society.’ But the result is often contrary. Why? Because those parents who are unaware of the basic Islamic principles of upbringing children, who are not practicing Muslims and are deprived of the blessings of a good environment, how come they would be able to provide a good upbringing to their children?

Perhaps this is the very reason why the standards of upbringing children today have become such that if the child does not do any work, takes a day off from school or tuition centre or academy or becomes lazy in this regard, if he does not agree to wear a specific dress or shoes to a function when told to do so, or if he says ‘ifs and buts’ in the worldly matters or becomes obstinate, then he is told off. He is severely scolded. He is given long lectures.

But if the same child misses Salah or does not offer Salah with Jama’at, takes a day off or goes late to Madrasah or Jami’ah, wanders around the entire night, establishes unlawful relationships with non-Mahrams through mobile phone and social media, carries out inappropriate use of mobile phone or internet, falls prey to unlawful love, watches films and dramas, listens to music, adopts immoral fashions, does not bother about Halal and Haraam, drinks alcohol, gambles, lies, backbites, pays or receives bribes, adopts impermissible fashions, sits in the company of people with corrupt beliefs, wastes money in useless activities, in short, he indulges in various types of evils, then let alone inquiring about those evils, parents do not even consider it to be bad at all.

It is also commonly observed that if somebody tries to reform them, then the parents say: ‘He is still young’, ‘he is naïve’, ‘he will understand gradually’, ‘you should not be that harsh on kids’, etc.

When the same child becomes a means of disgrace for the parents, family and society due to the lack of Islamic upbringing and too much leniency, when he stares in the eyes of the parents or shouts at them for them scolding him or not giving him money, then at that time, they recall the advice of their well-wishers. Now the parents grieve for their child’s reform, make Du’as and