Part 13

A Muslim who believes and submits to Allah understands that submission entails obedience and complete surrendering of authority and control to Allah. This is the path of Islam and the only path to true happiness.

Children must understand that they should obey Allah out of love, fear, and hope in Him. As noted in these verses, obedience to Allah is also connected to obedience to His Messenger through following the Sunnah. At times, this may go against the wishes and desires of the self, but they surrender nonetheless. Humans become prisoners of their desires unless they give allegiance to Allah. It is through obedience to Allah that they break these chains and elevate the soul. This is a valuable lesson for children to learn from a young

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age and one that will protect them from desires, temptations, and the whisperings of Satan. It will be particularly advantageous as they enter and proceed through the teenage years. While this is a difficult struggle for humans, it is something possible to achieve.

In essence, they give up some of the pleasures of this world in order to attain pleasures in the hereafter. In psychological terms, it is known as ‘delayed gratification’. A person puts off short-term, immediate pleasure for a larger, long-term reward or gratification in the future. This is exactly what Allah promises the believers who submit to and obey Him. He (4g) indicates,

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These are the limits [set by] Allah, and whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger will be admitted by Him to gardens [in Paradise] under which rivers flow, abiding eternally therein; and that is the

¢And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger — those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favour of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions.} (Quran 4: 69)

As such, reminders of the hereafter can be beneficial in this regard (as discussed in a forthcoming chapter).

Obedience to Allah will not be present without a desire to be obedient to Him. As mentioned, this begins by instilling a love of Allah in young children and nurturing that as they grow older. It is

94 Allah, the Exalted, the Almighty

obvious that parents who are obedient and devoted to Allah will find

it easier to insti] the same concepts in their children. Parents who pray

on time, fulfil their obligations, and avoid the prohibited with a desire - from their hearts and out of love of Allah, will set the best example for

their children. This is one of the most powerful influences of

parenting and it should not be minimized. Direct instruction should

also be given regarding the rewards that await the obedient servant

and the punishment that is prepared for the disobedient. The greatest

reward for the believer is nearness to Allah.

Teach reliance upon Allah

"A sound hadith narrated by Al-Tirmidhi

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This amazingly powerful hadith teaches children (and adults) that they should turn to Allah alone for all of their needs. It directs Muslims to obey Allah and avoid disobeying Him. It teaches Muslims to be optimistic in the face of life’s challenges and realities. They should confront these challenges with courage and confidence, and endure all conditions with patience. Distress and difficulty are always followed by relief, particularly when accompanied by supplication. This is the foundation of the meanings of ‘aqeedah, tawhid, and eeman.

Reliance upon Allah is also mentioned in several verses of the Quran. Allah (4) mentions,

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4... And upon Allah let the believers rely.) (Quran 5: 11)

Children should be taught these important lessons from an early age. Again, this can be done indirectly by making use of special or opportune moments. When they need help with something, they should be reminded to make supplication to Allah. In preparing for an exam, completing a difficult assignment, or facing daily challenges, their initial reaction should be to remember Allah. When they misplace something and have difficulty finding it, they can be prompted to ask assistance from Allah.

96 Allah, the Exalted, the Almighty

If a child is not feeling well, s/he can be reminded to supplicate to Allah to remove the sickness. Children can even be introduced to the concept of reciting specific verses of Quran, hadiths, andsupplications for the purposes of physical, emotional, or spiritual cure. When events do not go as planned, a child can again be reminded to supplicate to Allah for the best outcome. They must come to understand that their supplication is not always answered as they expected, but in whatever way Allah responds it is the best for them. Believing that Allah is All-Merciful and wants only good for His servants is part of reliance upon and trust in Allah.

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This love, closeness and reliance upon Allah will be the lifeline that the child holds on to as s/he moves through life. S/he will find comfort in knowing that Allah loves him or her for his or her obedience — a love that intensifies with every step taken towards Him. S/he will constantly be aware of Allah’s support, presence and knowledge, as mentioned in the Qur’an:

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And, [O Muhammad], you are not [engaged] in any matter or recite any of the Qur’an and you [people] do not do any deed except that We are witness over you when you are involved in it. And not absent from your Lord is any [part] of an atom’s weight within the earth or within the heaven or [anything] smaller than that or greater but that it

This is the essence of taqwa of Allah and of eeman in Allah.

Chapter 7 The Angels

Indeed, those who have said: Our Lord is Allah and then remained on a right course — the angels will descend upon them, [saying]: Do not fear and do not grieve but receive good tidings of Paradise, which you were promised. We were your allies in worldly life and [are so] in the hereafter. And you will have therein whatever your souls desire, and you will have therein whatever you request [or wish].}

Belief in the Angels

Belief in angels is the second pillar of eeman. The angels are part of the unseen world and thus we are unable to comprehend completely their essence and their attributes. We only know and accept what Allah has revealed to us about them without questioning further. An aspect of faith is to believe in the unseen without subtracting from or adding to that which Allah or His Messenger have disclosed regarding it.

Unlike humans, angels do not possess free will. As a result, they do not have desires nor do they commit sins or misdeeds. Their relationship with Allah is one of servitude, worship, obedience, and complete submission to His commands. They stand, bow, and

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prostrate in continuous worship of their Creator. In addition to praise and worship of Allah, angels carry out His will completely and without question. The angels are responsible for managing the affairs of the creation and watching over it. In relation to humankind, angels are involved throughout human life from conception until death. They are directly and indirectly involved in the complete process, particularly in the lives of believers.

Each of the angels is given unique tasks and all work together in synchrony. There are some angels that are assigned the task of taking care of the foetus while in the uterus of the mother. They, in fact, breathe life into the foetus at the appropriate time and record important aspects of the person’s life. Some angels are given the responsibility of guarding each person during their life on this earth. They protect the person in the front and from behind from anything that Allah has not decreed. The records of each human being are preserved by the recording angels, who are assigned to a person throughout their lifetime. They write the record of deeds that will be presented on the Day of Judgment. The Angel of Death and his helpers are entrusted with the task of taking the soul of each human at the time of death. There are also angels in charge of the soul during the ‘trial in the grave’. They are known by the names Munkar and Nakeer. They will question the soul in the grave and the final outcome in the hereafter will be made known. There are many other duties that angels are given by Allah.