About education

Almighty Allah is the infinitely Wise Creator and through His wisdom He endowed each person with parents, entrusting them with the responsibilities of raising and educating their children. For centuries, mothers and fathers selflessly raised their offspring, instilling in them everything that is most necessary and valuable and protecting them from all the bad things that they may come across in life. Unfortunately, in recent times things have changed. And today, in our age of information technology, we have to admit that parents and methods of upbringing “are not at all the same”.

The reality we live in now is often that both parents spend whole days at work, while their children are left to their own devices. The main goal of too many modern parents seems to be to feed, to dress and to buy their precious children an iPhone or iPad of the latest model.

Thus this is the “education” of children as we see it nowadays. Their spiritual and moral development takes place under the influence of the Internet, TV, social networks and friends, to which parents entrust the upbringing. But do they ever take the time to think about what their children actually access on the web? What channels do they choose on TV? Who are their friends? All these questions are very important.

If we are talking, for example, about the Internet, we must be acutely aware that there is an abundance of freely available haram videos, pictures and other disgusting material. A curious child easily finds and looks through anything that interests him or her. Children are not equipped to analyse such things and take on trust all that comes to them through these channels of communication. This influences the formation of warped personalities in children, who subsequently may become the cause of shame for their parents in future.

If we do not want to raise a generation of immoral and callous people, we must work on our mistakes and revise our methods of upbringing. Because, no matter how many wise conversations we may have with our children, they learn most from our actual deeds not from what we say but from what we do!

We need to nurture our offspring not by lavishing money on them but rather dedicating them our time with kindly, affectionate words and attention. Only by dedicating children enough time can one educate them to be righteous individuals and instill correct concepts about living in this world.

In achieving this we have the Koran and the wonderful example of our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and his male and female companions. Study their life stories yourself and tell them to your children. Read books, communicate and play with them. Just don't let your offspring grow like weeds in a field.

Almighty Allah gave a person parents for a reason and did not conclude their duties towards children to be solely the trivial provision of food and clothing according to the season. Parents are, first of all, educators! And educators not only of a single individual but rather of society as a whole! Thus, if we do not want our methods of upbringing to become the cause of our shame in the future, we must not forget this!

May Almighty Allah help us all to raise our children as ones in whom He will be pleased! And may the Almighty protect us and our children from all obscenity and sins!

RAYA AKAVOVA.