The Upbringing of Children

SHAPING THE FAMILY AND SOCIETY part of the family income on religious matters would not suffice; conversations, family interests and daily activities must all be rooted in religion. Only then will it be possible to inculcate a genuinely religious way of thinking in one’s children? The deeds must conform to the words. But all too often, they do not. Why should this be so? Why should there be such shortcomings when putting words into action? The reason is that making any statement only means mouthing a few words, whereas many problematic factors complicate action. If a man pledges himself to a particular course of action but then shows himself unwilling to make concessions to some or all of these factors, he cannot be said to have spoken in right earnest. Putting principles into practice is not a simple matter. Only half the battle is won by getting up on a platform and addressing an audience. It is not too difficult to make high-sounding speeches on the moral values of Islam. All one needs to do is gather enough information from books on the subject, and, of course, it helps to have an extensive vocabulary. But practising what one preaches is a different affair. It is seldom that action can be taken without encountering various kinds of obstacles on the way to one’s objective. Putting words into action means, inevitably, putting up a struggle. Another inhibiting factor is the egoism of certain individuals. Even when they have demonstrably erred, they cannot utter the words, “I have erred” or “I was wrong,”