Islam is the second largest religion in the world by the number of people professing it. It regulates all spheres of human life, and first of all family, which is a priority for Muslims. The birth of a child in Islam is a very important event. This is not only a great happiness and mercy granted by Allah, but also a huge responsibility for parents, whose task is to raise a worthy Muslim. How should a child be raised according to Islamic canons, what rights and obligations does he, his father and mother have, what rituals are performed after the birth of a baby? We will talk about all this in the article.
Sunnah
The main source that sets out the principles and rules for raising a child in Islam is the Sunnah. This is a religious tradition dedicated to the life of the Prophet Muhammad. All pious Muslim parents should be guided by it in order to raise the baby in the spirit of Islamic traditions and instill in him the necessary moral and religious norms.
Sacred words
There is no need to perform any special rite for a child to convert to Islam, since, according to the Koran, he is already born a Muslim.
However, immediately after the baby is born, it is necessary to whisper to him 2 words that have a sacred religious meaning: Azam and Iqamat. The first is said to the right ear, and the second to the left. They fix the belonging of a newborn child to Islam and provide him with protection from evil, vicious forces. These sacred words must be spoken by the father or another respected Muslim.
Breastfeeding
Before the first breastfeeding, it is recommended to do the following procedure: lubricate the upper palate of the child with a date, previously chewed by the mother or father. It is believed that this way the sucking reflex will form faster and breast milk will flow more efficiently into the infant's body. Dates can be replaced with raisins or honey.
You should breastfeed your baby for 2 years. This is the right of a newborn, who needs mother's milk for the full formation of the body and the development of immunity. At 2 years old, the baby is transferred to a regular diet, as mother's milk loses its value.
Circumcision
Circumcision of the foreskin of boys, or khitan, is one of the oldest Muslim traditions. In ancient Egypt, this procedure was part of the initiation rite - the transition from the state of a young man to the status of a man. We also find mention of it in the Old Testament.
According to Islamicreligion, after circumcision the boy falls under the patronage and protection of Allah, gaining unity with God.
However, this rite has not only religious, but also practical justification. Most Muslims live in hot climates, so this operation is also important for hygiene purposes.
There is no consensus on when circumcision should be performed. The main thing is that it should be carried out until the child reaches the age of majority. Each people professing Islam has its own time frame. From a psychological point of view, it is better to do this as soon as possible so as not to cause severe injury to the child and so that the body recovers faster. The most common practice is to circumcise on the 8th day after the baby is born.
The operation can be performed both at home and in the clinic. The latter option is, of course, preferable. The child should be operated on by a person who is not only a qualified doctor, but also a devout Muslim.
Child's name
The name of the child is usually given on the 7th day of life. However, it is permissible to name children immediately after their birth.
Choosing a baby name in Islam is very important. It is desirable that it has a religious meaning. It is recommended that children be named after prophets and pious Muslims revered in the Koran. Names with the prefix "abd", which means "slave", are especially fond of, but only if the second part of the word is one of the names of the Prophet. For example, Abdulmalik, which translates as "slave of the Lord." At the same time, you can't givethe name of the Lord himself to the child - it can only be inherent in the Almighty (for example, Khalik - the Creator).
Today, the most common Muslim name is Muhammad (in honor of the great prophet), as well as its various forms - Mohammed, Mahmud and others.
First cut
After 7 days from the date of birth, the child is shaved baldly. The hair is then weighed and, depending on its weight, the parents must donate the same amount of gold or silver to the poor. True, today they use modern money for this. If the child has little or no hair, then the parents give alms in the amount they can afford (based on their financial situation).
Sacrifice
To give thanks to Allah for the gift of a child, an animal sacrifice is made: 2 rams for a boy and 1 for a girl. Cooked meat is given to beggars as alms, or it is treated to all relatives, as well as the midwife who took delivery.
The role of father and mother in raising children
Both parents should be involved in the upbringing of children, devoting a sufficient amount of their time to this process. However, up to 7 years for boys and often until the age of majority for girls, this function is mainly performed by the mother. First, women are by nature more gentle, affectionate and patient. And secondly, the father is busy earning money, because the financial support of the family lies entirely on his shoulders. Even if the spouses divorced, all the same, until the age of majority, a man mustfully support all of their children.
