Advice to the Women
Shaykh Ahmad Bazmool may Allah
preserve him was asked:
We request from you some guidance
for the women regarding spreading the salafi da'wah and also nurturing and
educating the children upon this correct manhaj.
"There is no doubt that the
mother is a teacher within the house and an educator to her child, so it is
upon her first and foremost to obtain knowledge of the religion and to also
understand from the lessons of the scholars and their books what the methodology
of the salaf is.
Then afterwards, teach and educate
her children upon this. For indeed in this is a great good -if Allah the
Exalted wills. Also what is upon the mother to know regarding the child
she is nurturing upon the salafi manhaj- and this is something the father
should know as well- is that this young boy or young girl, if they are in fact
nurtured upon the salafi manhaj and upon righteous deeds, then every righteous
good deed they perform, you will have a reward of the like without that decreasing
from their reward any.
Indeed the prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) said, "Whoever calls to something good they will
have the like of the reward of whoever follows them in that good and this will
not decrease from their reward any".
He also said, "The one who
shows another to good, will have the likes of the reward of the one who did the
action".
So it is upon the mother to be
diligent in teaching her children good and that she must know that if her son
or daughter spreads this good, the good from your daughter (or son), and the
recipient of that knowledge will also benefit you.
Also the prophet Salla Allahu Alayhi
Wa Sallam said, "All of you are shepherds and all of you are responsible
for your flock."
Then he said, "And the woman is
like a Shepherd over her home and she is responsible for her flock".
You find some women who say: "I
have nothing to do with this, this is the fathers responsibility, I'm not
teaching the child."
This is an error because the
messenger (Salla Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) is saying to you if you are able and
qualified to teach the true methodology or to direct to the true methodology,
he is saying you are responsible. What did you do regarding your child? You saw
him or her listening to falsehood or doing acts of disobedience and you did not
command them with the good or forbid them from evil.
Furthermore it was mentioned in the
biography of Imam Ash Shaafi'ee (may Allah have mercy upon him), that from
those who played a great role in nurturing him upon knowledge and upon the
correct methodology was his mother.
She used to say to him, "Do not
go to Hafs because he is an innovator," and she would forbid him from
going to him. So my advice to the mothers first and foremost is to obtain
knowledge of the religion ('ilm Ash-Shar'ee). What is the meaning of obtaining
knowledge of the religion? It does not mean that you must learn every aspect of
knowledge and that you be a student of knowledge or a scholar, because you have
some women who say, "I'm not able to do that".
We say to you: this is not what is
meant, rather what is meant is that you obtain the knowledge of the religion
which you are in need of and what you need to teach your children. This is
something easy and not hard. Perhaps you sit and waste time speaking to other
sisters and you waste your time in things that have no benefit and going out
with sisters and visiting relatives and sometimes this occurs with the passing
of days, nights and sometimes weeks wasting this time. Could you not spend an
hour or half hour sitting with your child teaching them?
You teach them, then see how they
respond, then teach them and then see how they respond and so on and so forth.
This can occur in minutes. How many times do children grow up and remember the
advice of their mother and father and they say, "They taught me this or
that" and it is useful in sticky situations. So no doubt, the mother
and father are from the most caring people that their child obtains what is
good. So my advice to them is to first learn, then act upon what they know
because the parent is also an example. They should not say, "O my child do
not listen to music then they themselves go and listen to it". Do not say
to them that the scholars say that anaasheed (Islamic songs) are impermissible
but then you go and listen to anaasheed. So she must be an example and act
(according to what she knows) then she teaches her child and practices this.
I also advise her that she uses
gentleness and softness with her child and let the child know that she loves
him or her. The affair should not be that she beats them or pushes them or
speak harshly to them, except out of what necessity requires. So gentleness and
showing her child(ren) she loves them will cause the child to follow their
mother.
Translated by Anwar Wright
27 Jumaad al Oolaa 1434
April 8th 2013
Blessed city of Makkah
