:salam2:
Yesterday I was overcome by the thought of how Islam teaches us to raise kids versus how they raise them in the West.
As Muslims, we are always thinking of the end because we know the end is only the beginning of something greater and far more rewarding. As the days go by, the pious man becomes increasingly concerned about his conduct as he anticipates the inevitable. This drives him to abstain from evil and increase the good in any given day, hour, minute or moment.
A child from the day they are born until the day they mature enjoys freedom they would never experience again as Muslims. Until that point in his life, the child is free from the responsibility of praying and fasting and wearing the hijab and zakat and all the other obligations. Even their sins are overlooked to a certain extent. Then as the child develops into an upright youth, they learn of prohibitions and do's and don'ts and strive to adhere to Allaah's commands.
Compare that to a child brought up in a typical western home. They are initially forbidden from sins they would be allowed to commit later on. Their parents are careful not to expose the children to evil and corrupt thoughts (sex, drugs, violence, games, movies) until a latter stage. Look at the ratings you find on video games and movies, that alone should speak volumes of the corruption. A child is not permitted to maintain relationships with another girl/boy until their parents permit them later on. They are not allowed to smoke or drink, or dress in skimpy outfits, among other pleasures they would have access to later on.
But after the bonds of parenthood weaken, disobedience fills the gap and the parents enter a state of carelessness. They attribute it to freedom of expression and free will, but who are they fooling. How about laziness, preoccupation with one's social life, lack of mental strength and maturity to handle the responsibility on the parents' part? When the parents distance themselves from making decisions for their children, they are no longer accountable. And why should they be?
But I digress. The issue at hand is the contrast between the life of a Muslim child and a child raised in the west. A Muslim experiences freedom early on, and then it is slowly retracted as reality sets in and long term planning takes over. A non-Muslim child faces the most restriction in the earlier part of their life, and with nothing to look forward to except money and pleasure.. the law becomes the limit. Muslim parents realize the responsibility, and realize they will be accountable in front of Allaah for how they raised their kids and what effort they exerted. Allaah will not judge them based on results, but everything else is fair game. Non-Muslim parents simply fulfill their desire to have offspring, and once that desire is over and done with they move on to other pleasures, which are less demanding and more rewarding.
At least that's my observation from living in the west. Nothing amazes me more than to see believers sprout from these corrupt societies. This alone testifies to the existence of The Most Divine, The Most High.
On a final note, while I reference "the west", let us not forget the rest. Even in Islamic countries, rarely would you find those who worry about the future of their children. The vast majority from all over the world do not care, leaving a heavy burden upon the shoulders of future generations and leaving them with the impossible task of figuring out what is right and what is wrong.
Yesterday I was overcome by the thought of how Islam teaches us to raise kids versus how they raise them in the West.
As Muslims, we are always thinking of the end because we know the end is only the beginning of something greater and far more rewarding. As the days go by, the pious man becomes increasingly concerned about his conduct as he anticipates the inevitable. This drives him to abstain from evil and increase the good in any given day, hour, minute or moment.
A child from the day they are born until the day they mature enjoys freedom they would never experience again as Muslims. Until that point in his life, the child is free from the responsibility of praying and fasting and wearing the hijab and zakat and all the other obligations. Even their sins are overlooked to a certain extent. Then as the child develops into an upright youth, they learn of prohibitions and do's and don'ts and strive to adhere to Allaah's commands.
Compare that to a child brought up in a typical western home. They are initially forbidden from sins they would be allowed to commit later on. Their parents are careful not to expose the children to evil and corrupt thoughts (sex, drugs, violence, games, movies) until a latter stage. Look at the ratings you find on video games and movies, that alone should speak volumes of the corruption. A child is not permitted to maintain relationships with another girl/boy until their parents permit them later on. They are not allowed to smoke or drink, or dress in skimpy outfits, among other pleasures they would have access to later on.
But after the bonds of parenthood weaken, disobedience fills the gap and the parents enter a state of carelessness. They attribute it to freedom of expression and free will, but who are they fooling. How about laziness, preoccupation with one's social life, lack of mental strength and maturity to handle the responsibility on the parents' part? When the parents distance themselves from making decisions for their children, they are no longer accountable. And why should they be?
But I digress. The issue at hand is the contrast between the life of a Muslim child and a child raised in the west. A Muslim experiences freedom early on, and then it is slowly retracted as reality sets in and long term planning takes over. A non-Muslim child faces the most restriction in the earlier part of their life, and with nothing to look forward to except money and pleasure.. the law becomes the limit. Muslim parents realize the responsibility, and realize they will be accountable in front of Allaah for how they raised their kids and what effort they exerted. Allaah will not judge them based on results, but everything else is fair game. Non-Muslim parents simply fulfill their desire to have offspring, and once that desire is over and done with they move on to other pleasures, which are less demanding and more rewarding.
At least that's my observation from living in the west. Nothing amazes me more than to see believers sprout from these corrupt societies. This alone testifies to the existence of The Most Divine, The Most High.
On a final note, while I reference "the west", let us not forget the rest. Even in Islamic countries, rarely would you find those who worry about the future of their children. The vast majority from all over the world do not care, leaving a heavy burden upon the shoulders of future generations and leaving them with the impossible task of figuring out what is right and what is wrong.