Author: Abdul Hai Lay'yan
The Divine Education Model in the Family of the Prophets (Part 45)
The Tenth Lesson: Prioritizing the Religious Affairs of the Family Over Worldly Matters
In the Quran, Allah praises Prophet Ismail (peace be upon him) for commanding his family to pray and pay zakat. This praise shows that his concern for the religious affairs of his family took precedence over his compassion and sympathy for their worldly affairs, which, as Imam Fakhr al-Razi also points out, is different from the prevailing practice of the people. Therefore, it is obligatory on religious preachers and educators to remind Muslims of their serious responsibility towards their families. This responsibility requires them to obey Allah and adhere to the religious laws in order to protect themselves and their families from the fire mentioned in the Quran: “یا أَیهَا الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا قُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِیكُمْ نَاراً وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ عَلَیهَا مَلَائِكَةٌ غِلَاظٌ شِدَادٌ لَا یعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَا أَمَرَهُمْ وَیفْعَلُونَ مَا یؤْمَرُونَ.” Translation: “O you who have believed! Protect yourselves and your families from a fire whose fuel is men and stones. Angels are assigned to it who are harsh and strict, strong and powerful. They do not disobey Allah in what He has ordered them to do, and they do what they are commanded to do.” [1]
Training a child: From teaching acts of worship to explaining beliefs
One of the educational requirements is the practical teaching of acts of worship from an early age. As stated in the Prophetic Hadith, [2] the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ordered that children be commanded to pray from the age of seven and they be punished if they abandon it at the age of ten. [3] This advice emphasizes the need for parents to be serious in teaching religious rules from childhood. In addition, one of the most important duties of parents is to pay attention to raising their children based on the correct belief. This is evident in the will of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and Jacob (peace be upon him) to their children, as stated in the Quran: “وَوَصَّى بِهَا إِبْرَاهِیمُ بَنِیهِ وَیعْقُوبُ یا بَنِی إِنَّ اللّهَ اصْطَفَى لَكُمُ الدِّینَ فَلاَ تَمُوتُنَّ إَلاَّ وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ” Translation: “And Ibrahim enjoined upon his sons this religion, and so did Jacob. Each of them said to his sons: ‘O my sons! Allah has chosen for you the religion (of Islam). (So promise us that you will not deviate from it for a moment) and you will not die except as Muslims.” [4]
Parents who train their children on the basis of sound belief and good morals, in fact, deliver righteous and reforming generations to society, who will elevate society and spread virtue in it. This chain of goodness will continue until the Day of Judgment, because these children will also train their next generations with the same values. As a result, the good deeds of these children are considered a continuation of their parents’ deeds, and their rewards will reach them continuously, even after their departure from this world.
It seems appropriate at this point to state what Imam Fakhr al-Razi (may Allah bless him) has deduced from the will of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him). He says:
Know that this story contains precise points that encourage a person to accept religion:
– The importance of the will: Allah did not say: Ibrahim commanded; rather, he said: he made a will. The word “will” is more emphatic than “command”; Because the will is made at a time of fear of death, and at that time, a person’s caution for his religion is greater and more complete; therefore, when it is known that he cared about this matter at that time and was strict about it, it is closer to accepting this statement.
– Allocation to children: He dedicated this will to his sons, because a man’s compassion for his children is greater than others. When he dedicated this will to his children at the end of his life, we understand that the Importance of this matter was very great for him.
– The comprehensiveness of the will: He included this will in the case of all his children and did not exclude any of them, and this also shows the intensity of his concern.
– Without restrictions on time and place: He expressed this will without limiting it to a specific time or place, and then in the strongest tone forbade them from dying as non-Muslims. This also shows the intensity of his concern for this matter.
– The purity of the will: He did not mix any other will with this one. This also indicates the intensity of his concern for this matter. And since Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was a man known for his virtue, good manners, and perfect character, and it was known that he was extremely concerned about this matter, then it is understood that this matter is one of the most deserving of attention and the most worthy of being observed and accepted. [5]
The eleventh Lesson: Patience is one of the noblest personal qualities and the most essential for preachers
Allah Almighty praised Prophet Ismail (peace be upon him) with several qualities, the most important of which is patience. Patience is one of the noblest moral qualities and the most suitable for those with wisdom, because it helps to preserve one’s honor, calm the body, and gain praise.
