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Friday Talks |
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Friday Talks |
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104 |
Rights of Children in Islam 1
Written by Sk. Dr. Younis Saleh
Translated by: Dr. Faheem Bukhatwa
21 Muharram 1431
08 / January/2010
In line with the aggression that is taking place upon our brothers and their children in Palestine today, Today’s talk is about the rights of children in international law and in Islamic laws.
Children’s rights in Islam have a lot of advantages over the children’s rights under international and other man made laws. Those advantages need to be made known to us and to others; and need to be included into our educational and cultural programs. This is in order to practically enact them into our life in an Islamic and logical manner. Also so we can defend our religion against the distortion carried out at local and international levels to our forgiving and honourable Islamic laws. Islamic laws are known to be just and balanced in a world that lacks just and balance standards. The rights defined in man-made laws have come as a result of unfair social situations or because of problems from which society suffers from attempts to cure and control those problems. This is done through studies, legislations and laws that are prone to error and correctness, editing and replacements. While the children’s rights in Islam were laid out by God of all people; who does not forget and does not make mistakes; the creator the Most knowledgeable of what is good for humanity. He created humans and perfected this creation. That is why Islamic laws are beyond the limits of time, place, beyond attempts and beyond errors. It comes with absolute justice.
Allah grants children; boys and girls; He is the one who grants life. Respecting those differences and those rights is a legal obligation according to Islamic laws (Shariaa); and not to be transgressed against at any time or place and under no condition. The population conferences held recently attempted to allow abortion; is in itself a proof that continuity of legislations is better for protecting children’s rights.
Islamic legislations grants children’s rights that current human laws fail to grant. For example, the right of a child to choose a mother who has good morals; and the child’s right for a good name, and it’s right to be born; and it’s right to be breast fed, and its right for a kind basic clean environment; and its right for a faithful upbringing and it’s right to be protected from hell-fire; and from Satan and to be guarded from the homosexuals and the immoral individuals.
The children’s rights in Islam are a complete and absolute which takes care of the generalities and the basic rights; but it also allowed pursuing the mechanisms and details which can be affected by social, economic, educational or political circumstances developments or changes.
1) The child’s right to life:
Quran warns against killing and against termination of life of children for any reason Allah says: (Do not kill your children in fear of poverty; we shall provide for them and for you. Killing them is a tremendous mistake or sin) 17:31 (They have lost; those who killed their children in craziness without knowledge) 6:139 (whosoever kills a human being for other than murder or corruption in the earth, it shall be as if he had killed all mankind, and whoso saves the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind) 5:32. Islam is very strict with those killers of children and promised them the everlasting life in hellfire.
2) Rights of equality with other children
Islam made all people equal; and it is Allah who grants the boys or the girls. Allah says: {He grants to whom He pleases females and grants to whom he pleases males, or pairs them males and females; and He makes whom He wishes infertile} 42:49.
It is from here that man must not interfere in the selection of the sex of the newly born. Otherwise; a major imbalance can happen. This is what is happening in China when they decided to limit the number of children to one per family. Parents started aborting pregnancies with females and selected the male child. Things have changed to the worst since they have become able to establish the sex of the unborn.
Islam denounces discriminating between boys and girls; and commands to be just in their treatment. In fact girls have been given a preference when Allah made them to be a protection from hell fire to their parents if they were well brought up. The messenger ppbu said: {whoever has three daughters and he was patient with them, and fed them and clothed them out of his resources then to him; they shall be a barrier from fire}. The messenger ppbu also said: {whoever takes care of two girls until they mature, then he and I shall be on the day of resurrection like those two} and he tucked away his fingers. This is the greatest advice regarding the better treatment of girls. The reward is to be a close companion of the messenger ppbu on the day of resurrection just for the better treatment of the daughters. Whenever the messenger ppbu saw his daughter Fatima-Zahraa (may God be pleased with her) approaching; he used to get up and offer her his place to be seated; and used to take her hand and kiss it.
Allah shamed the pre-Islamic life of killing the daughters. Allah says: {when one is giving the news of a female baby; his face turns dark and anguished; making himself unseen because of how bad the news was given. Will he hold on to it humiliation; or shall he burry it into the earth. How bad their judgment can be!}16:58-59.
One wife disliked this behaviour of men who unrightfully take it on their wives if they give birth to a baby girl instead of a boy; not knowing that is of no fault of their own. She stated that we women only give birth to what is deposited within us.
3) The right of a child to education
The right to education is one of the main rights with all Muslims. This right starts at childhood. Allah says: {You who have faith protect yourselves and your families from a fire with is fuelled with people and rocks}. Imam Ali interpreted this as: tech them; educate them and teach them how to behave.
