Rights of Children in Islam
Islam’s
general approach to children may be summarized in a few principles. First, it
is a Divine injunction that no child may become the cause of harm to the
parents [Al-Baqarah, 2:233].
Secondly,
by implication, the parents should reciprocate and cause no harm to the child
either. The Quran recognizes very clearly that parents are not always immune
from overprotectiveness or negligence.
On the
basis of this recognition, it has thirdly established certain guidelines and
pointed out certain facts with respect to children. It points out that children
are joys of life as well as sources of pride, seeds of vanity and false
security, and founts of distress and temptation. But it hastens to stress the
greater joys of the spirit and caution parents against overconfidence, false
pride, or misdeeds that might be caused by children.
The
religious moral principle of this position is that every individual, parent or
child, relates to God directly and is independently responsible for his deeds.
No child can absolve the parent on the Day of Judgment. Nor can a parent
intercede on behalf of his child.
Finally,
Islam is strongly sensitive to the crucial dependency of the child on the
parents. Their decisive role in forming the child’s personality is clearly
recognized in Islam. In a very suggestive statement, the Prophet declared that every child is born into the true malleable nature of
fitrah (i.e., the pure natural state of Islam); its parents later on make it
into a Jew, Christian, or pagan.
The Fundamental Rights of Children in
Islam
According
to these guidelines, and more specifically, one of the most inalienable rights
of the child in Islam is the
right to life and equal life chances. Preservation of the child’s life is the
third commandment in Islam (6:151; cf. 17:23 ff).
Another
equally inalienable right is the right to legitimacy, which holds that every
child shall have a father, and one father only.
Raising Children in Islam: Care,
Education, and Compassion
A third
set of rights comes under socialization, upbringing, and
general care. To take good care of children is one of the most commendable
deeds in Islam. The Prophet was fond of children, and he expressed his
conviction that his Muslim community would be noted among other communities for
its kindness to children.
It is
charity of a higher order to attend to their spiritual welfare, educational
needs, and general well-being. Interest in and responsibility for the child’s
welfare are questions of first priority.
According
to the Prophet’s instructions, by the seventh day the child should be given a
good, pleasant name and its head should be shaved, along with all the other
hygienic measures required for healthy growth. This should be made a festive
occasion marked with joy and charity.
Who Is Responsible for a Child’s Welfare
in Islam?
Responsibility
for and compassion toward the child is a matter of religious importance as well
as social concern. Whether the parents are alive or deceased, present or
absent, known or unknown, the child is to be provided with optimum care.
Whenever
there are executors or relatives close enough to be held responsible for the
child’s welfare, they shall be directed to discharge this duty. But if there is
no next of kin, care for the child becomes a joint responsibility of the entire
Muslim community, designated officials and commoners alike.
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Taken from “Islam in Focus” by Hammudah `Abd Al-`Ati