Imam Ghazali (may Allah bless him) said: “Patience is superior to suppressing anger, because suppressing anger means “showing patience” (Tahallom) and making an effort to be patient, and only someone needs to suppress anger when their anger is inflamed, and this requires a hard struggle; but if a person gets used to this, it becomes a habit for him, so that it does not arouse his anger, and if anger is aroused, it is not difficult to quell it. This is the inherent patience that is the sign of the perfection of intellect, its mastery, breaking the power of anger and its submission to intellect. This virtue begins with showing patience and suppressing anger as a habit and becomes an acquired character with practice.” [6]
Al-Jahiz says: “Patience is praiseworthy, unless it leads to low status or corruption of politics.” [7] Also, Ibn Habban (may Allah bless him) says: “Patience is the most beautiful thing that comes from a person who has the power of revenge. Patience includes knowledge, dignity and reflection, and the one who is characterized by it has a high status, a high position, a praiseworthy reward and a good deed. Because of the exquisiteness of this attribute, Allah has called Himself by it and named Himself Halim.” [8]
How beautiful it is for a person to adhere to patience and instill it in himself and those he trains.
And how beautiful it is to avoid the violence and callousness that arise from the lack of tolerance in human, because violence and callousness cause aversion and hatred, lead to hereditary enmities, and destroy the spirit of acceptance of goodness in people. This separates preachers from the people, delays the process of calling, and despair and hopelessness prevail in the hearts of people. Almighty Allah says: “فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللّهِ لِنتَ لَهُمْ وَلَوْ كُنتَ فَظّاً غَلِیظَ الْقَلْبِ لاَنفَضُّواْ مِنْ حَوْلِكَ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِی الأَمْرِ فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللّهِ إِنَّ اللّهَ یحِبُّ الْمُتَوَكِّلِینَ” Translation: “It is by the light of Divine Mercy that you have been lenient with them (who had deviated from the line of command). If you had been harsh and hard-hearted, they would have scattered from around you. So forgive them and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in matters and when you have decided to do something (after exchanging opinions and discussions), then put your trust in Allah; for Allah loves those who put their trust in Him”. [9]
Therefore, how much we need to spread the virtue of patience among people and educate the younger generation in it so that forgiveness prevail among the individuals of society and love, friendship and mercy spread and security and tranquility are established, the result of which is forgiveness of sins from Allah for those who practice patience and forgiveness.
Allah says: “وَلْیعْفُوا وَلْیصْفَحُوا أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن یغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِیمٌ” Translation: “They should forgive and overlook. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you? (Just as you love that Allah should overlook your mistakes, you should also overlook the mistakes of others and continue to do good deeds like this), and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful (so make yourselves polite and considerate of the manners and attributes of your Creator).” [10]
Continues…
References:
- Al-Tahrim: 6.
- Abdul Karim, Zaydan, The Benefit of the Stories of the Qur’an for Preachers, Vol. 1, p. 221.
- Narrated by Abu Dawud in the Book of Prayer, Hadith No. 495.
- Surah Al-Baqarah: 132.
- Muhammad ibn Umar ibn Husain, Al-Fakhr Al-Razi, Keys of the Unseen “The Great Commentary,” Vol. 4, pp. 72-73.
- Muhammad Ibn Muhammad, Al-Ghazali, Ihya’ ‘Ulum Al-Din, Damascus: Dar Al-Fikr, Vol. 3, p. 176.
- Al-Jahiz, Refinement of Morals, Cairo: Dar Al-Sahaba for Heritage, Beta, p. 23.
- Ibn Habban, Rawzat al-Uqala’ wa Nuzhat al-Fudala’, Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 1397 AH, p. 308.
- Al-Imran: 159.
- Al-Nour: 22.
