Imam Luqman Ahmad Mosque Without Borders

A surprising number of young Muslim children are virtually blindsided by the early onset of moral confusion and spiritual dysfunction.  While they are still in a state of fitra (natural submission to Allah), they find themselves under attack from an enemy that they cannot see, and who they are woefully unprepared to deal with. That enemy is no other than Iblis himself. In an ideal world, Shaitaan would wait, and leave our children alone until they had the opportunity to grow up a little, learn about their faith, and about consequences. However, Shaitaan doesn’t play fair. In fact; he’s not playing at all. He’s dead serious about the souls of our offspring. Our children are forced to take sides on issues of sexuality, boy girl relationships, political correctness, family values, and religious freedom (or lack thereof) years before they even approach adolescence.

There is no excuse for a Muslim parent, after having children and Allah placing them under your care and authority, to not teach them their religion, or to raise them in any faith or creed other than Islam. Making sure that your children learn their Islam early is one of the most valuable investments you will ever make on their behalf, and one that you will be glad that you made. It is also one of the things that you will regret later on if you fail to do it. You have to make certain that your children have a sure moral footing and that they know who they are early in life, because unbeknownst to them, they are being attacked from many sides.

The Shaitaan is coming after our children at a younger age these days; they are exposed to alternative lifestyles and homosexuality in the first and second grade, and children are given condoms in school as early as the fourth grade. Children are taught about name calling, backbiting, stealing and disobeying their parents, by the time they are 5 and 6 years old. They are introduced to Greek mythology, other gods, and witches and warlocks as super heroes as early as 3 and 4 years old. In some schools, children are performing sexual acts with each other in elementary school grades, and they are taught to be gender neutral while they play in their sandboxes. Therefore, do not think for a moment that Iblis does not have your children in his sights.

Children are exposed to adult material and start thinking that they are grown at a much earlier age than they did in the past, the key is to infuse them with the correct ideology and ways of thinking and acting before their thinking is corrupted by the public school system, cable television, and modern societal trends. All of these avenues have been heavily infiltrated by the Shaitaan, and he uses each one of them to advance his program.

Don’t wait to teach your children about Islam because while you are waiting, Iblis is already teaching them and calling to them. You should begin to prepare a defense for your children from the time of conception by making the du’aa of the Prophet (SAWS) before intercourse; Allahumma jannab’naa as-Shaitaan wa jannaba Shaitaan maa razaq’tanaa (Oh Allah sidetrack us from the devil and sidetrack the devil from what you bestow upon us (children))   You should then pray over them while they are still in the womb, call the athaan in their ear when they are born, and start teaching them about Allah as soon as they start to make baby sounds. They should have an idea about how to make salat (by watching you), when they are still in diapers, and they should know how to return the salaams soon after they are able to make a complete sentence.  By the time they can eat on their own, children should know how to say Bismillah before they eat, and they should know about istin’jaa by the time they are potty trained.

Your children should be familiar with the inside of a Masjid, and have stood in the congregational prayer line by the age of four. They should know about the Shaitaan (Satan) and that he is their enemy by the age of four or five. Don’t think that your children are too young for this; by this time, he has already appeared to them in cartoons, toys and people. Your daughters should have already worn a hijab by the age of 7 or 8, and should be wearing it full-time by the time they reach puberty.  They should know that they are Muslim by the time they enter pre-school. Instruct them to pray when they are 7 and spank them over prayer when they are 10. Teach them about wudu (ablution) when they first learn how to wash themselves, and teach them about itisgh’faar (asking for forgiveness), long before they approach puberty. At least they will be somewhat prepared for life as we know it these days.

It is true that the deeds of children are not recorded on their scale until they reach puberty. However, that does not mean that Shaitaan will not work to ensure that by the time they reach puberty, that have already started on the path to following him, or that he won’t wreak havoc in their upbringing before the angels even start to write down their deeds. Just because the angels aren’t writing doesn’t mean that the Shaitaan isn’t working.This is all the more reason why Muslim parents must be proactive in waging war against the devil.

I have found that if you insist on parenting, and being an adult, the child will capitulate to being a child. The television, the media, and the new world order mindset tells them that they are grown people; at par with their parents, but their fitra tells them that they aren’t. It’s up to the parent to not give in to the new age crap philosophy and stick to the tradition that the parent is different from the child.

May Allah reward all of the hardworking and dutiful parents, and those who truly care about the well-being of our precious children, and the sacred trust that we have with regards to them. Raising children is not just a one day, or a weekend affair; it is a lifetime effort. You only get one opportunity to do it. So you might as well give it your best shot. Whether you are heavily equipped or lightly equipped, rich or poor educated or not educated; just do it.   There is no perfect way to raise children and there is no guarantee that your kids will be super upstanding Muslims. However, it is important that we as parents make a sincere and sustained effort to teach them who they are, why they are here, and what is expected of them; especially in light of modern trends and the approach of the Dajjaal.

Imam Abu Maryam Luqman Ahmad 

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