Causes of the Weakness of Islamic Upbringing for Children and the Duty of Scholars
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
Your Eminence the Shaykh! It is observed that true Islamic upbringing for children has been lost, except what Allah wills. What is the secret behind this? Among the proofs of the loss of this upbringing is the state of contemporary youth: neglecting religion, committing sins, traveling abroad, imitating the disbelievers, abandoning prayer, associating with women and servants in these places, and the prevalence of video, football, and other forms of entertainment. This is common among our sons, whether common people or the elite, even the sons of scholars. What is the comment on this? And what is the duty of scholars in this religious aspect? May Allah preserve you, and peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The Shaykh:
The causes of the calamity that occurred are as you indicated to me. You mentioned in your question the causes of the calamity that occurred: the existence of media, the existence of video, the existence of wicked and evil people, bad companions, the existence of travel abroad, and the existence of evil in some media. All these factors affected the youth and non-youth, even affecting the elderly and old women and non-youth. It affected everyone, and there is no power and no strength except
The questioner:
or no.
The Shaykh:
Whoever mixes with it is afflicted. So these are general calamities that have spread in homes and everywhere, heard by the young and the old, the male and the female, the girl in her room, and the Shaykh on his bed, and everyone hears it.
The questioner:
There is no power and no strength.
The Shaykh:
And the one who is protected is the one whom Allah protects, and the one who is preserved is the one whom Allah preserves. So the obligatory thing is caution, and the obligatory thing is striving between scholars and notables to reduce this evil and remove it, and not to remain silent about it. So upon the scholar, and upon everyone who has the slightest word that is thought to be heard, and upon the princes and the leaders and the notables of the land, and upon the state itself, is cooperation in alleviating this evil and reducing this evil, so that perhaps the society is safe from these great evils. And every circle has a treatment, and may Allah help in applying the treatment.
The questioner:
How does one of us carry out the upbringing of his children when the society does not help him in that? And he mentioned the television, the markets, and other things.
The Shaykh:
He eats what he can.
The questioner:
Yes.
The Shaykh:
He exerts what is possible and success is from Allah. The state of the society is not hidden from anyone today, the state of the society in our lands and other lands, even though our lands may be much less than the neighboring countries. So what about the state of the neighboring countries? There is no power and no strength except with Allah? The point is that the calamity is great, and the evil is widespread and varied, so upon the believer is to exert what he can in curbing the evil and reducing the evil, and upon the notables of the society from scholars, experts, and good people is to cooperate with the state in alleviating this evil and reducing it and eliminating what is possible of it.
The questioner:
Of course.
The Shaykh:
This hadith applies today. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said in the authentic hadithSahih al-Bukhari 19,
The questioner:
Yes.
The Shaykh:
The trials today are everywhere, even in the desert, even entering the people's camps in the desert and the wilderness, the man carries it with him, and hears every evil and every calamity. So among the causes of prevention is to be in a part of the land or in a valley of the valleys, far from this evil, not with him a radio or anything else, not with him except the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), he learns and teaches and worships his Lord and upholds His right.
In the authentic hadith, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding the people.
Many of the people of knowledge said this is understood in the context of the change of the world and the existence of evil in the cities and villages. So when evil is found in the cities and villages, it becomes for the person to leave that to a valley of the valleys to worship Allah and leave the people from his evil. It is what this hadith indicated that whoever does that is the best of people after the mujahideen.
Your Eminence the Shaykh! It is observed that true Islamic upbringing for children has been lost, except what Allah wills. What is the secret behind this? Among the proofs of the loss of this upbringing is the state of contemporary youth: neglecting religion, committing sins, traveling abroad, imitating the disbelievers, abandoning prayer, associating with women and servants in these places, and the prevalence of video, football, and other forms of entertainment. This is common among our sons, whether common people or the elite, even the sons of scholars. What is the comment on this? And what is the duty of scholars in this religious aspect? May Allah preserve you, and peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The Shaykh:
The causes of the calamity that occurred are as you indicated to me. You mentioned in your question the causes of the calamity that occurred: the existence of media, the existence of video, the existence of wicked and evil people, bad companions, the existence of travel abroad, and the existence of evil in some media. All these factors affected the youth and non-youth, even affecting the elderly and old women and non-youth. It affected everyone, and there is no power and no strength except
The questioner:
or no.
The Shaykh:
Whoever mixes with it is afflicted. So these are general calamities that have spread in homes and everywhere, heard by the young and the old, the male and the female, the girl in her room, and the Shaykh on his bed, and everyone hears it.
The questioner:
There is no power and no strength.
The Shaykh:
And the one who is protected is the one whom Allah protects, and the one who is preserved is the one whom Allah preserves. So the obligatory thing is caution, and the obligatory thing is striving between scholars and notables to reduce this evil and remove it, and not to remain silent about it. So upon the scholar, and upon everyone who has the slightest word that is thought to be heard, and upon the princes and the leaders and the notables of the land, and upon the state itself, is cooperation in alleviating this evil and reducing this evil, so that perhaps the society is safe from these great evils. And every circle has a treatment, and may Allah help in applying the treatment.
The questioner:
How does one of us carry out the upbringing of his children when the society does not help him in that? And he mentioned the television, the markets, and other things.
The Shaykh:
He eats what he can.
The questioner:
Yes.
The Shaykh:
He exerts what is possible and success is from Allah. The state of the society is not hidden from anyone today, the state of the society in our lands and other lands, even though our lands may be much less than the neighboring countries. So what about the state of the neighboring countries? There is no power and no strength except with Allah? The point is that the calamity is great, and the evil is widespread and varied, so upon the believer is to exert what he can in curbing the evil and reducing the evil, and upon the notables of the society from scholars, experts, and good people is to cooperate with the state in alleviating this evil and reducing it and eliminating what is possible of it.
The questioner:
Of course.
The Shaykh:
This hadith applies today. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said in the authentic hadith
A time will soon come when the best property of a Muslim will be sheep which he will take on the top of mountains and the places of rainfall (valleys) so as to flee with his religion from afflictions.
يوشك أن يكون خير مال المسلم غنم يتبع بها شعف الجبال، ومواقع القطر، يفر بدينه من الفتنةThe questioner:
Yes.
The Shaykh:
Fleeing with his religion from the trials,
يفر بدينه الفتن،In the authentic hadith, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said
When he was asked, "Who is the best of people?" he said, "A believer who strives in the path of Allah." It was said, "Then who?" He said, "A believer in a valley of the valleys who worships Allah and leaves the people."
لما سئل أي الناس أفضل؟ قال مؤمن مجاهد في سبيل الله قيل ثم أي؟ قال مؤمن في شعب من الشعاب يعبد الله ويدع الناسMany of the people of knowledge said this is understood in the context of the change of the world and the existence of evil in the cities and villages. So when evil is found in the cities and villages, it becomes for the person to leave that to a valley of the valleys to worship Allah and leave the people from his evil. It is what this hadith indicated that whoever does that is the best of people after the mujahideen.
Source
ندوات الجامع الكبير مع الأسئلة - 54 — archive.org (15:53)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.