Ebn-Quaiem in his book said: Many children turn out bad because their fathers ignored them and did not teach them the necessities of their religion (obligations and recommendations). They lose them when they are young and therefor they do not benefit themselves or their parents at old age. And many a parent deny his son the goodness of this life and the goodness of the life after and exposed him to the demise of this life and next. All this is a consequence of the carelessness of the parents in the rights granted by Allah towards their children and not educating them.
Talk on this subject will continue.
Notes:
The inhabitants of the city of Al-Medina that received and supported the messenger (PPBU) when he immigrated from Mekkah in the very early years of Islam.
Adhan - The call to prayer.
Ansar (or Al-Ansar):
Assalam Alaikum - The Islamic greeting, literately means: Peace be with you. Used when approaching or leaving. When used during approaching it will be like saying: I bring no harm to you . and when said during leaving somebody it will mean: No harm will come to you after I leave.
is a verse of the Koran. It also means a miracle or a sign from God. Aya (or Ayah):
is a mountain outside the city of Mecca that represents the climax of the Hajj worship. All doing Hajj must stay at this location on the same day. Arafa (or Arafah or Arafat):
Badr - The place of the first significant battle between the Muslims and the pagans of the Quraish. It is located in Saudi Arabia.
Caliph - A Muslim ruler. See: (Khalifa)
Dajjal - Antichrist or the False Massiah.
Dawah - The proliferation of Islamic teachings through word and deed.
Deen (Din) - Religion or way of life.
talking to Allah; praising him and asking him for help. Duaa: a prayer in the form of
Fatwa - Legal verdict given based on the Qur'an (Koran) and the Sunnah which are the recorded sayings and deeds of Muhammad.
Ferdose: is the highest level of the all the gardens of Eden or paradise.
Fiqh - Religious law.
Hadeeth: is something reported that the messenger have said. It includes all the speeches and ceremonies he gave. It is usually narrated or told by one of his companions. There is a list of hadeeths approximately 14000 that are reported and checked to be genuine. No more hadeeths are acceptably added to this list.
Hajar - The Black Stone set into the corner of the Ka'aba in Mecca. It is said to be a stone from Heaven.
Hajj - The pilgrimage to Mecca which takes place in the last month of the Islamic calendar. One of the five pillars of Islam.
Hasana or hasanas: is the reward for a good deed. a hasana is a point or a merit for a good deed.
Hadith - The sayings and not deeds of the prophet Muhammad recorded by his followers. Considered authoritative and perfect.
Hajj: is the worship of pilgrimage.
Hijra (or Hejrah): the event of the immigration of the messenger from Mekkah to Madina. This event marks the start of the Islamic calendar. the Islamic calendar has 12 months based on the lunar cycle, each is 29.5 days. Hijra is also used as a name for the Islamic dating system.
Ibadah - Worship. All the words and deeds with which Allah is pleased. These deeds could be prayer and charity.
Iblis - (Ibleese): On of Satan's names.
Ibn (Ebn): the son of. Used by Arabs as part of an individual's name. Example: Ali whose father is Omar or the son of Omar, would be called: Ali Ibn Omar.
Imam (or Emam)- The leader for a prayer. In the Shiaa sect, an Imam is the individual who has the religious authority.
Iman: belief or faith
Injil (Enjeel) - The Bible. The book inspired to Jesus for the Christians.
Islam - Submission, the religion of all the prophets of Allah culminating in Muhammad.
Jannah - The heavenly garden, Paradise. The place of the faithful in the afterlife.
Jihad: is striving in the line of Allah in many forms. Includes a very wide scope varying from improving oneself to fighting a defensive war in protection of Allah's word. The greatest Jihad is the fight one's self against temptations. It also means "holy war."
Jinn - Supernatural, invisible beings race of beings, below angels. They were made from fire. Like humans, there amongst them are the faithful and the non beleivers and Jinn shall be judged on Judgment Day.
Ka'aba: A cube shaped building in Mecca containing a stone laid there by Abraham and Ishmael. Some say Ka'aba was first built by Adam, and some say by Abraham. It is the holiest place for Muslims. It is where all Muslims face in their daily prayers. Ka'aba also makes a major part of the pilgrimage in a ritual known as Tawaf.
Khalifa: is the Muslim ruler. Head of the Islamic empire. Exact translation: "Successor".
Khutbah - A sermon given in a Mosque, usually on Friday.
Kufr - Denial or Disbelief. A term Muslims use for anyone who denies existence of Allah or the prophecy of Muhammed.
Koran - Also spelled Qur'an. The holy book of Islam revealed to Muhammad by Allah through the Archangel Gabriel. Koran literally means "the recital." It is the final revelation of Allah given to the prophet Muhammad. It consists of 114 surahs (or chapters.)
