Islamic Studies Parents Relationships

PARENTS: WAKE UP!

It was the first night of Ramadan. I was so excited about going to the masjid for taraweeh and enjoying every moment of this month of forgiveness. But no matter how hard I tried to do that, my thoughts were continually disrupted. While I sat and followed the Shaykh’s recitation of surah al Baqarah, I had to continually glance up at a group of children, between the ages of three to seven, running wildly around the small Mother’s Lounge attached to the women’s prayer hall.

Was it because their mothers were praying, and therefore there was no one to remind them of the manners in the masjid? No. No it was not. The mothers of these children were sitting- literally- in the MIDDLE of the room, very closely behind the sisters who were trying to concentrate in their salah, talking. And loudly! And on top of not stopping their children from terrorizing the room, they were feeding their children (even though no food is allowed) and seriously leaving a mess for the poor custodial staff to clean up after them.

I tried not to say anything to them and just continued to concentrate reading the Qur’an. I mean, where would I have started anyway? And in the end, would they really have listened to my sincere plea for respect of the masjid and their fellow Muslimahs, or would they have felt annoyed, quieted down for a few minutes, and then continued with the clamor? (From years of experience, I already knew after a few minutes it would be the latter.) I knew that their behavior would not be affected by me telling them to quiet down a few times. This is something that must come from within.

What I find is scariest is that these are mothers. Look at the example their children have. Why should their children stop running around and screaming if their mothers are gossiping in the middle of the prayer hall during salah? Honestly, why should they listen to a stranger asking them to be quiet if their mothers are behaving in a worse manner? And then these children start growing up-in our country of the United States of America- and subhanAllah, suddenly, in their pre-pubescent years, even if they went to Sunday school every week and went to the masjid every night in Ramadan with their parents- they stop praying. They do not cover properly. They spend hours upon hours on My Space, watching TV, playing videogames, listening to obscene music, chatting with the opposite gender unlawfully (and about haram things) ….the list goes on and on and on…and the really scary part is that very often, they don’t even care.

I am so, so upset. SubhanALLAH. Parents: WAKE UP. Your actions are DIRECTLY affecting the Islam of your children in a country where they are already considered strange because of their religion. You might think missing a prayer isn’t a big deal once in awhile, or gossiping while the Qur’an is being recited is not that big of an issue (auothobillah). But the reality is that your children internalize and implement what they see and what they hear, and they can do it in ways that may have destructive effects on their hearts. As in, when you, Abi, or Baba, or Dad, backbite about a brother in the masjid, your son or daughter can take that and do the same to people they know at school, spread it all over My Space, and end up in so much drama that will affect their heart and will be apparent on their actions to an extent that you, O dear father, may have never expected. That is because of YOUR sin.

As in, when you, dear mama, or madar, or mom, sit for 3 hours straight and watch some TV shows that encourage gossip, music, vanity, and illegal sexual relations (just because it is not American does not make it halal!), your daughter or son can take that and start practicing it in her or his daily life. And we seek refuge with Allah from that for all our children and for ourselves! But you, mom, have no right to blame your child solely for his or her actions when you are the one encouraging it by your example.

And then there are parents who expect their children to do impossible, crazy things- like wear their parent’s (NOT their children’s) culture dress in the middle of public high school. Do you REALIZE what you are doing to your daughter when you do not let her out of the house except in cultural dress? As long as her clothing fulfills the requirements of the shariah, then why would parents force their children to dress in a way that their kids may come to despise? How would you feel if your spouse forced you to dress in a certain way from their cultural background to work? Would you love and want to obey your spouse more for it? Would you want to take your spouse’s advice when you have problems and need help? Why do some parents insist on cultural habits, that have nothing to do with Islam, and force them on their children, and make their children come to hate coming back to their parents when they need help? As Imam Suhaib said, “You cannot be more pious than the shariah.” Why do parents cause more difficulties for their children, when the religion is ease?

Why don’t some parents CARE about their own relationship with Allah? Do you know how scary that is? I know a Muslim girl who wanted to wear hijab and her parents did not allow her to do so because it was ‘extreme’. Not wearing it ‘helps her fit in.’ What about on the Day of Judgment? Where is she going to fit in there? With what group of people? Who is responsible for that? Don’t you care that your child doesn’t pray because you don’t pray? Don’t you care that your 9 year old does not know how to make wudu? Doesn’t that scare you? What are you going to equip them with when they face situations which will shake the foundation of their faith?

