Thursday, December 25, 2003
THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY**The article below is an excerpt of a well-written piece on Family Relationships in Islam. Hope it may enrich our knowledge and understanding of the importance of family values. It is indeed crucial for us to remember that family upbringing is the key factor for the success of the future generation. Whether we like it or not, parents play an important role in giving their children the best education and exposure of both the present world-duniawi and the afterlife-ukhrawi. After all, we do not inherit the world from our ancestors; we borrow the world from our children. **
Family Relationships in Islam
Dr. Arafat K. El-Ashi
Islam is a complete way of life. It considers the family the corner stone of Islamic society. It bases the atmosphere in the family on sacrifice, love, loyalty, and obedience. When we say "family" we mean the traditional definition of it namely husband, wife and children. Grandparents are also part of the extended Muslim family.
It may be asked here: how does Islam organize family relationships? To answer this we have to concentrate on: husband wife relationship and parent children relationship. As for husband wife relationship the following verse portrays the right Islamic atmosphere:
"And among his signs is this: He created for you spouses from yourselves that you might find rest in them, and He ordained between you love and mercy." (30-21)
The Prophet of Islam p.b.u.h. also stressed these meanings when he said: The best among you are those who are best to their families and I am the best of you to my family. He once exclaimed: (it is only the evil one who abuses them (women) and the honored one is he who honors them). Once a man came to the Prophet p.b.u.h. and asked: who is the person who is most worthy of my good companionship? The Prophet answered your mother, your mother, your mother then your father. That is why Islam made Paradise under the feet of mothers according to one tradition of the Prophet p.b.u.h.
If we contemplate the Quran we find that it refers to parents children relationships in four main places. Before it asks children to be good and loyal to their parents it requires parents to be extremely careful in upbringing their children. In other words it asks parents to do their duty before asking for their rights.
Let us contemplate the following verses of the Quran: In the chapter called Luqman (No.31) God says:
"And surely We gave Luqman wisdom saying Give thanks unto Allah; for whosoever gives thanks, he gives thanks for his soul. And whoever disbelieves, Allah is All-Independent, Worthy of Praise. And when Luqman said to his son while he was exhorting him: O my dear son! Ascribe no partners unto Allah. Lo! To ascribe partners (unto Him) is a tremendous wrong. And we have enjoined upon man to be careful of his parents, His mother bears him in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years, so give thanks to Me and to your parents, for unto Me is the journeying. But if they strive with you to make you ascribe to Me as partner that of which you have no knowledge, then obey them not, but deal with them nicely in the world and follow the path of him who repents to Me. Then unto Me will be your return, and I shall tell you of what you used to do."
**The Guest Writer**
|
sang kelate
Sang Kelate is a Kelantanese citizen who
is born and bred in Kota Bharu. He loves
to share his humble thoughts & exchange idea with the readers.
Muslim
|Male
Malaysian Citizen
archives
fellows
credits