Principles of parenting
It is believed that a child comes into this world absolutely pure and sinless. Therefore, all children who die before the age of majority in Islam go to heaven, as they initially have a kind, bright soul.
Child, according to the Muslim faith, is a white sheet of paper on which you can draw anything. Therefore, the responsibility for how he grows up lies entirely with the parents. How they raise their child, what moral and religious principles they put into it, and how much they reinforce them with their own behavior, depends on what kind of person their child will become.
Education should be primarily religious, in the spirit of Muslim traditions. From an early age, it is necessary to tell children about Islam, read the Koran to them, and teach them the values that Muslims profess. Such knowledge is a priority, but it does not exclude secular education, to which every child is en titled.
- Children should be brought up in tenderness and love, the attitude of parents should be gentle and understanding, especially until the child has reached 10 years of age. Although physical punishment is permissible in Islam, it should be used infrequently and not on a parental whim, but solely for educational purposes. It is not necessary to hit the child hard, so that spanking does not cause pain and does not leave any marks, besides, hitting the face is prohibited - this humiliates a person and suppresses his personality.
- Parents ownbehavior should reinforce the attitudes and ideas that they nurture in their children. If a mother or father says the right things, but they themselves do not follow them in life, then the child will see this contradiction and copy exactly the actions of their parents. Therefore, it is necessary to educate the younger generation, first of all, by personal example.
- The child needs to clearly define the boundaries of behavior so that he knows what he can and cannot do. The task of parents is to form his moral guidelines. But the rules and prohibitions must be justified, that is, children need to be explained why this or that action is unacceptable or undesirable.
- It is believed that a child does not have an internal desire to do bad things - either the behavior of his parents can push him to an unseemly act, or the people around him can lead him astray. Therefore, it is necessary to control the circle of communication of your children. Especially today, in the era of the Internet and social networks, it is important for every Muslim not to succumb to harmful external influences.
- Parents must treat all their children equally, regardless of their gender, physical characteristics and other parameters. They should give them an equal amount of time and attention, care for each of them so that no child feels left out or jealous of his brother or sister. The exception is the disability of one of the children, as a result of which he may need more attention and care from his parents. The gender of the child in Islam does not matter: boys and girls are absolutelyare equivalent. Although in real life, male children are often preferred, especially for fathers.
- To instill in a child a sense of responsibility and respect for oneself and other members of society is necessary from an early age. This is facilitated by accustoming children to household chores. While the child is still young, these should be simple tasks, such as washing up a cup or taking out the trash can. As you get older, the amount of homework should increase. This is how a child is prepared for adult life, in which he will have to do a lot of things.
- It is forbidden to kiss your children of the opposite sex on the lips. Such a manifestation of tender feelings is permissible only between a husband and wife. So, there should not be such kisses between a mother and son, as well as between a father and his daughter.
Dua for children in Islam
Dua is a prayer through which Muslims turn to God with a specific request. The entire list of texts is contained in the Koran. There are many prayers concerning the child in Islam. Believers ask Allah to protect their children from illnesses, various troubles and hardships, evil influences, so that they may be given happiness, prosperity, moral and physical he alth. There are duas that save the baby from the impact of someone else's negative energy, preventing damage and the evil eye. In Islam, a child is literally prayed for, especially if he is alone. Therefore, it is not surprising that parents appeal to the Higher forces with various requests.protect your child from evil. Orthodox do the same.
Rights of the unborn child
In Islam, a child is endowed with rights even before he is born. Therefore, it is forbidden to kill the already born life, which was bestowed by the Almighty. The Islamic Declaration of Human Rights, in force since 1990, enshrines the right of the child to life from the moment of conception. Artificial termination of pregnancy is possible only in one case - if there is a threat to the life of the mother. For other reasons, abortions cannot be done.
If the parents of the unborn child are divorced or have already separated, the father is still obliged to financially provide the pregnant woman with everything necessary and does not have the right to expel her from his home before the birth.