And what’s up with parents who say certain things are haram but allow them in other circumstances? Like parents who will not allow their children to work on a school project with the opposite gender because speaking to the opposite gender is supposedly ‘haram’, but will allow their daughters to take off their hijab in front of their post-pubescent male cousins? Or will allow their sons to go out until late in the night to ‘study’ with Sally ‘at the library’?

Or what about parents who put culture or personal worries about Allah (auothobillah)? One girl became involved in a relationship with a man and she told me that her mom kept telling her, “Don’t ruin our family name, don’t ruin our family honor” when the girl was not involved in anything. Finally, she just went out and got involved with someone. Imagine if this mother had instead raised her saying, “Grasp onto your relationship with Allah. Be mindful of Allah wherever you are.” Would she have purposely went out and gotten involved with someone if she was raised knowing that Allah Sees all things?

I am just frustrated. I’m frustrated because there are many, many young brothers and sisters whom I love dearly and who have changed drastically since they went to high school. And when I look at the parents of these children, I really do not know what else to have expected. The parents don’t pray… how do they expect their children to? Allah ‘Azza wa Jal tells us, “…and establish regular Prayer: for Prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds…” (Ankaboot, 45). Allah is Hakeem. He established prayer for us for our own survival. Prayer is the one thing we NEED to hold on to in a society which encourages explicit nudity and unlawful sexual relations.

Am I being tough on parents? Without a doubt. And I am not trying to undermine the efforts of parents who are working so hard to help raise righteous children in this country, or even those who aren’t trying so hard, but really wish for their children to turn out as good Muslims.

My point is just to bring up a reality that I have rarely heard mentioned: a plethora of youth do not seriously care about their relationship with Allah, the Most High. They do not PRAY. They do not CARE to pray. And parents, you need to seriously question yourselves. When they hit adolescence and they started acting rebelliously and diving into haram (that you may or may not know about), is it really because we are in America and we are not “back home”, or is it because of you?

And just a side-note: I wanted to clear my parents from the frustration I am writing about. Alhamdullilah Allah has really blessed me with them – this frustration does not come out of my experiences with their parenting; it comes out of this extreme hazn (grief) that I feel from seeing people whom I deeply, deeply care about, turn into ghafileen (those who are negligent, who just don’t care) after having been given guidance (may Allah protect us). And when I look to see why this happened, I find that it all started when my friend’s mother banned her from wearing hijab (did you just read that? May Allah forgive her), or my other friend’s parents bought her 2 seasons worth of Friends episodes. Man, what is going to go into this person’s heart after watching over 24 hours of Friends?

Allah musta’aan.

I mean, look at the condition of our ummah. Muslims are being slaughtered! And we blame this on American foreign policy? Wake up and pray tahajud! Imagine if 1 billion Muslims prayed tahajud. Or just prayed their fard salah. Do you think we could possible be in the same situation we are in? That is an impossibility. If 1 billion Muslims were serious about our connection with Allah 5x a day, inshaAllah every map would say “Palestine”, with nothing slicing through the middle of it.

Ummah- we can, inshaAllah, do this! Parents, don’t worry, we all make mistakes, but inshaAllah we can learn from them. Let’s just repent back to Allah, say sayyidul istighfar (type it in on the search of virtualmosque.com) with sincerity, make a serious intention to make an effort to change, and then just work to change. We take one step to Allah ‘Azza wa Jal, and He will draw so near to us. And Who is better to help us be victorious than the Master of the Heavens and the Earth?

Also, a few tips for parents [I’m not going to blast you and then leave you hanging] to help you have a strong connection with your youth, inshaAllah ta’ala:

1. If you are parents of young children (elementary school and below): spend massive time with them.

a) Be there for them. Establish salah in their hearts. Read them Qur’anic stories (there is a book series called Qur’an Stories for Little Hearts you can find online). Because a major mistake that parents make is that they wait until their child is 17 years old and then they say: man, I think my child is really going down the wrong path. And then they take the child to see an Imam hoping that everything will be fixed. That should have been done 10 years ago.
b) We learn in Child and Adolescent Development that the first five years of a child’s life are the ones which have the most impact on them. These are the years that their brains are growing and being molded. So help mold these brains in accordance to the pleasure of Allah, and bi’idnillah we hope they will continue to mold in that fashion.