Madinah - (Medinah): A city in the Arabian peninsula (in the country known now as Saudi Arabia). A city where the messenger had to immigrate to. Then it was called Yathrib.
Masjid - A center for Muslim activity. It is referred to as a mosque.
Masiah - A sin, or a sinful act
Mecca or Makkah: is the holiest city for Muslims. It contains the Ka'aba mosque with the famous black cubical shape. Mecca is the birth place of the messenger (PPBU).
Mosque - A Muslim house of worship.
Muhajir - (Muhajireen) Immigrant, one who leaves his home town due to lack of religious freedom. It was first used to describe early Muslims immigrating from Mecca to Median and Ethiopia.
Muhammad - the final messenger and prophet of God whose message abrogated all previous revelations. He received the Koran through the angel Gabriel over a 23 year period. Born in Mecca and died in Medina at the age of 63. His full name: Muhammad ibn Abd-Allah
Muslim - One who holds faith to the religion of Islam.
Nafilah: a voluntary prayer other than the five obligatory prayers; performed at any time.
Nasara - Christians. Nasrani: A Christian individual. Nasraniah: Christianity.
Ommah: is the Arabic word for a nation. It usually refers to the Islamic nation unless otherwise specified.
Paradise - Another word for heaven. A garden of bliss, fruits, rivers and all forms of pleasures imaginable and imaginable. No suffering, disease or death. Service is provided by angels. All live in it an ever lasting youthful life. Promised by Almighty Allah to all faithful, true Jews, true Christians and True Muslims. Paradise is one of two places every person will go to, either Paradise or Hellfire.
PPBU (P.B.U.H.) : Peace and Prayers Be Upon him. A statement Muslims use any time they mention the name of the messenger or make a reference to him.
Qadar - Fate. Preordainment is the teaching that all things, good and bad, are preordained to occur.
Qadr - (night of Qadr): The night when the first revelation of the Koran took place. Most likely it happened during one of the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan. Or when the Koran was brought down to the nearest heaven in one go, and from there it was brought down in bits and few verses at a time over a period of 23 years. This night is considered the holiest night for Muslims with tremendous advantages.
Qibla - The direction which Muslims turn for daily prayers, towards Mecca.
Quraish - An ancient Arab tribe to which the messenger Muhammad belonged.
Ramadan - The ninth month of the Islamic calendar which is the month of the fast. The holiest month in the Muslim colander.
Salat - Prayers. Generally it covers all forms of worship, but more specifically refers to the Muslim rituals which is performed to worship Allah five times daily.
Shiaa: A sect of Islam that teaches that a religion leader (Imam) should be the political ruler and must be direct descendants of the messenger (PPBU). Therefore, disapproving of all Muslim leaders who ruled After the messenger (PPBU) except Ali, the messenger's grandson.
Shirk - Associating another god with Allah. Or associating anyone or anything with Allah. Or using anyone or anything as a medium to Allah. The opposite of Monotheism or Tawheed.
Siam or Soam- Fasting
Sunni: is a the title of those Muslims who are suppose to be following the life style of the messenger. This differentiates them from the Shiaa of Iran.
Sunna (Sunnah): Is how the Messenger PPBU lived, what he did or said. It includes the way he dressed, ate, drank, prayed, interacted with other people and fought. Basically, sunnah is the life style of the messenger PPBU. It is considered the second source of legislation in Islamic laws and it is considered to be an important reference to be used for concluding arguments and disputes. It is also a title give to the main stream Muslims who make 90% if all Muslims.
Surah - A chapter of the Koran.
Tawaf: part of the pilgrimage (Hajj) ritual. It involves walking round the Ka'aba Mosque in anti-clock wise direction a number of seven circles.
Tauhid - Tawheed - Monotheism, in Islam is the teaching that there is only one God who alone is worthy of worship. The first requirement of becoming a Muslim. It is included in the testimony of faith for new Muslims when declaring that God is one: (No God but Allah)
Taqwah - Proper fear and veneration of Allah. A divine spark that enables the person to understand God.
Taurat: The old Testaments and scriptures of Mosa.
Ummah - the word means: a Nation. Usually refers to the Islamic nation unless otherwise stated.
Umrah - (Amrah): A mini hajj. A Minor form of pilgrimage to Mecca. Unlike Hajj which can only be done on the 12th month of the Islamic year, Umrah can be performed at any time.
Wathoo (wadoo): a washing up ritual done by Muslims before each of the five daily prayers known as ablution.
Zaboor - The Psalms
Zakat - The third pillar of Islam. Alms giving, charity that is given to the poor.
Faheem Bukhatwa, my email
address is : faheemfb@gmail.com
