Commentary on Imam Sajjad’s (AS) Treaties of Right (Part 24)

Shafaqna English- The Right of the child (24^th): Commentary on Imam Sajjad’s (AS) Treaties of Right by Mohammad Sobhanie.

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

وَأمَّا حَقُّ وَلَدِكَ فَتَعْلَمَ أنَّهُ مِنْكَ وَمُضَافٌ إلَيكَ فِي عَاجِلِ الدُنْيَـــــــــا بخَيْرِهِ وَشَرِّهِ، وَأَنَّكَ مَسْئولٌ عَمَّــــــا ولِّيتَهُ مِنْ حُسْنِ الأَدَب وَالدّلالَةِ عَلَى رَبـــــــــهِ وَالْمَعُونةِ لَهُ عَلَى طَاعَتِهِ فِيكَ وَفِي نفْسِهِ، فَمُثابٌ عَلَى ذلِكَ وَمُعَاقَبٌ، فَـــــــــاعْمَلْ فِي أَمْرِهِ عَمَلَ الْمُتَزَيِّنِ بحُسْنِ أَثرِهِ عَلَيْهِ فِي عَاجِلِ الدُّنْيَا، الْمُعْذِرِ إلَى رَبهِ فِيمَـــــــا بَيْنَكَ وبَيْنَهُ بحُسْنِ الْقِيَامِ عَلَيْهِ وَالأَخذُ لَهُ مِنْهُ. وَلا قُوَّةَ إلا باللهِ.

The Right of the Child (24^th)

Your child’s right is that you should know that he is your offspring and is attributed to you in this world for his good and evil deeds. You are responsible for teaching your child good behavior, guiding them towards their Lord, and helping them obey Him for themselves and on your behalf. You will be rewarded for fulfilling this responsibility, while failure will result in punishment.

Regarding his upbringing, act as someone who will be proud of raising him in this world so you will not be accountable for his misconduct before your Lord. And there is no power but in God.

Commentary: Fathers have a significant responsibility as the primary guardians of their children’s upbringing. They are entrusted with instilling good conduct, guiding their children towards their Lord, and fostering obedience to Allah (SWT). It’s crucial to understand that fulfilling these responsibilities will bring about a sense of fulfillment and lead to divine rewards. This promise of reward, a testament to Allah’s mercy, should serve as a source of encouragement and hope. Conversely, failing to meet these responsibilities will result in divine retribution.

Imam Sajjad (AS) cautioned fathers to raise their children properly to avoid being held responsible for their inappropriate behavior. In summary, he stated that a father should:

1. Teach their children good conduct. (وَأَنَّكَ مَسْئولٌ عَمَّــــــا ولِّيتَهُ مِنْ حُسْنِ الأَدَب)

2. Guide their children toward their Lord. (وَالدّلالَةِ عَلَى رَبـــــــــهِ)

3. Help their children to obey God on their behalf and for themselves. (وَالْمَعُونةِ لَهُ عَلَى طَاعَتِهِ فِيكَ وَفِي نفْسِهِ)

Good Moral and Etiquette: Allah (SWT) has undoubtedly ingrained good morals in children’s nature. The father is responsible for nurturing his offspring, enabling them to develop virtuous qualities. For example, humans naturally value truthfulness and detest falsehood and deceit. Therefore, the father should create an environment at home that encourages the child to speak the truth. If the father notices the child speaking untruths out of fear, he should kindly remind the child about the importance of honesty and show mercy by forgiving the mistake.

Guiding toward God: Humans have a natural inclination to believe in God. It is a father’s responsibility to show the child how God is present in his life.

One of the most impactful ways to teach a child about the presence of God is through nature. The awe-inspiring manifestations of God’s mercy in nature can profoundly influence a child’s understanding. The grandeur of God’s Power in the universe, God’s love and compassion in nature’s landscapes and creations, the beauty of blossoms, the coming of rain, the fruits of trees, and various animals can be used to show that God is present in every aspect of our lives. Therefore, walking in nature with your child or teenager can produce profound results.

Here are some ways to introduce children to God through nature:

1. Take children for walks to observe plants and creatures.
2. Watch the sunrise and sunset to appreciate the beauty of God’s creation.
3. Observe birds in the sky.
4. Help children to understand the connection between God and natural phenomena.
5. Read Quranic stories to your children that show divine power’s role in people’s lives.

Encouraging children to engage in acts of worship, such as ablution, praying, and reciting the Qur’an, can significantly influence their spiritual beliefs. Introducing these practices from childhood can help children view them as a regular part of life and have a profound spiritual impact that lasts a lifetime.

Help Children to Obey God: The father should support the children by following Allah’s (SWT) guidelines. For instance, he should encourage the children to pray before sunrise. Parents should organize Iftar and Suhoor meals during the Month of Ramadan so that the children can fast. The father should create an environment where fulfilling religious duties becomes a regular aspect of the children’s lives.

The Prophet (PBUH) said [1]^,[2]:

إذا مات ابن آدم انقطع عمله إلاّ من ثلاث: صدقة جارية، أو علمٌ ينتفع به، أو ولد صالح يدعو له

Once a person passes away, their opportunity to perform good deeds ends, except for three things: ongoing charity or knowledge that they left behind to benefit others or a righteous child who will pray for them. The Prophet (PBUH) said the right of children to father are [3]:

قال رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : مِن حَقِّ الوَلَدِ على‏ والِدِهِ ثَلاثَةٌ : يُحَسِّنُ اسمَهُ ، ويُعَلِّمُهُ الكِتابَةَ ، ويُزَوِّجُهُ إذا بَلَغَ

The Prophet (PBUH) said: “Among the rights of a child upon his parent are three: to give him a good name, to teach him how to write, and to provide the means for his marriage when they become mature.”

Note:

[1] http://shiaonlinelibrary.com/(الكتب/1433_بحار-الأنوار-العلامة-المجلسي-ج-٢/الصفحة_25)

[2] https://hadith.inoor.ir/ar/hadith/312609/hadith-noorlib?rownumber=NaN

[3] https://hadith.net/en/post/34301/parent-and-child/p14/

Part of a Series: Commentary on Imam Al-Sajjad’s (AS) treaties of right

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