All praise is due to Allah and may Allah raise the rank of our Prophet Muhammad and protect his nation from that which he fears for them.

Dear brothers in Islam, I urge myself and you to fulfil the obligations and avoid the unlawful.

Allah, the Exalted, said in the Holy Qur’an in Surat at-Tahrim:

يا أيها الذين ءامنوا قوا أنفسَكم وأهليكُم نارا وقودُها الناسُ والحجارة

This Ayah means: [O you who believed protect yourselves and your families from Hellfire, which is fuelled by people and stones].

Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said: << Everyone of you is responsible for certain people and shall be questioned on the Day of Judgement about that responsibility >>.

Allah, the Exalted, bestowed upon Prophet Muhammad the last and the simplest set of rules. Our success is determined by following these rules and implementing them.

Moreover, the good society is the society where all its individuals are of good manners .

The question is, who are the individuals that make up the society? They are in fact the fathers, the mothers and their children.

The parents should be a good role model for their children and they should teach them the proper manners and ethics of the good Muslims in order to establish a healthy society. On the subject of teaching children and raising them Islamically, Sheikh Mustafa Naja who was a former mufti of the city of Beirut said: “younger children are easier to teach, unlike those who are pubescent. What you teach the child from a younger age, is what will make the major effect in his adulthood. The child is like an empty jug that will take whatever you fill it with.  If you fill it with a pure substance, that is what will pour out.”

the role of parents is very important in raising children Islamically. Let us remember what the Prophet had said:

مروا أولادكم بالصلاة وهم أبناء سبع

We understand from this hadith that it is obligatory upon the guardian of a child who reached the age of mental discrimination to order the child to perform prayer, to teach him the rules of prayer after the child has completed seven lunar years.

The same is done in the case of fasting if the child can bear fasting. Moreover the guardian must teach the child the fundamentals of Islam such as: Allah does not resembles any of his creations and that Allah exists without a place and that Allah sent messengers and prophets, the first was Adam and the last was Muhammad.

The guardians must also teach the child what is lawful and what is unlawful. Examples of the unlawful matters are stealing, drinking alcohol and adultery.

They should teach the child what is obligatory such as the daily five prayers, and what is optional and rewardable such as using the siwak and praying in congregation.

Dear brothers in Islam, What we are witnessing today such as murders, stealing and drug consuming is a result of the absence of the parents’ role and their negligence in raising the child in an Islamic way as well as the incorrect teachings given to the child.

Therefore, it is important for us as guardians to consider seriously the way we raise our children.

Finally let us remember the saying of the Prophet:

المرء على دين خليله فلينظر أحدكم من يخالل

Which means, a person is likely to follow the habits of his friend so be aware of whom you take as a friend.

We ask Allah to enable us to raise our children Islamically and make them righteous members of our society.