Every serious company has a mission statement, that is, the goals they’ve set out for their organization and are working towards achieving.
In the same vein, every human being should have a mission in life. As Muslims, our mission in life is to worship Allah and seek His pleasure. But at the individual level, we all want to achieve some things in life. This is called our ambitions.
How do the children identify their mission?
If we ask many of our children what their mission in life is (that is, what they want to become in life), many of them will not have suitable or ready-made answers. This is because the task of setting out a mission at this early age is not theirs. It’s the task of you the parents.
By guiding them through every stage of their lives and giving them general guidelines on how to live life, you’re helping them to set their respective missions.
Therefore, a child with a mission is that child who knows what he/she wants to become in life. They don’t just know; they’re also working towards achieving their mission every single day of their lives.
Characteristics/Qualities of a Mission Child Are:
- Fear of Allah
- Moral uprightness
Things Parents Need to Groom a Child with Mission
I would like to explain the duties of parents under the points highlighted above. Part of the duties of every parent is to train their children to be:
A child must be aware of his/her duties towards Allah right from a young age. But many parents are negligent in this duty. They observe religious obligations but they never encourage their children to do same. So, these children grow up not knowing Allah not to talk of being God-fearing.
For a Muslim child to be God-fearing, parents have to nurture Iman (faith) in them. They should grow up loving Allah and following His injunctions so that it doesn’t become a burden on them when they come of age.
Allah says: “And [mention, O Muhammad], when Luqman said to his son while he was instructing him, “O my son, do not associate [anything] with Allah. Indeed, association [with him] is great injustice.” [Luqman:13]
Action Points for Parents:
Parents should involve their kids in God-fearing environments such as Arabic/Islamic schools, Islamic programs (public lectures, Islamic camps, Quran/Quiz competitions etc). More importantly, parents should set good examples and be actively involved in monitoring their kids’ Ibadah and admonishing them, as they are the primary stakeholders and there is an extent to which others (teachers, caregivers…) can help your child. A perfect example for us is Luqman and his son in the Qur’an verse above.
2. Morally Upright
One of the fundamental reasons for the falling moral standard in the society can be blamed on negligence on the part of parents. This is a big problem because many parents themselves lack morals. According to a wise saying, you cannot give what you do not have.
We seem to be too busy with the task of finding our means of livelihood that we often neglect proper child upbringing. In fact, some parents don’t care if their children are doing well in school or if they’re associating with the right people.
Action Points for Parents:
Parent must set good examples for their children. They must encourage their kids to keep good friends and teach them to respect the elders. Also, they must correct them when they make mistakes, advise them in a beautiful manner, teach them good values, and see to their welfare.
Knowledge of the religion is the greatest knowledge that one can ever possess. Therefore, Muslim kids should not only excel in western education, they must also be well-grounded in Islamic knowledge. This is keeping in view with the lifelong mission of Muslims which is worshipping Allah and seeking His pleasure.
Have we all heard of companions such as Abdullah bn Abbas, Abdullah bn Mas’ud, and Muaadh bn Jabal, among other? They all distinguished themselves among their peers by virtue of their knowledge.
Action points for Parents:
Every parent must give their children sound and qualitative education (both western and Islamic), whether through conventional schooling or homeschooling. They must support them with learning materials for ease of study and also monitor their study routines. Parents must draw a study time-table for their kids and if possible, they should study together.
According to Professor Linda S. Gottfredson, “intelligence reflects the general ability to process information, which promotes learning, understanding, reasoning, and problem-solving.”
Therefore, an intelligent or smart kid understands what he needs to do at every point in time by virtue of understanding the circumstances surrounding him. He is never negligent of his duties and he often thinks beyond his scope.
Action Point for Parents:
Parents should help their children develop their potentials. To do this, they must help them stimulate their intellectual domain by engaging in some brain exercises. For example, ask your child what he would do when he is in a strange or difficult situation. This will improve their decision-making skills.
In addition, parents must train their children on self- discipline, teach them to be focused and serious, believe in them, and prepare them for the future.
Lastly, it is important for parents to limit their children’s TV watching as it affects their ability to develop important life skills. Some TV programs are good, no doubt, but you have to be selective. A child of less than 2 years should not have TV time.
It is undeniable that a responsible child will grow to become a responsible adult. Thus helping a kid to be responsible is as important as giving him an education. This is because being responsible allows you to put what you’ve learnt over time into action.
When a child is responsible, parents will have time to focus on some more important aspects of their lives. For example, when the parents are not around, the oldest among the kids can take care of their younger ones. With this mindset, your children will become functional members of the society, rendering selfless services to improve humanity.
Action Points for Parents:
For kids to be responsible, you must expose them to certain tasks right from their tender age. Start by assigning age-appropriate tasks, laying out each family member’s responsibilities, and letting the children feel the consequences of not taking responsibility.
You should state the task, allow the children to respond, and follow through with the appropriate consequence. Lastly, you must praise them for taking responsibility and reward them wisely.
6. Parents Must Always Make Du’a for Their Kids
It is the duty of parents to also pray for their children to become successful in this life and the hereafter. This prayer must be constant whether they’ve started fulfilling their mission or not. But it doesn’t stop at that: you should also imbibe the practice of praying (salaah and supplications) with your kids. For example, the recommended supplications from the Sunnah at the end of completing the recitation of the Holy Qur’an.
7. Help Them Find Worthy Role Models
Naturally, any good parent should be the first role model for their kids. It is your duty to mentor these kids through every stage of their life (as children). However, children may decide to choose other role models as they advance in life. It could be their teacher, Imam, siblings, or a distant personality like the sahabas, may Allah be pleased with them. We can do this by familiarizing them with the stories of the past prophets and the prophet’s companions, and nurturing in them love for the sahabas from a tender age.
There are numerous benefits attached to bringing up children with a mission, but these three are more salient.
1. Reward from Allah
A great reward awaits parents who are dutiful to their children. If they (children) memorize the Quran, they will intercede for their parents on the Day of Judgment; if they’re raised properly, they will be rewarded for fulfilling their trust. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “Whoever has three daughters, whom he gives refuge to, provides for and shows mercy to, Paradise is certainly guaranteed for him.” [Musnad Ahmad 13835, graded Sahih according to al-Mundhiri].
2. Good legacy
The best legacy one can ever have is a well-trained child. Every parent is always proud of a dutiful child because they’re an everlasting source of joy. This alone is enough reward for whoever can endure the task of raising their children properly. Remember that many of the prophets in Islam left children who took over from where they stopped, and this ensured the continuity of their messages. Also, leaving behind pious children who will pray for you after your demise when there’ll be no more chance to do more good, is an enormous legacy.
3. Rest of mind
Parents who train their children the right way are always happy. The rest of mind comes naturally since these children will never become hooligans, take to violence or commit crimes. Ultimately, these children will never forget their mission in life even if they travel to the farthest parts of the world.
“Our Lord, grant us from among our wives and offspring comfort to our eyes and give us (the grace) to lead the righteous.” [Q25:74]
Abdulhafiz Akinde is an author, a blogger, and an award winning writer. He blogs at www.freelancingpro.net and can be reached and followed here on Twitter. Do check him up for awesome writing services.
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