'A happy home produces positive individuals'

Dubai - Renowned scholars discuss importance of family in Islam

Step out of your house and you step into a world of chaos, worries and stress. So when you come back home, what do you want? Not only the most comfortable place in the world but your set of people, your family, who imbue you with positivity, rejuvenate you with the love, care and add happiness and meaning to your life.
22 unique lectures, nine international speakers engaged and discussed this very precious and engaging topic, "family life", that attracted more than one thousand people from across the country to the auditorium of Oud Metha's Pakistan Association Dubai (UAE). The recently held summit was titled 'Importance of family in Islam'.
Held under the auspices of the Cultural Interaction Section of the Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Centre of Islamic Culture, the summit addressed some crucial aspects of family life that we all face at one point or another in our daily lives.
Panel discussions ranged from "Who destroyed my family?; Parenting with love to ' Confused parenting', ' Reviving dying love in today's time' to 'Quranic approach for reconciliation', 'Remedy for the wounded heart', 'Best remedy for family discords and 'I want to marry, but.'.
Importance of family bonding
Chief Guest for the event on May 13 was Iman Ismail Abdullah, Head of Cultural Interaction Section at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Islamic Culture, who, emphasising the importance of family bonding said: "Family life is extremely important for the well being of the society as it is the very foundation of the society. We have to inculcate good moral values in our children from a very young age."
The event commenced with the lecture of Dr Kanwal Kaiser, pediatrician, author, speaker on Parenting and Children, who focused on how to strike a balance when we bring our kids up. What is the right dosage of love and discipline?
Quoting the example of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) she said: "Learn from the kindness and leniency of our dear Prophet (peace be upon him). Children get along with the one who is easy with them and treat them as if he is one of them and they repel from the harsh, angry and frowning person.
Adding to this, renowned Islamic scholar Dr Farhat Hashmi said: "Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) acknowledged the attitude of kids and he treated them the way they liked to be treated."
Gift your child a goal
"The biggest gift you can give your children is showing them the right direction, the way to a right goal...else they will be aimless in life and go astray. They need to be guided as per the guidance of the Holy Quran and Sunnah. Nurture them with attention and love and they will absorb more," said Dr Hashmi.
Another important point Dr Hashmi raised was how updated we are with technology. Be tech-savvy as that is the only way to influence your kids. Don't keep asking them to teach you to open laptop or check emails..learn to do it yourself as your kids look up to you and you need to be confident, knowledgeable and updated to be ideal parents, she added.
Stating the importance of family in Islam, Iman Ismail Abdullah said: "Islam aims to direct people towards excellence. It aims to perfect man even before his birth, before his parents marry, by stating what kind of spouse one should choose. This is because a husband and wife are the origin of an individual and Islam wants these individuals, who are the very foundation of a society, to be righteous individuals."
"Even before a couple marries, Islam stipulates what kind of a woman the man's prospective wife should be and vice versa; what kind of personalities they should have; how they should behave and in what kind of family they should have been brought up, added Iman Ismail Abdullah.
A spokesperson from the sponsor of the event said that if we were to follow a simple teaching of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) 'Guard your tongue and modesty', it would help resolve many issues faced in marriages, families and individuals.
With the upsurge of divorces, the speakers shared various solutions to help improve the social, spiritual and intellectual states of families. To encourage problem resolution a panel was set to answer various questions from the audience to ensure as many people could go back with ways to have a happy and healthy family life.
Eminent speakers at the event were Mohammed Al Kobaisi, Grand Mufti of Dubai; Shaikh Zafar Ul Hassan Scholar, teacher and counselor; Tim Humble, teacher and counselor; Nisaar Nadiadwala, author, orator and counselor; and Qari Imran Khan, teacher and event MC. Three people - two men and a woman - embraced Islam during the two-day event.
saman@khaleejtimes.com