Ihyaaud Deen An Effort to Revive Deen in Totality
In the development of the moral structure of a child, the most important aspect for parents to keep in mind is that the success or failure of the child depends on the morals and values that are instilled within him. In other words, the morals and values in the life of the child are so vital that they are regarded as the ‘moral compass’ of the child to direct him to the path of right or wrong.
If the child is exposed to good morals and values, then his aim in life will be positive and he will endeavour to lead a life conforming to the pleasure of Allah Ta‘ala. He will always look up to those personalities who led pure lives and who were role models to earn true success in deen, such as the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) and the pious of the ummah.
On the contrary, if the child is exposed to wrong morals and values, then his aim and goal in life will be negative and he will endeavour to emulate those personalities whose lives exhibit wrong values and morals. He will aspire to be like the film stars and sport icons so that he can acquire worldly fame and fortune.
The Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) were greatly concerned about creating the correct mindset and outlook of deen within themselves and their children – such an outlook that will motivate them towards upholding deen and carrying out actions which will earn the pleasure of Allah Ta‘ala.
Generally, when worldly-orientated people sit together, the discussion revolves around material acquisition or improving one’s lifestyle, as this is their main focus and concern in life. However, when the pious servants of Allah Ta‘ala are seated together, then since the main focus and concern of their lives is deeni upliftment and deeni progress, the topic of discussion among them revolves around deen.
The outcome of sitting with this class of servants and keeping their company is that when there is a clash between worldly and deeni interests, where one is faced with a situation of acquiring money or some worldly benefit at the expense of sacrificing one’s deen and relationship with Allah Ta‘ala, then one will give preference to his love and relationship with Allah Ta‘ala over the material of this world.
Hence, it is imperative and essential for parents to conduct daily ta’leem at home with the entire family so that the correct deeni mindset can be created within the child. Through the child hearing the incidents of the Sahaabah, the child will begin to understand Islam and love Islam. They will be happy to be Muslims, and wherever they go, they will not feel shy to practice Islam or invite others towards Islam.
The Positive Effect of Conducting Ta’leem in the Home – In the Words of Moulana Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi (rahimahullah)
Moulana Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi (rahimahullah) mentions:
“In our childhood, our education (myself and my siblings, etc.) had been entrusted to my uncle, Sayyid Azeez-ur-Rahmaan. Although he was teaching us and seeing to our lessons, every night, after attending to all her responsibilities, my mother would still sit with us and see to it that she personally taught us as well.
“In this time, she would make us memorize the small Surahs of the Quraan Majeed and the various du‘aas that are narrated in the ahaadeeth of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam). It was due to her effort that even today, we still remember those du‘aas. My mother did not only make us memorize the du‘aas. Rather, she would also teach us the virtue and reward for reciting each du‘aa.
“She would tell us stories from the blessed life of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) with such feeling and emotion that our hearts would immediately become affected. She would also relate to us stories and incidents from the lives of the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) and the pious predecessors. It was from my mother that I first heard the well-known story of Shaikh ‘Abdul Qaadir Jeelaani (rahimahullah) and his honesty. Similarly, there were countless other stories that we heard from her as well during the ta’leem.” (Zikr-e-Khair pg. 98)
After the father of Moulana Abul Hasan (rahimahullah) passed away, his family underwent a period of poverty and hardship. Moulana (rahimahullah) mentions the following in regard to this period:
“In those days, we had an excellent practice in the home. Whenever a calamity occurred or there was a cause for some grief and concern, ‘Samsaamul Islam’ would be recited. This was an Urdu translation of ‘Futoohush-Shaam’ (The Conquests of Syria) which was written by the famous historian, Imaam Waqidi (rahimahullah)…
“When reading his words, one feels his heart beginning to pound and his pulse beginning to race. When he writes of martyrdom, he does it so attractively that your own heart yearns to be martyred in the path of Allah Ta‘ala. When reading of the pain and sacrifice of the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum), we would all immediately forget our own grief and sorrow.
“Reading this book was one of the means which we adopted to bring about an environment and atmosphere of consolation, patience and submission in the home. Within a few days of reading this book, we would find that our hearts were content.” (Zikr-e-Khair pg. 46)
