Part 1

pabatl LeU calatt fell INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC PUBLISHING HOUSE

Nurturing Eeman in Children

Stilo! 9 loaf dant

Robtuil stSU deolLall jlall

INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC PUBLISHING HOUSE

Preface 0... cece ieee es teee renee tet teneeteresetieensseititieeieeee

PART ONE: THE FOUNDATIONS OF

CHAPTER 2: The Responsibility of Parenting...

Responsibility and accountability 0.0.0.0... cee eee

CHAPTER 3: The Basics of Parenting... The importance of the marital relationship.

The honourable role of motherhood

Nurturing one’s OWN CeMAN 20... cece ee eerste renee

The importance of breastfeeding, bonding and early attachment.

Praying for a righteous child CHAPTER 4: Knowledge and Education in Islam

The importance of knowledge

Knowledge and parenting .

The Prophet Muhammad's methods of education and teaching

The influence of parents 2.0.0.0... etter tees teteeeee

Nurturing Eeméan in Children 7

PART TWO: CONNECTING CHILDREN TO THE

Connecting children to the Day of Resurrection and

Belief in Divine will and predestination

Connecting children to Divine will and predestination.

PART THREE: DEVELOPING AN ISLAMIC

Make teaching and learning ongoing activities 0.0.0.0... 191

Nurturing Eemén in Children

Maintain an Islamic library ..

Encourage a sense of belonging to the Muslim nation

Practical suggestions for developing a sense of community...

. 203 - 204

Arabic honorific symbols used in this book

(3g) : Subhdnahu wa Ta‘Gla — “The Exalted”

(2) : Salla-Allahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam — “Blessings and peace be upon him”

(9) : ‘Alayhis-Salém — “May peace be upon him” (25) : Radia-Allahu ‘Anhu — “May Allah be pleased with him”

&%) : Radia-Allahu ‘Anhé — “May Allah be pleased with her”

Pronunciation and Transliteration Chart

| Arabic script Pronunciation Transliterated | as: ool longer ‘a’, as in cab (not as in cake) a Y /o/ as in bell, rubber and tab b oe // as in tap, mustard and sit t 3 takes the sound of the preceding | h or t (when ddiactrical mark sometimes ending in h| followed by (when in pausal form): ah, ih, or ooh; o7 another atu(n), ati(n) or ata(n) when in Arabic word) uninterrupted speech e Ab/ as in thing, maths and wealth th ia /i/ as in jam, ajar and age j id a ‘harsher’ sound than the English h linitial /h/, and may occur medially and} in word-final position as well é as in Bach (in German); may occur kh initially and medially as well 3 as in this, father, and with dh

x/ as in raw, art and war; may also be al

rolled r, as with Spanish words

12 Pronunciation and transliteration chart

/zI as in zoo, easy and gaze

/s/ as in so, messy and grass

as in ship, ashes and rush

ino close equivalent in English, but may| be approximated by pronouncing it as /sw/ or /s/ farther back in the mouth

no close equivalent in English, but may be approximated by pronouncing /d/ farther back in the mouth

no close equivalent in English, but may be approximated by pronouncing /t/ farther back in the mouth

no close equivalent in English, but may be approximated by pronouncing ‘the’ farther back in the mouth

no close equivalent in English: a guttural sound in the back of the throat

no close equivalent in English, but may be closely approximated by pronouncing it like the French /r/ in ‘rouge’

/fl as in fill, effort and muff

Nurturing Eemdn in Children 13

like ‘t’ in the Cockney English pronunciation of butter: bu’er, or the

stop sound in uh - oh!

M4 Pronunciation and transliteration chart

Diphthongs: | Arabic script Pronunciation Transliterated as:

gol Long 0, as in owe, boat and go au, aw, ow L | rain and say | Diacritical marks (tashkeel): \Name of mark! Pronunciation Transliterated |

fathah (unstressed vowel) L | shorter version of ee or schwa i kasrah (unstressed vowel) Dammah . a doubled consonant is stressed | Double letter shaddah __ jin the word, and the length of the sound is also doubled

i sukoon consonants or at the end of a word vowel

About the word Lord

he word lord in English has several related meanings. The original meaning is ‘master’ or ‘ruler’, and in this sense it is often used to refer to human beings: ‘the lord of the mansion’ or ‘Lord So-andso’ (in the United Kingdom, for example). The word Lord with a capital L is used in the lexicon of Islam to refer to the One and Only God — Allah. In Islam, there is no ambiguity about the meaning of this word. While it is true that one may occasionally use the word lord (whether capitalized or not) to refer to a human being, in Islamic discourse the reference of this term is always clear from the context. Whereas for Christians, Hindus and other polytheists, the word Lord with a capital L may refer to Allah, to Jesus or to some imagined deity, for Muslims, there can be no plurality of meaning. Allah alone is the Lord, and the Lord is Allah — not Jesus, not Rama, not any other being.

