THE WORD OF GOD

The remedy for ignorance is asking questions. (Prophet Muhammad) The spirit of enquiry is the hallmark of an open society and the above saying of the Prophet aptly illustrates this principle. A culture of curiosity and open-mindedness will foster development in any society by motivating its members to learn enthusiastically and enrich their knowledge. This is because awareness of one’s ignorance is half of knowledge, as it becomes a stepping-stone to seeking and finding answers. A questioning mind is like a flowing river that is replenished with fresh thoughts and ideas and continues on its journey. YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED Family is a fundamental unit of the society. If there are better families, there is a better society. How can we make this a reality? In a Hadith, the Prophet Muhammed has said, ‘The best among you are those who are best to their families, and I am the best among you to my family.’ Families are fundamental units of society, collectively shaping its fabric. If families are in good order, society will follow suit. Conversely, if families sink into a low moral state, society cannot prosper. Every person is born into a family, where he experiences his first lessons about home, family, and society. Therefore, to improve society, we must improve the quality of family members. What are the responsibilities of parents? Regarding the upbringing of children, there is a Hadith narrated by Anas ibn Malik: “Treat your children well and teach them good manners.” (Sunan Ibn Majah,) This Hadith emphasizes treating children well and instilling good manners in them. In this Hadith, good manners encompass training in life management. It implies teaching children how to live in the world so that they become an asset rather than a liability to their families and society. Training children to lead a principled life is the best gift parents can give them. Parents should help children make modesty their guiding principle, rejecting attitudes of pride and superiority. They should hold themselves accountable rather than try to hold others responsible, thus channeling their time and energy into productive endeavors. Parents should teach their children that they alone will bear the consequence of their mistakes. No one else will pay the price of their errors. Complaining