The Rights of Children in Islam

By Sheikh Al-Uthaymeen Let us first establish that children in accordance with the Islamic concept means both male and female. Some Islamic opponents accuse Islam of differentiating between male and female children claiming that Islam prefers boys over girls in terms of inheritance, 'Aqeeqa (slaughter of two lambs upon the birth of a male baby, and one lamb only for a baby girl and other matters. In accordance with the true Islamic teaching, both male and female are ali!e in the sight of Allah, the Almighty. "ach, however, is physically prepared and equipped to perform certain tas!s and duties that are suitable to his#her nature. All, again are equal in religious duties, e$cept for certain e$ceptions that are defined and illustrated by Allah, the Almighty, in the %lorious &uran, or declared and specified by Allah's Apostle, ()*+. ,nly these differences are to be ac!nowledged and honored and only in accordance with Islam and its teachings. -hildren, according to Islam, are entitled to various rights. .he first and foremost of these rights is the right to be properly brought up, raised and educated. .his means that children should be given suitable, sufficient, sound and adequate religious, ethical and moral guidance to last them for their entire lives. .hey should be engraved with true values, the meaning of right and wrong, true and false, correct and incorrect, appropriate and inappropriate and so forth and so on. Allah, the Almighty stated in the %lorious &ur'an/ "O ye who believe Save yo!rselves and yo!r families from a "ire whose f!el is #en and Stones$" (00/0 Allah's Apostle, ()*+ also said/ "%very one of yo! &'eo'le( is a she'herd$ And every one is res'onsible for whatever falls !nder his res'onsibility$ A man is like a she'herd of his own family) and he is res'onsible for them$" .his +adith is reported by both )u!hari and 1uslim. -hildren, therefore are a trust given to the parents. (arents will be responsible for this trust on the 2ay of 3udgement. (arents are essentially responsible for the moral, ethical and the basic and essential religious teachings of their children. If parents fulfill this responsibility, they will be free of the consequences on the 2ay of 3udgement. .he children will become better citi4ens and a pleasure to the eyes of their parents, first in this life, and in the hereafter. Allah, the Almighty stated in the %lorious &uran/ "And those who believe and whose families follow them in "aith) to them shall *e +oin their families, -or shall *e de'rive them &of the fr!it( of a!ght of their works, &.et( is ea/h individ!al in 'ledge for his deeds$" (56/67 1oreover, Allah's Apostle, ()*+ said/ "U'on death) man0s deeds will &definitely( sto' e1/e't for three deeds) namely, a /ontin!o!s /haritable f!nd) endowment or goodwill2 knowledge left for 'eo'le to benefit from2 and 'io!s righteo!s and 3od-fearing /hild who /ontin!o!sly 'rays Allah) the Almighty) for the so!l of his 'arents$" .his +adith is reported by 1uslim. In fact, such a statement reflects the value of the proper upbringing of children. It has an everlasting effect, even after death.