2. Encourage open communication.

a) One thing that my parents would always tell me when I was in middle and high school is that they are here for me, that they have been through what I am going through, that they have experience that my friends do not have, that they can help me and they are ready to listen. And when I came to them, they were serious about fulfilling their offer. They did not blast me when I messed up (which still happens a lot), and they did not make me feel guilty about coming to them. They facilitated an open relationship, and they were like my backbone getting through the peer pressures of middle and high school.
b) And if you encourage open communication, make sure you are there to gently guide them through the difficulties of being youth. In high school there was a brother whom Allah had really blessed with beauty, mashaAllah. The non-Muslim girls literally would throw themselves on him. I remember walking by one time and seeing this girl less than 1 foot away from him, trying to come up close to him, and I remember seeing his struggle in fighting the temptation to be close to her. If your child comes to you, daughter or son, and tells you that they messed up, don’t blast them. It’s hard to deal with the hormones they are experiencing in a culture which encourages them to gratify their desires instantly. Tell them how proud you are of them for their struggles. Read to them the verse in which Allah tells us, “And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins. “And who can forgive sins except Allah?” and [who] do not persist in what they have done while they know.” (Alee Imran, 135).
c) Surely, Allah is Al Ghafoor, and He is Al Haadi. Help them know that they can always turn back to Him at any time, and that you will be there to help them through the struggles of turning back to Him through fighting their desires.

3. Relationship with the Qur’an- 1 page a day

a) Maybe your kids are already in high school, and are already showing signs of the diseases mentioned above. Do not worry… before death, it is never too late to change.
b) Encourage them to read 1 page a day (in a language they understand) of the Qur’an. Set some type of contract with them if they refuse to do it on their own. Reward them for their efforts. inshaAllah after some time, if they are consistent with just reading that 1 page, you will see major results, bi’idnillah. Why? Because the Qur’an is on another level, and inshaAllah eventually it will penetrate their hearts and you will see it on their actions. But they need to be consistent in reading it. This is not just a once every couple of weeks thing- it needs to be done regularly.
c) Make sure you also have a consistent amount of Qur’an you are reading in a language that you understand. Again, your example is key to the development of your children.

4. Go for UMRAH

a) If you can afford this, GO! Watch The Message together, plan Umrah together, and go together. I know many people personally who were completely not practicing to being involved in serious haram, whom Allah has taken to His House, and who have come back ready to change. This will inshaAllah help your kids feel the sweetness of the relationship with Allah.
b) But really, once you are back, and they are back in the same school, with the same friends, in the same environment, you have to really fall back on #3: establishing a close relationship with the Qur’an. Because umrah will inshaAllah help them want to change, but they need a teacher [the Qur’an] to help them maintain that change consistently.
c) What has happened with a couple of people that I know is that they have gone for umrah after living a lifestyle of never praying or fasting or caring, come back pumped to change, have made serious changes, but then slipped back to where they were before going [very, very scary]. In one instance, I really feel it was the parents who encouraged this slipping back. This is because they saw her making many positive changes in her life after attending halaqaat at the masjid, going to Muslim camp, hanging around Muslim sisters, and they started banning her from going to these programs and hanging out with sisters who wore hijab because she wanted to start wearing it. She slipped man… last time I was with her she did not pray maghrib, and only went to pray ishaa when I asked her to pray with me. I know she had a boyfriend recently, and her dress is… may Allah guide us all. She went to this state after praying regularly when she came back from umrah. May Allah guide her back to eman.
d) Point being: you need to help them through your example, and through encouraging them to do good- not prohibiting them once they desire to do it. Because if they are not strong enough to do what Allah has enjoined upon them regardless of what parents say, they can slip big time since their parents encourage them to slip.

5. Leave one sin

a) Many of us look at the mountain of sins we have and do not know how we can leave all of these bad habits- and even if we wanted to leave them, we do not know where to start.
b) Just pick one issue that is causing you to distance yourself from Allah (for truly we are the ones distancing ourselves. Allah is ALWAYS there to turn to us and accept and help us), and work on leaving that.
c) For example, if a Muslim is constantly finding him or herself lying, backbiting and wasting time, choose to leave lying, for example. Wear a small ring that reminds you that Allah is watching you every time you look at the ring, and every time you lie, give some money in charity and make istighfar. inshaAllah over time, you will find that doing good deeds is much easier than you once thought, and that lying is something that you try your best to stay away from. And inshaAllah you will see a positive effect on the relationship you also have with your family through your efforts.
d) Then, repeat with the next issue you need to leave.

