now up to the parents whether they succeed in this test by providing their children with a Madani upbringing or not.

Remember! Children normally imitate the habits of their parents. If the parents are steadfast on Shar’iah and passionate about acquiring Islamic knowledge, then their children also tread on the path of piety and become a means for their parents’ salvation, forgiveness and good name. On the other hand, if parents are used to bad habits themselves, then their children will also get used to the same bad habits. Such offspring does not become a means of salvation, but a means of destruction.

Remember! Correct upbringing of children is the responsibility of both parents. Whereas, the father tries to avoid this responsibility by making an excuse of earning livelihood and shifts this responsibility onto the mother. And the mother considers the father to be the actual responsible for the upbringing of children while presenting the excuse of carrying out domestic chores. As a result, such offspring goes out of the control of parents and becomes a means of trouble for them.

Therefore, parents should fulfil their responsibility by playing their role in making their children pious and prominent figure of the society from their childhood, as whatever is taught in the childhood embeds firmly in the nature of the child.

It is stated in a blessed Hadees: ‘اَلْعِلْمُ فِی صِغَرِهِ كَالنَّقْشِ عَلَى الحَجَرِ’ i.e. acquiring knowledge in childhood is (firm) like engraving on stone.

(Majma’-uz-Zawaid, vol. 1, pp. 333, Hadees 5015)

Let us listen to 4 blessed sayings of the Holy Rasool صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم regarding the upbringing of children:

1. (When) the Holy Rasool صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم recited the following blessed Ayah:

قُوْۤا اَنْفُسَكُمْ وَ اَهْلِیْكُمْ نَارًا

Translation from Kanz-ul-Iman: Save yourselves and your families from the Fire. (Part 28, Surah At-Tahreem, Ayah 6)