*nfortunately, many parents from every wal! of life, in every society, regardless of creed, origin, social and economical status, etc., have neglected this very important imposed right of their own children on them. Such individuals have indeed lost their children as a result of their own negligence. Such parents are so careless about the time their children spend with no benefit, the friends they associate with, the places they go to, etc. Such parents do not care, are totally indifferent about where their children go, when they come bac! and so forth and so on, causing the children to grow up without any responsible adult and without caring supervision. Such parents neglect even to instruct, direct or guide their children to the proper way of life, behaviour or even right attitudes towards others. 8et, you may find these parents are so careful about guarding their wealth. .hey are e$tremely concerned about their businesses, wor! and otherwise. .hey e$ert every possible effort to lead a very successful life in terms of materialistic gains, although all this wealth is not actually theirs. 9o one will ta!e wealth to the grave. -hildren are not only to be well:fed, well:groomed, properly dressed for the weather and for appearance, well:ta!en care of in terms of housing and utilities. It is more important to offer the child comparable care in terms of educational, religious training, and spiritual guidance. .he heart of a child must be filled with faith. A child's mind must be entertained with proper guidance, !nowledge and wisdom. -lothes, food, housing, schooling are not, by any means, an indication of proper care of the child. (roper education and guidance is far more important to a child than this food, grooming and appearance. ,ne of the due rights of children upon their parents is their spending for their welfare and well: being moderately. ,ver:spending or negligence is not condoned, accepted or even tolerated in Islam. Such ways will have a negative effect on the child regardless of the social status. 1en are urged not to be miserly to their children and households, who are their natural heirs in every religion and society. ;hy would one be miserly to those who are going to inherit his wealth< -hildren are entitled to such an important right. .hey are even permitted to ta!e moderately from their parent's wealth to sustain themselves if the parent declines to give them proper funds for their living. -hildren also have the right to be treated equally in terms of financial gifts. 9o one should be preferred over the others. All must be treated fairly and equally. 9one should be deprived his gift from the parents. 2epriving, or banning the right of inheritance, or other financial gifts during the lifetime of the parents or the preference of a parent for one child over the other is considered according to Islam as an act of in=ustice. In=ustice will definitely lead to an atmosphere of hatred, anger and dismay amongst the children in a household. In fact, such an act of in=ustice may, most li!ely, lead to animosity amongst the children, and consequently, this will affect the entire family environment. In certain cases a special child may show a tender care for his aging parent, for instance, causing the parent to grant such a child a special gift, or issue him the ownership of a house, a factory, a land, a farm, a car, or any other valuable items. Islam, however considers such a financial reward to such a caring, loving and perhaps obedient child, a wrong act. A caring child is entitled only to a reward from Allah, the Almighty. Although it is nice to grant such a child something in appreciation for his dedication and special efforts, this must not lead to an act of disobedience to Allah, the Almighty. It may be that the heart and feelings of such a loving and caring child may change, at one point in time, causing him to become a nasty and harmful child. )y the same to!en, a nasty child may change, at any given time, as well, to become a very caring and !ind child to the same parent. .he hearts and feelings are, as we all !now, in the hands of Allah, the Almighty, and can be turned in any direction at any given time and without any previous notice. .his, indeed, is one of the reasons for preventing the act of financial preference of a child over another. ,n the other hand, there is also no assurance or guarantee that a caring child can handle the financial gift of his parent wisely. It is narrated by Abu )a!r, >AA, who said that Allah's Apostle, ()*+, was approached by one of his companions, al:9'uman bin )asheer, who said/ ?, (rophet of Allah@ I have granted a servant to one of my children (as!ing him to testify to that gift .? )ut Allah's ()*+ as!ed him/ "4id yo!

grant the same to ea/h and every /hild of yo!rs5" ;hen Allah's Apostle, ()*+ was informed negatively about that, he said/ ""ear Allah) the Almighty) and be fair and +!st to all yo!r /hildren$ Seek the testimony of another 'erson) other than me$ I will not testify to an a/t of in+!sti/e$" .his +adith is reported by both )u!hari and 1uslim. .hus, Allah's Apostle, ()*+ called such an act of preference of one child over the others an act of ?in=ustice.? In=ustice is prohibited and forbidden in Islam. )ut, if a parent granted one of his children financial help to fulfill a necessity, such as a medical treatment coverage, the cost of a marriage, the cost of initiali4ing a business, etc., then such a grant would not be categori4ed an act of in=ustice and unfairness. Such a gift will fall under the right to spend in the essential needs of the children, which is a requirement that a parent must fulfill. Islam sees that if parents fulfill their duties towards all their children in terms of providing them with necessary training, educational bac!ing, moral, ethical and religious education, this will definitely lead to a more caring child, a better family atmosphere and a better social environment and awareness. ,n the other hand, any negligence in those parental duties can lead to the loss of a child or ill treatment of the parents at a later age. .a!en from/ www.islamweb.net