Part 12

Belief in Allah is innate in humans as evidenced by the fitrah _ discussed in an earlier chapter). Even those who choose not to submit to and worship Allah recognize His existence. Allah (3) indicates,

And if you asked them who created them, they would surely say: Allah. So how are they deluded?) (Qur’an 43: 87)

86 Allah, the Exalted, the Almighty

6h CED Bi YE GAG escal Ge HE by Aeon) oot of Gave HB “al ostt 3 at od Ura: ai) ED Re JESS ack 3 ‘al Gos Bu EK A

And if you asked a Who created the heavens and the earth? they would surely say: Allah. Say: Then have you considered what you

bas ion Oat ae ab G8 oS ANT SS ap Ma Ol all S5 cal al 5 FQ LSE wd a je > EK oy es Ls fone

Say [O Muhammad]: To whom belongs the earth and whoever is in it, if you should know? They will say: To Allah. Say: Then will you not remember? Say: Who is Lord of the seven heavens and Lord of the Great Throne? They will say; [They belong] to Allah. Say: Then will you not fear Him? Say: In whose hand is the realm of all things — and He protects while none can protect against Him — if you should know? They will say: [All belongs] to Allah. Say: Then how

In times of adversity and need, humans naturally call out to their Lord and Creator. Allah (3%) says,

Ee EAN SG es WHE Aes Hh Sol Sp

And when adversity touches a person, he calls upon Us; then when We bestow on him a favour from Us, he says: I have only been given it because of [my] knowledge. Rather, it is a trial, but most of them do

Nurturing Eemdan in Children 87

Oe 545 he TEE Oe GS So Sep And when adversity touches a person, he calls upon his Lord, turning to Him [alone]; then when He bestows on him a favour from Himself, he forgets Him whom he called upon before, and he attributes to Allah equals to mislead [people] from His way...)

4And when We bestow favour upon the human, he turns away and distances himself; but when evil touches him, then he is full of

These verses, in addition to revelation, the perfection of nature, and our own logic, point to the existence of Allah and the innate capacity for humans to believe in Him and His Oneness. In fact, we need Allah in our lives to fulfil the innate and persistent spiritual yearnings of our souls. They will not be quieted until these urges are fulfilled.

Connecting children to Allah

Connecting a child to Allah is an important and continuous process that begins at the time of birth (or even before). When a baby enters the world, the first words that s/he should hear are “Allahu Akbar” with the enunciation of the call to prayer in the right ear. As ‘the child grows, s/he should continue to hear the name of Allah through the recitation of the Qur’an, prayer, supplication, and remembrance of Allah. The child should be taught to love Allah and to fear His anger and punishment. The element of love should be

88 Allah, the Exalted, the Almighty

stronger than that of fear. There should be a desire to be obedient to Him.

In connecting children to Allah, especially smail children, it is . pertinent to teach them about Allah’s miracles in nature, the beauty and grace given to us by Allah, and the marvellous signs of His perfection and wisdom. He has created all things on the earth and in the heavens: people, animals, rivers, trees, flowers, and so forth. Children naturally bond with nature and will curiously attempt to explore it, thus providing prime opportunities to discuss Allah and His attributes. Nature walks or trips should be regular events for the family. During these times, children may be asked, “Who made the rivers and the lakes and the flowers and ail that you see around you?” in order to bring their attention to the greatness of the Creator. From this, children will understand that Allah is the Giver of Life, the Sustainer, the Most Bounteous, and so forth. As an expected corollary, they should be reminded to thank Allah for His blessings in their many forms.

Children may also be asked about the other bounties that Allah has given to His servants. They may not initially realize that parents, siblings, food on the table, clothes, the physical body and five senses, for example, are all bounties only available through the grace and mercy of Allah. Good health itself is a blessing that we often take for granted and easily forget. Children may be asked, “Who gave you your hearing, sight, and mind? Who gave you the ability and strength to move and to act?” All of this would be impossible without Allah’s generosity.