6. Educate yourself about parenting teens

a) Dr.Ekram and Mohamed R.Beshir’s book “Muslim Teens,” is a great resource. There are many books that you will inshaAllah find beneficial in helping you work on cultivating the relationship with your children.

7. Let your children be American Muslims.

a) Your children are different from you. If they want to dress in a certain way, that is completely part of their culture as Americans, and is fulfilling the guidelines of the shariah, then do not stop them. Do not make a burden for them in areas where Allah and His Messenger sal Allahu alayhi wa sallama have left wide open for people to express their individualistic styles within the principles and guidelines of the shariah. Let them see that how beautiful and easy Islam is through allowing them to do what the shariah permits.

8. Remember: Allah is ALWAYS there for you

“You might be far from Allah, but, He is close to you!
Turn to Him and you will find Him.”

If someone says, “I feel far from Allah,” ask them “Who moved?”

“Always remember whom you are asking.

You are asking Allah, Who loves to be asked, Who does not tire of supplicants, and He is Closest to you.”

Don’t lose hope. Allah is there 24/7 to help you through the trials of raising kids. And to help kids through the trials of random parenting. Remember Him, and He will remember you (Baqarah, 152).

And Allah knows best.

I ask you all to please forgive me if I have said anything to offend or hurt anyone. And please, by all means, add to the ideas above so that we can all benefit inshaAllah.

May Allah make me foremost in taking my own advice, and make us all successful parents, and make our shabab of the mutaqeen and the muhsineen. Ameen

 

About the author

Maryam Amirebrahimi

Maryam Amirebrahimi

Maryam Amirebrahimi received her master’s in Education from UCLA, where her research focused on the effects of mentorship rooted in Critical Race Theory for urban high school students of color. She holds a bachelor’s in Child and Adolescent Development from San Jose State University, where she served as the President of the Muslim Student Association for two consecutive years. Currently, she is pursuing a second bachelor’s degree in Islamic Studies through Al Azhar University’s distance learning program. Maryam spent a year studying the Arabic language and Qur’an in Cairo, Egypt, and has memorized the Qur’an. She has been presented the Student of the Year award by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and holds a second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Maryam frequently travels to work with different communities to address a variety of social issues and writes about topics related to social realities, women’s studies and spiritual connections on www.virtualmosque.com.

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  • Thank you soooooooooo much sister! We so much need articles like this one. I think there is very little advise and lectures on parenting. ImamSuhaib Webb’s lecture always have a little hint that has been very beneficial to me. Its the practical advise he gives like he once said” Mom’s read to your children”. That is something I can take home and implement. Unlike raise your children well which most people say but I don’t know what to do with that when I go home, coz everyone wants to be a good parent but they don’t know “how to”.
    There was an excellent Parenting workshop given by Sister Naila in Raleigh,NC which I learnt emmensely from! She started off by yelling at us to switch off our cell phones and sit straight, no slouching and just when I was contemplating leaving the lecture(as I felt I deserved better), she stopped and asked” How does that feel, being spoken to like that”! That is how we speak to our kids everyday just becuse we are in a hurry and its easier to get them to listen that way!
    Oh My GOD! That was an eyeopener! Being yelled at made me feel how my child must feel when I yell at him!! I immediately corrected myself and noticed my 4yr old wasn’t as difficult to handle anymore!!
    If we can have more Parenting wrkshops, we would do alot better.
    Eating habits are also a major thing! I once had a lady visit my house and she was forcing her 1yr old to eat because he was not a good eater! We need some Workshops on that too!

    There is a book I just bought, hasn’t arrived in the mail yet but its written by Muhammad Alshareef called: DRIVE your child’s Islamic Education
    The little I read about it seems really nice. You can purchase it for $19.95 at: http://discoveru.mfbiz.com/
    go to powerworkshops.
    Also Parenting Skills by Dr.Ekram and Mohamed R.Beshir is really good too.

