Introducing Prophet Luqman, ‘Alayhi-salām (peace be upon him)
According to Ikrimah under the authority of Ibn Abbas raḍy Allāhu ‘anhu (may Allāh be pleased with him), Luqman ‘alayhi’l-salām (peace be upon him) was an Ethiopian slave who worked as a carpenter. The majority of scholars are of the view that he was a wise man and not a prophet and a righteous servant of Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) whom He blessed with wisdom and told him to be thankful. Moreover, he was mentioned in the Qur’an and was highly praised by Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He).
Surah Luqman begins by telling readers that the Qur’an is a “wise” book that holds “guidance and mercy” for those who do good deeds. It tells us about paradise and then mentions Luqman ‘alayhi’l-salām (peace be upon him). It ends by reminding the readers of Paradise and motivating them to contemplate the creation of Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He).
REQUISITES FOR GOOD PARENTING
To ensure quality and responsible parenting, acquiring all essential tools is important. Successful parenting also requires a lot of planning and there are some crucial prerequisites. Not only do we find its references in the Qur’an but also in the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad ṣallallāhu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him).
In the Qur’an, Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) chooses Prophet Luqman ‘Alayhi’l-salām (peace be upon him), Yaqub ‘Alayhi’l-salām (peace be upon him) and Ibrahim ‘Alayhi’l-salām (peace be upon him) to show us the primary needs to ensure a credible Tarbiyyah (education and upbringing) of our children, in a manner that is pleasing to Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He).
1. DUA:
A Parent’s Most Powerful Tool
The parents must effectively make use of the power of Dua (prayer) over their children. It is important for every responsible parent to make abundant dua for their children; for their protection, as well as for them to be an immense source of benefit and delight to you and the world. It remains one of the best things every parent must do for their children.
In fact, It is imperative to note, that, Parents are expected to begin praying for their children even before conceiving them.
Ibn ‘Abbas raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu (may Allāh be pleased with him) reported that Allah’s Messenger ṣallallāhu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said:
“If anyone amongst you intends to go to his wife he should say: ‘In the name of Allah, 0 Allah protect us against Satan and keep away the Satan from the one that you have bestowed upon us’, and if He has ordained a child for them, Satan will never be able to do any harm to him.” [Sahih Muslim]
When planning or expecting a baby, it is also advised to follow the footsteps of Prophet Zakariyyah ‘Alayhi’l-salām (peace be upon him) who called upon Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He), saying:
“My Lord, grant me from Yourself a good offspring. Indeed, You are the Hearer of supplication.” [Qur’an: Chapter 3 vs 38 ]
Furthermore, Parents can and indeed must make dua of their children’s protection at all times. Ibn ‘Abbas said:
The Prophet ṣallallāhu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) used to seek refuge in Allah for al-Hasan and al-Husain, saying: “I seek refuge for both of you in the perfect words of Allah from every devil and every poisonous thing and from the evil eye which influences.” He would then say: “your father sought refuge in Allah by them for Ismail and Ishaq.” [Sunan Abu Dawud]
Shaytan, however, is the biggest enemy against human beings and he does not leave alone their offspring and children. Hannah raḍyAllāhu ‘anha (may Allāh be pleased with her), the mother of Maryam sought refuge in Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He)from the Shaytan for her child and her progeny by supplicating:
“…I seek refuge for her in You and [for] her descendants from Satan, the expelled from the mercy of Allah.” [Qur’an Chapter 3, Verse 36]
Hence, Maryam and ’Isa ‘Alayhi’l-salām (peace be upon him) were the only two children who were not touched by Shaytan as mentioned by Ibn Kathir in his tafsir.
Another beautiful Qur’anic dua parents can make for Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) to make their children the coolness of their eyes and a source of benefit and peace to them is:
“And those who say, “Our Lord, grant us from among our wives and offspring comfort to our eyes and make us an example for the righteous.”” [Qur’an 25, Verse 74]
All these Duas are recommended to be made regularly by us parents with a conviction that Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) is the Answerer of all our Duas and if He accepted these before then, In sha Allah, He will accept it from us too.
2. GUIDE THEM TOWARDS THE PATH OF RIGHTEOUSNESS AND AGAINST SHIRK:
It is also necessary to mention that the failure of nowadays parents to prevent their children from all acts of disbelief (Shirk) and guide them right towards the path of Islam is the major reason for repeating social misconduct by some young people across the world.
If parents has made it a necessity to make belief in the Oneness of Allah the first lesson of life to give their children, there would have been no or very less social decadence that occurs nowadays. Any child brought up with the love of God and deep knowledge of Islam won’t grow up to be a disgrace to his generation.
3. WALKING THE TALK
Parents are the best role model for their children. Fatima raḍy Allāhu ‘anha (may Allāh be pleased with her) used to walk and talk like her father, the Messenger ṣallallāhu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him)of Allah. We will always need to “walk the talk” with our children to make it easier for them to understand and follow the commandments of Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He).
Parents who regularly take their children to the masjid for Qur’an classes must let these children see them reading the Qur’an too. If you tell your child to stop lying, do not do it yourself. If you want your child to learn to repent, then let him see you repenting to Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He). If you want your child to pray five times, including the Fajr salah, sleep early as a family and tell them you sleep early to be able to get up for Fajr.
Do not lose your temper in traffic jams or when the milk boils over. Let your child see you cry as you contemplate the meaning of Allah’s words in the Qur’an.
4. BUILD YOUR PATIENCE AND PERSEVERANCE:
Walking on the path of deen along with one’s family invites Shaytan, the accursed to come after us even the more. He comes with devious plans and insinuations to distract us and go astray. One area he attacks his parents the most is patience and perseverance.
Prophet Yaqub ‘Alayhi’l-salām (peace be upon him) presents us with the most beautiful example of patience in parenting. He choses to be patient when his sons come to him with Yusuf’s ‘Alayhi’l-salām (peace be upon him) shirt with a wild story. He knew they were lying, but he held on to his patience and trusted Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) to take care of Yusuf ‘Alayhi’l-salām (peace be upon him) in order to keep the family together. And Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He)rewards him for his patience by bringing them all under His mercy in the end.
Despite parents’ many best attempts, there will be times when our children will not behave the way we would hope them to. They might even resist our attempts to draw them closer to deen, such as getting them to read the Qur’an regularly, taking the weekend Islamic schools more seriously, memorising more of the Qur’an or even fasting during the long summer months. Muslim parents must learn to be patient and never give up!. Make dua for patience for yourself, as parents:
“Our Lord, pour upon us patience and let us die as Muslims [in submission to You].” [Qur’an Chapter 7, Verse 126]