rv praise and thanks belong to Allah alone, the One, the Almighty, and All-Merciful. Blessings and peace be upon Prophet Muhammad, the last of His Messengers and Prophets, his family, his Companions and ali those who follow in his footsteps until the end of time.

As parents, we often worry about the practical aspects of raising our children: providing them with their basic physical, emotional and cognitive needs. We put much effort into ensuring that they have the best food, healthcare, education, social interactions, recreation, and so forth. We give them love, affection and guidance. We do everything in our power to protect them from harm. In summary, we try to build for them the foundations of a successful future, hoping to reap the fruits of our efforts when they grow up to be well-rounded and _ well-adjusted adults who are capable of contributing to society and starting a family of their own.

But how much time do we spend worrying about their eternal future: their life in the hereafter? How much effort and planning do we put into this aspect of our children’s lives? Indeed, our top priority as parents should be to nurture and strengthen them spiritually. Our primary goal should be to guide them towards all that pleases Allah and leads to paradise, and to steer them away from all that displeases Him and leads to hellfire.

In her book, Nurturing Eemdn in Children, Dr. Aisha Hamdan discusses the importance of building a rock-solid foundation of faith in our children’s hearts and minds, while providing clear guidelines on how to accomplish this.

Nurturing Eemdn in Children 17

May Allah guide all of us who have children under our care to raise them in a way that is most pleasing to Him, and in a manner that brings them happiness in this life and the next. May Allah grant us all

righteous companions and offspring and join us with them in paradise.

Muhammad ibn ‘Abdul Muhsin Al Tuwaijri

1 the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful

SI praises are due to Allah; we praise Him; we seek His help; we seek His forgiveness; and we seek His guidance. We seek tefuge in Allah from the evil in our souls and the evil of our deeds. For whomever Allah guides, there is none to lead them astray. And for whomever He allows to go astray, there is none to guide them. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, for whom there is no partner. And J bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. O believers, have taqwa ' of Allah according to His right and do not die except as Muslims. O humankind, have taqwa of your Lord, the One who created you from one soul and created from it its mate, and from them spread forth many men and women. And fear Allah from whom you demand your mutual rights and [do not cut] familial ties. Surely, Allah is ever a Watcher over you. O believers, have taqwa of Allah and always speak the truth. He will direct you to do righteous deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has indeed achieved a great achievement.”

' taqwé: fearful awareness of Allah; being mindful of Allah; pious dedication; being careful not to transgress the bounds set by Allah

? In this Preface, the author is quoting translated meanings of several well-known verses of the Quran, as well as some supplications and phrases from prophetic hadiths. (Editor)

overview of the condition of children and families in the world today leaves one bewildered and saddened. The family structure is falling apart, with divorce, separation, single parenthood, and fatherless homes becoming the norms rather than the exceptions. Technology has resulted in families spending less time together than at any point in history. Children spend more time immersed in television programs and computer games (more than 20 hours per week) than in meaningful conversations with their parents (less than 30 minutes per week). Mothers are entering the workforce in everincreasing numbers, often leaving their young children in the care of strangers for long periods of time. The list is endless.

The most significant trend in families today is a decline in basic morals and values. Immorality is becoming an acceptable and familiar way of life. Cheating, gambling, consumption of alcohol and drugs, premarital and extramarital relations, and others have become the norm in many countries of the world. In relation to children and families, disobedience, deceit, and disrespect are the three dangerous Ds of this era. Children and teens no longer find it important or necessary to obey and respect their parents. They will disobey or be deceitful in order to please their friends or to gain some worldly pleasure. They do this with little thought or feelings of guilt. This is an insidious and ominous concern that must be taken seriously.

Unfortunately, Muslim families are not immune to these concerns and phenomena. Many Muslims in the West struggle with these issues on a daily basis. And, as globalization sinks its teeth into every bit of area on the earth, Muslims around the world are affected to a greater degree. Although globalization is actually term that is meant to describe economic forces, it is having far-reaching effects on