    What I have done for a couple of yrs with the kids is to go to the masjid once a week( or once a month when I am not that good), and clean. My son knows its his masjid and he feels free to clean what he sees dirty. I taught him in the beggining to clean the dust off the quran’s and off the shelves. He took off from there. When ever we are at the masjid we pick up any trash and throw it in the trash and I tell him how much Hasanat he just earned! Cleaning the masjid is our responsibility and I want kids to learn that.
    I am trying to organize other young moms to have a playdate at the masjid where we will all clean and then play either before or after.

    Jazak’Allahu Khairan

  • Asalam Aleikum sister Maryam

    May Allah swt reward you for such a beautiful reminder or should I call it a wake up call to all of us!!! I pray that we all try our best to improve on our weakness and work hard on making our community a better community (especially the mosque) and most of all may Allah swt help us get rid of our bad action/behaviors.

    Our Lord! Let not our hearts deviate from the truth after you have guided us, and bestow upon us mercy from your grace. Verily you are the Giver of bounties without measure. (3:8)

    Once again sr mariam Thank you!.. may Allah swt reward you.

  • Asalam Aleikum sister Maryam

    May Allah swt reward you for such a beautiful reminder or should I call it a wake up call to all of us!!! I pray that we all try our best to improve on our weakness and work hard on making our community a better community (especially the mosque) and most of all may Allah swt help us get rid of our bad action/behaviors.

    Our Lord! Let not our hearts deviate from the truth after you have guided us, and bestow upon us mercy from your grace. Verily you are the Giver of bounties without measure. (3:8)

    Once again sr mariam Thank you!.. may Allah swt reward you.

  • I don’t see many parents like this in the US. Especially ones that force their children to wear traditional clothing to school. It’s 2007! The parents are wearing American clothing now.

  • Salaam,

    There is no doubt on how on point all the points made in this article are. One can feel the sincere concern emanating from it.

    My question though: How many of the parents addressed will ever see this? How do we bring these points to them?

    wa salaam
    AS

  • in my high school there was 1 sister whose parents made her wear shalvarkameez… i graduated in 2004… not that long ago.

  • Allaahul Musta’an…reminds me of my community. Parents are sleeping in a state of ghaflah. One of the most shocking things to me is to see how reckless Muslims have become online by posting their sinful encounters in public avenues like Facebook. That is a proof that the parents are blind to what their kids are up to, and perhaps not even willing to check things out. However, like MR I haven’t heard or seen kids forced to wear cultural clothing to school.

  • A great article! im in the office rgtnw and just read few lines, im addin it into my favourite list to read it aftrwrds.But i just wish if only everyone could think about it and obey what Allah has said us to do.May Allah guide us all.Ameen

  • I agree with all issues with you except kids running around in mosque. Small kids it happens. And it’s nothing. Do you have any children? keeping 3-5 year from running around is massive work and at that age its to introduce him/her to the mosque. I’m guessing you are convert or you would have that memory from a kid as well.. I ran about and played games with my little brother… In fact, I did it, I regret to say, till I was 13. Not so much running around, me and brother had developed a hand game we used play anyway that’s beside that point. Most kids around the ages 7-10 get reasonably well. Also you could have pointed it to the women; please talk at lower voice- people are praying. People start talking and then forget their in a mosque; we’all human.

    But I agree with everything else. And most important is that establishment of salah. My friends who grew up in Orlando were pretty wild. But there parents made them strict in their salah and made sure they did it and on it time. They woke everybody up for fajr everyday and the whole family did salah. So even when they were wild; they always did their salah which eventually brought them back to the path.

    My parents did the stories and they prayed all 5 but they did not enforce salah on me till later and I still struggle with it today. I will innshallah enforce salah on my kids early and make sure it become like breathing for them. Innshallah. Thats the best gift I can give my children.

  • Brother Mike,

    I am from Kerala, India residing in an Arab Country since 2009. Believe me, the country where I brought up is not a muslim country. But, the kids were given good Education on Manners. I have not seen a single Kid in my place, who run around in Masjid and plays. Its all about, how you rear your kid.Teach them about Masjid and its sacredeness.

    But the Arab Country where I live now, During Tharaweeh, The Imam has to announce atleast two times to keep silent. If a Mother cannot control his Kid, Kindly dont come to masjid with your kid. Honestly, it will break the concentration of others. Praying at masjid for Women is not compulsory. Hold on…I am not discouraging women going to mosques, Just that you have to be cautious about others too.

    Lack of Proper Education on Manner is the most scary thing.Manner/Adab is not something you will get on one blude moon day. Charity begins at Home

    Jazakallah

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