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Children are one
of the joys of life that we ask
Allah to grant us:
{Wealth and sons
are allurements of the life of this world} (Al-Kahf 18:46)
{And those who pray, "Our
Lord! Grant unto us wives and offspring who will be the
comfort of our eyes, and give us (the
grace) to lead the righteous."} (Al-Furqan 25:74)
Children are the
delight of our hearts in their childhood, our companions and comfort in
our
old age, and the
only source of du`aa' in
our graves; all in all, they are the means by which
we earn the fruits
of this life and the reward of the hereafter.
The adult of today
was the child of yesterday, and the child of today is the adult of
tomorrow.
Islam is the most just way of life, in which the rights of
each soul are granted.
Children,
according to Islam, are entitled
to various rights.
·
Choosing a
righteous wife to be a righteous mother.
·
The first and foremost of these rights is the
right to be properly brought up,
raised and
educated.
·
Upon their birth,
children have all of their rights automatically in effect: feeding,
·
It is Sunnah
(recommended) to do tahneek for
the child when he is born:
·
It is Sunnah to
shave the child’s head on the seventh day and to give the weight of the
hair
in
silver in charity.
·
It is mustahabb for
the father to do the ‘aqeeqah, as stated in the hadeeth quoted above,
“Every
child is in pledge for his ‘aqeeqah.” Two sheep should be
sacrificed for a boy and one for a girl.
·
Circumcision
·
Parents must take care of teaching their
children the duties of Islam and other virtues
that
are recommended in sharee’ah, and worldly matters that they need in order
to live a decent life
in
this world and give their children Training in good manners and
characteristics:
·
Another of the
greatest rights is to give the child a good upbringing and take good care
of him
or
her – especially in the case of girls. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) encouraged this righteous
deed.
·
Another important
matter which is one of the rights of children, to which attention must be
paid,
is
treating children fairly. - Saheeh
hadeeth (authentic narration): “Fear Allaah and treat your
children
fairly.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2447; Muslim, 1623).
·
Also, the Prophet advised us to give each child a name with
a good meaning.
such as ‘Abd-Allaah or ‘Abd al-Rahmaan
·
The Qur'an also states that children have the right to
inherit from the day of their birth.
·
Parents are recommended to provide adequately for children
in inheritance.
·
Children have the right to be fed, clothed, and protected
until they reach adulthood.
·
Children must have the respect, to enjoy love and affection
from their parents.
·
Children have the
right to be treated equally, vis-a-vis their siblings in
terms of financial
gifts.
Traditions/Sunnah regarding
Chidren’s Rights
Muslims
who fear Allah in their heart and are keen to earn His satisfaction
should treat
their
children equally, not favoring one over the
others, in spending, treatment, and giving
gifts to them.
A tradition reports:
·
It is narrated by Abu Bakr, RAA, who
said that Allah's Apostle, PBUH, was approached by one of his companions,
al-N'uman bin Basheer, who said: "O Prophet of Allah! I have granted
a servant to one of my children (asking him to testify to that
gift)." But Allah's PBUH asked him: "Did you grant the same
to each and every child of yours?"
·
When Allah's Apostle, PBUH was informed
negatively about that, he said: "Fear
Allah, the Almighty, and be fair and just to all your children. Seek the
testimony of another person, other than me. I will not testify to an act
of injustice." This
Hadith is reported by both Bukhari and Muslim. Thus, Allah's Apostle,
PBUH called such an act of preference of one child over the others an act
of "injustice." Injustice is prohibited and forbidden in Isla
·
Prophet Muhammad was reported as saying: "Be fair and
just in terms of the gifts you offer your children. If I was to give
preference to any (gender over the other) I would have preferred females
over males (in terms of giving gifts)." Imam Baihaqi
·
Children have the right to education. A saying
attributed to Muhammad relates:"A father gives his child nothing
better than a good education. - "Hadith collected by Tirmidhi and Al-Bayhaqi.
·
He is not one of us who does not have mercy for children and
respect for our seniors. (At-Tirmidhi)
·
It is reported that Al-Aqra' ibn Habis saw Allah's Messenger
kissing his grandchild and said to the Prophet, "I have ten
children, but I have never kissed any one of them." The Prophet
said, "He who does not show mercy (towards his children), no mercy
would be shown to him" (Al-Bukhari).
·
Also, a Bedouin man asked the Prophet, "Do you kiss
your sons?" The Prophet replied, "Yes." The Bedouin said,
"We do not." The Prophet said to him, "What can I do for
you if Allah has removed mercy from your heart?" (Al-Bukhari).
·
Prophet Muhammad said, "The best penny a man spends is
that on his children, on his camel for the sake of Allah, and on his
friends for the sake of Allah."
·
Even in cases of divorce, fathers are asked to be fully
responsible for their children regarding food, clothing, schooling, and
health expenses according to the father's standard of life.
[Let the man of
means spend according to his means: and the men whose resources are
restricted, let him spend according to what Allah has given him. Allah
puts no burden on any person beyond what He has given him. After a
difficulty, Allah will soon grant relief.} (At-Talaq 65:7)
·
Umar in a Sunni tradition summed up some of the
rights of children in the following anecdote:
One day a man came to Umar ibn al-Khattab to complain of a
disobedient son. So Umar had brought the boy to him and he blamed him for
his disobedience. Then the boy addressed Umar by saying "O Commander
of the faithful: Are there no rights for a boy against his father?” Umar
said "Yes". Then the boy said "What are these rights O
Commander of the Faithful?" Umar said, "To choose a good mother
for him, to select a good name to him and to teach him the Quran" Then
the boy said: "O Commander of the faithful; my father has not
accomplished any of these rights. As for my mother, she was a black slave
for a Magian; As for my name, he has named me Jual (beetle); and he has
not taught me even one letter from the Quran". Then Umar turned
round to the man and said "You came to me complaining disobedience
on the part of your son, whereas you have not given him his rights. So
you have made mistakes against him before he has made mistakes against
you". Abd-Allah Nasih Ulwan, Child Education in Islam.
Conclusion:
Children are
a trust given to the parents. Parents have responsibilities towards their
children, and they stand accountable for these responsibilities. Children are a blessing from Allah and to thank
Allah for such a blessing, parents should fulfill the duties Allah
prescribed on them towards their children. If parents fulfill this
responsibility, they will be free of the consequences on the Day of
Judgment. The children will become better citizens and a pleasure to the
eyes of their parents, first in this world and lastly in Jannat.
Foot Notes:
Islam and Children
by Wikipedia
Rights of Children and
Parents in Islam by Hoda Yasser.
The Rights of Children in Islam
BY Sheikh-Al-Uthaymeen
Child Rights in Islam by
S.M.Manazid
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