The state guarantees decent medical care for pregnant women. In addition, in Islam, a child who has not yet been born is also en titled to a legal share of the inheritance. In the event of the death of his father, the "sharing" of property is carried out only after the birth of the baby.
Children's Rights
As written in the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights, the child must receive decent care, material and medical support. He has the right to life, he alth and education. Since a small child is absolutely defenseless and unable to take care of himself, the realization of these rights is the responsibility of parents and the state.
Adolescent Rights
Adolescence is an intermediate stage between childhood and adulthood. Its onset is usually associated withmoment of puberty. Moreover, in girls it begins earlier than in boys, from the age of nine. However, in Islam, sexually mature adolescents are already considered full-fledged adults with corresponding rights and obligations. Consider the main ones:
- They are responsible for their actions.
- Religious. Teenagers who have reached puberty must observe all fasts and prayers prescribed by the Qur'an.
- The right to marry. The creation of a family is obligatory for every devout Muslim. A marriage contract is concluded between the parents of the bride and groom (in the presence of 2 more witnesses). There is a widespread belief that girls should marry the person whom their father or guardian has chosen for them. However, it is not. If a girl is not satisfied with the candidacy of a potential husband, she has the right not to marry. Also, a young woman can terminate an already concluded union if it was made under duress. Intimate premarital relations for both sexes are prohibited by the Qur'an.
- The right to dispose of property also comes after children reach puberty. At the same time, boys are en titled to 2 shares of the inheritance, and girls - only one. But this disparity is compensated by the fact that all financial obligations for the maintenance of the family and future children fall solely on the shoulders of men. In addition, the girls' property is also the husband's wedding gift, which she has the right to dispose of at her discretion.
- Children who have reached puberty must abide byMuslim "dress code", that is, wear clothes prescribed by Islamic religious norms that cover the body as much as possible.
Raising children by divorced parents
Ideally, Muslim children should be brought up in a complete family, in which there is both a mother and a father. However, due to various reasons, a marital union may be broken, especially since divorce is officially allowed in Islam. And if it so happened that a man and a woman do not live together, this does not relieve them of maternal and paternal responsibilities. But how, in this case, are they implemented and distributed?
A father is obliged to fully support his children until they reach adulthood, paying all necessary expenses. If he dies or for some other reason can no longer fulfill his financial obligations, then this function passes to other men of his kind.
Boys under 7 and girls up to 9 years old, and sometimes until adulthood, are brought up by their mother. However, a woman must meet certain conditions:
- be Muslim;
- be mentally he althy and not have any serious physical illness that could interfere with her motherhood;
- should not get married (unless it is to a person who is related to her children, such as the brother of an ex-husband).
If any of the requirements is violated, then the maternal grandmother has the primary right to raise children, and then the paternal grandmother.
A child who has reached the age of 7-8 years (the age of Mumayiz) himself has the rightChoose the parent you want to live with. However, he must be a pious Muslim, of sound mind, and if it concerns a woman, then she should not be married to a person who is not related to her child by blood.
If a son or daughter stays with their mother, then the father continues to fully support them financially, and must also devote enough time to communicating with them. If the child stayed with the father, then his new wife, according to the norms of Islam, does not become a mother to her husband's children, but she should not infringe on their rights compared to her own children. And a natural mother has the right to visit her child whenever she wants.
Adoption and Guardianship
The Quran strictly forbids adoption. It is perceived as an unnatural act that equates adopted children with relatives, infringing on the latter's rights. In addition, the adoption of an adopted child into the family is fraught with his close contacts with his mother and sister, who are not his blood relatives.
At the same time, taking custody of a child who has lost his parents for various reasons is a noble act. Guardians should ensure that orphaned children receive proper education and upbringing in the spirit of Islamic traditions. Also, such a child is en titled to 1/3 of the inheritance.
The upbringing of a child in Islam from birth to adulthood is given great attention. Yes, children grow up in a rather rigid religious framework. However, the child is guaranteed real protection from the state and the participation of both parents or their relatives in his life - they instill in childrenbasic moral values and moral principles.
