The child is the first brick in the building of society. If this brick is well-placed, the entire structure will be sound, no matter how tall or grand it becomes. The child is the core of the next generation; from this core, all other parts branch out. Just as a building requires engineering and balance, a core needs the right soil and conditions to thrive. A child's tendencies and capabilities must be balanced. He needs a wholesome environment to grow and for his talents to crystallize. The sources of his culture, the civilization he adopts, and his upbringing all must be purified.
A child is a world unto himself, containing all the traits of life in its various phases: turmoil and tranquility, happiness and misery, intelligence and idleness, purity and malice, superiority and backwardness, faith and atheism, war and peace. The balance between reason and passion—the basis of human happiness—must begin in childhood. This is the most crucial stage for learning a good way of life.
A child's ability to acquire knowledge, imitate others, and adopt behaviors is intense. He absorbs all his movements, speech, and actions with an accuracy comparable to a camera's lens. As his body grows, his soul must also progress toward superiority and completion. Just as his physical body is cared for, so too must his feelings and spirit be nurtured. He must be raised on cleanliness, politeness, honesty, sympathy, responsibility, and benevolence, among other virtues. It is extremely difficult to change the conduct of those who were not accustomed to proper education during childhood.
The happiest people are those raised with good education and manners from an early age. For this reason, parents play a vital role in securing their children's happiness; this is their profound responsibility.
Imam Ali (a.s.) , once said to his son al-Hassan (a.s.): "A child’s heart is like a fertile land; whatever is planted in it, it accepts. That is why I disciplined you before your heart could harden and your mind could become preoccupied." A child's heart is a blank page, holding neither right nor wrong ideas. Responsible parents must use this fact to adorn their children's hearts with virtuous traits and good manners.
A child's feelings and emotions emerge before his intellect. Therefore, one can guide his feelings before his mental capabilities fully develop. Around the world, children are sent to school after age four or five, when their mental talents begin to bloom. Yet, their feelings and senses become active long before. A child who cannot comprehend complex scientific matters can deeply perceive emotional cues. He responds to sharpness, tenderness, leniency, sympathy, compassion, respect, and negligence.
The development of feelings and senses is of significant importance in education. Parents are primarily responsible for this duty. Kindergartens can never replace the family and the mother in properly nurturing a child's hidden feelings and guiding him correctly.
In this respect, it is essential that parents care for their children's physical and spiritual nutrition. The parents' burden is heavy during the child's early years. Disregarding safe and healthy nutrition for both body and soul leads to uncontrollable consequences. A child's development is largely completed in his early years; thus, both his material and spiritual sides must be tended to.
A deficiency in either spiritual or physical nourishment has dangerous consequences. A small fault in upbringing can cause a major problem that influences the child for the rest of his life.
Therefore, Muslim parents must consider the religious responsibility they bear towards their children. They must remember that their children are a divine trust in their hands. Parents who fulfill this duty in raising their children properly deserve God's reward. Conversely, those who neglect this religious duty betray themselves, their children, and their society, and they deserve God's severe punishment.
Ultimately, a parent's role is not merely to amass great wealth to leave as an inheritance. If children are not raised well, wealth may only lead them to corruption and misery.
The child is the first brick in the building of society. If this brick is well-placed, the entire structure will be sound, no matter how tall or grand it becomes. The child is the core of the next generation; from this core, all other parts branch out. Just as a building requires engineering and balance, a core needs the right soil and conditions to thrive. A child's tendencies and capabilities must be balanced. He needs a wholesome environment to grow and for his talents to crystallize. The sources of his culture, the civilization he adopts, and his upbringing all must be purified.
A child is a world unto himself, containing all the traits of life in its various phases: turmoil and tranquility, happiness and misery, intelligence and idleness, purity and malice, superiority and backwardness, faith and atheism, war and peace. The balance between reason and passion—the basis of human happiness—must begin in childhood. This is the most crucial stage for learning a good way of life.
A child's ability to acquire knowledge, imitate others, and adopt behaviors is intense. He absorbs all his movements, speech, and actions with an accuracy comparable to a camera's lens. As his body grows, his soul must also progress toward superiority and completion. Just as his physical body is cared for, so too must his feelings and spirit be nurtured. He must be raised on cleanliness, politeness, honesty, sympathy, responsibility, and benevolence, among other virtues. It is extremely difficult to change the conduct of those who were not accustomed to proper education during childhood.
The happiest people are those raised with good education and manners from an early age. For this reason, parents play a vital role in securing their children's happiness; this is their profound responsibility.
Imam Ali (a.s.) , once said to his son al-Hassan (a.s.): "A child’s heart is like a fertile land; whatever is planted in it, it accepts. That is why I disciplined you before your heart could harden and your mind could become preoccupied." A child's heart is a blank page, holding neither right nor wrong ideas. Responsible parents must use this fact to adorn their children's hearts with virtuous traits and good manners.
A child's feelings and emotions emerge before his intellect. Therefore, one can guide his feelings before his mental capabilities fully develop. Around the world, children are sent to school after age four or five, when their mental talents begin to bloom. Yet, their feelings and senses become active long before. A child who cannot comprehend complex scientific matters can deeply perceive emotional cues. He responds to sharpness, tenderness, leniency, sympathy, compassion, respect, and negligence.
The development of feelings and senses is of significant importance in education. Parents are primarily responsible for this duty. Kindergartens can never replace the family and the mother in properly nurturing a child's hidden feelings and guiding him correctly.
In this respect, it is essential that parents care for their children's physical and spiritual nutrition. The parents' burden is heavy during the child's early years. Disregarding safe and healthy nutrition for both body and soul leads to uncontrollable consequences. A child's development is largely completed in his early years; thus, both his material and spiritual sides must be tended to.
A deficiency in either spiritual or physical nourishment has dangerous consequences. A small fault in upbringing can cause a major problem that influences the child for the rest of his life.
Therefore, Muslim parents must consider the religious responsibility they bear towards their children. They must remember that their children are a divine trust in their hands. Parents who fulfill this duty in raising their children properly deserve God's reward. Conversely, those who neglect this religious duty betray themselves, their children, and their society, and they deserve God's severe punishment.
Ultimately, a parent's role is not merely to amass great wealth to leave as an inheritance. If children are not raised well, wealth may only lead them to corruption and misery.