Why do We Teach Our Children the Love of Allah?

a- Because Allah The Almighty mentioned about those who love Him in the Quran, verse number (31) of the surah of Al-E-Imran: “Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.”

b- Because Allah The Almighty is who created us from nil, reforms our creation, prefers us on many other creations and favors us with the best blessing which is Islam. Then He gave us and we do not deserve that, He promised us with Janna (paradise) as a reward for deeds that are from His donation and graceful giving. He is the donator firstly and finally!!!

c- Because the Messenger peace be upon him was supplicating: “Oh Allah, let your love becomes more beloved for me than myself, my family, my money, my children and then the cold water at thirst”. We have a good model in the messenger of Allah.

d- Respect and admiration are the best outcome of love whether in secret or in public. And how much we are in need that our children respect their lord and admire Him, instead of having a relation with Him that is built on the fear from His penalty or from hell fire, so if they love him, their worship will be as a spiritual pleasure which they will live with and will keep them from the misdoing.

e- Because the children mostly regard their fathers and mothers, or whoever takes care and raise them, more than anyone. However, the lives of parents,  and the educators are limited ,while Allah the Almighty is The Alive, The Self-subsisting, The Lasting, The Everlasting who does not die and who neither slumber nor sleep .In addition, Allah the Almighty  is present  with them wherever they are, He is who keeps them safe and takes care of them more than their parents. So their regard for Allah and their love for Him is a necessity. Consequently when they lose their parent or one of them, they will know that they still have a kind heart, a well-built corner and a strong support Who is Allah the Almighty.

f- Because if they love Allah the Almighty, and know that the Quran is His speech, they will love the Quran. And if they know that praying is to meet Allah, they will be happy for hearing the Athan "the calling for prayers", then will be keen and humble during it. If they know that Allah is beautiful and likes beauty, they will do every good thing and leave every bad thing. If they know that Allah loves the repentants, the puritans, the openhanded, the charitable, the patient people, the rightful, the people who put their trust in Him and that Allah is with  patient people, that Allah is the patron of those who ward off (evil), that He is patron for the believers, that Allah defends the believers…they will work hard to have these characteristics and qualities for the sake of Allah’s satisfaction, for His love, for His patron and for His defense. On the other hand, if they knew that Allah does not love the betrayers, the disbelievers, the arrogants, the transgressors, the wrongful, or the abusive, and that Allah does not like the disbeliever, betrayer, or who is prideful arrogant….so they will go far away from those characters as much as they can for the sake of the love of Allah hoping to gain his satisfaction.

g- Because if they love Allah the Almighty, they will obey His orders and avoid His prohibitions with serenity and happiness. They will grow up by preferring His wishes to theirs, "and sacrifice whatever is expensive and precious for His sake, sacrifice for His satisfaction and control the desires to gain His love.  The lover is usually obedient for the one who he loves. But if they do not love Him, they will grow up on the art of searching for the weak religious rulings to escape His order and prohibition."

h- Because the love of Allah means feeling that the Almighty takes care and keeps us safe whenever and wherever we are, which subsequently arises feelings of comfort, serenity and steadfastness, not anxiety and sadness…and then the safety of the soul and the body from the psychological and mental diseases. And more important from that is the safety from the offenses and sins.

So we should explain for them that:

Those whom Allah is with who would ever be against them?!! and vice versa;  Who Allah is against who would ever be with?

i- Because, as the author believes, there are some examples, in which the most effective solution for their troubles is to avoid its repetition through bringing up a child who loves Allah the Almighty.

Among such examples (by no means all) some of the following;

*Those who separate between religion and life thinking that the place for the religion is the Masjid (Mosque) or on the carpet of the prayer only and afterwards they could do whatever they want.

** Those who misbehave in the houses of Allah (Masjids) and they do not exclude Al-Masjid Al-Haram (in Makah) nor the Masjid of the prophet!!!) and during the religious lessons, thinking that the daily behaviors and morals have nothing to do with the Islamic religion.

*** Those Who disregard one of the Islam pillars in spite of their ability –and that is the pillar of Hajj (pilgrimage) - because they think that the are not old enough, and that they still have a long life in front of them in which they will sin so they will go to Hajj when they become old and have a white hair in order to erase all the previous sins once!!!

**** Those who denounce the veil (Al-Hijab) because they have faithful hearts and that the goodness of the hearts is more important than the external appearance, incautious (or assuming incaution) that this is an order from Allah the Almighty that is obligatory like the prayer!!!

Also the fathers, mothers and the spouses who object and even fight with their daughters and wives in order not to wear the Hijab.

**** Those who are reluctant to attend religious lessons and lectures or whatever could remind them of Allah, claiming that: “religion is easiness” and “do not forget your own share in life” at the same time they forget their own share in the hereafter!!!

***** Those that are affected by the western culture appearances and its false sparkling, so they separate from their religion gradually and what remains as a link between them, so that  Islam becomes  just their Islamic name, or the type of religion stated in the passport !!!

 Some of them are immersed by these appearances until it leads them to the apostasy –we take refuge from Allah- and sometimes they change their names "Mimi" or "Michael" after it was "Mohammed "!!!

j- Because the most precious thing that the human being own –after his belief in Allah the Almighty- is the dignity, not the money, or the achievement, or the high rank, nor the ability. The criminal usually agonizes deep inside even before others judge him because he knows his inner self, which feels the absence of the dignity because of the bad deeds he committed. While the respectful human, who has dignity, knows it is better to mount the high tops and elite ranks. That was the state of Joseph, the truthful peace be upon him, when the king of Egypt anticipated that he may be of benefit for him one day; to be his caliph on his people or take him as a son. So he told his wife, when he came happily with Joseph, “Make his stay (among us) honorable”, which  means be generous with his position and make him in a respected and appreciated site and did not recommend anything else. He might have seen that the raising of children which is built on the basis of honor will end by the human to be a knowledgeable and to be able to take right decisions in accordance with the foundations and basis of wisdom and to, additionally, execute such decisions as well.

If we seek the dignity and its results for our children so it is better to grant it to them through their love for the creator of the dignity who grants it to their father Adam and make the angles prostrated for him, and said about him: “We have honored the sons of Adam.”

If we want the highest degrees in this life and the hereafter, there is no way but to help them love Allah, which leads them to be righteous. So they become among those whom Allah said about them: “Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you.”