz Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a
regular columnist for New Age Islam.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/children-moral-values-terrorism-violence/d/129223
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