Kita>b al- Iya>l / ON THE FAMILY

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2 In GOD s Name, All Merciful All Loving Family and Household in Early Islam KARIM Douglas CROW IAIS December 2010 Kita>b al- Iya>l / ON THE FAMILY Compiled in Baghdad in the mid 3 rd / 9 th century by Abu>> Bakr Ibn Abi> l-dunya> «AbdAlla>h ibn Muh}ammad ibn Ubayd» (d. 281 H / 894 CE)

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4 Abu>> Bakr Ibn Abi> l-dunya d. 894 Great Baghdadi Scholar of 3 rd / 9 th century versed in Adab Personal Tutor to Young Princes of ABBASID Caliphal Dynasty : al-mu tad}id (rgn ) & his son Ali> (=al-muktafi>, rgn ) Compiled over Two Hundred Books, was an expert Traditionist of H{adi>th methodology pupil of Ah}mad Ibn H{anbal. Educationalist Noted for Deep Interest in Ethical & Ascetic Topics ca. Twenty-Five Books published today, including al-zuhd / Renunciation, al- Aql / Intelligence, al-awliya> / God s Friends, al-s{amt wa a>da>b al-lisa>n / Silence & Training the Tongue, Maka>rim al-akhla>q. Kita>b al- Iya>l exists in a unique 11 th cent. manuscript at Baghdad University, now in an excellent edition by Najm Abd al-rah}ma>n Khalaf ( Da>r Ibn al-qayyim 1990; 1032 pp.)

5 Muslim Interest in Family & Household evidenced in major H{adi>th collections: in Bukha>ri> s al-ja>mi chapters on al-adab, al-fad}a> il, al-sala>m, al-liba>s, & in his separate al-adab al-mufrad. / Later,T{abara>ni> s Mu jam al-kabi>r, and Haythami>, Majma al-zawa> id.... Also in numerous legal and medical writings... Yet Kita>b al- Iya>l is the earliest known writing devoted solely to this topic. Later writings (now published) focus on particular legal or health aspects, e.g. : Ibn al-jazza>r al-t{abi>b, Siya>sat al-s{ibya>n /Grooming of Youth, treats Health aspects of young male children (ed. M. al-h{abi>b al-hi>lah, Beirut n.d.). Baqi> ibn Makhlad al-dawri> (ca. 4 th cent. H), Ikhba>r al-s{ibya>n fi> ma> yastadillu bi-hi ala> Rushd al-ghula>m, treats young boys & signs of their coming-of-age at puberty. Muh}ammad al-astaru>shani> (d. 632 H), Ah}ka>m al-s{igha>r /Legal Rulings for Minors. Ibn Qayyim al-jawziyyah, Tuh}fat al-wudu>d bi-ah}ka>m al-mawlu>d /Gift of Love on Rulings for Infants, treats the legal and ethical questions concerning newborns. Also the comprehensive contemporary work on children and the family by Shaykh AbdAlla>h Ulwa>n, Tarbiyat al-awla>d fi> l-isla>m /Upbringing of Children in Islam [who unfortunately fails to provide references to the classical sources he employed].

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8 Kita>b al- Iya>l ~ On the Family 674 Reports, arranged in Thirty-Five Chapters... yet incomplete. These Narrations comprise: Prophetic H{adi>ths, Poetic Verses, Utterances of Companions & Successors (aqwa>l ), and Incidents in the lives of Leading Personalities. Thirty-Five Chapters on : Household Economy & Income, Family Relations, Marriage, Love & Support of Children, Attitudes toward Sons & Daughters, Child Rearing, Education and Moral Training, Disciplining, Legal-Religious Issues of Children.

9 Displays deep Ethical Concern for an attitude of Loving Caring in the Family. Offers significant insights into the Islamic Ideal of the Household.

10 Kita>b al- Iya>l ~ ON THE FAMILY Thirty-Five Chapters 1. Expenditure on the Family & merit of Spending /nafaqah on them 2. Being Just between children and treating them equally 3. A Newborn s ritual hair-cutting / aqi>qah & what is performed at birth

11 4. Performing the best deeds /ih}sa>n toward one s Daughters 5. Arranging the marriage of one s Daughters

12 ON THE FAMILY 6.Affection / at}f toward one s children and Loving them /mah}abbah 7. Kindliness /ra fah toward Babies and tender sympathy for them 8. Holding Babies, smelling them and kissing them 9. Rocking one s Babies and playing with them

13 10. Greeting young Children 11. Teaching the ritual-prayer to Children 12. Teaching the Qur ān to small Children

14 ON THE FAMILY 13. A man Teaches his wife, and Teaches his children and Trains them 14. How GOD Safeguards the man-offaith among his progeny after he dies 15. Generous liberality towards one s Dependants / al- iya>l 16. Intercourse with one s Wife is like unto charitable-alms, and coition is for the sake of procreating children

15 17. Encouraging Women to work by spinning wool 18. Guarding the Woman in her home, her adornment is only for her husband 19. Funeral prayer over the still-born infant 20. Uprightness /s}ala>h} of the child [warms one s heart 21. Taking delight in the small number of one s Dependants 22. Affection toward one s Wives, kindliness to them, and sociability with one s womenfolk

16 ON THE FAMILY 23. Rights of the Wife over her husband and the merit of spending on her support 24. What belongs to the Wife which she may take from her husband s home 25. Rights of the Husband over his wife 26. A Man jests and sports with his Wife

17 27. Circumcision of Infants 28. Allowing Children to play and amuse themselves 29. Teaching knowledge to young Children [& orphans] 30. Disciplining of Orphans [yet the female child should not be struck] 31. Training Orphans in Good Manners 32. Testimony of Orphans is accepted legally 33. Young Boys may perform Pilgrimage with a parent [save for prayers] 34. Children may wear protective charms [Qur ānic verses] to safeguard against misfortune 35. Urine of a suckling male infant is not defiling [may easily be cleansed with water].

18 Chief Features of ~ On the Family Conception of Family is Wider and more inclusive than today, reflects Social Structure of Muslim culture more than a millennium ago. Arabic terms a>>'ilah and ayyil :: Family, Household / Plural is iya>l :: Dependants / Wives & Children. Participles: a>'il & mu i>l :: Family Provider, Sustainer = Breadwinner. The Institution of the Family In the Past Embraced the widest range of persons, including Servants, Clients, and extended blood-kin.

19 Significant Principles Of Family for Today Extending the Boundaries of Family to embrace Neighborhood & Community? Learning to Take Interest in the Rights and the Duties of each part of our Families Injecting more Responsible Moral and Compassionate Mindset into Family issues CARING and LOVE?

20 Private & Public Spheres for Communal Integration Of the Family Understanding the Intimate or Personal in terms of Consequences for Community Ensuring Public Awareness & Concern for Difficulties facing the nuclear family Holding Up Effective Models of Behavior More Public Support needed for problems of Youth & Children outside the family

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