Faith is the most important and greatest means that must be instilled firmly and deeply in children’s hearts, since faith is the life of the hearts and the foundation of any structure. Without a foundation, any structure will soon collapse.

　　Shaping your child fiducially requires principles and basics that serve as guidelines and help to raise a generation of true believers who obey Allah The Almighty and His Messenger, , in everything from early childhood.

　　This nurturing should be like light that grows with the child and mixes with his mother’s milk.

　　Guidelines of fiducial upbringing:

　　1- Instilling in children belief that Allah The Almighty sees us in private and public:

　　Behaving in accordance with the belief that Allah The Almighty sees one and knows everything about him is one of the cornerstones that reform the heart of the child and consequently his behavior. This condition is the principle that keeps the child away from sins and violations and appropriate to deepen the spirit of devotion in the child’s soul. This is why Allah The Exalted Says (what means):

• {And He is with you (by His Knowledge) wherever you are.} [Quran 57:4]
• {Indeed, from Allah nothing is hidden in the earth nor in the heavens.}[Quran 3:5]

　　Hence, parents should habituate their child to be conscious that Allah The Almighty is watching Him while he does anything, thinks about anything, or intends to do anything.

　　The best educator, who was the Prophet, , referred to this important cornerstone when he was asked about Ihsaan; he answered: “It is to worship Allah as if you can see Him, for although you cannot see Him, indeed, He sees you.”[Al-Bukhari]

　　The famous story of the daughter of the milkwoman is one of the best examples that teach the child to be conscious of Allah The Almighty at all times. The mother wanted to mix milk with water to have more profit, but her daughter reminded her that the Commander of the Believers had banned this practice. The mother countered, “We are inside our house, and the Commander of the Believers cannot see us.” Thereupon, she girl answered decisively, “If the Commander of the Believers cannot see us, then surely the Lord of the Commander of the Believer sees us.”

　　4- Habituating the child to surrender to Allah the Almighty and obey Him and His Messenger, :

　　Parents must explain to their children, from their early childhood, that it is necessary to surrender to the rulings and commandments of Islam. They should teach them that Islam means surrender to the Commandments of Allah The Almighty and that they are not allowed to judge religion based on their own opinions or reasoning.

　　They have to know that reasoning has limits and cannot comprehend all religious matters. They should teach the child that a true Muslim is the one who implements the commandments of Sharee‘ah even if he does not recognize the rationales behind them. Shaykh Muhammad Qutb, may Allah preserve him, says in his book “Manhaj At-Tarbiyah Al-Islamiyyah”:

　　It is very beautiful thing to convince the child of the rationale and wisdom behind what he is doing, because this is closer to the heart and more fruitful than implementation without conviction.

　　However, it is absurd for parents to make compliance with the truth contingent upon the child’s conviction because the methodology of the correct Islamic nurturing is based on obedience to Allah The Almighty, which entails surrender whether or not one recognizes the rationale, and whether or not he is convinced by it. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should [thereafter] have any choice about their affair.}[Quran 33:36]

　　They should teach the child that the Muslim has the right to ask ‘why’ regarding anything except the Commandments of Allah The Almighty and His Messenger . In such a case, he is expected only to obey and surrender.

　　At the same time, this is not intended to give the parents full control over the child just to habituate him to be obedient to them all the time, because this will lead to either rebellion or submission and both of them are undesirable. This means that parents should not overburden the child with orders.

　　Hence, instilling obedience to Allah The Almighty and the Messenger in the children from early childhood is a very important issue. They should tell them the stories that support this principle in a way that suits their cognitive abilities. These stories include the story of Haajar, may Allah exalt her mention, whom Ibraaheem, may Allah exalt his mention, left in a barren desert with her baby Ismaa‘eel. He left both of them in Makkah, which was a barren desert that has no plants, trees, wells, rivers, animals or residents at that time.

　　When he was about to leave, she asked him; “How will you leave us here without food or water? Did Allah The Almighty Command you to do so?” Ibraaheem, may Allah exalt his mention, answered in the affirmative. Thereupon, Haajar, may Allah exalt her mention, commented, “Then, He will never let us down.”

　　They should also tell them the story of Ismaa‘eel, may Allah be pleased with him, with his father on the Day of Slaughter, and similar stories that deepen the concept of surrender and obedience in the children.

　　(To be continued)