The ability to learn and gain knowledge and to question, the knowledge itself, the books that are read and the schools that are entered each day, all come from Allah. Friendships, relationships, sharing, and caring are part of human existence due to the grace of Allah. These elements enrich our lives and allow us to grow and develop spiritually, intellectually, and emotionally. Again, children

Nurturing Eemén in Children 89

should be encouraged to love and thank Allah for the remarkable and diverse blessings that He has bestowed upon His creation. When something particularly special happens to them or they receive joyful news, they should follow the practice of the Prophet (3) and prostrate in thanks.

These initial building blocks result in the cultivation of love of Allah, for it is natural to love the One who has given so generously. Children may simply be requested to imagine what life would be like without all of these in order to appreciate what they have. It may be advantageous to have them spend a few hours or a day pretending to be a blind or deaf person, or without books or computers, or without communication with siblings. Exposure to persons with handicaps or poor economic conditions may serve a similar purpose, as well as visiting the sick and elderly in hospitals or nursing homes. The gratefulness of the human should expand tenfold with these types of experiences.

As children grow older, integration of various verses of the Qur’an can provide further reminders. The following are some examples: ey GSE LE Ke =, St ENG ogeci oa wall Np Si 5305 sab So g asa oll i D3 $355 3 j 6 os

oot Wy Eee D cetes ood Ae vow cae Ja Poy tals Bly oil 2 & CAV Bayi ay 8 Yt E25 WS ols Eecita G Jee we Kay

ait is Allah who created the heavens and the earth and sent down rain from the sky and produced thereby some fruits as provision for you and subjected for you the ships to sail through the sea by His command and subjected for you the rivers. And He subjected for you the sun and the moon, continuous [in orbit], and subjected for you the

90 Allah, the Exalted, the Almighty

night and the day. And He gave you from all you asked of Him. And if you should count the favour [blessings] of Allah, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, humankind is [generally] most unjust and *

oe ie ke dah Sa i 1 IGE ail Aly

it is Allah who made for you the earth a place of settlement and the sky a structure [ceiling] and formed you and perfected your forms and provided you with good things. That is Allah, your Lord; then blessed is Allah, Lord of the worlds. (Quran 40: 64)

Say: It is He who has produced you and made for you hearing and vision and hearts [intellect]; little are you grateful.) (Quran 67: 23)

Older children can be taught that all that is on the earth was created for humans and for their benefit. Allah (4%) says,

it is He Who created for you all that which is on earth...)

Ay ye ae My Br Ae ee oF resol €@).. BV GG Sl gt SO So IG ale Do you not see that Allah has made subject to you whatever is in the

heavens and whatever is in the earth...) (Quran 31: 20) Prd 2 Ge ee ok coon: Ba foe tA AY BS gi Ge AAT EG ol al S Bs

Nurturing Eemdan in Children 91

€And He has subjected to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth — all from Him. Indeed, in that are signs for a people who give thought.P (Quran 45: 13)

Specific examples may be provided or integrated into discussions of science, such as the function of the sun and moon, the resources of the earth (for example, oil, metals, and coal), the water cycle, and so forth.

Memorization and understanding the names and attributes of Allah will further enhance the process.

[a:b] AQ GUN TYG Vay Allah — there is no deity except Him. To Him belong the best

And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them... Allah’s names and attributes reflect His mercy and love for His creation and provide the human with a method through which to comprehend Allah and His greatness. This is something that children find pleasure in doing and it can be started from a young age. Relating the attributes to concrete examples, stories and verses of the Qur’an can be effective.

Love of Allah and respect and gratefulness for His favours, and knowing that Allah loves His servants, will intensify the child’s desire to obey Allah and follow His commandments. They will realize that Allah (3g) orders only that which is good and beneficial, as that would only correspond with the goodness in the whole of His creation. It will strengthen their eeman and fear of Allah immensely. This leads to the concept of teaching the importance of obedience to Allah.

92 Allah, the Exalted, the Almighty

Teach the importance of obedience to Allah

Itis obligatory to teach children the importance of obedience to Allah. The word ‘obey’ appears many times in the Qur’an to” emphasize this aspect. For example, Allah (a) says,

OKA WS Lat a ate

€O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and do not invalidate your deeds.? (Quran 47: 33)

He (4) also says,

BS ES of Ke A gh GAG at ta thie ot Gey

Josh BS BN LG AL SLE Sy wh At Sy OS

€O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result.) (Quran 4: 59)