Steps Toward Divine Upbringing

Steps Toward Divine Upbringing

Each of us aspires for the highest levels of education for our sons and daughters. We exert all our efforts and more to achieve the visions we have for them, considering the importance of keeping up with modern curricula and various terms such as “positive education” and “flexible learning,” … etc.

All of this is commendable within the framework of building an educated personality, aiming to produce a generation of noble individuals, writers, and thinkers of high caliber through unified experimental education that might prepare them for prestigious positions in society.

However, limiting upbringing to only serve unified experimental education is deeply regrettable. This approach channels all the energy and potential of young boys into this form of education, where they may excel significantly. Yet, on a true educational level, they lack the development of other attributes, missing out on being beneficial individuals for their Islamic nation. They become products of a system that confines their capabilities, and despite their educational and social advancement, they might adopt contaminated ideas conflicting with the true essence of Islam. They might spend their entire lives defending these erroneous beliefs, becoming shields for falsehood and defenders of lies.

Our problem as parents is that we -under the impression- want to build and secure our children’s future materially and socially. We adopt a strange materialistic approach, as if we control provisions, destinies, or the future, which are all decreed by Allah, the Almighty. Despite witnessing numerous children around us whose material and social provisions surpass those of their parents, our concern remains unrelenting. If we directed even half of this concern genuinely -without pretension- toward caring for our children’s religion, we would have prepared a generation ready to build a nation. We would reap mountains of good deeds in our graves and attain elevated ranks from the efforts of our children after our departure from this world.

We always have our reasons for focusing solely on the material aspect of our children’s upbringing, leaving their religion at the mercy of whims and temptations. We say: our children are weak, and we want to secure their future in this world, a world that, even if they live long, will not exceed a hundred years at best.

To raise our children with divine upbringing, we need to renew our intentions and raise them for Allah’s sake. We must teach them to fear Allah first and foremost, instilling in them that He knows even the most secret glances and what the hearts conceal. We should instill sincerity in their hearts, guiding their choices toward what pleases Allah alone, teaching them to strive against their egos so that praise and criticism become equal to them, as long as their actions are pleasing to Allah. They should not rejoice in praise or be crushed by criticism. We must teach ourselves and them to acknowledge Allah’s uniqueness in creation, sovereignty, governance, and worship, and to draw closer to Him practically through His names and attributes, not just verbally.

To raise our children with divine upbringing, we must not highlight any role model in their minds and hearts except the infallible Prophet (peace be upon him), making adherence to his commands and avoidance of his prohibitions a pledge they fulfill throughout their lives in this transient world.

To raise our children with divine upbringing, we must consistently erase the stains of worldly desires from their hearts, just as we diligently remove physical contaminants from their clothes. Whenever the world imprints a black mark on their hearts, we must promptly address it to prevent their hearts from succumbing to whims, ensuring they do not become accustomed to living with evil, falsehood, and tyranny without rejecting them.

To raise our children with divine upbringing, we must firmly connect their hearts to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace be upon him) through gradual and pleasant teaching, encouragement, and reward. These are the safe havens and guiding lights for generations.

To raise our children with divine upbringing, we must fear Allah regarding them and provide them only with lawful sustenance, so their bodies grow like plants from the earth with the blessing of piety and lawful consumption. Their uprightness will be strengthened, and if they ever deviate towards whims, they will quickly return to righteousness.

To raise our children with divine upbringing, we must pray for Allah to protect them, nurture them for us, and write them among the righteous. We must not pray for their destruction or ruin, even in moments of frustration, regardless of what happens. We never know when the gates of heaven might open for the acceptance of prayers, to prevent catastrophic events like the story of Juraij the worshiper and his mother’s prayer against him.

To raise our children with divine upbringing, we must set them on the path of righteous deeds, combining spoken words, heartfelt beliefs, and physical actions to achieve true faith, so they meet Allah with a good ending.