Its our offspring at stake!!!

Upbringing our children in current times is truly challenging. If nothing is done soon, one cannot
imagine how worse it could get. Theres nothing more sad than loosing your child.
Tips by Khalifah Umar ibnbdil !ee!
I feel that Khalifah Umar ibn bdil !ee!s "rahimahullah# ad$ice below is $ery apt and pertinent.
Khalifah Umar ibn bdul !i! "rahimahullah# wrote the following instructions to his childrens
mentor "teacher#
%e strict on them for this is more effecti$e in restraining them. &top them from sleeping after 'a(r
&alaah, for this causes stupidity ) negligence. They should laugh less for a lot of laughing *ills the heart
) soul. +et the first thing you inculcate in them be the hatred for ,usic, for I ha$e heard from $arious
-eople of Knowledge "Ulamaa# that ,usic de$elops hypocrisy in the heart (ust as water grows grass.
.ach of them should commence the day with the recitation of the /oly 0uran in the proper manner.
1hen they complete that, they should ta*e their bows and arrows and proceed barefooted to the range.
.ach of them should shoot 2 times. Thereafter they should ta*e mid3day sleep "siesta#. 'or &ayyiduna
bdullah ibn ,asood "radiyallahuanhu# use to say4 5h my children6 Ta*e siesta, for $erily the de$ils
do not do so.
" Kitaabu 7hammil ,alahi of /afi! Ibn abi 8unya pg. 9#
These words of Khalifah Umar ibn bdil !ee! "rahimahullah# gi$e us the following lessons on
upbringing of children4
:. To commence the day with the recitation of the 0uran
;. <ot to sleep after 'a(r "until after sunrise at least#
=. To abstain from music
>. To laugh less
?. .ngagement in physical acti$ity, li*e archery
@. The importance of siesta "Aailoolah#
.ach of the abo$e are $aluable lessons of life, which we as adults can implement and also inculcate in
our children.

0uran Becital e$ery morning
,any of us commence our day by reading the news, 3which is more depressing than informati$e3 or by
catching up on our timeline, or sifting through emails etc.
The recitation of 0uran, first thing in the morning will bring bara*ah "blessing# in our affairs
throughout the day. 5ur children should see us reciting the 0uran after 'a(r. This will subconsciously
lead them on to the same.

,usicC they are ne$er too young to abstain
1e often (ustify out leniency towards out *ids indulgence in haram or ma*rooh "repulsi$e# deeds by
saying4 They are too young
The fact that Umar ibn bdil !ee! detested music e$en for his under aged children, demonstrates to
us how we should $iew the training of our own.
8ont allow the seeds of hypocrisy to grow e$en at that tender age. The computer games that they play
should be free of foul language, e$il habits and the music should be turned off. <e$er underestimate the
effect that these supposed games could ha$e on an innocent mind. Its sad, how lightly we ta*e the
issue of ,usic that e$en as adults, we repeatedly need to be cautioned of our ringtones.
1ho is there that can say he has ne$er heard a musical ringtone go off while in &alah in the ,as(idD6
1ho would ha$e belie$ed it if we were told a decade ago, that a time will come when a muslim will
play music 3or at least allow it to be played3 while in sa(dah, the closest posture we could get to llah
TaalaD6

.ntertainment
Today we all loo* for how to be best entertained rather than spend our time usefully.
+aughter and (o*es ha$e become so common, that at times one will notice people (o*ing e$en at a
(ana!ah6
The rare opportunity we get to ponder about death doesnt pass with an unnecessary (o*e or fable being
shared.
.$en in religious lectures, the crowds are inflated if the spea*er can entertain betterE
s mentioned earlier, these were Umar ibn bdil !ee!s "rahimahullah# guidelines for the
upbringing of children. las many of us adults need this lesson too.

<atural physical acti$ity
Khalifah Umar ibn bdil !ee! "rahimahullah# specifically ordered the mentor to ta*e them
outdoors for archery daily. The pagan rabs also preferred to send their *ids to the $illages where they
could spend their time outdoors, herding goats and learning basic life s*ills. In fact, until a few decades
ago, we too would spend our days outdoors in $arious acti$ities.
Todays child may be engaging in $ery similar acti$ities too, but instead of it being outdoors they do it
on a screen6 Its no more physical, its actually electronic6
-hysical acti$ity has its own benefit in early childhood de$elopment that can ne$er be replaced with
any electronic de$ice. -arents need to carefully thin* of ways to *eep their children occupied in a
manner that wont (ust *eep them from bothering their parents, but ways that will enhance the childs
mind, body and Iman as well.

,ay llah guide us all, and may /e inspire us with the correct tact in upbringing our innocent
offspring. meen.