Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Allah (swt) states in the Qur’an: “O believers! Protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones.”[1]  Islam places great importance on being a family. It commands that parents be respected and that their rights be upheld, while teaching that children are a trust placed in the care of their parents. Parents therefore bear important responsibilities: giving their children good names, raising them on halal sustenance, nurturing them with good character and teaching them their religion in a way that inspires love for it. Preparing our children for happiness in this world and the Hereafter requires guiding them towards a life that earns the pleasure of Allah.

 

Dear Jama’ah!

The most effective way to instil a love of our religion in our children is to sincerely embody its beauty in our own lives. We should not teach our children about prayer while neglecting prayer ourselves, nor teach them about fasting while remaining distant from it. The Qur’an states: “Do you preach righteousness and fail to practise it yourselves, although you read the Scripture? Do you not understand?”[2]  This teaches us that our words and actions must be consistent with one another. Words that are not supported by our actions are unlikely to leave a lasting impression on our children’s hearts.

Allah (swt) states: “Bid your people to pray and be diligent in observing it yourself.”[3]  In advising our families to worship, we must therefore also fulfil our own acts of worship with patience and steadfastness. Children follow the conduct of their parents more than their words. The most powerful guidance we can offer them is therefore an exemplary life enriched by faith and worship.

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Our children need more than a friend; they need compassionate and caring parents who will show them what is right and teach them appropriate boundaries. We must therefore teach them our religion, good character, honesty, truthfulness and an awareness of privacy, while adopting a loving, patient and wise manner.

The Messenger of Allah (saw), our finest example, would gently remind his family members of the acts of worship required of them and encourage them not to neglect their worship. Anas ibn Malik (ra) described the gracious manner in which he called his family to prayer: “For six months, whenever the Messenger of Allah (saw) went out for the dawn prayer, he would stop at Fatimah’s door and say, ‘Prayer, O members of the household!’ He would then recite: ‘Allah only intends to keep the causes of evil away from you and purify you completely, O members of the Prophet’s family.’”[4]

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Let us not discriminate among our children, let us remain fair in our love, attention and conduct. Let us bring halal sustenance to our tables, kind words into our homes and sincere prayers into our children’s lives. A parent’s dua is among the most precious forms of spiritual support a child can receive. The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “There are three supplications whose acceptance is beyond doubt: the supplication of a father, the supplication of a traveller and the supplication of one who has been wronged.”[5]  Therefore, even in moments of anger, let us train our tongues to speak kind words and our hearts to offer sincere prayers.

May Allah (swt) make us and our descendants Muslims who set an example through their words and actions. May He grant us all a life grounded in faith and good character, filled with goodness and blessings.

[1] Surah At-Tahrim, 66:6.

[2] Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:44.

[3] Surah Taha, 20:132.

[4] Tirmizî, Tefsîru’l-Kur’ân, 33.

[5] Ebû Dâvûd, Vitr, 29.

Khutba – English
Khutba – Turkish
Khutba – German
Khutba – Arabic
Khutba – French
Khutba – Dutch
Khutba – Danish