How to Raise Children in Difficult Environments?
Answered by Habib Umar bin Hafiz
Question: Assalam aleykum
A woman who lives with her husband and children in a non-Muslim home, what is her responsibility in safeguarding her faith and the faith of her children?
Answer: [Assalam alaykum]
She is responsible for:
-Filling her heart and the hearts of her children with the love of Allah, The Truth, and His Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him and his folk)
-Guarding the performance of the obligatory prayers
-Taking on a share of the [consistent] reading the of Quran
-Recitation of the morning and evening supplications
-Frequent recounting of the Sirah (biography) of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him and his folk), both among the spouses and to the children
[Mention of] the news of returning back to Allah, entering into the life in the grave (barzakh), the Day of Judgment, and Paradise and Hellfire.
-In addition, the parents should arrange for their children gatherings of group remembrance during the week; if not every night.
-On occasion, they should present to them beneficial lectures and recordings of the righteous.
-Vigilant supervision of their children’s behavior and character;
All this is to be done infused with the spirit of mercy, beautiful kindness, intellectual persuasion and gentle demeanor.
Translated by Rayshaud Jameer
Habib Umar bin Hafiz is a descendant of the Prophet (upon him be Allah’s peace and blessings). Born into a family of scholars, Habib Umar, pursued the sacred sciences from a young age, including Quran, Hadith, Fiqh, ‘Aqeedah, Arabic, and Spirituality. In 1994, he established Dar al-Mustafa, an educational institute in Tarim, Yemem.
