7-Parents as Role Models

7-Parents as Role Models
All praise is to Allah with full gratitude for His blessings and bounties. We are thankful to you, O Allah for the gift of children. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that our master Muhammed ,the servant and messenger of Allah, is the noblest of all mankind, the perfect role model. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, his family, his companions, and all those who follow them till the Day of Judgment.

O believers,
I urge myself first and all of you, servants of Allah, to fear Allah, keep your duty to Him, and obey Him as the Exalted says in the Holy Quran:”And fear Allah, and know that Allah is with the pious.”(2:194).

O Muslims,
Allah, the Exalted, showered us with the blessing of having children, and made them our happiness in this life as Allah says:”Wealth and children are the adornment of the life of this world.”(15:46).

Children are the gift of Allah, the Exalted, and a trust to parents. The responsibility of educating them well and caring for them is placed upon the parents. If we instill in them good ethics and Islamic values, they will be the driving force for a purposeful life and for their contribution to the betterment of their communities and nations.

Conversely, good parenting You will be rewarded for good parenting when you need your children’s good treatment and care in health or in illness, when you are young or old, and their supplication after passing away as Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:” When a man dies, his good deeds come to an end except for three: an ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge or a righteous child who will pray for him.”

 Indeed, a continuous charity is an investment for afterlife, beneficial knowledge is the charity (sadaqa) of Islamic scholars only, as for a righteous child it a successful investment that all mothers and fathers can achieve. Think deeply about the importance of a righteous child which is emphasized in the previous Hadith, the best investment in this world is to have a righteous child who strengthen kinship and supplicate Allah for the sake of his parents. May Allah accept the supplications of all children.

O servants of Allah,
The most important factors that we must instill in our children is the adherence to the Divine Book, the love of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and following his righteous life and behavior, and the true and proper meanings of Islam. It is a religion which calls for moderation, abhors division and disputes, and denounces sectarianism and fanatism. Islam spreads Good throughout the world and respects the rights of all creatures. It is important to note, dear parents, that you are role models for your children.

Your behavior will influence your children’s attitudes. Let us  be models for good and righteousness. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was very kind to children and loved them very much. It was narrated that Abd-Allah ibm Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: ”My mother called me one day when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was sitting in our house. She said ’Come here, and I will give you (something).’The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said;”What do you want to give him? She said’I will give him a date.’ The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “If you had not given him something, you would have been lying.”

Muslims understood the seriousness of the role models their children had. Amr ibm Utbah, may Allah have mercy on him, advised his son’s teacher:” Let the first correction you do to my son be the correction of yourself. Verily, their eyes are locked into yours. Good to them is what you do, even if it is bad. And bad to them is what you do not do, even if it is good.”

Children do not learn by being told, they learn by example. Parents, who show good conduct, become role models and their children will grow up having good values. If you want your children to abide by the Divine Saying:”And those who strictly guard their five congregational prayers (at their fixed times).”(23:9), make it a practice to perform congregational prayers (jamaa’a) with them and to pray together in the mosque.

Raising one’s children with the ability to face life’s challenges and problems and have a positive view on life entails that we, as parents, be optimistic and have a good outlook on life issues. Teach your children to reach to Allah through supplication, and to accept His destiny (qada’ wa qadar). In this life, your children will encounter calamities and joyful times, teach them that believers must endure and be patient in times of distress and be grateful (to Allah) in joy and happiness.

In order to instill nationalism (love for one’s homeland) in your children, you have to be the correct role model who contributes in the development and building of your country, protecting its valuable achievements, encouraging education, knowledge and earning the highest grades, especially in modern science so as to enhance their capabilities and their ability to cope with modern life.

Children must play efficient roles in developing and protecting their countries. All the great achievements were are enjoying nowadays are the legacy of our ancestors. We must, therefore, be eager to follow on their footsteps by enhancing this development and preserving prosperity for generations to come.

May Allah help us obey Him and those whom He has ordained us to obey.

O Allah, make us of the people of the Qur’an. O Allah make us amongst those who practice what they recite. O Allah make us of the followers of the hadith of the noble Prophet (peace be upon him).

Second Sermon
All praise be to Allah. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that our master Muhammad is the servant and messenger of Allah. May peace and blessings of Allah be upon our master Muhammad, his pure and noble family, his companions, and all those who follow them till the Day of Judgment.

O believers,
Good parenting requires that you protect your children from bad influence and unethical behavior that they may learn in the streets, the markets, their schools as well as the new media outlets. Such influence may prompt them to commit wrong doings or inflict harm on people’s properties, money, women or even themselves. We urge you, therefore, to establish good and kind communication with your children.

Your attempt to change their behavior must be done wisely. We also recommend that you know their friends as friendship is very influential in their life. Resolve their problems with leniency and kindness, and seek the help of experts in pertinent organizations. May Allah reward those who spend their times with their children raising and guiding them to the right way.