1 Rights of Children in Islam 1 Written by: Sk Younis Salih Translated by Dr. Faheem Bukhatwa In the name of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful In line with the aggression that is taking place upon our brothers and their children in Palestine today, Today s talk is about the rights of children in international law and in Islamic laws. Children s rights in Islam have a lot of advantages over the children s rights under international and other man made laws. Those advantages need to be made known to us and to others; and need to be included into our educational and cultural programs. This is in order to practically enact them into our life in an Islamic and logical manner. Also so we can defend our religion against the distortion carried out at local and international levels to our forgiving and honourable Islamic laws. Islamic laws are known to be just and balanced in a world that lacks just and balance standards. The rights defined in man-made laws have come as a result of unfair social situations or because of problems from which society suffers from attempts to cure and control those problems. This is done through studies, legislations and laws that are prone to error and correctness, editing and replacements. While the children s rights in Islam were laid out by God of all people; who does not
forget and does not make mistakes; the creator the Most knowledgeable of what is good for humanity. He created humans and perfected this creation. That is why Islamic laws are beyond the limits of time, place, beyond attempts and beyond errors. It comes with absolute justice. Allah grants children; boys and girls; He is the one who grants life. Respecting those differences and those rights is a legal obligation according to Islamic laws (Shariaa); and not to be transgressed against at any time or place and under no condition. The population conferences held recently attempted to allow abortion; is in itself a proof that continuity of legislations is better for protecting children s rights. Islamic legislations grants children s rights that current human laws fail to grant. For example, the right of a child to choose a mother who has good morals; and the child s right for a good name, and it s right to be born; and it s right to be breast fed, and its right for a kind basic clean environment; and its right for a faithful upbringing and it s right to be protected from hell-fire; and from Satan and to be guarded from the homosexuals and the immoral individuals. The children s rights in Islam are a complete and absolute which takes care of the generalities and the basic rights; but it also allowed pursuing the 2
mechanisms and details which can be affected by social, economic, educational or political circumstances developments or changes. 1) The child s right to life: Quran warns against killing and against termination of life of children for any reason Allah says: (Do not kill your children in fear of poverty; we shall provide for them and for you. Killing them is a tremendous mistake or sin) 17:31 (They have lost; those who killed their children in craziness without knowledge) 6:139 (whosoever kills a human being for other than murder or corruption in the earth, it shall be as if he had killed all mankind, and whoso saves the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind) 5:32. Islam is very strict with those killers of children and promised them the everlasting life in hellfire. 2) Rights of equality with other children Islam made all people equal; and it is Allah who grants the boys or the girls. Allah says: {He grants to whom He pleases females and grants to whom he pleases males, or pairs them males and females; and He makes whom He wishes infertile} 42:49. 3
It is from here that man must not interfere in the selection of the sex of the newly born. Otherwise; a major imbalance can happen. This is what is happening in China when they decided to limit the number of children to one per family. Parents started aborting pregnancies with females and selected the male child. Things have changed to the worst since they have become able to establish the sex of the unborn. Islam denounces discriminating between boys and girls; and commands to be just in their treatment. In fact girls have been given a preference when Allah made them to be a protection from hell fire to their parents if they were well brought up. The messenger ppbu said: {whoever has three daughters and he was patient with them, and fed them and clothed them out of his resources then to him; they shall be a barrier from fire}. The messenger ppbu also said: {whoever takes care of two girls until they mature, then he and I shall be on the day of resurrection like those two} and he tucked away his fingers. This is the greatest advice regarding the better treatment of girls. The reward is to be a close companion of the messenger ppbu on the day of resurrection just for the better treatment of the daughters. Whenever the messenger ppbu saw his daughter Fatima-Zahraa (may God be pleased with her) approaching; he used to get up and offer her his 4
place to be seated; and used to take her hand and kiss it. Allah shamed the pre-islamic life of killing the daughters. Allah says: {when one is giving the news of a female baby; his face turns dark and anguished; making himself unseen because of how bad the news was given. Will he hold on to it humiliation; or shall he burry it into the earth. How bad their judgment can be!}16:58-59. One wife disliked this behaviour of men who unrightfully take it on their wives if they give birth to a baby girl instead of a boy; not knowing that is of no fault of their own. She stated that we women only give birth to what is deposited within us. 3) The right of a child to education The right to education is one of the main rights with all Muslims. This right starts at childhood. Allah says: {You who have faith protect yourselves and your families from a fire with is fuelled with people and rocks}. Imam Ali interpreted this as: tech them; educate them and teach them how to behave. Ebn-Quaiem in his book said: Many children turn out bad because their fathers ignored them and did not teach them the necessities of their religion 5
(obligations and recommendations). They lose them when they are young and therefor they do not benefit themselves or their parents at old age. And many a parent deny his son the goodness of this life and the goodness of the life after and exposed him to the demise of this life and next. All this is a consequence of the carelessness of the parents in the rights granted by Allah towards their children and not educating them. Talk on this subject will continue. 6