Muslim Amsterdam

Make Your Children Love Salah A long time ago, there lived a wise man. His name was Luqman 'alayhi'l-salām (peace be upon him). One day he told his son: “O my son, establish prayer…”  [Qur’an: Chapter 31, Verse 17] How many times do you remember your parents saying the same? Salah is the second pillar of Islam. It is an obligatory act for all Muslims and unlike the other four pillars, there is no exemption from it. Why do you think that is the case? Salah is the wire that connects us to Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He). All the previous advice of Luqman 'alayhi'l-salām (peace be upon him) was centered around teaching his son how to build the connection. Salah is the act of switching on the button for the current to flow once the wires are all in place. So what happens once the connections are in place and the flow of energy ebbs through the wires? It forms a wall around the believer that stops him/her from committing any bad de...

The best gift to a child by his parents is his proper upbringing. But it can be confusing and daunting with so many theories of good parenting practice to follow. No wonder most parents find it hard to raise productive and pious children! To make it easy for parents, I have narrowed down the Islamic parenting to five essential principles. If we take action on these five principles, then it will help guide us and make us productive parents raising productive children. Children are an amanah for us as Muslims, a responsibility as much as they are a gift. It is our job to make sure they become hard-working, productive and most importantly, God-fearing individuals who will be an asset to the Ummah. The Prophet Muhammad ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said, “When a man dies, his action discontinues from him except three things, namely, perpetual sadaqah (charity), or the knowledge by which benefit is acquired, or a pious child who prays fo...

Being a good parent is no easy task. From the moment of birth onwards you are entirely responsible for the physical, mental and emotional well-being and upbringing of another human being. As Muslim parents, this responsibility is even greater because your biggest duty is to ensure that you inculcate a solid understanding and practice of Islam into the next generation. The importance of this is illustrated in the story of Prophet Ya’qub (peace be upon him) who even upon his deathbed was solely concerned with how his sons would worship after his passing: “And Ibrahim instructed his sons [to do the same] and [so did] Ya’qub, [saying], “O my sons, indeed Allah has chosen for you this religion, so do not die except while you are Muslims”. (Quran, 2:132) To preserve Islam in our children, there are five guiding factors that as parents we should follow: #1 Make Du’a A parent’s du’a for his or her child is one that is never left unanswered. It is the most powerful means by which y...

Muslim Parenting Lessons from Surah Luqman - Prerequisites of Being a Wonderful Parent We all want to raise our children to grow up into adults whose center is Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He), to love and fear Him, find peace in salah, look for their answers in the Qur’an, try to live their life according to the Sunnah of the Messenger ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him), be patient during trying times and not lie or cheat, and the list goes on. There are so many attributes we want our children to have when they grow up. But what are the most important attributes that we must try our best to inculcate in our children? As I studied the ayahs in Quran, Surah Luqman, I realized how wise Luqman’s 'alayhi'l-salām (peace be upon him) advice was to his son. He did not give a long list of dos and don’ts like I would have done! If we try our best to work on the advice that Luqman 'alayhi'l-salām (peace ...

Muslim Parenting Opening In the Name of Allah, Ar-Rahmaan, Ar-Rah-Heem. We pray that you are all in the best of health and eemaan. Muslim Parent Forum strives to help Muslim parents engage with their children, in a dedicated, yet friendly manner. We hope to provide important awareness about school education and to be an essential resource for home-school educators. As parents we are faced with many challenges and dilemmas whilst raising our children. At times those dilemmas may conflict or even contradict our religious beliefs but the question remains.. how do we hold on to our Islamic principles and still have a strong identity, especially when our children are not happy to follow us because they feel isolated and different to everyone else? Do we compromise or be dictatorial? It is no doubt that the western culture has had a huge impact on muslim family life and relationships rocking the very foundation of what should be a solid pillar and it continues to impact our lives...