Mother Missionary Duties Towards her Children
The first and most important Moslem mother’s
duty at her house relates to her children who must be grown up as genuine
Moslems who fully are proud that they adopt Islam, follow its teachings,
materialize its ethics and morals in all their acts, sayings, deeds,
transactions among themselves or with others at home, mosque, school or any
other place.
This duty largely depends on the mother
herself far more than the father, because it is the mother who educates her
children since their very early age. So, she contributes far more to formation
of their ethics and morals, tendencies, attitudes than any other person or
organization as a result of being always available to their children while the
father is usually busy most of the time in his work, and as a result he is
always absent from home for prolonged periods.
What a mother should do with her children so
that they fully comply with the Islamic teachings, ethics and morals, which
will positively reflect on them and on the society as a whole, both in this
world and in the Thereafter? There are very important things that a mother
should take into consideration and act according to them in order to ensure
that her children will be well educated as real Moslems. In this context, she
should:
Make of herself an example for her children.
So, she must materialize all the noble Moslem values, attributes, ethics,
morals, habits, customs and practices that she wishes that her children have in
all aspects of their life, in both the content and the form. She must always
remember that the more she complies with the Islamic teachings, ethics and
morals, the more her children do the same, and the more she feels and shows her
pride of being Moslem the more her children are so proud.
In the meantime, to be the example for her
children necessitates that should give up any values, attributes, ethics,
morals, habits, customs, practices and all other acts that she does not like to
see in her children.
Make sure that as soon as her children may
understand what they hear, she should carefully select the stories she tell
them for entertaining and amusing them so that such stories should involve good
values in order to inculcate in them the best ethics and morals.
The best stories to be used in this respect
are the stories provided in the holy Koran, which Allah describes as the best
stories: “We do relate thee the most beautiful of stories in that We reveal to
thee this Koran” (Surah Yousuf, 3).
Make sure, particularly when their children
further grow up and become more aware, that he should tell them about the
mosque and its impact on the society, and to prepare them for accompanying
their father or older brother to the mosque as soon as they become able to do
so, that is when they know the ablution and purity and how to perform the
prayers, etc. the Mosque is an integral part of the character of any Moslem and
an essential factor in educating him.
Make sure that she had at her house an
Islamic library appropriating the age of her children. She should carefully
choose the collection of such library so as to meet her children’s needs in
both education and entertainment.
Children who have not yet learnt how to read
should not be ignored. Mother may provide them with the education and
entertainment involved in the books by having them listen to audio tapes and
watch video tapes on which useful material are recorded.
Regulate her children sleeping timings so
that they do not stay up late in the night, particularly watching TV movies and
plays and the like that destruct the good values in the children and youth,
challenge the Islam and might encourage the vices and only show bad social
practices.
Make sure that her children should not look
at any thing that call forth the wrath of Allah or contravene any of the Islam
teachings, such as statutes and the like, a dog kept inside the house or kinds
of pictures that Islam prohibits. Over time, looking at these things at home
leads to that children become accustomed to tolerate in the issues of their
religion.
Verify the sources of culture and education
of her children to be sure that they are pure and free of falsifications,
trifles and fallacies, and make of the holy Koran , Sunnah and the life of the
Prophet the basic sources of their education and culture, in addition to
selected simplified books appropriating her children in explaining such sources
to them.
Provide her children with the right answers
to every question they ask, particularly in certain stages of their age when
they look around them, try to establish relations among the things they see
and inquire about what happens to them
especially in respect the developments they see on their body and the growth of
some its parts.
Carefully select the friends of her daughters
according to the Islamic criteria and standards, follow up such friendships
giving them due care and attention at all times, and monitor them to satisfy
herself that they are always on their normal and legal course without any
deviation.
Allocate certain time during certain weekday
to her children to sit to them provided that she then must be fully dedicated
to them and should not be busy with any other people or things. She should also
observe that her relation with her children is based on tenderness and respect,
share with them their problems, troubles, feelings and concerns, otherwise
complications, bigger problems and even serious crises may happen and develop
if such problems, troubles, feelings and concerns left unattended.
