Unlike an animal...

Unlike an animal, a human being needs to pay attention to both the physical and the spiritual. For example, a cat may steal food to survive, but a human should not steal because it is detrimental to his or her spirit. The parents must be there to foster the children properly. Imam Ali ibn Husayn as-Sajjad (may peace be upon him and his family) said that the duty of the father towards the child is to know that he is part of me . (Jalali, page 426).

So a father cannot say that here is my son or daughter, and he or she is not my problem. If the child does good or bad, it reflects on the parents. There are five pillars for raising children that parents should know. Firstly, one should know that the child is a part of himself or herself (you cannot disassociate). Secondly, the parent is the responsible party (you are the adult and even if you are uneducated, you must allow for the education of the child).

Thirdly, the parent must teach the child good manners. Fourthly, the parent must teach the child about faith ( iman ) and beliefs. Fifthly, the parent must teach the child how to worship ( shari’ah ). (may peace be upon him and his family) said that every child is born a Muslim . (Jalali, page 426). That means that if a person is not a Muslim, then at one point he or she changed based on influence (or lack of influence) of the parents or society.

Accordingly, the parent needs to teach their children appropriately (keeping the five pillars in mind) to raise a healthy child (both physically and spiritually). This way, the child may remain a Muslim, Insha’Allah (if God wills). However, parents should teach their children from a young age. They cannot wait too long. Previous…