The Recipe to Raise Pious Offspring
(Sayyidah Maryam [‘alaihas
salaam] – Part Eight)
When Sayyidah Maryam (‘alaihas salaam) was
confronted by the people and accused of being unchaste, she gestured towards
Nabi ‘Isa (‘alaihis salaam) who was an infant. As a miracle, Allah Ta‘ala allowed Nabi ‘Isa (‘alaihis salaam) to
speak. He thus raised his index finger and addressed the people.
The very first thing that Nabi ‘Isa (‘alaihis
salaam) told them was, “I am the slave of Allah Ta‘ala.” In this way, he clearly declared that he was the slave of Allah
Ta‘ala and not the son of Allah Ta‘ala. He then told the people
that Allah Ta‘ala would reveal a divine kitaab to him and make him a Nabi. By
telling the people that he would become the Nabi of Allah Ta‘ala, the people understood that his mother was innocent of unchaste
behaviour and her name was thus cleared of all accusations.
Nabi ‘Isa
(‘alaihis salaam) then declared, “Allah Ta‘ala has made me blessed, wherever I
may be.” In this context, when Nabi ‘Isa (‘alaihis salaam) mentioned ‘blessed’,
it referred to the blessing of encouraging people towards righteous works and
preventing them from committing evil deeds.
Nabi ‘Isa (‘alaihis salaam) next said, “Allah
Ta‘ala has enjoined on me salaah and zakaat as long as I am alive.” Zakaat refers to ‘purity’ – of both wealth (through discharging
zakaat and giving optional charity) and of the soul through purifying one’s
character of evil habits and traits.
Nabi ‘Isa (‘alaihis salaam) finally mentioned to
the people that Allah Ta‘ala had made him obedient and kind to his mother, and Allah Ta‘ala had not made him harsh and rude, and he
would not break the commands of Allah Ta‘ala in any way.
(Tafseerul Madaarik vol. 2, pg. 38, Tafseer Ibnu Katheer vol. 5,
pg. 225, Al-Bidaayah wan Nihaayah vol. 2, pg. 79)
Lesson:
The qualities
that Nabi ‘Isa (‘alaihis salaam) mentioned as a child are the same qualities
that we should all strive to instil in our children, which are:
1. Complete
submission before Allah Ta‘ala and His commands, as we are all His slaves.
2. The
effort to engage them in works of righteousness such as inviting people towards
good and preventing them from evil, as this, in reality, is a great blessing
and favour of Allah Ta‘ala.
3. To
instil the importance of salaah in their hearts so that they never neglect any
salaah, and to ensure that they strive for purity in all facets of
life, financial as well as in character.
4. The
children must be taught to respect, honour and serve their parents and seniors,
must be raised to be civilized and dignified and to behave respectably, not in
a harsh and rude manner.
In order to instil these qualities within their
children, the parents will have to first acquire the qualities themselves. Thereafter, they will become practical role models and examples
for their children to emulate. Additionally, we should all make
du‘aa on a regular basis that Allah Ta‘ala bless us with pious, obedient
offspring who will please us as well as Allah Ta‘ala, Aameen
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