A CHILD IS A DEPOST IN THE HANDS OF ITS PARENTS

Our Prophet stated: “Teach Islam to one another! If you give up Amr-i ma’ruf, Allâhu ta’âlâ will send the worst among you upon you and He will not accept your prayers.” And he stated: “The reward that is given to all worships when compared with the reward given for the ghazâ (war in the way of Allah) will be as much as a drop of water compared to an ocean; and the reward given for ghazâ, versus the reward given for Amr-i-ma’rûf and Nahy-i-munkar, is like a drop of water versus an ocean.” It is for this reason that Ibni ’Âbidîn says at the end of the fifth volume: “The thawâb for a Fiqh savant’s helping Muslims is more than the thawâb for jihâd.”

In short, a child is a deposit in the hands of its parents. The child’s pure heart is like a precious gem. Like wax, a child can take any shape. When small, it has not taken any shape. It is like pure soil. You will reap what you sow in pure soil. If children are taught the tenets of îmân, the Qur’ân and the commandments of Allâhu ta’âlâ and accustomed to doing them, they will attain religious and worldly happiness. Their parents and teachers will share this happiness of theirs. If they are not taught and trained, they will become unhappy. The sin of each evil they will commit will be given to their parents and teachers, too. Allâhu ta’âlâ declares in the sixth âyat of Sûrat-ut-Tahrîm: “Protect yourselves and those in your homes and under your command from the fire!” It is more important for a father to protect his children against the fire of Hell than against worldly fire. And to protect them against the fire of Hell is to teach them îmân, the fards and the harâms, to accustom them to worshipping, and to protect them against irreligious and immoral friends. The source of all kinds of immoral deeds is an evil friend.